Food Trends

Chuck Zimmerman

What are the trends in food facing a company like Hy-Vee? We found out at the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference from Rose Mitchell, Senior VP, Governmental Relations.

Rose says there are four key trends they are looking at that include health, safety, taste and how to cook. She says they listen to their customers to identify these trends and then put plans into action to address them. Listen to her provide some examples in my interview.

You can listen to my interview with Rose here: Rose Mitchell Interview

NAMA Trends In Agriculture Photo Album

Reports from the NAMA Trends in Agriculture Conference are brought to you by Quarry Integrated Communications. Quarry helps agri-marketers convert branding into buying. Learn more at Quarry.com.

Audio, Food, NAMA

NAMA Professional Development Awards of Excellence Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

This year the National Agri-Marketing Association presented Professional Development Awards of Excellence to four people. Pictured are (l-r) Marvin Kokes, NCBA (Sales), Sue Otten, AGCO (Public Relations), Scott McClure, Brighton Agency (Marketing Communications) and not pictured Elena Lindemann, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed (Product/Species Management).

I spoke with Marvin, Sue and Scott about their award and how the theme for the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference, “Agriculture In A Globally Local World” relates to their business.

You can listen to my interview with Marvin here: Marvin Kokes Interview

You can listen to my interview with Sue here: Sue Otten Interview

You can listen to my interview with Scott here: Scott McClure Interview

NAMA Trends In Agriculture Photo Album

Reports from the NAMA Trends in Agriculture Conference are brought to you by Quarry Integrated Communications. Quarry helps agri-marketers convert branding into buying. Learn more at Quarry.com.

Audio, NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The 2010 Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Annual Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and will focus on contemporary issues facing the food and agriculture industry while also looking back at the hurdles and successes this proud industry has experienced.
  • The CR9060 combine manufactured by New Holland Brazil was awarded Gerdau’s Best of the Land Award Silver Trophy in the Novelty category for 2010.
  • Chris Eichhorn has been named a product development manager for Wyffels Hybrids, responsible for identifying, testing and managing corn hybrids and seed technology.
  • The American Agricultural Editors’ Association unveiled its new website featuring a new look and content management platform.
Zimfo Bytes

AgHaven Beta

Chuck Zimmerman

It looks like agribusiness has a new social networking location. AgHaven is in beta mode. What do you think? Can a stand alone social network make it in ag?

AgHaven, LLC is a collaboration of cutting edge search engine technology, social networking, agri- marketplace and agriculture industry expertise. This collaboration provides the agriculture industry with specific content for all stakeholders; including consumers, producers, agri-marketing, vendors and manufacturers.

Agriculture specific information delivered to the industry drives AgHaven, LLC. That information is filtered and distributed using semantic search technology. Semantic search vastly improves search results for users and delivers qualified customers for advertisers.

This combination of information technology and agriculture expertise will revolutionize the way agriculture is presented and searched on the web.

Agribusiness, Social Networking

Agvocate About Feeding The World

Chuck Zimmerman

Capping off the first day of the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference was Dr. Jay Lehr, The Heartland Institute. He started out his presentation on feeding the world with a video of him promoting agriculture and fertilizer to consumers on the streets of San Francisco. It was actually pretty funny to see people’s reactions from cab driver to old man on a city park bench as he randomly walked up to them and starting agvocating. It was a demonstration of what he sees as a severe need in agriculture to tell its story and re-connect with urban consumers.

Dr. Lehr was fascinated by NAMA’s local chapter concept and suggested that companies and organizational members ought to get together in efforts to communicate the message about agriculture to their local communities. Great idea!

You can listen to my interview with Dr. Lehr here: Dr. Jay Lehr Interview

Photos are being collected in my NAMA Trends In Agriculture Photo Album

Reports from the NAMA Trends in Agriculture Conference are brought to you by Quarry Integrated Communications. Quarry helps agri-marketers convert branding into buying. Learn more at Quarry.com.

Audio, NAMA

World Outlook For Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

Our kick-off speaker at the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference this afternoon was Mark Pearson, Market To Market. Mark is a lot of things, including farmer and stockbroker in addition to his hosting of the tv show. He was here to talk about what he sees as trends in agribusiness which means looking forward but also backward.

Mark looks at the general world economic outlook which he thinks is strengthening nicely. He also thinks commodity markets are a key element in the outlook. He says we’re in a bull market for corn, soybeans and wheat. In other words, “the world is coming to the United States to be fed.” Then thirdly, he looks at what’s happening with livestock, especially in light of factors like ethanol which he thinks has a very uncertain future. He mentions what’s happened to biodiesel as a precursor to what may happen to the ethanol sector. He also talks about international markets like China and now a look to Africa which is being seen as a real potential growth market. For marketers he also points to the changes in communications technology as a factor to keep in mind when you look at how and where farmers are getting their information. He doesn’t know too many successful farmers who don’t carry a Blackberry or iPhone!

You can listen to my interview with Mark here: Mark Pearson Interview

Photos are being collected in my NAMA Trends In Agriculture Photo Album

Reports from the NAMA Trends in Agriculture Conference are brought to you by Quarry Integrated Communications. Quarry helps agri-marketers convert branding into buying. Learn more at Quarry.com.

