Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Osborn Barr welcomes three new members to its integrated solutions team. Collectively, these individuals bring more than 55 years creative and online experience to the company: Chris Kirk, Solutions Architect Supervisor; Joe Floresca, Creative Director; and, Tom Remes, Copywriter.
  • The United States Potato Board announces nominations are now open for new Board Members for the 2013-2016 term.
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is celebrating 65 years of service to the poultry and egg industry.
  • AgriCharts announces an exclusive partnership with IRON Solutions to form an agricultural media alliance.
Zimfo Bytes

Becoming Authentically Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 348Let’s talk “Authentically Agriculture” with Michele Payn-Knoper, Cause Matters and founder of the weekly AgChat Twitter conversation. Michele was a presenter at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. Michele says her presentation title means “that agriculture really needs to do a better job of connecting on a human level.” She spoke about the values, validation and voice that’s needed for agriculture and challenged the group to think about these ideas. Even though you may be a farmer you’re still a human being first and to start at that level to connect with other human beings is the basic first step. Sounds like good advice to me.

We also talked about AgChat and the AgChat Foundation which both Michele and I serve on the board of. It is amazing that the weekly Twitter conversation has been going for over 3 years and Michele says there has been participation from over 15,000 people from 15 countries. She says the outcomes from the conversation are fascinating. I’ll also use this chance to promote this year’s AgChat Foundation Agvocacy 2.0 Conference which will take place August 23-24 in Kansas City. Submit your application here.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Authentically Agriculture with Michele Payn-Knoper

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, ZimmCast

New Holland MegaCutter at Mega Media Event

Cindy Zimmerman

One of the new offerings from New Holland featured at last week’s Mega Media event was the MegaCutter™.

We already heard about this new mounted triple disc mower-conditioner when it debuted at the National Farm Machinery Show in February, but we got another look last week in more detail with the help of New Holland Hay and Forage Segment Marketing Manager Mike Cornman.

Mike says the MegaCutter was designed for the professional customer looking for more capacity and more productivity. “It will provide 30 foot width of cut at one time with a T7 or T8 series New Holland tractor equipped with a front three point hitch and PTO,” he said. “We have a good customer base with our self-propelled forage harvesters and this is the type of machine that those customers are looking at.”

New Holland is holding a “Ready to Roll” sales event happening right now through June 30. The event includes various incentives for all of New Holland’s hay and forage products. “In addition, there’s also a demonstration program that many of our dealers participate in,” Mike adds. “It’s an opportunity for new customers to try a mid-range tractor, round baler, or a disc mower conditioner on their farm as part of their buying decision.”

Listen to my interview with Mike here and watch a very short video clip with him below:
Mike Cornman Interview

New Holland Media Event album

Audio, Equipment, Hay, New Holland, Video

Building Relationships With Consumers

Chuck Zimmerman

The moderator for the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit was Tom Steever, Brownfield, who is currently the President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Tom was also one of our presenters so it was interesting seeing him introduce himself, speak, thank himself and then present himself with the AAA coffee mug token of appreciation. It was also hilarious. Tom took over moderating duties for Tom Brand, NAFB, Executive Director, who could not attend due to a family emergency.

Tom’s topic was “Strengthening the Bond.” I took that to mean a discussion about relationships and I was right. His message was that “the farmer has a story to tell and that the farmer should tell to consumers.” By doing that we can build the relationships that will help them better understand where our food comes from. And he also points out how farm broadcasters can help tell the story of the farmer.

You can hear my interview with Tom here: Interview with Tom Steever

2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio

Gaining Consumer Trust

Chuck Zimmerman

If you need a speaker on the subject of social media and content marketing then you need Shelly Kramer, V3 Integrated Marketing. I met Shelly last year and she talks about what I do better than I do and I like that. I’m sharing a short excerpt from her comments at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit on blogging which is near and dear to my heart as you all know.

Shelly was here to speak on “Closing the Trust Gap,” and her comments on how individuals and companies can accomplish this are spot on. I fully agree with her idea that you used to spend money on media and then you got business. Today you spend time on media and you get business. Now, that media is yourself and/or social media (mobile website, blog, podcasts, social networking, etc.). Of course time is money but to utilize these tools properly you have to invest time and give it time to develop. She also made a point of saying how big a mistake it is to think you can hire the company president’s just out of college daughter to run your social media accounts. If you think about that hard enough for a minute you’ll understand why. However, it happens and it is a setup for potential disaster.

