Ag Media Summit Supports Soles4Souls

Chuck Zimmerman

The Ag Media Summit held a shoe drive to benefit Soles4Souls. I believe almost 300 pairs of shoes were donated! During the conference we held a public distribution of shoes at the Ozanam Inn, a local homeless shelter.

On hand were Andy Atzenweiler and Kathy LaScala, pictured here with two of the folks we met at the shelter. The shoes were sorted by size and groups of people made their way through, finding their size and leaving with something good for their feet. The shoes distributed here were actually not the ones we brought to the AMS. Those are going elsewhere. However, we wanted a way to show publicly our support for the effort and were able to get a quantity of tennis shoes via Soles4Souls for this event. I’ve got a short video clip you can watch of the distribution. Thanks to everyone who supported this very worthwhile effort.

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
ACN, Ag Media Summit, LPC

Annual AAEA Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

There are a lot of awards presented during the Ag Media Summit. I’ve got some information here to share with you from the American Agricultural Editors Association. I posted their Lifetime Achievement Awards already but here are some more. If you’d like to download the full document of winners then use this link (pdf).

Pictured is Mike Deering, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, receiving the Andy Markwart Horizon Award from Barry Nelson, John Deere. John Deere has very generously made this award possible with a financial grant to AAEA and matched by the AAEA PIF. You may know that this is given in memory of Andy who was the editor of The Furrow and passed away in 2006.

Also presented was the 2011 Distinguished Service Award, made possible through a grant to the AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation by Archer Daniels Midland Company. The Distinguished Service Award recipient is Dr. Paul Sun, special project scientist for Dairyland Seed, posted at Dairyland’s 600-acre Southern Wisconsin Research Station in Rock County near Clinton, Wisconsin. A native of Mainland China, Dr. Sun and his family moved to Taiwan when he was 11 years old. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Sun, with more than 40 years experience in plant breeding, nearly 30 of which have been with Dairyland Seed, is considered the father of hybrid alfalfa.

Other awards include:

AAEA 2011 Photographer of the Year – William DeKay, The Western Producer
AAEA 2011 Writer of the Year – Steve Werblow, Steve Werblow Communications

Congratulations to all winners. I will post winners from ACT and LPC as soon as I get them.

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
ACN, Ag Media Summit

It’s the Pits

Melissa Sandfort

If there’s one room in the house that has the most “stuff” it would have to be our kitchen. We’ve moved several times in the past five years and with each move, we toss, sell and donate more and more items. However, the kitchen always takes three times as many boxes when it comes to packing. I have a gadget for this, two sets of that, a utensil for this, and a machine for that. Thing is, I just can’t bring myself to throw any of it away. My rule on clothing is if I haven’t worn it for a year, toss it or donate it. There are things in the kitchen that haven’t been used in five years, but I keep them around, just in case.

Here are a couple of gadgets called cherry stoners (or cherry pitters). The one pictured on the top was patented in 1883 and the other in 1917. Back then, they didn’t have electric can openers or rice cookers, and they pitted their cherries one at a time by setting them on the plate then lowering the “pit poker” as I like to call it. The pits shot out into a pile and you had cherries you could eat without having to worry about your teeth.

I guess my Grandfather didn’t want to throw out any kitchen items either.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Photographing The Apocalypse – Hurricane Katrina

Chuck Zimmerman

I conducted quite a few interviews at the Ag Media Summit but none of them compare to this one for not only the topic but also who I interviewed. Ted Jackson, New Orleans Times-Picayune staff photographer was our luncheon speaker yesterday. His topic was “Who Will Photograph the Apocalypse?” That pretty well describes the devastation and trauma he faced each day during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He wanted us to have a sense of just how bad it was and thinks it’s important to keep the memory of this event alive. You can find some of his images on his website. Other resources include the newspaper website and The Digital Journalist.

Ted shares an anecdote from his coverage of this terrible tragedy. It will move you not only from what he saw but the ethical challenge he faced in performing his job or dropping his camera and trying to become a rescuer.

You can listen to my conversation with Ted here: Ted Jackson Interview

Thanks to Greg Smith for taking this photo.

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
Ag Media Summit, Audio

BASF Xbox 360 Winner

Chuck Zimmerman

Everyone who attended the Ag Media Summit is a winner. But only one person won the BASF Xbox 360 drawing. That’s Jeanne Bernick, Editor, Top Producer, magazine. She’s flanked by Dr. Scott Walker and Nick Fassler, both with BASF.

