FeatherFest 3 a Resounding Success

Chuck Zimmerman

FeatherFest 3 was a “resounding success” according to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The event was held in conjunction with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau during the International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo week in Atlanta from January 23-27, 2012.

The competition included more than 60 restaurants creating the best poultry appetizers and entrees. Restaurants competed for the title of “Best Of” in three categories. IPE/IFE convention attendees and Atlanta food connoisseurs visited participating restaurants and cast their votes for the “Best Of” poultry inspired dishes.

The results have been calculated, and two restaurants were recognized for their culinary efforts in the three categories. They are as follows:

· Most Popular Entrée: Stuffed Chicken Breast – Ruth’s Chris Steak House
· Highest Rated Entrée: Free-Range Statler Chicken, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Haricot Vert, and Garlic Herb Sauce – Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
· Highest Rated Appetizer: Chicken Parmesan Spring Rolls with Marinara Sauce – Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

In the top picture you can see (Left to right) Nancy Oswald, Ruth’s Chris Steak House Owner, Charlie Olentine, executive vice president of USPOULTRY; and Stephanie I. Tobben, public relations & marketing manager for Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

In the bottom photo you can see (Left to right) Amy Howard, Davio’s sales manager; Paul Dunn, Davio’s assistant general manager; Charlie Olentine, executive vice president of USPOULTRY; and Ellie Westman Chin, vice president of membership, corporate events & visitor services, ACVB.

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau thank all of the restaurants who participated and congratulate the 2012 FeatherFest® winners!

Ag Groups, Poultry, Poultry Expo

CUTC Website Updated

Chuck Zimmerman

If you’re interested in the latest in corn technology then check out the updated Corn Utilization and Technology Conference website. The National Corn Growers Association says their is now more information on the poster session, session topics and many other areas of interest.

With a theme of “Back to the Grind,” CUTC will feature the cutting-edge technologies and new uses that continually improve and dynamically change the corn industry. By visiting the website today, potential attendees can explore this theme and make reservations at a discounted rate.

“The updated website makes learning about CUTC and registering even easier,” said NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team Chair DeVonna Zeug. “With new sessions on mycotoxin, exciting advances in technology and all of the newly added information, CUTC presents a broad range of topics to explore, so register today! It is simple, fast and, until Friday, offered at significant savings.”

Ag Groups, Corn, CUTC

Agriculture Gets Slimed

Cindy Zimmerman

By now everyone has got to be sick of hearing about the so-called “pink slime” in beef – which is actually just beef – but this terrible example of misleading media reporting can probably be called the most damaging attack on the production of food in this country to date. It has already resulted in the closing of plants and has put hundreds of people out of work. Beef Products Inc. (BPI) shut down three of its four plants last week and the latest casualty is Pennsylvania-based meat processor AFA Foods which declared bankruptcy today.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad minced no words last week when he called the media reports about a perfectly safe product “poisonous” – and today he called for a congressional investigation into the “smear campaign” against Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) – the correct term for the product that has been included to lower the fat content in ground beef for over 30 years. It is the epitome of yellow journalism, which is characterized by the use of “misleading headlines, pseudo-science, and a parade of false learning from so-called experts.”

Branstad and other governors of beef-producing states, as well as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilack, are making a valiant effort to get the correct information out about the product. “The time for bad-mouthing and distortion is over, the time for the truth to prevail and combat this ugly situation is here,” said Governor Branstad. “This is something that will definitely hurt all of agriculture because corn and soybeans also go into what the cattle eat. So it has a ripple effect.”

Despite the fact that the governors led major national news organizations on a tour of BPI to show how the product was made and consume some on camera, the damage that the term “pink slime” has done may already be out of control. “If you called it finely textured lean beef, would we be here?” asked Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback during the media tour.

It is almost amazing how many legs this story grew after the initial report coining the term “pink slime” was aired by ABC News on March 7. We can all thank a former USDA “whistle-blower” and ABC News for job losses, higher meat costs, and less lean ground beef to contribute to more obesity – not to mention a gross new term for our vocabulary. Certainly not the first time and probably not the last that agriculture gets slimed by the media.

