Marketing Wyffels Hybrids

Chuck Zimmerman

The Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies greeting committee included communications manager, Jill Loehr (center). I asked her how she’s finding success marketing this independent seed company. She says, “I think one of the things we have to do is stand out. We can’t afford to let someone flip past our ad or not pay attention to our radio or some of the one on one things we’re doing.” She says the company is just trying to get people to take a good look at what they’re doing. Jill says she hopes corn growers leave an event like Corn Strategies with a feeling that Wyffels “truly cares more.”

I asked her how their social media efforts are going. Wyffels has started with Facebook and Jill says, “Our personality comes out on Facebook.” That’s exactly what social media can do for a company and why I recommend using it to put a more personal face on the brand.

You can listen to my interview with Jill here: Jill Loehr Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Social Networking

Ag Media Summit Kicks Off In Big Easy

Chuck Zimmerman

The Boelte Bull (Don Norton) greeted us as we arrived in New Orleans for the 2011 Agricultural Media Summit. I did not make it in time for today’s tours but will be here for the duration. We had rain this afternoon and after walking around the French Quarter all I can say is that it’s nice to have a break from the extreme heat at home.

I’ve started a photo album which will be added to during the coming days as we make our way through another Ag Media Summit: 2011 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

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

BASF Sponsoring Coverage of Ag Media Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

The man who started us using the term googlable is none other than Nick Fassler, Technical Market Manager, BASF. In fact, he’s also the inspiration for the google juice served at the ZimmComm booth during the Agri-Marketing Conference this year. So let’s make him even more googlable, especially because BASF is one of the sponsors for my coverage of the Agricultural Media Summit that I’m about to hit the agriblogging highway for. Also sponsoring my coverage will be AgHaven!

I saw Nick during the Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies in Malcom, IA. BASF was one of the companies supporting and displaying at the event. Here’s Nick talking about all the products the company is offering corn growers today. He offered advice for growers facing challenging weather this season. “Now more than ever it’s important to protect that crop from stress and add in late season disease control,” he says. I know I saw a number of planes flying fields traveling to Iowa and back. I’m betting they were applying some Headline fungicide! Someone’s taking his advice. I sure saw some corn showing some effects of stress. I hope we get a little temperature break and some moisture.

You can listen to my interview with Nick here: Nick Fassler Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

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

Walking Away From Wyffels Corn Strategies With INTEGRA Display

Chuck Zimmerman

During the Wyffels Corn Strategies in Malcom, Iowa, Ag Leader Technology held a drawing for an INTEGRA™ Display. Our young farmer in the photo did the name drawing.

The winner is Jeff Peterson of Port Byron, IL. He’s flanked by Rick Hofer, Iowa Territory Manager (left) and Travis Goedken, Minnesota Territory Manager. That’s a nice prize to go home with!

While I was at this event I spoke with Katie Beeler. She says Ag Leader Technology is very happy to participate in a Corn Strategies event. Looking ahead to harvest she says auto steer and yield monitoring will help corn growers. The company will be at a number of summer farm shows and I know I’ll see them again soon.

You can listen to my interview with Katie here: Katie Beeler Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Ag Leader, Audio, Precision Agriculture

Wyffels Announces 2012 Iowa Corn Strategies Location

Chuck Zimmerman

Wyffels Hybrids showed their appreciation to the Cummmings family for making their farm available once again for the 2011 Corn Strategies in Iowa. Pictured is the Cummings family with Marty Cummings receiving a very nice award from Bill Wyffels, Jr., company president. Marty was asked how long the family has been planting Wyffels products and what he likes about the company. Although he couldn’t remember how many years they’ve been using Wyffels products he said, “Of all the companies we’ve done business with, the President (Bill) came out personally to see what he could do to make it (their farm) more profitable. I thought that was pretty good for a President to come out.”

You can listen to Marty’s comments here: Marty Cummings Comments

Wyffels also announced that the location of next year’s Corn Strategies will be in a new location. I spoke with Matt Barnard to get a wrap-up of this year’s event. He says that as soon as they leave this location they’ll start on next year’s event. It will be held at Harmon Farms in Vincent, Iowa.

You can listen to my interview with Matt here: Matt Barnard Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Seed

Wyffels Experts Talk Corn Strategies

Chuck Zimmerman

We heard what Iowa farmers thought about the 2011 Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies, now let’s hear from some Wyffels people. First up is National Sales Manager, Brian Humphries (pictured on the left). Brian gets a chance to travel throughout the Wyffels territory so I asked him to describe the crop conditions he’s seen. In Kentucky things are wet and as you move through Illinois the crops are below average up through the middle of the state above which they look good. Then moving into Iowa the crops for the most part look good, especially in the northern part of the state. With all the weather challenges in the corn belt Brian says Wyffels has more research testing locations than their competitors to take a broad look at a broad range of genetics. The weather has provided some very real world “test” situations this year. He says the biggest concern he’s hearing from growers is grain marketing. That’s why Wyffels has made sure their Corn Strategies program has experts to talk about it.

