Whos Talkin About You?

Chuck Zimmerman

We’re coming off the slowest two weeks in ag news of the year (do you agree?). I’ve just got a feeling that things will pick up a lot starting next week. In the meantime you might want to spend a few minutes finding out who’s talking about you or your products online. You know I strongly advocate “joining the conversation.” …

Internet

Will We Have a Livable Future?

Chuck Zimmerman

What do you think about this new website project by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health? Their Center for a Livable Future has launched the site to “enable research on the critical links between agriculture and public health.” Do you think they understand production agriculture and have farmer’s best interests at heart? Is this needed? Who defines a …

Farm Policy, Internet, University

Yes Rural Broadband is Important

Chuck Zimmerman

The latest issue of Farms.com’s Highlighter Newsletter contains an article titled, “Rural Broadband – An Important Platform.” Now that’s a subject near and dear to my heart. Joe Dales is the author and he makes some good points like, “. . . it can be a strong platform for rural economic growth.” He also says: To be sure that our …

Internet, Media

Online Demographics Older Than You Think

Chuck Zimmerman

I say this because so often I get comments from people who think it’s “only the young farmers” who are online. I also say this because research says so. In today’s lead article by eMarketer you’ll find some interesting stats such as. Ageism is out, online. Some 55% of US adult Internet users are over age 40, according to Harris …

Internet

NAFB Wave Research Study

Chuck Zimmerman

I’ve been meaning to write about the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Wave Research Study. Looking at this month’s Agrimarketing Magazine prompted me to go ahead. I found it ironic that there’s an ad for Farm Journal Media early in the publication touting their position compared to other major ag pubs and quoting the NAFB study. Then NAFB has an …

Internet, Media, NAFB

New USB Website

Chuck Zimmerman

The United Soybean Board has a newly designed website which features the ability to do some customization of the content you see. It’s an example of what I call the “try to be everything to everybody” strategy since it’s got weather, news, markets, etc. I suppose that’s fine for some people but . . . maybe it’s just me but …

Internet, USB

eplantspace.com Social Networking Site

Chuck Zimmerman

The urge to connect socially online continues to grow. I am constantly surprised at who I’m connecting with online via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. I have new friends and contacts on each of them every day, in fact, several times every day. That’s why I find it interesting when a company or organization tries to create their own social networking …

Internet, Social Networking

Mobile NRCS Offices

Chuck Zimmerman

High speed mobile internet access is changing the way that NRCS offices look and work. Now they’re coming to farmers so farmers don’t have to come to them! For more than 70 years, NRCS has delivered conservation assistance to farmers, ranchers and other landowners. Now they are taking “conservation delivery” to a whole new level using kiosks in business locations …

Internet

Digitel Wireless in the Sunbelt

Chuck Zimmerman

It seems like having a web cloud over your farm show is the “in thing” now. This time it’s Sunbelt Ag Expo. That’s good to know because that’s where I’m heading tomorrow. Sunbelt AG Expo 2008 exhibitors and visitors will be able to access the Internet, wirelessly, from anywhere on the show grounds for a 3rd consecutive year. After last …

Farm Shows, Internet, Sunbelt Ag Expo