Agriculture.com Turns 15

Chuck Zimmerman

Yesterday was the anniversary of Agriculture.com. I did not know that until Curt Blades sent along this image of the site from way back then. I can remember the Netscape browser.

It’s hard to believe the #1 community for farmers launched a decade and a half ago. When we went live, only 46% of farms had computers.

Our first measurement of internet access among farmers was in 1997 – and it showed 13.1% of farmers with some sort of internet access.

To put things in perspective – here is an image of the site from 15 years ago (note the Netscape browser).

It looks a little different today in my Firefox browser!

Media

What Is AgWired?

Chuck Zimmerman

How would you define it? The reason I’m asking is that I’ve had a few “industry” folks say they don’t know how to define AgWired or what category or budget to put it in. I think that’s interesting on several levels. Is AgWired a media outlet? Is it a public relations tool? Is it just a “blog” (whatever that means)? Are industry communications professionals having trouble coping with the changes in technology?

Here’s some information that might help you decide how to define AgWired. It was started in August, 2004. There are 8,217 story posts with 2,088 comments. The posts all have at least 1 of 221 categories assigned to them. Since the beginning of this year there have been over 70,000 visits and over 123,000 page views according to Google Analytics. Visitors come from 163 countries. The top five are United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. The top 10 states in the U.S. for visitors are in order: MO, CA, IL, NY, TX, IA, MN, WI, FL, OH. There are almost 2,500 subscribers to the site RSS feed according to FeedBurner. Between our three associated Twitter accounts we have almost 3,300 followers. We’ve posted almost 6,000 photos online so far this year to Flickr in event sets, some of which have had over 4,000 views. We’ve uploaded 52 YouTube videos this year with some upload views as high as almost 7,000. The AgWired widget is published on 54 other websites and has had over 115,000 views. And of course we’ve got FB fans and subscribers and followers in other social channels as well. There are just too many audio files posted to try and give you a complete number of downloads but it’s huge.

We’re working on a project to obtain fresh demographic data on our visitors/fans/subscribers/followers but in the past we’ve found a very unique mix of farmers, ag media, ag adv/pr agencies, agribusiness marcomm pros, farm groups and consumers. From the beginning I have had in my mind’s eye the membership of the National Agri-Marketing Association as the target for the content posted here. That target has grown as the site has developed and become such a big resource for so many people.

So, what is AgWired? Besides the questions above is it the community that Chuck and Cindy built? How valuable is that community and who is it valuable to?

If you answer all these questions correctly we will be very much in awe of you!

Uncategorized

EU Approves Novus Feed Additive

Cindy Zimmerman

The European Union has approved the use of Novus International’s MINTREX chelated trace minerals as feed additives for all species.

novusSpecifically, the EU registration applies to MINTREX® Zinc (Zn), MINTREX® Manganese (Mn) and MINTREX® Copper (Cu).

“Our MINTREX chelated trace mineral line has been successfully addressing animal welfare challenges and cost-versus-performance issues for chicken producers in the EU since late last year,” says François Fraudeau, Vice-President Europe, Middle East and Asia. “Feeding a high quality and bioavailable trace mineral is important to maximizing the growth potential and wellbeing of production animals. Through its efficient absorption, animals fed MINTREX minerals will be healthier, have better muscle growth and optimal structural integrity of bones, footpads, hooves and skin.”

Read more here.

Feed, Novus International

Corn Utilization & Technology Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

cutcThe 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC), is scheduled for June 7-9 in Atlanta and has more to offer than ever before. I’m looking forward to another CUTC and stopped in the National Corn Growers Association office recently to get a preview of the program.

CUTC has been expanded to include new topics that will be of value to many audiences, such as life cycle analysis of new technologies, land use issues, aquifers, water quality and usage and greenhouse gas emissions. “The CUTC is a very interesting conference in that it really looks at the technical issues around corn and corn milling,” says National Corn Growers Association Director of Biofuels & Business Development Jamey Cline, who is chairing the plenary session “Land Use Conundrum…Corn, an Advanced Biofuel?” which will focus on the role land use criteria played in the decision that corn does not currently meet the qualifications of an advanced biofuel. The session will include both presentations and a panel discussion and will also explore how the United States will meet its greenhouse gas reduction mandates given that corn is currently the only significant source of ethanol in today’s marketplace.

CUTC will be held at the Atlanta Hilton Hotel in downtown Atlanta, Ga. Registration information is available on-line.

