Deadline Moved Up For IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders Award

Chuck Zimmerman

Calling on future young leaders in agricultural journalism. The deadline for the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award is being moved to March 1, 2012. Previously, the deadline had been set at April 15, 2012. The change was made to allow award winners time to make travel plans as economically as possible.

“Travel is becoming increasingly complicated and expensive,” says IFAJ Secretary General Owen Roberts, chair of the awards program. “The earlier deadline allows the selection committee time to make its choices much sooner, so the winners can proceed making their travel plans in an orderly fashion.”

Applicants must fill out a form and submit to their country guild. Guilds are encouraged to nominate candidates 35 years of age or younger for these scholarships.

For full awards information, visit http://www.ifaj.org/contests-and-awards/young-leaders-award.html.

IFAJ

BASF Supporting Young Ag Aviators

Cindy Zimmerman

basf at naaaThe kick-off breakfast for the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention for the last several years has included the awarding of two scholarships, sponsored by BASF Ag Products, for young ag aviators.

This year’s winners were Jordan Loewen of Valley Sprayers in Park River, ND and Brad Taylor of Corinth, MS. They are pictured here in the center, Brad on the left and Jordan on the right, between Dr. Gary Fellows of BASF to the far left and NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore on the far right.

Brad received a $2500 scholarship to help with his ag aviation training. “It means everything to me. You know a lot of people work hard getting into this business and any help we can really goes a long way,” he said. Brad is currently working in Arkansas and the main crop he deals with there is rice. Taylor was sponsored by Dennie Stokes of Stokes Flying Service, which is based in Parkin, Arkansas.

Listen to my interview with Brad here: NAAA/BASF Scholarship winner Brad Taylor

Jordan was sponsored by Glen Wharam of Valley Sprayers, who hired him when he was still a senior in high school. “Now I’ve been working there for four years and got interested in the spraying part and now I’m spraying for that,” Jordan said. “Right out of my senior year I went to airplane mechanics school and Glen helped me out with that.”

We will hear more from Glen and the rest of the Wharam family – a great bunch of folks really dedicated to the work they do helping North Dakota farmers. The diversity of crops they work with in that area include sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, sunflowers, corn and soybeans.

Listen to my interview with Jordan here: NAAA/BASF Scholarship winner Jordan Loewen

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.
Audio, BASF, NAAA

ARC Public Relations Hall of Fame Nominations Open

Chuck Zimmerman

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) just announced that nominations are open for the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame, a new award program honoring agricultural public relations professionals who have made lifetime contributions to the industry.

The program, sponsored by the Agricultural Relations Council and Agri Marketing magazine, will recognize its first recipients at the March 2012 ARC annual meeting in Charleston, SC. Nominations will close Jan. 15, 2012.

Nominees must be current or past members of ARC to be considered. Inductees will be selected based on criteria including:

  • Years of membership in ARC
  • Service to ARC (president, board member, committee chair, etc.)
  • Professional accomplishments/achievements in ag communications
  • Awards/Recognition in service to ag communications within ARC and also outside of the organization

Three inductees will be chosen for 2012. In future years, one or two individuals will be inducted annually. Nominations will be reviewed and chosen by a committee of ARC members.

For additional questions, please call the ARC office at: 952/758-5811. Or review the nomination form on the ARC web site at: www.agrelationscouncil.org. E-mail ARC at arc@gardnerandgardnercommunications.com.

ARC

2012 Ag Media Summit – Enhance. Enchant. Enjoy.

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s all right to go ahead and look forward to the 2012 Ag Media Summit. I’m sure the ABQ loudly proclaims that we’ll be in Albuquerque, NM next August 4-8 at the Albuquerque Hyatt Downtown.

No real news yet. Just a “look” to tease you. Online registration opens May 1. Get that on your calendar too.

If you’re looking for the best place to promote your company or organization’s products and services, then you’ll want to be at the 14th Annual Ag Media Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 4-8, 2012. This annual get-together, the largest meeting in the United States of the ag industry’s top writers, editors, photographers, publishers and ag communicator specialists, begins with pre-meeting events on Saturday, August 4, followed by the AMS program August 5-8. We invite you to participate as a sponsor or an exhibitor at our InfoExpo or both, and be a part of this important agricultural media event.

The AG MEDIA SUMMIT is a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, the Livestock Publications Council and the American Business Media Agri-Council. This industry-wide gathering of agricultural communicators offers one of the best opportunities for professional improvement and industry networking. More than 600 attend this event each year, and the InfoExpo annually exceeds 85 booths.

Ag Media Summit

Farm Podcaster Tool – TASCAM PCM Recorder

Chuck Zimmerman

If TASCAM ever releases their iM2 Microphone for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch you’ll be able to use it with their new PCM Recorder app. I just added it to my iPhone but haven’t used it yet.