Audio, NAMA

Kicking Off NAMA Trends In Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

The National Agri-Marketing Association, Trends In Agriculture conference has a big crowd in Minneapolis. Welcoming us was committee chair, Lacy Carroll, Colle+McVoy. She introduced our kick-off speaker Mark Pearson, Market To Market. I’ll have an interview posted with Mark soon. I’m on my Verizon Mifi and it’s not real fast right now, especially since I’m uploading photos to get the conference photo album started.

So, lots more to come. Our theme is Agriculture In a Globally Local World. I’ll find out how that theme is addressed by as many of the speakers as I can.

Reports from the NAMA Trends in Agriculture Conference are brought to you by Quarry Integrated Communications. Quarry helps agri-marketers convert branding into buying. Learn more at Quarry.com.

Audio, NAMA

2011 Beef Ambassadors Named

Melissa Sandfort

Madlynn Ruble, Albert Lea, Minn., Jessica Sweet, Livermore, Calif., Austin Joyce, Pearland, Texas, Kelli Fulkerson, Burlington, Mich., and Kristen Stufft, Lewistown, Pa., were chosen as the 2011 National Beef Ambassador Team winners at the annual competition, funded in part by the beef checkoff, held Oct. 1-3 in Rapid City, S.D. Contestants were judged in the areas of consumer promotion, classroom presentation, media interview technique and issues response.

Twenty-six contestants from throughout the country vied for a place on this elite team of agriculture advocates and $5,000 in cash prizes as well as five educational scholarships totaling $5,000 given by the American National CattleWomen Foundation, Inc. Additionally, one Beef Ambassador will be chosen for a prestigious USDA internship in Washington, DC.

Madlynn “Maddy” Ruble is a sixth generation cattle producer. Ruble, a freshman at the University of South Dakota, is majoring in Spanish and Political Science. Jessica Sweet is involved in her family’s cattle ranch and enjoys showing livestock at her county fair. She is a freshman at Modesto Junior College studying agriculture education and business. Austin Joyce, a freshman at Texas A&M is majoring in Agriculture Business. Joyce enjoys raising Red Brangus with his dad and uncle and hopes to have his own ranch someday. Kelli Fulkerson a sophomore at South Dakota State University is serving as a National Collegiate Agricultural Ambassador. Fulkerson travels around the nation speaking about American agriculture. Kristen Stufft was extremely active in 4-H and is on the board of directors for the Junior Hereford Association. Currently a junior at Penn State University, Stufft is majoring in Animal Science.

After the event, as youth ambassadors, they speak to industry issues and misconceptions, while educating peers and others about food safety, nutrition and the Beef Checkoff Program at consumer events, in the classroom and online.

Uncategorized

USDA Gets Input On Proposed GIPSA Rule From Congress

Chuck Zimmerman

It looks like the Obama Administration via USDA is getting some pressure to look into the effect of the proposed GIPSA rule according to a release from the NCBA. You can download the letter here (pdf). You can learn more about this issue by reading our previous coverage of the issue, including interviews with this link.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack received a bipartisan letter today, Oct. 4, 2010, from 115 members of the U.S. House of Representatives calling for a comprehensive economic analysis of a propose rule on livestock and poultry marketing under the Packers and Stockyards Act. The proposed rule, released by USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) in June, was in response to a request made by Congress. However, many elected leaders note that the rule goes above and beyond the intent of Congress.

“In the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress directed the Department (USDA) to promulgate a discrete set of regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act. However, in doing so, GIPSA also included additional proposed regulations that greatly exceed the mandate of the Farm Bill,” the House members penned. “Such a broad rule that extends so far beyond Congress’ direction in the Farm Bill and that would precipitate major changes in livestock and poultry marketing requires a vigorous economic analysis. The analysis contained in the proposed rule fails to demonstrate the need for the rule, assess the impact of its implementation on the marketplace, or establish how the implementation of the rule would address the demonstrated need.”

The letter was led by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.); Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Livestock Subcommittee Chairman David Scott (D-Ga.) and Livestock Subcommittee Ranking Member Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas). National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Steve Foglesong said the 115 Congressmen and women that signed the letter should be given credit for standing up for U.S. farmers and ranchers and all of rural America.

GIPSA, Livestock, NCBA

What’s New At Rhea + Kaiser

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 275This week I’m beginning an informal series for the ZimmCast to learn what’s new at marketing and communications agencies. To get things started this week I’d like to share a conversation with Diane Martin, President/CEO, Rhea + Kaiser.

So let’s start out by asking, “Who is Rhea + Kaiser?” In their words, “We’re an agency of highly collaborative, creative problem-solvers and opportunity-seekers. Solving communications and business problems for our clients with a philosophy of putting ideas first.” I’m hoping you’ll listen in and learn about the things Diane is most proud of at R+K. For one thing they are growing and adding new people to the team. So please enjoy this week’s program: ZimmCast 275 - Diane Martin - R+K

This week’s program ends with some fun music from Music Alley. It’s a song titled, “Twitter Tweetin” by Carrie Dahlby and The FuMP. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, Novus International, and Leica Geosytems for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page

Agencies, Audio, ZimmCast