Get the LFTB facts at beefisbeef.com.

Beef, Media

Farm Podcasting Tool

Chuck Zimmerman

Hey farm podcasters. Here’s a new microphone you might want to consider. Apogee is now shipping the MiC.

The portable studio revolution continues…

MiC by Apogee is the most compact studio quality USB microphone available for iPad®, iPhone® and Mac. About the size of an iPhone, MiC makes it easy to capture your best take with incredible quality, anywhere your music takes you. Record any sound you can imagine, from vocals to vibraphones, acoustic to lap steel guitars, pianos to percussion and everything in between, and build a track right on your iPad with GarageBand. MiC is also the perfect companion to JAM, Apogee’s studio quality guitar input. Never before has the personal studio been so portable or so powerful. Join the recording revolution with MiC, JAM and GarageBand on iPad.

Here are some features:

PureDIGITAL connection for pristine sound quality
Studio quality cardioid condenser microphone
44.1/48 kHz, 24-bit analog-to-digital conversion
Studio quality microphone preamp with up to 40dB of gain
No configuration, just plug in and record
Control knob allows easy input level adjustment
Multicolor LED for status indication and input level monitoring
Designed for vocal and acoustic instrument recording
Also great for recording interviews, podcasts, voice overs, and audio for DSLR video
All metal construction
Extremely compact and portable
Works with GarageBand
Bus-powered by iPad, iPhone or Mac (no batteries or external power required)
Made in the U.S.A.

Equipment, Media, Podcasts

A Wall of Wine to the Winner

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s some incentive to support the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Agribusiness Educational Foundation. How about a chance to win a wall of wine! I’ll be donating a nice chianti to the wall btw.

Join the ABEF Century Club and Get Entered to Win a Wall of Wine

The ABEF Century Club provides us, as individuals, the opportunity to contribute to this worthwhile cause. Membership in the Century Club is on an annual basis and members will be recognized on the Century Club sign in the Silent Auction area and in other conference materials. The annual membership contribution is $100.

New this year! Renew your century club membership before or during conference and be entered in a drawing to win a “Wall of Wine.” This special collection of wine was donated by members of the NAMA Executive Committee and the ABEF Operating Committee. Up to 20 bottles!

Please go to the following URL to renew your membership in the ABEF Century Club. Visit http://www.nama.org/abef/centuryclub/signup.htm.

Ag Groups, NAMA

PROpenMic Going Back To Future

Chuck Zimmerman

Once upon a time a long time ago I started what is now AgWired. One of the people who gave me encouragement was Robert French, Auburn University in Alabama. He is the creator of PR Open Mic which is having a week long birthday party. A University of Miami student interviewed Robert for a podcast. He was asked how he thinks PROpenMic has evolved in the last 4 years? “Initially it grew really fast, but the growth now has slowed down. However, I still think it is remarkable because people are still joining! It’s crazy to us because it’s been me and a couple students working and maintaining the site. I think the one thing that we built into the site that is extremely helpful is the Jobs and Internships* section. That gets the most traffic along with the videos. The site still has utility, and that is the most important part.” Here’s what the celebration is all about this week.

You’re invited! Please join us in a week-long celebration of PROpenMic’s 4th anniversary as we partner with students from the University of Miami and “Bring ‘U’ Back to the Future” with social media.

We will be posting amusing and interactive content to get you involved and keep you entertained all week long, including interviews, podcasts, videos and more! Connect with your fellow PR practitioners and students, and invite your friends. We are so happy to include you in this very special occasion as we reflect back on the beginnings of social media and look toward the future of our industry.

Be sure to check out the UM students in collaboration with PROpenMic on our main page, Facebook and Twitter (@PROpenMic)!

Education, Podcasts, Social Networking, University

An Interest in Pinterest For Kodak Gallery

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 344Since I’ve been seeing more and more interest in Pinterest in the AgWired community lately, the release about the Kodak Gallery mobile app being able to share photos to the popular social media site caught my eye. I visited with Trent Gruenwald, Sr. Product Manager, Social & Mobile Products for Kodak Gallery to learn more about it.

