It’s World Dairy Expo Time

Chuck Zimmerman

This week the ZimmComm team goes dairy as in World Dairy Expo. Most of our coverage will be found on World Dairy Diary starting on Tuesday.

You can find the daily schedule here. You can also follow what’s going on at Expo with the official Twitter hashtag, #WDE11. Use that in your tweets so we can see what you’ve got to say.

Dairy industry enthusiasts will soon be traveling from faraway places to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison October 4 through October 8 to take a virtual trip “Around the World of Dairy in 5 Days”. World Dairy Expo, the destination, is expecting over 65,000 producers and industry professionals to converge from 90 countries for the five-day dairy celebration.

More than 2,500 head of North America’s most beautiful bovines from 37 states and 7 Canadian provinces will parade across the colored shavings within the themed Showring where official judges with a keen eye for cattle will select the champions. Each animal brings along a traveling caravan of professional fitters to make sure that their stay in Madison is clean, comfortable and relaxing.

We’d like to thank the companies listed below for their sponsorship of our coverage of this year’s show. Without them it wouldn’t be possible.

World Dairy Expo

National Beef Ambassador Program Competition

Chuck Zimmerman

The National Beef Ambassador Program (NBAP) competition is taking place this weekend. Sure wish I was in Wooster, OH! But I’m judging remotely and really enjoying the tweets and pics I’ve seen.

Here’s one courtesy of Sarah Bohnenkamp, Program Manager. NCBA President, Bill Donald, is interacting with a NBAP contestant during the consumer portion of the event.

You can find more photos on Facebook.

Ag Groups, Beef

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Monsanto Company announced it has acquired Beeologics, which researches and develops biological tools to provide targeted control of pests and diseases.
  • Syngenta consolidates U.S. Communications with Martin Williams Advertising, Gibbs & Soell.
  • FFA New Horizons relaunched in September to rave reviews from the magazine’s sponsor, the National FFA Organization, and its more than 500,000 members.
  • Osborn & Barr has added Lisa Bocklage as account supervisor to its team of marketing and communication specialists
    Zimfo Bytes

    Applications Sought For Seed to Succeed PR Grant

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Does your nonprofit need some free public relations assistance? If so, get your application if for the 2012 Seed to Succeed PR Grant, valued at $25,000, from Harvest PR & Marketing.

    Any U.S. nonprofit organization connected to the production and/or marketing of food, commodities, or committed to the cause of promoting agriculture, is encouraged to apply by Oct. 31, 2011.

    The idea for Seed to Succeed materialized in 2009 when Harvest PR team members expressed interest in annually committing to a nonprofit focused on food and farm, and whose goals were limited mainly by resources. “We are firm believers that big ideas can sprout from small places,” says Heidi Nelson, principal. “Coming alongside a nonprofit that shares our values and commitment to the betterment of the industry has been a tremendous experience for our team. Our Seed to Succeed work thus far has been quite meaningful and successful.”

    Organizations interested in 2012 pro bono marketing services can download more information at www.harvest-pr.com. Applications are due Monday, Oct. 31, at 5 p.m. PST. The recipient will be announced Dec. 1, 2011.

    The AgChat Foundation has been a recipient of the grant and as a board member I can say we have truly appreciated the work done for the Foundation by Harvest PR & Marketing. They played a key role in the early development of the organization.

    Agencies, Public Relations

    Strong Winds Making Harvesting Hazardous

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Strong winds, dry weather and heat all combined to create some treacherous harvesting conditions in Iowa yesterday. Here’s an interesting video I found on YouTube that shows one fire and gives you an idea of how extensive these can be. Our sales manager, Dave, sent me a note yesterday that they had 160 acres burn on their family farm. Fortunately no one was hurt and it didn’t get to their homestead.

    Be careful out there!

    Corn, Farming, Video

    Giant Views In The Seed World

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Seed World magazine has produced a series of video interviews that are now available on their website. These are part of their Giant Views of the Industry series and contain interviews taken at the International Seed Federation World Seed Congress, the American Seed Trade Association annual convention and the National Association of Plant Breeders annual meeting, as part of its Giant Views of the Industry video series.

    Topics discussed by top industry executives from the American Seed Trade Association, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Applewood Seed, HM Clause, Monsanto Company, Syngenta and more include plant breeding, intellectual property, regulatory updates, seed trade issues, trends in the flower and vegetable industry and much more. Given today’s highly evolving business landscape, these interviews provide valuable insight and information to everyone involved in the U.S. seed trade.

    Here’s an example of one of the clips you’ll find. North Carolina State University watermelon and cucumber breeder, Todd Wehner, talks about why more funding is critical moving forward.

