Farm Credit Sponsors NAFB Social Media Corps

Kristyn Stidham

10844765406_d86e3f9495_bFarm Credit sponsored the Trade Talk Social Media Corps for the first time ever and brought them to NAFB 2013. The team is made up of seven students from colleges all over the nation who are all majoring in agriculture communications. Farm Credit’s National Communications Director Margaret Fogarty took on the task of heading up the students and teaching them the ropes.

“We had the idea that we wanted to expand and amplify the conversation from the trade talk floor through channels in the social media space,” said Fogarty. “We wanted to expand the conversation and get some interest from folks in the industry who aren’t able to be here at the event.”

Following NAFB, there may be a future for the Social Media Corps.

“We are already talking to folks about bringing the Social Media Corp to other industry events throughout 2014,” Fogarty said.

The students posted throughout trade talk on various facets of social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They posted interviews with companies they sought interest in, video clips, photos, and posts. Following trade talk students will continue with blog posts and follow up pictures from the event. They used various hashtags like #NAFB13 and #TradeTalkSocial.

Listen to my interview with Margaret here: Interview with Margaret Fogarty

Checkout photos from NAFB Convention: 2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, NAFB, Social Media

NAFB Foundation Goal is $10k

Kristyn Stidham

nafb13-brandsThe National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Foundation has a booth here at the 2013 Convention in Kansas City, which is being manned by Lois and Richard Brand, parents of NAFB Executive Director Tom Brand.

“People have an opportunity to donate to the foundation which provides scholarships for potential farm broadcasters,” said Lois. The scholarships help students interested in the profession to get the “farm word out” while also being able to network with professionals in the industry.

Lois says they have several perks for donating to the Foundation during the convention. Anybody that donates at least $100 gets entered in a drawing to win $500 toward the auction that will be held here at the convention. If they donate $250 they get a chance to win the classic farm print “Farm Broadcasting Through the Decades.”

The foundation is striving to achieve a goal of $10,000 in donations this year to continue encouraging the next generation of farm broadcasters. Even if you are not at convention and would like to donate, please find out how on the NAFB Foundation website.

Listen to Leah’s interview with Lois and Richard here: Lois and Richard Brand

2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, Media, NAFB

Monsanto Innovation to Meet Global Demand

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Robert FraleyThis morning Dr. Robert Fraley, Monsanto Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, took the stage at Agronomics Vision 2014. His task was to address “Meeting Global Demand Through Innovation in Agriculture.” It is a task he enjoys since that’s what Monsanto has always done!

Dr. Fraley talked about the projects and technologies that Monsanto is working on to support the doubling of yields needed by the year 2030 to feed a growing population. He says the Monsanto has always been a seed company that combines breeding with with biotechnology and agronomics solutions as well as new technologies.

You can listen to Dr. Fraley’s speech here: Dr. Robert T. Fraley Speech

Agronomics Vision 2014 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Ag Groups, Audio

A California Welcome to Agronomics Vision 2014

Chuck Zimmerman

Karen RossThe Agronomics Vision 2014 conference got kicked off this morning with opening remarks from Karen Ross, California Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture. Karen is very proud of the agricultural industry in California as you’ll hear from her remarks. I also interviewed her afterward and will be sharing that interview soon.

You can listen to Karen’s remarks here: Opening Remarks from Karen Ross

You can find photos from the conference here: Agronomics Vision 2014 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Ag Groups, Audio

The Bridges of Nemaha County

Melissa Sandfort

20131101_153256I think I have an affinity for bridges. On enjoyable fall afternoons when the kids have had enough bike riding and weed-pulling, we take a walk to the old bridge up the country road that runs behind our house. We have to be careful though because the stroller wheels fall between the wooden slats – that’s how big the cracks are! My 5-year-old is always very careful as he leans over to toss rocks into the water; I keep a tight hold on my 15-month old because she has NO fear.

When I go for walks by myself, I often find myself gravitating toward another old bridge next to the pond where we used to fish as kids. The dog we had for about 18 years used to bark at this same bridge if you’d say, “Lucky, get ready!” Maybe it was the clickety-clack the wood made when the pickup drove over it?

And as I was driving to Kansas City a couple of weekends ago, I drove over the Missouri River bridge at Brownville. Granted, it’s not a bridge of Nemaha County (Nebraska), but I snapped this picture with my phone. It looks like a sketch – the lines are so beautiful.

