I saw this today in the National Biodiesel Board’s e-newsletter and thought it was cute and funny and environmentally friendly. Corn-based diapers have apparently been around for a couple of years now, first made by a Swedish company called Nature Baby Care, but they are getting a bit more buzz lately. If you search around on the web, you will …

How to quantify social media reach and influence is becoming the top topic in conversations I’m having with agrimarketers. It’s not an easy one to answer. You can’t rely on website statistics to tell you the whole story. How do you factor in Twitter, Facebook and something that I have mixed feelings about. That is the re-publishing of my content. …

I drove through a pretty impressive storm coming home this afternoon. The skies mostly cleared up and the sun came back out. It made for some interesting cloud formations like this one. I was mostly off the grid except for my iPhone yesterday and today. That’s the way it goes sometimes when the hotel internet is out, there’s a weak …

I’m addicted to several blogs that I read each day, including one titled OMSH, Oh My Stinkin’ Heck. OMSH is the creation of blogger and web designer, Heather Sanders, and she is full of great ideas to increase readership to your own personal websites. I ran across this blog post titled, “The OMSHville B.O.R.E. Method,” that I have found to …

I don’t know why I let things like the global warming hoax bother me but sometimes . . . It seems like lately I’ve been hearing and seeing more “news” coverage of this subject. For a while last year the term changed to “climate change” when a number of stories came out from weather reporting stations and actual meteorologists and …

Growers are looking for ways to reduce costs this summer, especially as fertilizer costs are on the rise. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) just might have a way to help you save money. During Commodity Classic last month, they launched a new propane irrigation engine. According to Brandon Robinson, Projects Coordinator with PERC, “Propane is one of the …

Take a look at this interesting document from USDA, “Rural Boradband At A Glance 2009 Edition.” It points out how fast farmers are adopting the use of the internet for business purposes and clearly outlines the challenges many areas of the country still have in getting broadband access. It has a number of interesting graphs like the following one comparing …

Trent Loos is launching a new contest to feature the best and brightest young people in agriculture. It’s called the “Hot Peppers in Agriculture,” contest, and it calls for tasteful, fun photos that will make food producers “cool” again. Follow-up articles will highlight the interesting lives of farmers and ranchers. Photos can be sent to trent@loostales.com. To support this cause, …

What is it about blogs that are so addicting? Is it the ability to write about whatever your passions are? Is it the opportunity to peak inside the life of someone else? Is it a break from the work routine, a chance to escape and think about something fun? Is it a great way to be informed and meet with …

In advance of the upcoming NAMA convention and our breakout session on social networking, this Nielsen Online report (pdf) is very timely and interesting. Now visited by over two-thirds (67 percent) of the global* online population, “Member Communities,” which includes both social networks and blogs, has become the fourth most popular online category – ahead of personal email. It is …