World Agriculture Investment Conference Asia Linking Investors

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s time to consider a trip to Singapore for the World Agriculture Investment Conference Asia if you’re interested in agricultural investments.

Leading investors and fund managers from across SE Asia and Australia are coming to Singapore in June to discuss the investment opportunities and risks in agricultural markets. With the latest market insight on offer and 11 institutional investors already on board, anticipation is high.

On June 29-30, this unique forum will bring together institutional and private investors with top Ag fund managers, to debate strategies for participating in agriculture and surrounding investments.

Among timely discussions including, private equity investment in the full agriculture supply chain and the challenges and benefits of investing internationally, time has been set aside specifically for one-on-one networking for contacts and details to be shared and business to be done.

Confirmed participants already include: Emergent Asset Management, Macquarie, Duxton Asset Management, InvestAg Savills and many more. Read More

International

Hated Sheep Project Coming To Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

There is a reason why Sullivan Higdon & Sink hate sheep.

We, at SHS, hate sheep because they remind us of marketing that follows instead of leads, communication that blends in and old thinking that’s best put out to pasture. Don’t follow the flock. Choose to hate sheep, too. Choose to make your brand stand out.

So they’re bringing back the Hated Sheep Project to this week’s Agri-Marketing Conference.

The rules are simple and if you keep playing throughout the conference, you could be a big winner. But to share the love, you have to bring on the hate. It’s easy to get started – here’s how:

Check out the Hated Sheep Project located between the hotel and exhibit hall for the current challenge.
Tweet your response to @hatedsheep with the #11AMC hashtag.
Every tweet helps unlock “unsheeplike” surprises for everyone.
Be back at the specified time to get your share of the love.
For those with a competitive streak, keep playing to gain access to a secret VIP event for exclusive hobnobbing and impressive elbow rubbing.*

“Last year, our Sheep-A-Nator display was so well received by NAMA conference attendees, we felt compelled to raise the bar this year,” said John January, Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director for SHS. “Using our own brand as a test subject, we came up with an attention-grabbing game that combines digital elements with dynamic real-world experiences. In the coming months, marketers will hear more and more about game dynamics and how they will be integrated with social media to engage and influence behavior. The Hated Sheep Project will provide attendees with a glimpse of what is to come in the industry.”

To learn more about SHS, visit our website at www.wehatesheep.com. Discover what the Hated Sheep Project is really all about at www.nama.wehatesheep.com.

Agencies

AdMavericks Are Socially AWear

Chuck Zimmerman

The AdMavericks at Lessing-Flynn have teamed up with Eight Seven Central to introduce Socially AWear, a joint venture that aims to raise money for local charities through online sale of t-shirts that feature local brands.

Through nearly a dozen partnerships, Socially AWear looks to capitalize on support for local brands, with all proceeds being split between charitable donations and the production of additional t-shirts. A different central Iowa charity will be the recipient of the proceeds each month.

In addition to social media promotion efforts and the website SociallyAWear.com, Eight Seven Central is offering a discount in order to drive t-shirt sales and maximize charitable donations. “We like helping people who are active in the Des Moines community,” said Zach Anderson of Eight-Seven. “Socially AWear is a great way to recognize that activity.”

“Helping non-profits is the jam,” said Joe Winn of Lessing-Flynn. “Giving people the chance to rock a sweet tee to help non-profits is just good for everybody. We wanted to do something good for the community. This helps Des Moines brands get more exposure while raising money for Des Moines charities at the same time.”

Current t-shirts offered include: Children’s Cancer Connection, DSM: SUSHIBOMB, Gusto Pizza, Urban 515, vineme, DesMoinesIsNotBoring.com and Lessing-Flynn’s AdMavericks.com.

Agencies

IFAJ 2011 Congress Deadline

Chuck Zimmerman

IFAJIt’s time to stop procrastinating and get your registration completed for the 2011 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress in Canada. The early deadline is this Friday. You’ll get a discount on the fees of course.

