Most Valuable Dealership, Brokaw Supply Company

Melissa Sandfort

Insights WeeklyBrokaw Supply Company, a single-store business in Fort Dodge, Iowa, sells and supports six different brands of precision equipment including Ag Leader Technology as one of their premier lines, and services a customer base that stretches into Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The dealership has been named Precision Farming Dealer’s 2013 Most Valuable Dealership. They boast 36 employees (4 precision ag specialists); 90 percent of their 2012 precision ag revenue was from hardware and their 2012 precision technician service billed 900 hours.

Brokaw’s General Manager Craig Harthoorn says the dealership had to break into the precision ag world.

Listen to Harthoorn explain

He also says they are a “niche marketer”.

Listen to Harthoorn explain

One way Brokaw is making the most of its independence and showing customers that its willing to find the best technology solution for their respective farm is through the development of its precision kits.

The company started putting together the kits — priced-out lists of precision parts for farm equipment — in 2009 to give customers a better understanding of what they were buying, and to provide salespeople with a handy tool.

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Ag Leader, Agribusiness

MGEX Commentary on Plantings Report

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA-LogoA little more corn, a little less soybeans, more wheat and a lot less cotton – that summarizes the USDA 2013 Prospective Plantings report out today.

Corn growers intend to plant 97.3 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2013, up slightly from last year and 6 percent higher than in 2011. If realized, this will represent the highest planted acreage in the United States since 1936 when an estimated 102 million acres were planted.

Soybean acres are estimated at 77.1 million acres, down slightly from last year but the fourth highest on record. All wheat acreage is forecast at 56.4 million, up one percent, and cotton is expected to total 10 million acres, down 19 percent from last year.

The Minneapolis Grain Exchange held its usual crop conference call with reporters when the report was released today, with commentary by Brian Basting of Advance Trading.

Listen to the MGEX call here: MGEX Prospective Plantings call

Audio, Farming, USDA

Find ZimmComm at 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA BoothZimmComm New Media will be forging new frontiers once again at the 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference. Here’s where you’ll find us in the Connection Point. We’ll be at booth 402. Yeah, booth numbers don’t always make it easy to find. Just follow the arrow. We’ll have an announcement out soon about a very cool booth giveaway and of course there will be something new from ZimmComm announced at this year’s show.

Isn’t it odd that we have no problem accepting we must upgrade software and replace old technology, but have such a hard time upgrading our thinking?

And all too often, we get too comfortable with “the way it’s always been done” rather than exploring new ways to find solutions and ideas.

Well, we’re going to change all that in April…The speakers we have lined up for the 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference are each pioneers in their respective fields. Prepare to have your eyes opened and your opinions challenged by internationally known thought leaders ready to share their groundbreaking ideas with you.

Ag Groups, NAMA, ZimmComm Announcement

BeckAgConnects Over 10,000 Members

Chuck Zimmerman

BeckAgConnectsMore than a big milestone. That’s what BeckAgConnects has reached. The online community for those working in the ag industry now has more than 10,000 members.

The community has grown steadily since it launched in 2011 while remaining a valuable resource for ag professionals looking for new ways to positively impact their business results and exchange ideas with their peers.

Margaret Oldham“The community and peer exchange are two of the best components of BeckAgConnects,” said Margaret Oldham, Director of Innovation and Opportunity for Beck Ag. “There are very few secure environments on- line for ag professionals to explore resources and share new ideas. Our goal with BeckAgConnects was to create a safe place for those connections to take place, while also offering relevant information that ag professionals can use to impact their business results.”

BeckAgConnects offers those in the ag industry the opportunity to join and interact with other members within various discussion groups on the site. There are currently 6 public discussion groups that are led and moderated by subject matter experts. These discussion groups feature topics such as farm policy and tips for managing ag employees, and provide timely information on the topics ag professionals care most about.

