Make A Contribution To The ABEF Auction

Chuck Zimmerman

I always like a good auction, especially for a good cause. But please, if you donate, make it something I won’t bid on or Cindy will not be happy with me.

ABEF Logo

Donations are still needed for the 2005 Silent Auction that will be held during the 2005 Agri-Marketing Conference Trade Show, April 20-21. Any worthwhile product or service will be gratefully accepted. Some of the most popular items auctioned in past years include:

Framed and limited edition artwork
Media packages for broadcast, print and Internet
Professional services
Premiums and wearables
Collectibles
Sports tickets and memorabilia

The success of the ABEF Silent Auction proves our association is eager to contribute to the growth and enhancement of the profession of agri-marketing. Please show your support and donate what you can (minimum of $50 value suggested.) All proceeds from the auction benefit NAMA’s Student Careers Program.

If you’d like to make a donation to the Silent Auction visit the website here.

NAMA

Want To Talk About Bugs?

Chuck Zimmerman

If you’d like to give a talk at the 5th National IPM Symposium you’ve only got days left to submit your program proposal. There’s an online submission form you can fill out if you’ve got a program idea.

“Delivering on a Promise” is the theme of the 5th National IPM Symposium that will be held April 4-6, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri. The symposium will open and conclude with sessions focusing on the promise of IPM. The program format will include mini-symposia, workshops, round table discussions and poster sessions.

If you have questions regarding the format or development of the program, please contact:Margaret Appleby, 613-475-5850 or Susan Ratcliffe , 217-333-9656.

Agribusiness, University

Latest CornTalk From MCGA

Chuck Zimmerman

A new weekly feature of AgriMarketing Pros is CornTalk. CornTalk is an interview program with a representative of the Missouri Corn Growers Association. Sometimes that’s staff or a representative from an affiliated organization.

This week I interviewed MCGA CEO, Gary Marshall. Gary talks about impending legislation called the Water Resource Development Act of 2005 and the latest prospective corn planting report from USDA.

You can hear CornTalk here. The regular feature is also find in the “Audio Programming” box in the sidebar. We plan to add a subscribe-able podcast file for it shortly.

Happy listening.

Ag Group, Audio

Agribusiness News & Notes

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s the latest from Syngenta:

Callisto Herbicide Receives Registration for Sweet Corn

Gives Growers New Option for Safe, Effective Weed Control

Greensboro, N.C., April 4, 2005 – Syngenta Crop Protection announces the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration of Callisto® herbicide for use in sweet corn, giving sweet corn growers a new option for safe and effective weed control. Callisto is recommended as a post-emergence treatment on field corn, field production seed corn, field silage corn, yellow popcorn and now sweet corn.

For more information contact Mary Cameron, Gibbs & Soell, 800-472-6616 or David Pinon, Syngenta, 336-632-6000.

Agribusiness

NAMA Is Calling On A Few Good Agrimarketing Pros

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA is looking for a few good professionals to participate in the Student Mentor Luncheon at the upcoming 2005 Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show in Phoenix. Here’s NAMA’s call for help, along with contact information:

Students hungry for advice (and lunch) need you! This event was a success last year in Kansas City and we hope to improve it this year with more students, more professionals and more quality interaction time.

Don’t miss your chance to come face-to-face with topnotch employee candidates! In an effort to provide students with an opportunity to connect with professionals about careers and job opportunities, we are organizing this event during the Thursday, April 21, tradeshow luncheon from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. in Phoenix.

All you need to do is click here to sign up: Mentor. Then, show up at the luncheon, sit at the designated Student Mentor Luncheon tables and chat your heart out with the students for 60-90 minutes. For this effort, you’ll gain the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped a young person along his/her way and you will gain one more special ribbon on your NAMA badge when you check in at registration. This year we are going to provide table tents with your name, company and location as a way to more quickly start the conversation.

Organized by the NAMA Careers Committee, the luncheon is intended to:

Provide students with the opportunity hand out resumes and business cards.
Provide professionals with an opportunity to interact with students and answer student questions.
Mentors and students are welcome to keep in touch, however, there will be no specific responsibilities designated for the mentors after the meeting.

If you have any questions, please contact Myrna Krueger, NAMA Careers Committee. 952-852-6291.

So, don’t forget to sign up to be a NAMA Student Mentor at Phoenix in April 2005!

NAMA

Our Blog Is A Credible Media Outlet

Chuck Zimmerman

In the international ag news arena the World Trade Organization (WTO) ranks right up there at the heart of a lot of stories. I’ve been to the WTO on more than one occasion to interview various representatives, including former Director General Michael Moore. Trade issues are vitally important to agrimarketing and in fact often determine if you can even market products internationally so we want to keep in touch with these folks!

I requested media credentials for AgriMarketing Pros and was initially turned down. I was informed that they only allow credentialing to “accredited” news organizations. However, after explaining our weblog in more detail they re-considered and granted us full media credentials. I guess that now makes us on an international level, a credible and even “accredited” news organization.

The next WTO Ministerial Conference will be taking place in Hong Kong, China in December. I am hoping to find a way to attend. I covered the Seattle conference a few years ago, which turned out to be an unforgettable experience with all the protesters and the fact that absolutely nothing was accomplished.

Government, Media

Rest In Peace Holy Father

Chuck Zimmerman

You may wonder what the Pope has to do with agrimarketing. Trust me there’s a connection here.

In February of 2001, when I was still farm director for the Brownfield Network, I was able to participate in a seminar at the FAO in Rome on International Farm Broadcasting, specifically in undeveloped countries. That gave me the opportunity to bring along my family for a visit to Rome prior to the seminar. Through the efforts of a wonderful priest and our local bishop we were invited to meet Pope John Paul II. First my two oldest daughters were able to greet him at a Wednesday general audience and then Cindy, myself and our youngest daughter got to meet him in his apartment on a Saturday morning! I’m including the pictures because they are some of my most treasured that I’ll ever have.

Pope John Paul II is already a saint in my mind. He had a tremendous impact on my life and on my family. I have to take this opportunity to honor him for all he did in his life. I know he reached out and touched millions of people of all faiths and he will be sorely missed but his legacy will live on for centuries to come.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Mathew 25:21)

Chuck and PopeCindy and PopeChelsea and Pope
Carly and PopeCaitlin and Pope

The Zimmerman family (Chuck, Cindy, Chelsea, Carly and Caitlin) and Pope John Paul II

-photos taken by Vatican photographer-

Personal

Commodity Group E-Newsletters

Chuck Zimmerman

Most commodity organizations have good e-newsletters. I’ll try to provide links to them as time goes on. I invite you submit a link to yours in case I don’t have it. I’d like to know what you like or don’t like about them too. How can they be improved or changed?

One that I’ve been getting for some time is a weekly news wrap-up from the National Association of Wheat Growers. You can subscribe to it on their website. One of the nice things about this e-newsletter is that it’s weekly and usually only contains a few news headlines of important stories. I can scan it quickly and link to the full stories if I want to. Now if they had some audio in there . . .

Ag Group

Tell Us What You Think By Commenting

Chuck Zimmerman

If you see anything on AgriMarketing Pros that stirs your emotions use the comment feature!

That means that you read a post and want to say something about it you just click on “Comments” at the bottom of the post and enter your thoughts. A little form pops up which you fill out and then you hit the submit button and you’re done. Simple.

Then your thoughts are there for other readers of the post to see and they can comment on your comment. It’s a great system!

Blogging