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.
Airing on the Side of Agriculture with Larry Quinn
Larry 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.”
Larry 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
Regional Best of NAMA Judging & Banquets
It looks like the Best of NAMA judging is in full swing. Here’s a photo of the regional judges in Kansas City from the NAMA Facebook page.
Net up are the regional award banquets. Here’s information from the NAMA calendar:
January 16, 2014
Region 2 Best Of NAMA Awards Banquet
Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
January 21, 2014
Carolinas/Virginia Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony
Hamner Conference Center, Research Triangle Pk, NC
January 23, 2014 (tentative)
Region 4 Best of NAMA Awards Banquet
Harley Davidson Museum Center, Milwaukee, WI
January 30, 2014 (tentative)
Region 3 Best of NAMA Awards Banquet
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Check with the NAMA office for updates and details. And remember that you will be registered to win an iPad mini if you recruit a new member before Dec. 9.
New Sponsor for Great American Wheat Harvest
The Nebraska Wheat Board has become an executive sponsor of The Great American Wheat Harvest film documentary. Producer Conrad Weaver is now in post-production of the film which will be debuted next spring. Weaver is pictured with Caroline Brauer, NWB public information officer, and Royce Schaneman, NWB executive director.
Weaver says NWB gave its endorsement early in the film project when in October 2012 NWB chairman, Von Johnson, and the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association (NWGA), president, Dayton Christensen, provided the Great American Wheat Harvest with a letter of support to endorse the film’s mission of connecting consumers with wheat farmers and harvesters.
Von Johnson, chairman of the Nebraska Wheat Board, says the board supports the film as it strengthens the organization’s mission of promoting Nebraska wheat farmers and providing an interactive tool to help explain wheat’s role in the world’s agricultural food production and diet.
“We believe the Great American Wheat Harvest documentary film shows an overall perspective of American agriculture and will highlight how our state’s wheat farmers take an active role in growing the world’s wheat food supply,” Johnson says. “We hope viewers will come away with a better understanding of our modern farming practices.”
The Nebraska Wheat Board now joins Oklahoma Wheat Commission and the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee as state wheat sponsors. Other Great American Wheat Harvest major sponsors include: John Deere; U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc.; C& B Operations; MacDon Industries; Case IH; Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters; TMCO/National Manufacturing; and media partner, AgWired, an online media service at http://agwired.com.
Do You Know Prince Agri Products
Prince Agri Products sponsored the Penn State Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop pre-conference symposium and I was invited in to cover it. To learn more about the company I spoke with Dave Calabotta (right), VP of Marketing and Business Development.
Dave says that Prince Agri Products has been around for about 150 years and is part of Phibro Animal Health. Prince focuses on the marketing of minerals and value added products with the goal of helping maximize the bottom line of dairy producers as well as other primary animal species. The focus here at this conference is on their OmniGen-AF and Animate products.
When dairy producers think of Prince Agri Products Dave wants them to think, “Innovation. We want to be one of the most respected companies as it relates to bringing new technologies in nutrition but more importantly on the cutting edge of where the industry is moving.”
Listen to my interview with Dave to learn more about Prince Agri Products: Interview with Dave Calabotta
Prince Agri Products Dairy Pre-Conference Symposium Photo Album
Zimfo Bytes
- Leading swine veterinarians address overall vaccination compliance issues critical to effectively managing Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine circovirus in the latest At the Meeting (ATM) program, produced by Dr. Bob Morrison, University of Minnesota.
- Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Company, announced the company will purchase the Titanium and Master Guard brands from AgriLabs.
- Steve Lambert, Oroville, Calif. was announced as the new president of the American Hereford Association during the Annual Membership Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 2.
- Truman Lawrence, Somerset, Ky., was inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame Nov. 1, 2013, in Kansas City at the American Hereford Association Annual Meeting.
Let’s Give #FoodThanks this Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving let’s all give a little thanks for the food we have to eat. When it comes to food what are you thankful for? Let everyone know via your social media channels using the hashtag – #FoodThanks. I’ll start with this platter of surf and turf from my grill last weekend. Grilled T-bones, asparagus and Gulf Amberjack foil wrapped with green chiles, tomato, mushrooms, garlic, red onions, olive oil and my own selection of special slices. It was all good and all good for you. And every bit of it was available because of hard working farmers and fishermen. Thank you!