You can hear an excerpt of Shelly’s comments here: Shelly Kramer Talks Blogging

2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Ag Groups, Agencies, Animal Agriculture, Audio

The Lucky One

Melissa Sandfort

I’m not referencing the movie that’s in the theater, although I did see it and it was very good. (Ten minutes into it though, I realized I’d read the book!) I’m talking about my husband…I’m going to start calling him the lucky one. There are some people in this world who seem to have luck on their side; those who just stumble upon exactly what it is they were looking for, even if they didn’t know they were seeking it. Luck just finds them. That’s my husband.

When it comes to business ventures, he’s meeting new people every day, making new contacts, new friendships, new partnerships and I never know what kind of surprise his day is going to hold. He also possesses a skill, a trade, where he can help people. He can build things, anything. He can fix things. He creates things that are immediately worth more than the blank ground they started on.

When I see him pull in the driveway each evening, I make a quick scan of his truck or trailer to see if he’s brought home something new, which happens quite often. Now this couldn’t be loaded onto a trailer, but it’s his next “project.” It’s an old lumber yard that he’s going to acquire and in his eyes, it just needs a little TLC. He sees something fabulous – something that with a little bit of work can be a masterpiece. The only non-rickety part I saw from the outside was this door. I said, “If you do anything to this building, save this door.”

Don’t you think it would make for a great coffee table?

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Animal Agriculture Alliance Celebrates 25 Years

Chuck Zimmerman

The Animal Agriculture Alliance is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Here’s Steve Kopperud receiving a present since Steve was the founding President. I hope that’s the right title. The AAA was given birth by the American Feed Industry Association and was originally known as the Animal Industry Foundation.

Speaking of the American Feed Industry Association being a founding member/organization/supporter of the AAA, here’s Sarah Novak, Vice President, Membership & Public Relations at AFIA, receiving a 25 years of support award from AAA Chairman Chris Ashworth. During our Stakeholders Summit reception last night all the long time supporters of the AAA were recognized and photos are in the online photo album.

2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Video

College Aggies Online Scholarship Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

The winners of the College Aggies Online Scholarship are attending the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. Here they are from Casper College with their adviser, Marty Finch. The college team was presented a check by Animal Ag Alliance Chairman Chris Ashworth and and Kay Johnson Smith, President/CEO.

I visited with the students, Kaycee Carpenter, Trinity Holland and Jessie McClellan. I asked them to tell us about the College Aggies program and what being here means to them and why they are such strong supporters of agriculture.

You can hear my interview with our scholarship winners here: Interview with Scholarship Winners

2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Education

Mixed Corn Planting Intentions

Chuck Zimmerman

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “With all of the discussion on projected corn acres this year, how many acres of corn do you expect to plant this year?” A full third of respondents said More than 2,000 acres. That was followed by less than 200 acres at 27%; 200-500 acres at 23%; 1,501-2,000 at 7%; 1,001-1,500 at 7% and 501-1,000 at 3%. Looks like we have a wide cross section of corn growers in the ZimmComm News Network community!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Should raw milk be allowed for sale?” This week’s question is prompted by one of the panelists here at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. She is a reporter with a food safety publication who says that this issue is the one that gets the most comments and response of any other. Seems people get pretty passionate about their beliefs when it comes to milk. Raw milk is still the suspect in an E. Coli breakout with 14 confirmed cases in central Missouri that put a couple of people in the hospital. What do you think?

Let your friends and neighbors know they can participate by sharing this link.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Corn, Dairy, Farming, ZimmPoll

Ag Voice in Today’s Media

Chuck Zimmerman

What is agriculture’s voice like in today’s media? That’s the question posed to the panel that Janie Gabbett, Executive Editor, MeatingPlace, served on here at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. Janie used some great examples of how big issues like LFTB and BSE have been handled by the mainstream media and talked about how industry stakeholders can and should handle these situations.

Janie gave some great advice. For example, she says that you have to have factual information readily available before these issues blow up. That’s because journalists are under ridiculous deadlines and need instantaneous information and resources. She says that if you wait to put it together until you’re asked for it then you’ve lost the opportunity. I agree. She also makes a point of using the social media platforms like blogging since even the media are doing so as well as consumers and animal activists. She also makes a great point that those of us in “industry” media should be looked to as a place to make sure good information is available. MeatingPlace is followed and read by mainstream media just like AgWired is!

You can hear my interview with Janie here: Interview with Janie Gabbett

2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Thanks to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United Soybean Board for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s Summit.

Ag Groups, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Media