Trent says the app is available for both iPhone and Android. It allows you to upload photos from your smart phone, view all your Kodak Gallery photos, share your photos either individually, by photo album or group sharing. He says they are continuing to update the app based on feedback from users. Right now the new update is sharing to Pinterest which is only available for Android. It will be available for iPhone in the future. Trent says the Kodak Gallery app tries to combine all the different features you can find individually in other apps. One of the upcoming updates for the iPhone version will be the ability to print your photos.

AgWired fans know I’m a power user of Flickr and I don’t see that changing. However, I can see this app being very appealing to the agricultural community. For example, organizations running events might want to consider using it to create a shared photo gallery that allows attendees to add their photos.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: An Interest in Pinterest

KODAK Gallery is the leading online destination for storing and transforming photo memories—at their most life-like best—into a more high-profile part of people’s everyday lives and environments. Anyone can express their creativity by making a wide variety of personalized gifts such as photo books, greeting cards, and wall décor for themselves and others to enjoy. It’s also easy to share creative projects with friends and family through direct access to social media including Facebook, Twitter and many others.

In June 2001, KODAK, the world’s greatest and most trusted photography company purchased the groundbreaking Berkeley-based company, Ofoto which was founded in 1999. KODAK’s legacy of quality goes into every item that KODAK Gallery produces. We provide the same outstanding service and quality that KODAK customers have come to know and trust.

KODAK Gallery is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastman KODAK Company.

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

Apps, Audio, Farming, Social Networking, ZimmCast

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Applications for the Murray Wise Associates Foundation have been extended to April 15 to allow promising agriculture students to apply and ensure that no scholarships go unclaimed.
  • Charles Whitt has joined Becker Underwood as communications manager for the company’s U.S.- and Mexico-based operations.
  • Syngenta announced the launch of Catalyst, a new seed brand that gives growers an additional opportunity to purchase hybrids containing Syngenta germplasm and Agrisure trait technology from their local seed company sales representative.
  • Great American Media Services has announced the launch of its marketing services division.
    Zimfo Bytes

    How do you know it’s spring?

    Melissa Sandfort

    Mother Nature has farmers in southeast Nebraska wondering when the earliest date is to get in the fields to plant corn. With 80-degree days for the past couple of weeks it feels like spring has sprung. My tomato and pepper plants are in the garage, 4 inches tall and ready to be transplanted to my garden, but I too am leery of a late cold spell.

    So how do you know it’s spring? The trees are budding, our plum thicket is covered with blooms, we’ve already used sunscreen, and I mowed my grass.

    My grandfather can recall a certain childhood story about a man looking for work husking corn. His pay was meals and a place to sleep in the barn. And through this meeting with the unnamed wanderer, Grandpa also learned how you know for sure it’s springtime.

    Listen to my grandpa’s story here. Listen to Grandpa explain

    Until we walk again …

    Uncategorized

    Loren Kruse Retiring From Successful Farming

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I just learned that Loren Kruse, Successful Farming Editor in Chief, is retiring. Here’s Loren seated on right with Scott Mortimer and Curt Blades during a visit I made to Meredith headquarters in the fall of 2010. That was when the company had just announced a major rebuild of Agriculture.com. You can still listen to our interview about that here: Interview with Scott Mortimer and Loren Kruse

    So who will be the next Successful Farming Editor in Chief?

    Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) announced today that Loren Kruse, Editor–in-Chief of Successful Farming, will retire on September 13.

    During Kruse’s tenure, he consistently enhanced Successful Farming’s relevance through the roaring agricultural economy of the 1970’s; the farm crisis of the 1980’s; and today’s current agricultural boom economy. He was instrumental in the launch of Meredith Corporation’s first website, agriculture.com, in 1995, and supervised the creation of Successful Farming’s first TV programs, “Living the Country Life” and “The Machinery Show.”

    “I have enjoyed a fantastic career at Meredith and have been proud to work for the publication that founded this great company. Each day, I strived to build upon what E.T. Meredith created in 1902,” said Kruse. “The agriculture industry is a dynamic, important industry, and I’ve been dedicated to bringing the very best to our audience over the past 30 years.”
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    Media