In today’s media there is a great opportunity for freelancers. The Canadian Farm Writers Federation invited a panel to discuss this topic. On the panel were Leeann Minogue, Editor, Grainews (pictured); Allison Finnamore, FCC Express & FCC Agribusiness, Agri-Food Weekly and Tamara Leigh, Principal at Shiny Bird Communications. I visited with Leann after the session and asked her for some …
Welcome to #CFWF16 – Saskatchewan Surprise
We’re getting a Saskatchewan Surprise in Saskatoon for the 2016 Canadian Farm Writers Federation annual meeting. Our reception and dinner were held in the Western Development Museum. The opening reception featured welcoming comments from the Honorable Lyle Stewart, Minister of Agriculture, Province of Saskatchewan. Stewart says, “Agriculture in Saskatchewan is part of our identity here. To some we’re known for …
The Cuban Gold Rush
Few Americans can say they have stepped foot on Cuban soil. Even fewer can say they had the opportunity as a journalist and yet even fewer as an agricultural journalist. Luckily, I am one of those who can answer yes to all of the above. Thanks to the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and Alltech, I recently traveled to Cuba …
Get Consumer Marketing Inspiration for Ag Marketing Success
One of the breakout sessions during the NAMA Fall Conference was a presentation by Stacie Marshall, Bayer CropScience. The session title was “Working Together to Help Growers: What Agriculture Can Learn From Consumer Marketing.” Stacie started out by dispelling some myths about farmers that she has heard, even from people involved in agricultural marketing. For example, some people still believe …
USFRA Helps Farmers Speak on Sustainability
What does sustainability mean to you? What does it mean to your friends and family? Based on research from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), not the same thing. So if it means different things to different people then how do you communicate with consumers about the sustainable actions you are taking on your farm? Well, that’s easy, says …
Professional Dev Awards at #NAMAFall16
The National Agri-Marketing Association honored the winners of the Professional Development Awards of Excellence today. I’ve recorded their comments upon receiving the awards. Let’s start with Marcy Tessmann. Marcy is the recipient Communicator of the Year Award. Listen to Marcy’s comments here: Next up is Bill Brozak, Colle + McVoy/Exponent. Bill received the Public Relations Professional Award. These awards are …
Ag Women Star in RFD-TV FarmHer Series
RFD-TV’s FarmHer series started airing this month on the rural television network, spotlighting women in agriculture around the country. RFD-TV and FarmHer formed a partnership earlier this year to bring a positive image of farm woman to television and the first program in the series aired on September 9. This week’s episode, which premieres at 8:30 central time tomorrow (September …
#Ag Groups Express Concerns About Consolidation
Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the agribusiness industry, which is poised to cut the number of major companies in the seeds, chemicals and crop nutrients market in half. AFBF Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young told the committee that farmers …
A New Holland NHDrive ZimmCast
A self driving tractor generated a lot of buzz during the Farm Progress Show. New Holland, a sponsor of our event coverage, had their brand new autonomous concept tractor displayed in the center of their show lot and it was getting a lot of attention. In this week’s program I talked with New Holland’s Dan Halliday to get a detailed …
#Agribusiness Executives Defend Consolidation
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this morning on “Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry,” executives of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, Bayer and Monsanto defended the current spate of mergers and acquisitions as being important to continue to deliver on the innovation that farmers need to feed a growing global population. Bayer CropScience President and CEO …