The AgChat Foundation just started its fourth annual FoodThanks campaign which features “Give a Bag. Get a Bag.” to encourage participants to help their local food bank.
“The campaign aims to bring together everyone in the food system, no matter who you are, how you fit into in, or your favorite social media channel,” says Jeff VanderWerff, a Michigan farmer and president of the AgChat Foundation. “It’s about forgetting the food fights and taking time to share thanks for safe, abundant food.”
Use Instagram or Vine to show a meal that’s special to you and explain why. Share a recipe and tag someone you’re enjoying it with.
Join the #foodthanks Twitter chat and Google Hangout – Thursday, Nov. 21 at 8/7 CST.
“In addition to saying #foodthanks online, the AgChat Foundation is encouraging participants to give #foodthanks offline this year,” adds VanderWerff. “Consider giving your time—whether 10 minutes or an hour—to make a meal for a neighbor or to volunteer at the food bank or homeless shelter.”
Starting Nov. 18, participants can pledge to donate a bag of food to a local food pantry via an online form at www.foodthanks.com. Those who take the pledge will receive a special edition #foodthanks tote. Quantities are limited.
“It’s a simple pledge, followed by a lasting reminder to be thankful every time we visit the grocery store—even when the holiday season is over,” VanderWerff says.
Separating Fact from Fiction on Renewable Energy
Separating fact from fiction is the goal of a new curriculum from National Farmers Union (NFU) focusing on renewable energy. The curriculum will be made available free to organizations, schools, institutions and businesses that build cultural awareness and acceptance of renewable fuels.
“Renewable energy is fast becoming a way of life for millions of Americans,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Technological advances are delivering sustainable, reliable, and increasingly affordable sources of renewable energy. At the same time, Americans are curious about the economic and environmental costs of relying on fossil fuels.”
Lessons are available for use with students in high school grades 9-12, as well as separate lessons for both college and adult students. Each module contains three unique areas of focus, for a total of nine different lesson plans. The sessions are tailored to appeal to the specific audiences and use a variety of educational activities to engage students in the learning process. The lessons come with separate guides and resource sheets to assist teachers in understanding and implementing the curriculum.
The curriculum is available here or by contacting NFU Director of Education Maria Miller at mmiller@nfudc.org.
Borlaug Award Nominations Now Open
You can now place your nominations for the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. The award is organized by the Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, sponsored by DuPont and carries on the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug.
The honor recognizes professionals working in the agricultural, environmental or food sectors who are promoting ag science in the public policy arena. This award serves as a way to showcase efforts made to keep agricultural issues and programs in the public eye.
Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco and 2013 prize winner joins a list of notable recent winners Dr. Carl Winter of the University of California-Davis, Professor Catherine Bertini, former head of the World Food Program, and Dr. Akin Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for Nigeria.
CAST welcomes nominations for those who effectively communicate Dr. Borlaug’s call to feed the world through words, deeds and programs to help farmers and consumers worldwide. The award winner receives a bronze sculpture, an honorarium and the opportunity to give a presentation at a CAST award ceremony during the 2014 World Food Prize Symposium.
Nomination forms can be found here.
Meet DairyUS – The REAL Seal of Approval
The animated Dairy REAL Seal Character finally has a name. After a nationwide vote, the cartoon character who is helping to build awareness of the advantages of real dairy foods has been named DairyUS. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) made the announcement today during their annual meeting.
The character was modeled after the iconic REAL Seal logo and will help educate a new generation of consumers about the difference between genuine U.S. dairy products and imitations. The icon is part of an effort to revitalize the seal, which was created in the 1970s and is already used on more than 10,000 food products.
NMPF asked the public to suggest names for the character last summer, using the REAL® Seal website and new REAL® Seal Facebook page. Three finalists were selected from among more than 100 names submitted. An online vote was held from mid-September through Election Day, November 5.
In all, nearly 800 votes were cast. DairyUS, suggested by Kathryn in Clermont, Iowa, received 379 votes. The runner-up, Milkdrop, received 343 votes, while the third finalist, Roscow, received 74 votes. The results of the vote were announced today at the NMPF annual meeting, being held in Phoenix, Arizona.
“DairyUS will help both kids and adults learn about foods made with real dairy products,” said NMPF Chief Operating Officer Jim Mulhern. “The REAL® Seal not only means a product is a real dairy product, but that it is made with milk from cows on U.S. dairy farms and without imported, imitation or substitute ingredients.”