AFBF sent comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the development of a national broadband plan by the FCC. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year requires the FCC to develop a comprehensive broadband plan by Feb. 17, 2010. Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, have …
Talking Ethanol This Week
From Farm Bureau to fuel, I’ve transitioned over to my next event on the agriblogging highway. The 25th Annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo is underway in Denver, CO and I’m on location for the next couple days to bring you news, interviews and photos, most of which will be posting onto our Domestic Fuel website. I attended the opening …
Car of the Heartland To Promote The American Farmer
This afternoon I saw the unveiling of the Car of the Heartland, the official Car of the American Farmer. This is a concept car developed by Furniture Row Racing. They’re looking for industry partners to help them make the car a reality on the NASCAR tracks in 2010, starting with the Daytona 500. The unveiling was done to the participants …
News Media In Transition
One of the sessions here at the AFBF Shining at the PR Summit was titled, “News Media in Transition.” I thought I’d hear stories about how tv and newspapers were utilizing new and social media mechanisms to “transition” to how consumers want to get news and information. Instead I would characterize the comments as being very defensive and actually blaming …
Country Classic on Display at CMA
The CMA Music Festival in Nashville featured some well-known country legends like Reba McEntire and the Judds, so it was a perfect place for New Holland to display its own country classic, the Boomer 8N. “It’s a retro going back to the Ford 8N and we are very proud of that heritage of ours going back to the 40s and …
Who are the Next Generation of Food Producers?
Most ranch kids can trace their heritage back to a long lineage of food producers. In past generations, if a kid’s father were a rancher, he or she would more than likely grow up to be a rancher, as well. Yet, today’s generation may have many ancestors of ranchers in their family trees, but because of the many challenges facing …
Shining At The AFBF PR Summit
The American Farm Bureau Federation, “Shining at the PR Summit” is underway here in Denver. I’m feeling my miles this morning after 5 days at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville but thank you to the Brown Palace Coffee & Tea Co. for helping out. I’ll be conducting a session on social media here in just a few minutes. Please …
Zimfo Bytes
Alan Quarry, Chairman and CEO of Quarry Integrated Communications, has been appointed Entrepreneur in Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University where he will serve as a resource and advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs within the Laurier School of Business & Economics. The American Agricultural Insurance Company announced the appointment of Janet S. Katz as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief …
Bone Collector Competes in Celebrity Tractor Race
Michael Waddell is the star of Bone Collectors on the Outdoor Channel. He was one of the competitors in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson. Waddell gave it a valiant effort and hopefully will compete again next year.
Pork Producer Dedicated to Sharing Ag Story
It’s certainly not news to anyone in the agriculture industry that livestock producers, especially pork producers, are hurting. According to the National Pork Producers Council, pork producers, who prior to the announcement of the H1N1 “outbreak” were already losing money, have seen losses accelerate to an average of $17.69 on each hog marketed since May 1, 2009. Total losses have …