Make Learning Mobile With Float

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 335In this week’s program we’re going to use the M word, as in Mobile, as in Float Mobile Learning. I just had a conversation with Chad Udell, Managing Director, about mobile learning technology and what that means for today’s agribusiness customers.

Float Mobile’s parent company is the Iona Group. Chad says the company has a deep history working with agribusiness companies like GROWMARK, Pioneer and Bayer. He says, “There’s a great amount of demand in the marketplace to put the right information in the right people’s hands at the right time.” He says that when growers need information they’re often away from the computer and out in the field. Examples include working with clients to put mobile and updated information in the hands of sales staff at a farm show. Tablets like an iPad or Android device are very cost effective for this purpose. In fact, Chad says mobile application development is surprisingly affordable. He says these applications are simple and do one or two things very well. Float Mobile uses a S3D Process with their clients which means Strategy, Design, Develop, Deliver. He says they work quickly since the whole mobile device world is changing rapidly today.

To learn more about Float Mobile Learning listen in to this week’s program: Float Mobile Learning

Check out their 2012 predictions for the Mobile Landscape on their blog.

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.

Agribusiness, Audio, Education, Technology

Social Media is a Great Tool for Cooperatives

Cindy Zimmerman

frontier fsIt has never been easier for cooperatives to reach out to members and potential members than it is these days with social media.

One cooperative that has taken the social media plunge and found it very worth their while is Frontier FS, which covers the area around Jefferson, Wisconsin – right between Madison and Milwaukee. I talked with Becky Wiedenhoeft, who is social media administrator for Frontier, about their experience.

frontier fs“The first platform that we chose to work with was Facebook because of the high level of usage,” said Becky. “It kind of helps build stronger relationships and trust and a feeling of community.”

Becky notes that a good mix of content is important to keep people engaged. “They’re not feeling like they’re being inundated with advertisements, it’s more of a community than a place to post marketing ads,” she said. Frontier started its Facebook page last April and already has nearly 200 “likes” and Becky says they can tell by some of the tracking options for Facebook that there are lots more who check in on the page.

Some of the Frontier FS crop specialists have also branched out into Twitter as a way to keep people informed about conditions in the area such as possible disease outbreaks, and their Twitter feeds are linked to the Facebook page as well. “It’s an awesome way to share information with growers instantly,” Becky said.

You can listen to my interview with Becky about Frontier FS and social media here: Becky Wiedenhoeft Interview

GROWMARK, Social Networking

Reliv Launches LunaRich Soy Powder

Chuck Zimmerman

Government working with private industry can make things happen. The Missouri Plant Science Center would be a good example.

Reliv International, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELV), and Soy Labs LLC today announced the creation of LunaRich™, an exclusive soy powder developed at the Missouri Plant Science Center (MPSC). Reliv is adding LunaRich to one of its nutritional supplements and will reveal that product at the Reliv National Conference in Reno, Nv., Feb. 17.

“Biotechnology is vital to Missouri’s economic future,” said former U.S. Sen. Kit Bond. “Our vision for the Missouri Plant Science Center is to unite our state’s scientists, farmers and private-sector job creators to spawn biotech innovation. The collaborative effort between Reliv and Soy Labs is helping us realize that vision by bringing cutting-edge biotech products to market.”

LunaRich is a whole soy powder containing five to ten times more lunasin than the industry standard. Lunasin is a peptide found naturally in soy that scientists have identified as the key to many of soy’s documented health benefits. These include cholesterol management, heart health and weight loss, among others. LunaRich is the first product to come out of the joint biotechnology research and development partnership that Reliv, Soy Labs and the MPSC formed in August 2011.

Agribusiness, Soybean

BASF Wins No-Till Awards Again

Chuck Zimmerman

No-Till Farmer’s readers selected their products of the year which were presented at the recent National No-Till Conference and BASF was a big winner again.

Headline® fungicide and Headline AMP™ fungicide were named top no-till products of 2011 for disease control during the 20th Annual National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Headline and/or Headline AMP have been selected as product of the year, as voted by conservation tillage and no-till growers.

“BASF is committed to providing innovative, effective solutions that help growers get the most out of every acre,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF. “Headline and Headline AMP continue to be powerful tools for growers looking to control yield-robbing diseases, maximize yield potential and realize Plant Health benefits.”

You can find a full list of winners here: Read More

Agribusiness, BASF

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Cattle-Exchange.com, a new website connecting cattle buyers and sellers, was launched by Beef Today magazine.
  • Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., manufacturer of Brent Grain Carts, announces the “Why Do You Choose Brent?” video contest finalists. The finalist’s fellow farmers and general public can view and vote for their favorite video here.
  • BASF has unveiled a video highlighting how American farmers are increasing productivity while reducing environmental impact, and encouraging American consumers to join their agriculture industry counterparts in a discussion of food, conservation and sustainability.
  • The Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Tradeshow is releasing a smartphone app for its 2012 show to be held Feb. 1-4 in Nashville, TN. Available for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, the CIC&NCBA App will give its users access to everything the largest cattle convention has to offer.
Zimfo Bytes

Evening Colors

Melissa Sandfort

Learning your directions – is it innate or is it something you can truly learn. Some people just aren’t born with a good sense of direction. To highlight this, I have to tell a story of my mother, who on family vacation, was reading the AAA Trip Tick and said we’d be at the ocean in 20 minutes. Forty minutes later, no ocean. We’d gone 20 miles the wrong way and all the while, she thought she was following the highlighted line. She was banned from map-reading from then on.