In a brochure about the online resource Beck Ag shares some farmer vs. general public comparison data on cell phone or smartphone usage from AgAdvisor. In August of 2011 94% of farmers had one of these devices vs. 83% for general public and 46% of farmers check email on their phone vs. 38%.

Agribusiness

See It? Stop It! Animal Care Starts With You

Jamie Johansen

See it? Stop It!The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), along with the Center for Food Integrity and the U.S. Pork Sector jointly launched “See It? Stop It! Animal Care Starts With You.” A campaign to give proactive demonstration of agriculture’s commitment to farm animal care. The initiative demands that if signs of animal abuse, neglect, mishandling or harm are seen, then we have an obligation to report it immediately.

Though these acts are uncommon, See It? Stop It! gives animal care providers resources to easily report what they witness.

Betsy Flores, NMPF’s Senior Director of Animal Health and Welfare, stated, “Care of animals could not be more important to farmers. Having a system in place to contact any of several authorities is imperative, and ‘See it? Stop it!’ provides that resource. This initiative combines well with the dairy industry’s National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management to ensure the well-being of animals in our care.”

“As the nation’s oldest animal protection organization, the American Humane Association (AHA) has a long history of involvement with programs that help assure proper animal care,” said Kathi Brock, National Director of the Farm Animal Program for AHA. “It is critical for farm management to set clear expectations for animal care and to have zero tolerance for animal mistreatment. We believe ‘See It? Stop It!’ provides the tools to help set those expectations and a mechanism for reporting abuse which supports the proper care of America’s farm animals.”

The U.S. pork and dairy industries have provided funding for the program and believe it is a great way to add to their already existing strong animal care programs.

“The Pork Quality Assurance® (PQA Plus®) program outlines best practices for proper animal care,” said Sherrie Niekamp, director of animal welfare for the National Pork Board. “The ‘See it? Stop It!’ initiative meshes well with the core principles of PQA Plus that pork producers have followed for more than 20 years.”

For more information about the program and an employer checklist, guidance for integrating the program into existing animal well-being programs, posters and employee training visit www.seeitstopit.org.

Animal Agriculture, Dairy, Pork

The Dinner Bell

Melissa Sandfort

IMG_7089Summer is coming, I can feel it. That may be wishful thinking, but a person can dream, right? A few warmer afternoons has me itching to be outside prepping my garden, dragging a hose around to water plants and mowing the yard. This time last year, I think I WAS mowing.

Spring weather beckons us outside and I don’t think it matters one bit to my family that dinner gets pushed back by at least an hour. Our son is at that age where he enjoys playing back by the wood pile, on top of the dirt pile and out behind the shed. But that presents another challenge: getting him inside for dinner!

But Santa had the forethought to bring our son something to solve that problem: the dinner bell. After a trip to the museum to see Santa where he rang BOTH big belfry bells, Braden was hooked and that’s the only thing he asked for. Santa delivered.

My husband put the skid loader auger attachment on last night and with Braden’s help, mounted the bell on its yoke right outside our front door. Braden rang it (again and again) and I need to ask my grandparents but I’m betting they could hear it ¼ mile away at their house.

I bet when he’s playing out behind the shed, the dinner bell will bring him running. Maybe someday I’ll have the heart to tell him that Grandpa produced the dinner bell for Santa from his stash of antiques.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Four of Alltech’s crop science products have received approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Agri-Mos, Soil-Set, Crop-Set and Grain-Set are now registered as micronutrient fertilizers in the Canadian agronomic market.
  • The Georgia Peanut Commission board of directors has approved $292,500 in new research project funding for the 2013-14 research budget year.
  • Penton will announce its new agriculture group at the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Agri-Marketing Conference April 17-19 in Kansas City, MO.
  • Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference will be held April 23-24 at the Grand Wayne Center, 120 West Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Zimfo Bytes

Winter Weather Affecting Drought Conditions

Talia Goes

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do you support continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)?”