I registered to arrive in time for a day at the Outdoor Farm Show and hope to be on the Lake Huron Tour. If you’ve never attended an IFAJ Congress then this is the time. You will have a chance to create lasting relationships with agricultural journalists from all over the world. It’s a two way benefit since you’ll learn from them at the same time they learn from you.

I’m happy to report that Pioneer Hi-Bred will once again be the sponsor of AgWired coverage of this major international agricultural communicator event.

You can find the full schedule and registration form on the 2011 Congress website.

IFAJ

Brownfield Ag News Introduces Healthy Living

Chuck Zimmerman

Guess who the sponsor of AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference will be? You are so right. How did you guess? Brownfield Ag News is sponsoring our coverage of the “main event” in agricultural marketing this week in Kansas City, MO. I’m on my way there today with Cindy arriving tomorrow.

Here’s a little news from our sponsor.

Brownfield Ag News introduces “Healthy Living,” a radio program that answers consumer questions about agriculture; helping to address the growing divide between consumers and those who grow their food, fiber and fuel.

“For many years Brownfield’s product offering has included programs designed to bridge the gap between farmers and those who consume farm products,” said Brownfield Farm Director Cyndi Young. “The goal of Healthy Living is to educate, not advocate. Instead of pushing the story Agriculture wants to tell, Healthy Living is produced with consumers interests and needs in mind.”

Healthy Living program topics range from food safety to heritage, heirloom and organic foods; from eating healthy on a budget to government food programs and obesity in America. This program also covers current legislation and issues as they affect the consumers’ choice and pocketbook.

In addition to the Healthy Living feature program, Brownfield Ag News has added another agricultural weather program, two additional agribusiness headline news programs, and two South Dakota agribusiness news programs.

Listen to one of the programs here: Brownfield Healthy Living

Audio

Seed to Succeed Grant Awarded

Melissa Sandfort

Harvest PR & Marketing, Inc. has once again awarded its Seed to Succeed nonprofit PR grant, valued at $20,000, to the AgChat Foundation, an organization dedicated to empowering farmers and ranchers to effectively tell their story using social media.

AgChat Foundation, which celebrated its one-year anniversary April 5, debuted the “Agvocacy 2.0 Training” in Chicago last August for a select group of 50 farmers and ranchers, and earned a coveted spot on the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, last month.

Currently, Harvest PR is leading a consumer-targeted media relations program spotlighting success stories of the farmers and ranchers who’ve established or enhanced their social media presence, and have successfully connected with consumers as a result of AgChat Foundation training and support. Harvest PR also recently spearheaded the nonprofit’s “Class of 2.0 Reunion,” in which Agvocacy 2.0 Training graduates reunited on Facebook and Twitter and recommitted to their social media goals.

Harvest PR created the Seed to Succeed PR Grant in 2009 to annually support one worthy not-for-profit cause or organization that serves to better agriculture. Applications for the 2012 PR Grant, valued at $25,000, are due Monday, Oct. 31, 2011. Details at www.harvest-pr.com.

Public Relations

Peace. Love. Bacon.

Meghan Grebner

I love bacon.  No really.  So much so I have even contemplated giving it up for Lent.  I thought I was being cute a few years ago when I’d tell people to support their local pork producers because everything is better with bacon.  Apparently, I wasn’t off the mark – in recent years bacon has become sexy.  A pop culture icon.  And now – You can always have bacon (of some sorts) at your fingertips.  There’s bacon ice cream, chocolate covered bacon, bacon vodka, bacon flavored lip balm and even a bacon air freshener for your car (I’m not sure of that one – but people keep giving them to me as gifts – I’ll have to try it out eventually).  You can even celebrate your love for bacon with thousands of your closest friends.