I have always had an uncanny sense of direction. I can step off an airplane in any city and pretty much find my way. Like my internal mapping feature is always on.

I had to look at this picture to see if the sun was coming up or setting based on where the barn is in location to our house to know this was an evening photo. Now I’m giving away the fact that I have a short-term memory because I just took this less than a week ago.

But during a time of cold weather and bland landscape colors, the warmth of the sun on this leafless tree coupled with the dark red hues in the background made this winter day feel just a bit warmer.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Gov’t. Agencies Say LightSquared System Can’t Work With GPS

Chuck Zimmerman

Things are looking bleak for the proposed LightSquared LTE network according to a story in PC World.

A key federal agency involved in testing the proposed LightSquared LTE network has concluded that there is no practical way to solve interference between that network and GPS, possibly dealing a crippling blow to the startup carrier’s hopes for a terrestrial mobile network.

That agency is the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee (PNT ExComm). Now that’s a mouthful. The agencies that make up this one have unanimously concluded that none of the LightSquared proposals would overcome interference with GPS.

Here’s an excerpt from the letter to the FCC:

Earlier this week we published results of our ZimmPoll that showed a majority think the LightSquared proposal would be good for ag/rural America. However, most of those positive responses all came at nearly the same time.

Internet

BASF Announces Armezon Herbicide

Cindy Zimmerman

BASFBASF Crop Protection has announced the addition of Armezon™ herbicide to help corn growers deal with resistant weeds and take advantage of strong commodity prices with more complete, comprehensive weed management solutions.

According to BASF, Armezon helps growers maximize their yields by controlling tough, yield-robbing weeds while being safe to all corn types.

BASFA post-emerge herbicide solution for corn, Armezon controls problematic grasses and broadleaf weeds such as common lambsquarters, waterhemp, giant foxtail and crabgrass – including those with resistance to glyphosate, triazines, PPOs, and ALS inhibitors.

“Armezon is definitely tough on weeds,” said John Sabatka, Post Corn Herbicides Product Manager with BASF. “At the same time, it’s also safe to use on all field and specialty corn, regardless of trait – including the most sensitive varieties.”

Armezon also has a wider window of application when compared to most other post-emerge corn herbicides on the market. It is an excellent cross-spectrum tank-mix partner, which makes it particularly helpful for growers who rely on post applications of atrazine or glyphosate to manage tough weeds.

Find out more about Armezon from BASF.

BASF, Corn

Mobile Technology Replacing Brochures At Trade Shows

Chuck Zimmerman

Why pack cases of flyers or brochures to stack in your trade show booth when you can just bring along an iPad to display more information in a multi-media format?

Pioneer Hi-Bred used to bring along more than 50 different product brochures to trade shows. Now they bring an iPad with a company-branded app. Pioneer, along with GROWMARK, worked with Float Mobile on these projects. Here’s what they did with GROWMARK.

At the 2011 Farm Progress Show, GROWMARK used an interactive “Yield Maximizer” game to draw attendees to their booth and keep them there longer. It’s part of a larger trend that’s going on in agribusiness – using innovative mobile technology to showcase products and services in unique ways.

“The FS/GROWMARK System upped its technology ante at the 2011 Farm Progress Show. Our goal at the show is always to engage and share valuable information with the farmers and other interested parties who attend. Making use of iPad-powered games that attracted attention, entertained show-goers, and conveyed information about our strong and diverse product lines was very effective,” said Ann Kafer, GROWMARK’s director of communications and marketing services. “We also debuted cropNAtion.com at the show and signed up those wanting to participate in the new social media platform for information about crop production across the country — farmer to farmer.”

Agribusiness, Apps, GROWMARK, Pioneer

Assistance Available To Attend 2012 IFAJ Congress

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s not too early to look ahead to the 2012 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress which will take place in Sweden. It’s on my calendar. If you need some assistance going, one option is for AAEA members to apply for a professional development stipend. Another is for young agricultural communicators to apply for an IFAJ-Alltech Young Leader Award.

AAEA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STIPENDS
The AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF) is funding three, $2,000 stipends to help AAEA members at large (a fourth stipend is awarded to the current International Committee chair) travel to Sweden for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress this summer.

Send your completed application to Steve Werblow, chair of the AAEA International Committee, by FEBRUARY 3. Stipend winners will be announced February 10 – the day IFAJ Congress registration opens.

Application Form (.doc)

IFAJ-ALLTECH YOUNG LEADERS AWARD
Applications are now available for the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award, an exciting program for agricultural communicators 35 years of age and younger. Here are some highlights:

– A 1,000-Euro ($1,272) prize
– Travel scholarship to the 2012 IFAJ Congress in Sweden
– Participation in a professional development Boot Camp with the other award winners from around the world
– Connection with a mentor from the IFAJ community

Each IFAJ member guild (AAEA is a guild, and you are all members) can nominate one candidate to the global competition. The AAEA International Committee will select one candidate from among the AAEA member applicants; judging of the 10-person Class of 2012 will be conducted by an IFAJ panel.

Entry requirements are available online. They include:

– Candidates must have been no more than 35 years of age on December 31, 2011
– Applicant must be an active or affiliate member in good standing of AAEA
– Application includes a brief essay
– Candidate must submit three samples of his or her work for judging.

Application Form (.doc)

Lycka till! (That’s Swedish for “Good luck!”)

IFAJ, International