Our poll results: Fifty-seven percent say Yes, It’s Working, Twenty-nine percent say No, It’s Not Working, twelve percent ask What is the RFS?, and a small portion at two percent say Other. Over half of you support the continuation of the Renewable Fuel Standard. For those who ask what is the RFS? The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program regulations were developed by EPA in collaboration with refiners, renewable fuel producers, and many other stakeholders. The RFS program requires 36 billion gallons of renewable- fuel to be blended into gasoline by 2022.

Untitled

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Has winter weather affected drought conditions in your area?” Drought conditions coupled with below average snowfall is resulting in low topsoil moisture. Do you think this will impact the 2013 growing season? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

New Holland, ZimmPoll

CHB Names 2012 Distinguished Chef

Jamie Johansen

ChefRobbiJenkins[3]Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) announces the title of 2012 CHB Distinguished Chef and this year’s recipient is truly dedicated to the brand. Robbi Jenkins, executive chef of Three Fires Steakhouse, Prairie Band Casino & Resort, Mayetta, KS. has many years in the culinary industry and very deserving of the award.

Originally from Mississippi, Robbi, received her degree in English and pursued other career endeavors, although cooking ran in the family and was always close to heart. Later in life she finally took on her calling and entered the two-year program at Washburne Culinary Institute & French Pastry School in Chicago.

She began her culinary career a the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago and later moved to Lawrence, KS. to be closer to family. She worked in multiple establishments in the Kansas City area before taking the head chef position with Prairie Band Casino & Resort.

“When they brought in the CHB steaks and grilled them up, they were fantastic,” Jenkins says. “The flavor, marbling and tenderness were wonderful. Having been a chef for many years, I have had the opportunity of working with many brands of beef products, and I now know Certified Hereford Beef is the beef product I can hang my reputation on. It has proven to be the most tender and consistent product each and every time.”

“My colleagues have started calling me the Hereford queen,” she says. “And I’m very proud of it, and of our restaurant. I’ve been a cheerleader for the CHB product, and I’m sure it will bring great recognition for the brand, as well as for our restaurant.”

The CHB product is used in Three Fires Steakhouse menu many times including the steakhouse burger, filet, prime rib, strip steak, ribeye and T-bone entrees. Servers are educated on the product and avidly promote it as CHB.

Fenton Barnard, Kansas City Protein LLC procurement manager, nominated Robbi for the award with numerous letters of recommendation, her acclaimed resume and the Three Fires Steakhouse menu.

Beef, Food

Congrats to the 2013 Golden ARC Winners

Jamie Johansen

golden-arc-awardsThe Agricultural Relations Council’s (ARC) 2013 Golden ARC Awards Contest were recently announced at the organizations annual professional development meeting in Oklahoma City, OK. 14 Golden ARC winners and 18 Merit winners were awarded to elite agricultural public relations professionals.

This year the Golden ARC de Excellence Award was awarded for the best all-around entry in the campaign division. Congratulations to the American Farm Bureau Federation for receiving the acclaimed award for their public relations campaign, public affairs entry “Estate Tax Campaign”.

Agency Charleston | Orwig took home the most awards with five Golden ARC Awards and three Merit awards for clients Novartis Animal Health, Illinois Soybean, Smithfield Foods Inc. and the AgChat Foundation. Right behind them were Osborn Barr and Farmer Lumpe + McClelland, each winning seven awards.

“This year’s contest included many strong, creative entries with impressive measurable results,” said Amy Keith McDonald, contest manager. “In its history, the Golden ARC Awards Contest has established a precedent of being the most prestigious agricultural PR awards program in the nation.”

“The Golden ARC Awards Contest is unique in that it is the only award competition directed to agricultural marketing communications professionals that is not judged by our peers in agriculture,” she continued. “The competition is judged by public relations professionals who are not directly or indirectly linked to the entries.”

Members of the Florida Public Relations Association served as judges focusing on audience analysis, creativity, execution and campaign results.

Here you can find a complete list of the 2013 Golden ARC Awards winners: 2013 Golden ARC Winner

Advertising, ARC