Listen to my interview with Jamey talking about CUTC in general and his session in particular.

Ag Groups, Corn

National Summit to Wrap Up Rural Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

A national summit for rural America will be held in Missouri next month to wrap up the Obama administration’s Rural Tour.

USDA Rural TourAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host the day-long “National Summit of Rural America: A Dialogue for Renewing Promise” on June 3 on the campus of Jefferson College near St. Louis.

“This Summit will be an opportunity for rural Americans to share their vision for creating a more prosperous and promising future for rural America,” said Vilsack. “The Obama Administration is committed to strengthening rural America, and now farmers, ranchers, and foresters from throughout the country can have the opportunity to engage with key policymakers and community leaders to discuss the priorities and policies necessary to keep its future bright.”

This National Summit culminates the Rural Tour Secretary Vilsack led last year and visited 22 states to begin a conversation with farmers, ranchers, and people who live in rural communities. It will feature plenary and breakout sessions on issues including rebuilding and revitalizing rural America, creating new jobs, improving infrastructure, improving farm competitiveness, and encouraging innovation in renewable energy.

If you want to attend the summit, you have to register through the USDA Rural Tour website. USDA says early registration is recommended as attendance will be limited due to space constraints.

USDA

Hogs On The Hill

Chuck Zimmerman

Hogs on the hill could mean different things to different people. In this case we’re talking blogging hogs as in the pork industry and Capitol Hill. That’s because Hogs On The Hill is a blog and “The voice of the U.S. pork industry with a swine’s eye view.”

Welcome to Hogs on the Hill, a blog that will offer commentary on issues of importance to the U.S. pork industry. We hope you’ll visit often, and feel free to comment on any of our posts.

Ag Groups

R+K Q+A Update

Chuck Zimmerman

The NAMA ABEF was the big winner in this year’s R+K Q+A promotion.

This is the second year R+K sponsored its text message promotion, coined “R+K Q+A,” during the annual NAMA conference, held this year April 20–23 in Kansas City. Working in partnership with NAMA leadership and Commodity Update, R+K executed the promotion, which consisted of a series of questions that conference attendees were encouraged to answer via text message. For each text message received, R+K made a donation to ABEF, which funds leadership programs, a national marketing competition and scholarships for agri-business students. R+K donated all proceeds to ABEF, raising $1,800 for the organization.

Agencies, NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • A new tool is available to hay and forage producers, locally and nationwide, to help them harvest a better quality crop: Dur-Adjust features a dual spring and rod system for DARF Hay Rakes.
  • Sci Protek Inc. has secured exclusive global licensing rights to a new technology, a yeast, that will help manage the spread of one of the worst diseases affecting crops such as wheat and barley.
  • QC Supply and Gillis Ag Systems have joined forces and are looking forward to providing the industry with an expanded range of products along with improved engineering, technical support and installation service.
  • Pfizer Animal Health announced the first recipients of a new $2 million scholarship program for U.S. veterinary students.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Daryl Southard Joins Leica Geosystems

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AgWired sponsor Leica Geosystems has added Daryl Southard, inside sales representative, to their North American Agriculture Solutions group. He started in early April, and is based out of Leica Geosystems’ Ag Solutions headquarters in Denver.

    With nearly a decade of sales and product development experience in GPS navigation and premium networking systems, Southard is a great fit for the Leica agriculture team in North America. Previously, Southard worked in sales and product development.

    “Daryl is a great addition to the team and brings with him a wealth of experience managing inside sales of technical products,” said Harlan Little, NAFTA business manager. “Daryl has a great ability to connect with our customers and will provide additional training and sales support. We look forward to bringing his skills and talents to bear in our business.”

    Agribusiness, Leica Geosystems

    Syngenta Gets BIO Award for Feeding the World

    Cindy Zimmerman

    BIOSyngenta was honored this week at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention in Chicago with an award recognizing achievements in crop productivity innovations that help feed the world.

    SyngentaBIO annually honors companies in the categories of “Healing, Feeding and Fueling the World” based on a pre-conference poll of attendees. Syngenta was named the “Buzz of BIO” award winner in the “Feeding the World” category by attendees at this year’s BIO International Convention.

    “The Buzz of BIO contest has been a popular part of our pre-convention activities. BIO International Convention attendees voted for their choices and Syngenta was the winner this year in the Feeding category. Congratulations,” said John Craighead, Managing Director of Investor Relations & Business Development, Biotechnology Industry Organization.

    Syngenta