Rock and Roll Meets Tractor and Country

Chuck Zimmerman

We certainly had a little bit of rock and roll getting together with country at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race. One of the contestants who held the lead for a while was Rolling Stones keyboardist, Chuck Leavell (left), seen here with Michael Peterson. Chuck is a central Georgia tree farmer where he and his wife have 2,500 acres. …

Audio, New Holland, Video

Bio Economy Transition

Chuck Zimmerman

Biofuels have been making headlines all over the place lately. I’m sure the weather in the central United States is going to continue to fuel the issue. It’s also taking us out on the road a bit this month. Cindy’s at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop and later this week I’ll be at the Iowa Indy Corn 250. Next week I’ll …

Ag Groups, Audio, Energy, Farm Foundation, ZimmCast

CUTC Media Mania

Chuck Zimmerman

While I was attending the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference recently, I turned the tables on one of the media representatives covering the conference. Pictured on the left is Andy Vance, Buckeye Ag Radio Network along with NCGA’s Christina Koboldt. Christina was a big help by the way, helping those of us who haven’t attended a CUTC in a while. …

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Media

Jimmie Van Zant Riding a Blue Boomer

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the celebrities competing in the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor race was Jimmie Van Zant, pictured on the left with Michael. Jimmie is a cousin to Johnny, Ronnie and Donnie Van Zant, deceased members of the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. He’s been making quite a career on his own. He thinks the tractor race is an excellent opportunity for …

Audio, New Holland, Video

AgWired & AgriTalk is Winning Combo

Chuck Zimmerman

Mike Adams (right), Host of AgriTalk was the celebrity announcer of the celebrity tractor race. He and I talked about the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race right before it got started. AgriTalk producer, John Herath, got this photo of us sporting our Frogg Toggs to keep cool. This was Mike’s second year as the emcee for the race and …

Audio, Media, New Holland

Great Pork BBQLossal

Cindy Zimmerman

The winners of the 21st Great Pork BarbeQLossal have been officially announced – and the Grand Champions are Mike and Beth Wozniak of Brimfield, Illinois. They are the second two-time champions in a row for the event. They previously won in 2004. I spent some time at the BBQlossal before heading home on Saturday and got to speak with the …

Audio, Novus International, Pork, World Pork Expo

Celebrities Riding Tractors

Chuck Zimmerman

My latest road trip ended at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race in Nashville, TN. So this week’s program has been produced there and includes an event wrap-up with Michael. Michael Peterson has become a good friend after I’ve had so many opportunities to work with him since this event started 3 years ago. Today he got the crowd …

Audio, New Holland, Tractor, Video, ZimmCast

Joe Jobe Competes in Celebrity Tractor Race

Chuck Zimmerman

Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (left) and Chuck Leavell, keyboardist for the Rolling Stones (right) were two of the competitors out here at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race today. I spoke to both of them before their competition runs and will post my interview with Chuck later. In this post you can watch Joe give …

Ag Groups, Audio, Biodiesel, New Holland, Video

Darby Ledbetter Wins Celebrity Tractor Race

Chuck Zimmerman

The winner of the 2008 Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race is Darby Ledbetter with a time of 47 seconds. He pretty much blew away the competition. Here’s Darby on the New Holland tractor with Michael Peterson (left). I interviewed Darby right afterward and he was still pretty excited about his win. He’s a National Guard supporter and really appreciates …

Audio, New Holland

Helping the Media at WPX

Cindy Zimmerman

A well-run media center can make all the difference in the world when it comes to covering an event – and the World Pork Expo media center was exceptional. The main reason for that is Leah Schomburg of TriLix Marketing Group, who has been handling this event for seven years now. She was attentive to the needs of the media, …

Audio, Media, Novus International, World Pork Expo