Greetings from Toledo, Ohio and the 2011 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour! The Conservation Technology Information Center annual tour is taking place in Northwest Ohio and focusing on the impact of agriculture on the Maumee River and Bay, as well as Lake Erie. We started out the event with a boat tour of the river and bay and out into …
NCBA PAC Fundraising Campaign Underway
The political needs of cattle producers across the country may seem like a no brainer for many, but they are not well known or well supported by enough current senators. That is why it is so important for the beef industry to have representation on the Hill. And that’s why the Political Action Committee (PAC) plays such an important role …
Allied Industry Council Focuses on Market Research
The Cattle Industry Summer Conference 2011 might have officially ended last Thursday afternoon, but the work for most is just ramping up. I had a chance to speak with Rod Nulik, who is the chair of the Allied Industry Council group, to discuss some of the issues they would be focused on in the coming months. Nulik explained that the …
What’s New With Becker Underwood
At the Ag Media Summit I visited with Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood. I asked him what’s new. Russ says one of the relatively new products he’d like to point to is their Vault HP product line. He says they had a phenomenal increase in sales last year. You’ll hear him explain why in our interview. He says that the ag …
Social Media at AgCareers.com Ag HR Roundtable
This edition of the ZimmCast features a couple of interviews from the AgCareers.com 2011 Ag HR Roundtable held last week in West Lafayette, Indiana where social media in the spotlight – like it is everywhere! One of the featured speakers at the event was Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of Social Media Delivered, one of the largest social media optimization companies …
John Deere Gearing Up For Major Product Launch
At the Ag Media Summit I visited with Barry Nelson, John Deere, to find out what’s new. There is definitely going to be something new from John Deere very soon he says. “On August 24th and 25th we are going to have the largest most significant product introduction in our history.” Barry says the new equipment will be unveiled at …
Parting Comments from Ag HR Roundtable
By any measure, the 9th AgCareers.com North American Ag HR Roundtable was a big success and next year will likely be even bigger and better. I talked with Emily Gray with the University of Tennessee College of Ag Sciences and Natural Resources who has attended every one of the nine roundtables. “This is a very valuable event,” she told me. …
The Importance of Soft Skills to Employers
Soft skills are as important in the job market as software is to a computer. Soft skills include areas such as communications, leadership, problem-solving, self-management and professionalism – some of which must be developed over time rather than taught in a classroom – but the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) is taking a look at how their courses …
Agricultural Bio-based Careers are Booming
Novozymes was one of the companies that participated in the AgCareers.com 2011 North American Ag HR Roundtable held this past week at Purdue University. Novozymes is a Danish-based international company which specializes in enzymes for bioag products, biofuels and bio-pharmaceuticals. Novozymes Recruitment and Employer Branding Manager Darlene Godsey says the company’s workforce has increased tremendously just in the last five …
USFRA Prepares for Public Launch of Ag Movement
There was a great panel discussion during the General Session of the Cattle Industry Summer Conference 2011 in Kissimmee, Florida that focused on the movement being developed by the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). The ultimate goal of the USFRA is to educate people about where their food comes from. During a brief presentation by the National Cattlemen’s Beef …