There are bacon celebrations scattered all over the United States.  In 2008 Andre Vonbaconvitch (not kidding – that’s his real bacon loving pseudonym) and two other friends came up with the idea to bring Baconfest to Chicago.  This year the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) became the presenting sponsor of Baconfest Chicago. What a partnership – the people that are responsible for makin’ bacon presenting the festival that honors the  absolutely deliciously sexy food that so many people adore.  How much fun is that?

But here’s the serious stuff… Not only were the volunteers from IPPA able to interact and continue to tell the message of the Illinois pork farmer with the 2,000 attendees of this years Baconfest – they were able to raise more than $1,600 in donations alone from their highly popular Peace. Love. Bacon. t-shirts for the Pork Power program.  Attendees were asked to bring a food item to donate for the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) and IPPA would match the donation pound for pound with pork.  The GCFD food drive collected 1,653 lbs of food.  Illinois Pork Producers will be donating nearly 2,500 lbs of pork to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (1,653 pounds of pork – matching the food collected PLUS 850 pounds of pork that they will purchase with the $1,622 raised from the t-shirt donations).

All in all a pretty amazing feat from some of the nations best pork producers.  One other “fun” thing from the weekend – my friend Tim, Director of Public Relations with Illinois Pork Producers, recites this years winning Ode to Bacon written by Joel Chmara called “Johnny Baconseed:  A Poem For The Hopeless Romantics”.

So many great things came from this partnership – Afterall.. Everything is better with bacon.

Johnny Baconseed
Pork

Harvesting Ideas at 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 299Welcome to Agri-Marketing Conference Week. It is one of our favorite times of the year because it was seven years ago that Cindy and I attended and introduced people to ZimmComm New Media. We hope to see you in Kansas City in person or online. You can find us in our booth at this year’s Connection Point trade show. I will once again be the NAMA Blogger so I’ll be doing some cross posting here and there and you can count on lots of photos.

To get a preview of this year’s conference I spoke with Matt Coniglio, Fastline Publications. Matt is Vice Chair of the conference this year. In the ZimmCast he’ll share some highlights and says it’s looking like this will be the highest attendance for a conference since 2000! Get a preview of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference in this week’s program: 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference Preview

I’d also like to thank Brownfield Ag News for sponsoring our coverage of the conference! Look forward to a party on Thursday night.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, Growmark, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

The program ends this week with a song from Music Alley called “The Harvesting Angel” by Jeremy Alan Hepp.

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

Audio, NAMA, ZimmCast

Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App iPod touch Giveaway

Chuck Zimmerman

How would you like a chance to win one of the coolest apps on your very own iPod? All you have to do is enter the Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App iPod touch Giveaway Contest (entry form).

The contest kicks off today and will end on midnight May 9 with the winner being announced May 10th on AgWired and Precision Pays. The Precision Laboratories Mix Tank App will be pre-loaded on the iPod so all you have to do to get started using it is to click on the app! ZimmComm New Media is thrilled to be working with Precision Laboratories on this promotion.

If you don’t know what the Mix Tank App is then you can learn more about it from James Reiss, Vice President of the agricultural chemistries business and Daniel Ori, Marketing Specialist in a recent ZimmCast with them.

Improving crop protection strategies will most likely lead to more tank mixing. Improper mixing sequence of crop protection products can cause incompatibility problems, lost spraying time from plugged sprayer nozzles, and the risk of cross contamination problems later. Simple mixing errors will cost you time and money.

The free Mix Tank app from Precision Laboratories is the first of its kind to assist agricultural retailers, crop specialists, university researchers and growers to determine the correct mixing sequence of crop protection tank mixes. It helps you get the most out of every tank mix and eliminate costly mixing errors.

Official Rules (doc file)

Apps

I Am Angus – It’s More Than Just a Breed of Cattle

Chuck Zimmerman

The American Angus Association says that “It’s more than just a breed of cattle – it’s about people and our relationship with the land.” That is truly evident in this edition of I Am Angus.

This is part of a series of posts we’re doing to introduce you to the American Angus Association via the library of videos they’ve produced over the years.

Video