I wonder what that means – my love of bridges. I know the expression “don’t burn bridges” because then you can never go back; I also know “building bridges” … it can stand for “get over it” or “find a connection between yourself and another person”.

Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it and these old bridges just bring up pleasant childhood memories. Either way, I’m off to go cast another stone (in the creek!) from one of my favorite bridges.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

NAFB Scholarship Recipients Awarded

Jamie Johansen

nafb-scholarshipOn the opening day of the 70th National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention the NAFB Foundation awarded this year’s scholarship recipients during a luncheon sponsored by the CME Group.

Gina Olsen is the first recipient of the George Logan Scholarship. She is attending the University of Missouri and seeking a degree in agriculture. Interview with Gina Olsen

Amie Burke is the recipient of the Glenn Kummerow Scholarship. She is attending Illinois is State University and will graduate in December and will soon join the communications team at GROWMARK. Interview with Amie Burke

Stacie Seger received the NAFB Foundation Scholarship and is a junior at The Ohio State University. There she is pursuing a BS in Agriculture Communications. Interview with Stacie Seger

Checkout photos from NAFB Convention: 2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Education, Media, NAFB

Relevancy in Changing Media Landscape

Cindy Zimmerman

nafb13-moger Charlie Moger with Wizard of Ads, spoke to the afternoon session of professional development at NAFB Annual Convention. Charlie’s discussion was about how and where people find their information is changing. He says that a decade from now the landscape will change again, as producers and growers become younger and taking over family operations. Twitter and Facebook are the go-to sources of information for many of the younger generations.

But, the more things change, the more they often stay the same. Charlie believes that even though iPods and iPhones may soon be installed in tractor and combine cabs – they will still have a radio!

You can listen to my interview with Charlie here: Interview with Charlie Moger

Checkout photos from NAFB Convention: 2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, Media, NAFB

ZimmCast with NAFB President Elect

Cindy Zimmerman

nafb13-janetThe lovely and talented Janet Adkison is our guest on this week’s ZimmCast, live and unplugged from the 70th annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention in Kansas City.

Janet is the president-elect of NAFB and has been in farm broadcasting for many years, starting with local radio in Springfield, Missouri. We hired her from there to work at Brownfield for a few years, then she went to work for KMZU in Carrollton, Missouri. Earlier this year, she made the move to Nashville to join the RFD-TV team and has helped to develop their radio channel on Sirius.

ZimmCast 416Hear more about Janet’s new job and the NAFB meeting, which she coordinated this year, in this edition of the ZimmCast. NAFB President-Elect Janet Adkison

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, Media, NAFB, ZimmCast

New Holland Previews 2014 Marketing Campaign

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland published a video today that previews its 2014 marketing campaign which will be featuring customer stories and utilizing television, radio, print, online videos and social media. The campaign kicks off in January, 2014.

We are proud to share an exclusive sneak preview of our 2014 marketing campaign featuring the individuals who work smarter than the average person: our New Holland customers.

Agribusiness, New Holland

Airing on the Side of Agriculture with Larry Quinn

Jamie Johansen

Airing on the Side of AgricultureLarry Quinn wasn’t quite ready to walk away from the agriculture communications industry when he retired as Director of Communications at USDA. With his strong connection to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Larry saw a need to share the story and legacy of farm broadcasters across the country.

“I looked around and among the membership of NAFB I found so many interesting stories about the people and the profession. So, I proposed to NAFB of writing a column called “Airing on the Side of Agriculture” to try and get people to think about their colleagues and what they do on the side of agriculture.”

nafb13-quinnLarry admitted the perk of retirement was the opportunity to pick and choose what you wanted to do. He found out that he truly enjoyed writing way more than he had originally thought.

“Email and the telephone are the greatest tools for me. What I don’t find out from broadcasters that way, I look them up on the internet. Look at their website and find out all kinds of information about them that they failed to tell me. When I write about someone I try and make it a full compliment of what they do and tell that story that sometimes might be linked to a current event.”

As if he wasn’t busy enough with this new venture, Larry is also active with the Broadcast Committee and the History and Heritage Committee of the National Press Club.

Listen to the complete interview with Larry here: Interview with Larry Quinn

Checkout photos from NAFB Convention: 2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Media, NAFB