PCM Recorder is a free app from TASCAM that turns your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a portable stereo recorder. Use it with the iM2 to record yourself any- where you go.

PCM Recorder has input and output level faders with an “on-screen” meter to help you check levels. It includes high and low EQ and a limiter to prevent overload. Save your recordings to your computer as WAV files or share with friends and fans by uploading them to Soundcloud.

PCM Recorder is a available free on the iTunes App Store.

Apps

Sunrise in Nebraska

Melissa Sandfort

My son’s morning routine looks a little something like this:
Get up and quietly sneak down the stairs
Use the restroom
Eat donuts with stuffed monkey while watching Dinosaur Train
Ask where daddy is
Complain about getting dressed
Request to watch Scooby Doo
Finally give in and get clothes on
Meander out the door but stall as much as possible

Our morning routine is just that – routine. But there’s usually one conversation with our 3-year-old that makes each day unique. This morning it was the sunrise.

My mother always said, don’t look right at the sun or it will hurt your eyes. I tell my son the same thing. So when I stopped to snap this picture and my son asked, “Mommy, are you looking at the sun?” I said, “No, the camera is.”

Conversations like this make me want to get up and out the door and show my son more beautiful things each day, even though I know it’s going to take an extra 10 minutes …

Insert: “Get our winter coats on, shoes, mittens and hats, then take them off in the car, then put them back on again before we get out at our destination” into the morning routine above.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    NAFB Convention President’s Report

    Chuck Zimmerman

    New National Association of Farm Broadcasting President Tom Steever, Brownfield, just sent out a post-convention report. It sure makes sense to send out a report we can listen to from this group doesn’t it?

    In Tom’s report you’ll hear about the value of increased professional improvement opportunities for the organization. I had the pleasure to chair the professional improvement committee again this year and hope to see that initiative continue to grow.

    Tom also mentions that Jennifer Saylor is leaving the organization. I was sad to hear that since she has been the person I have most relied on for a number of years now whenever I needed a question answered or help on a project. I wish her all the best in the future.

    Listen to Tom’s report here for more on what happened at this year’s NAFB Convention: NAFB President Post-Convention Report

    2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album

    Coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture & NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF
    Audio, NAFB

    Great Outlook for Beef Exports

    Cindy Zimmerman

    ncba at nafbThe first six months of 2011, exports of U.S. beef and variety meat exports totaled over $3 billion, a 40% increase over the same time period in 2010 and something that has made beef cattle producers very happy this year.

    “It’s looking really good,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president-elect J.D. Alexander of Nebraska during an interview at NAFB Trade Talk. “Our exports today can add about $200 to our individual animal value, and that is huge.”

    J.D. notes that the new Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama will continue to increase U.S. beef exports. “The other good thing about it is we export a lot of our beef products that really are not used in the United States,” he said. “Some of the things that we don’t utilize in the United States are looked at as delicacies in other countries.”

    Even though other markets are growing, J.D. says Mexico and Canada remain the biggest customers for U.S. beef, comprising a third of total exports. “We’ve got great relationships with those countries,” he said.

    I also talked with J.D. about the mood of the industry – which he says is very positive – and the efforts of NCBA to keep Washington from over-regulating producers out of business.

    Listen to my interview with J.D. here: NCBA president-elect JD Alexander

    2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album

    Coverage of the NAMA Trends in Agriculture & NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF
    Audio, Beef, NAFB, NCBA

    Alltech Global 500 Coming Up Next Week

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Coming up next week in Lexington, Kentucky is an event that dairy and beef producers should not miss.

    alltech global 500Since 2008, more than 800 of world’s most progressive dairy and beef producers have convened for the Alltech Global 500 to network and discuss the most relevant and challenging topics in the industry.

    This year, the Global 500 explores the future landscape for the dairy and beef industries and provides a rare opportunity for global colleagues and friends to engage in open discussion on critical topics such as sustainable strategies and practices that can be implemented now and in the future.

    I talked with Alltech Beef Division Manager Ty Yeast about the event, which will be held December 6-8. “Originally it started as a dairy event and with the success after the first two years in the dairy event, we expanded to the beef side as well,” Ty said. “Last year was our first ever addition of the beef event and we had over 125 participants from all over the world.” This year, Ty says they already have more than doubled last year’s registration.

    Ty says the conference is really about looking at new ways of approaching a business that’s been around for a long time. “It’s innovation, it’s looking at new ways of doing things, and really breaking old paradigms on how to move forward and get to that next level of efficiency.”

    Interested producers can still register for the event by going to the Global 500 website. You can be sure it will be worth your while.

    Listen to or download my interview with Ty here: Ty Yeast - Alltech Global 500

    Alltech, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Livestock