Jeanne will be giving the Xbox 360 away at Top Producer’s new Executive Women in Agriculture event this December in Chicago.

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
Ag Media Summit, BASF

New Farm Podcaster Tool

Chuck Zimmerman

Hey farm podcasters. Here’s a new tool I just noticed that looks pretty cool. Of course if you’re recording and making your own music this tool will serve you too. It’s the MICRO BR® BR-80: Digital Recorder made by Roland and looks like it’s going for about $299.

Small enough to fit in your pocket, the BOSS MICRO BR BR-80 is the ultimate new portable recording and jam-along tool for guitarists and other musicians. It’s equipped with three modes to create, record, and perform your music: an eight-track MTR (Multi-Track Recorder) mode; an eBand mode for onstage backing tracks and phrase training; and a Live Rec mode for instantly capturing high-quality stereo recordings. You can even combine the three modes seamlessly. Record your phrase ideas using Live Rec mode, for example, and then import the recordings into MTR mode to use as foundations for song production. Once you’ve added tracks, import your finished songs into eBand mode for backing-track accompaniment at the gig. The MICRO BR BR-80 is truly a must-have for all musicians!

Three modes: MTR (multi-track recorder), eBand, and Live Rec
Records directly to SD/SDHC memory card (up to 32 GB)
High-quality stereo condenser microphone built in for instant audio capture
64 V-Tracks and eight simultaneous playback tracks
eBand function for phrase training and play-along tracks
Huge library of built-in backing and rhythm patterns
World-class COSM® amps and effects onboard
Use as a USB audio interface with built-in effects
SONAR X1 LE software included

Find full specs here.

Equipment, Podcasts

Ag Media Summit Concludes

Chuck Zimmerman

The 2011 Ag Media Summit is concluding with a breakfast session. We’re sharing sixty good ideas in sixty minutes and there are some really good ones. Heck, they’re all good.

I’ve got lots more stories to post, including interviews. However, I’ll be traveling today and spending some time with family. So keep your eye on AgWired to see more of what happened in New Orleans. My photos are fully updated. I hope you enjoy them.

2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
Ag Media Summit

Worried That Government Regulations Will Hurt Business

Chuck Zimmerman

Not surprisingly you’re worried about government regulations. We asked the question, “Are you worried about how government regulations will hurt your business?” 76% say yes and 24% no. This is a big part of the rhetoric in Washington, DC right now, along with the debt ceiling and budget. All I can say is, “Get off my back Mr. Government Man!”

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Do you own an iPad or other type of tablet?” Apps continue to be created to perform helpful agricultural functions. So let us know if you’ve made the investment. Thanks.

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

ZimmPoll

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Certified Angus Beef ® brand sold 70 million pounds in June, the highest volume month in the company’s 33-year history, 4.3% above the previous June and some 10 million pounds better than June 2009.
  • The 2011 Citrus Expo seminar program will feature firsthand presentations from citrus growers who have successfully implemented emerging ideas in their operations.
  • DuPont announced that it has acquired Innovalight, Inc., a company specializing in advanced silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells.
  • You can learn first-hand from the industry’s finest farm equipment professionals through Farm Equipment’s newest video series.
    Zimfo Bytes

    AAEA Presents Lifetime Achievement Awards

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The American Agricultural Editors Association presented two Lifetime Achievement Awards during the Ag Media Summit awards banquet.

    Receiving one of the awards from the AAEA was John Harvey (pictured on right).

    These awards are just some of the many awards that are presented during the Ag Media Summit. I will try to find an electronic copy of them and provide a link as soon as I can.

    Fred Myers received one of the awards too (pictured on right). Earlier in the day he received recognition during the luncheon for fifty years of service to AAEA.

    I visited with Fred before the awards banquet about his service award. He says he doesn’t know where the 50 years have gone. He’s always considered AAEA “his organization.” He also received a nice letter from our Secretary of Agriculture. Fred also has a book that he’s written. If you’d like to know more about it or order one just send him an email.

    You can listen to my conversation with Fred here: Fred Myers Interview

    2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by BASF and AgHaven
    ACN, Ag Media Summit, Audio