    Media, Seed, Video

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • Issues Ink has expanded its business development department to include two results-driven business development representatives, Jeff Hamilton and Hiten Shah.
    • Geosys is adopting a new visual identity in preparation for its 25th anniversary in 2012. The new identity was unveiled during the launch of Geosys’ new website on Sept. 12.
    • The Adisseo Group, one of the worldwide leaders in the animal nutrition additives, has just finalized the acquisition of 90% of Innov’ia shares.
    • Mark Szymanski joined the National Potato Council as director of public relations.
    Zimfo Bytes

    NFocus Forum Connects Suppliers and Producers

    Cindy Zimmerman

    NFocus Partners and Beck Ag recently partnered to hold the “NFocus Forum for Agribusiness” to allow ag suppliers from throughout the country to connect with some of the industry’s top producers.

    “Producers no longer have the luxury of time for multiple supplier meetings. Now more than ever, it’s critical for suppliers to understand the purchasing patterns and input decision making of large producers. The NFocus Forum for Agribusiness allowed the industry’s leading suppliers and producers the opportunity to quickly and easily understand one another’s goals, challenges, and needs,” said Kim Nicholson, co-founder of NFocus Partners.

    The Forum, which took place at Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Georgia, was a three day event where ag suppliers had the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings with a group of pre-screened growers. This format offered them the chance to hear unfiltered feedback and build a deeper understanding of the unique goals, problems and purchasing behaviors of some of the largest industry producers.

    “I like this approach to marketing our company because we know what we’re getting for our money. Results can sometimes be difficult to measure with standard ad campaigns. With this Forum I know exactly who has heard my message,” said Scott Peterson, Marketing Manager, Bio-Rational Products, SipcamAdvan.

    The Forum was designed to accommodate the time-sensitive needs of busy producers, while still offering direct opportunities for producers and suppliers to connect in a controlled environment with a dedicated agenda.

    Find out more here.

    Agribusiness

    Isn’t Climate Change Inevitable?

    Cindy Zimmerman

    “Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” – Benjamin Disraeli

    Let me say first off, I am not a climate change denier. There’s plenty of proof to satisfy me that the climate of the Earth can and does change over time. It has done so multiple times over the last four billion or so years of its existence – billions of years before we got to roam the planet. However, I do question the notion that humans are a) causing it or b) can do anything to reverse it. I also question why some people believe that any climate change would be catastrophic.


    A new campaign by “This is Climate Change” (TICC) has posters up in Reagan National Airport showing glacial retreat in North America. “Consequences of glacial retreat include changes in local ecosystems,” TICC notes. Aren’t ecosystems changing all the time? Wasn’t most of North America covered in glaciers not so very many millennia ago? Had the climate not changed and allowed the majority of glaciers to retreat, we would probably have a much smaller United States of America and Canada probably wouldn’t exist. And, frankly, I think when you compare the photos it looks a whole lot more inviting without all that ice on it – but that’s just me. I’m not a big fan of ice.

    As stewards of the land, humans have an obligation to care for our precious resources of land, air and water. However, we should not presume in our role as caretakers that we are omnipotent, or that we know what is best. The world has been evolving and the climate has been changing way longer than we have been here, both constantly and inevitably. It is very likely that the climate will continue to change, for better or worse (in our opinion), no matter what we do or do not do.

    If you look up quotes about change, you will find many that say what change is, like Disraeli. Change is eternal, perpetual, immortal, sweet, the essence of life, the signal for rebirth – but it is also difficult, hard work and frightening. As humans, we tend to fear change, even when the change is good.

    It was Charles Darwin who said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” I would think that includes climate change.

    Environment

    Alltech Ag Network To Live Stream FFA Convention

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The FFA is taking advantage of the Alltech Ag Network to stream live from the convention in October. Here are (pictured left to right) Dwight Armstrong, CEO of the National FFA Organization, and Billy Frey, general manager of the Alltech Ag Network.

    In a significant technological move forward for agriculture, the National FFA Organization will stream its 2011 National Convention in Indianapolis Oct. 19-22 live online via the newly launched Alltech Ag Network on iHigh.com. The televised convention will be accessible real time via computers, iPads and all iPhone, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices.

    As FFA membership stands at more than a half-million students throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, iHigh.com expects this to be their largest telecast ever. Yet the significance of the convention broadcast goes beyond record-breaking metrics.

    “Agriculture is taking the lead in communications, moving high tech to engage the world in its story,” said Billy Frey, general manager of the Alltech Ag Network. “iHigh.com’s unique platform enables it to, for example, on a recent Friday night, broadcast more than 170 high school football games simultaneously and live to mobile devices free of charge. This is a capability far beyond many major sports organizations and applications. FFA is now harnessing this power, broadening its reach at a time when our growing population is moving increasingly far away from the stories of the farm and the origins of their food.”

    You can find the broadcast schedule here.

    Agribusiness, Alltech, FFA