You can listen to my interview with Brian here: Brian Humphries Interview

Next up is Chris Eichorn (pictured on right), Product Development Manager. He says that’s a fancy way of saying he’s a corn breeder. Chris says the company has one of the largest research programs for a company of their size. They don’t like surprises so when they release a hybrid with a Wyffels number on it they are confident they know what that hybrid can and cannot do. One of the new ones he especially wanted to point out is W5077 (pdf), a 107 day hybrid that has “popped to the top.” He’s also high on W7477 (pdf) which they call the “corn breeders nightmare” since they can’t find anything wrong with it.

You can listen to my interview with Chris here: Chris Eichorn Interview

And finally we have Rick Buresh (pictured left), Central Iowa Region Manager. In his territory he says growers have been very fortunate. The wind that blew through recently mostly affected the eastern part of the territory. Now the main concern is heat. Rick says that being in pollination like the crop is right now, the plants need a rest at night. He says customers are upbeat but are asking questions about increasing input costs. I saw mostly smiles and he says, “They deserve to smile.”

You can listen to my interview with Rick here: Rick Buresh Interview

Wyffels Hybrids Corn Strategies 2011 Iowa Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Seed

New Holland Oscar in Agriculture Call For Entries

Chuck Zimmerman

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture Award “recognizes the high levels of journalistic performance in broadcasting by agricultural communication professionals who are members of the NAFB.” Now is the time to enter this year’s competition. You can find the entry form and rules on the National Association of Farm Broadcasting website. The entry deadline is October 7, 2011. All work submitted must have aired since September 1, 2010. Here’s some information from the rules.

RULES

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is designed to recognize and encourage excellence in broadcast reporting on
a wide variety of issues.

Broadcasters interested in applying for the Oscar should consider submitting entries that:

• Relate broadly to food, agriculture, natural resources, rural affairs and related matters of vital public interest;
• Have the necessary components to potentially cause or encourage positive changes, or neutralize negative
issues impacting agriculture;
• Encourage a call to action by listeners to improve themselves, their communities, their industry or the
communities in which they live.
• The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in reporting skill, thoroughness and attention to audience
interest. Each entry should describe the approach used to develop the reporting and coverage of that issue.
• The nomination should also include enough examples of articles or taped programs to illustrate the scope of
the work.
• All work submitted must have been aired since September 1, 2010.

JUDGING

The New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is administered by Kansas State University.

ELIGIBILITY

The intent of the New Holland Oscar in Agriculture program is to provide recognition to an individual who is a professional agricultural communicator and is a voting member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.

Media, NAFB, New Holland

NACD Names John Larson as New CEO

Melissa Sandfort

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has named John Larson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Currently serving as Executive Director of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD), Larson has worked directly with conservation districts for more than 15 years, including several years as President of the Washington Association of District Employees (WADE). Larson is a lifetime resident of Washington State and an alumnus of Washington State University, where he studied Agricultural Economics.

Larson has served as WACD’s executive director since 2004, having previously worked as manager of the Conservation Districts Partnership—a consortium of four central Washington conservation districts—and district manager for the Othello Conservation District. Prior to his work with districts, Larson ran his family’s irrigated farm in Royal City, Wash., for six years.

A registered lobbyist in Washington State, Larson and his wife, Shanon, currently live in Olympia with their two children, Tyler, 17, and Cassandra, 15. Larson will officially begin his new role with NACD in Washington, D.C. on August 8.

Conservation

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • As part of its continued commitment to responsible antibiotic use and milk and meat drug residue avoidance, Pfizer Animal Health introduces a new Residue Free Guarantee along with a website.
  • Swanson Russell welcomes Kara Cordell and announces the promotions of Zeljka Hassler and Justin Young.
  • The USDA announced that it is adopting the final rule to add two importer seats and change the boundaries of all districts under the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.
  • Merck Animal Health announced that it has embarked on the expansion of a vaccine manufacturing unit at its Biosciences Center Boxmeer campus in the Netherlands.
    Zimfo Bytes

    USFRA Launches Campaign Inviting Farmer/Rancher Participation

    Chuck Zimmerman

    This week the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance announced an ad campaign to encourage participation. So what if you’d like to get involved? There are a number of ways which you can find on the USFRA website. So take a few moments and raise your voice and join the conversation about the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to producing healthy food for people everywhere.

    The campaign includes advertisements that are featured in Meat & Poultry, The Packer, AgWeb.com and Agriculture.com. Other elements of the campaign will include:

    Digital media and banner ads
    Town hall style meetings
    Social media and peer-to-peer networks

    We want to hear from you and invite you to raise your voices! Please visit our newly redesigned website at www.USFRAonline.org where you can share your ideas and opinions. In fact, we invite you to go to the site and tell us what you wish Americans knew about their food.

    Join us in leading the dialogue with Americans about where their food comes from and how it is produced. After all, as America’s farmers and ranchers, you’ve raised pretty much everything. Except your voices.

    You can hear a radio spot here: USFRA Radio Ad

    There’s also a “Raise Your Voices” video available to share:

    You can find more materials to share here.

    Ag Groups, Audio, USFRA, Video