USCP Launces SorghumCheckoff.com

Chuck Zimmerman

United Sorghum Checkoff ProgramThe United Sorghum Checkoff Program has a new website.

USCP Communications Committee Chair Billy Bob Brown said the new site is dedicated to sorghum producers and their interests. “My hope is that producers will take advantage of the new site, because it is there for them to use,” Brown said. “The Web site will allow producers to take advantage of the opportunity to be updated on the latest sorghum research and market development.”

In the future, the site will continue to grow and develop, adding a new research database, extensive information on market development activities and opportunities for even more interactive features.

Am I missing the social networking elements of this new communications mechanism?

Ag Groups, sorghum

Todd Johnson New VP For NCBA

Chuck Zimmerman

Todd JohnsonThe National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has a new VP of Owner-Member Services. He’s Todd Johnson and he was with the Kansas Livestock Association. He’s schedule to start his new position in January.

NCBA’s producer leaders recently created an organizational strategic plan to better serve members, and NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts subsequently re-aligned staff to better execute the plan, and created the Owner-Member Services department. As its name implies, Owner-Member Services will provide value and services for all types of NCBA’s owner-members, including producer and feeder members, state cattlemen’s affiliates and state beef councils. Johnson will lead the team, and will also serve on NCBA’s senior leadership team.

Johnson comes to NCBA with a wealth of experience. In 1995, Johnson joined the staff at NCBA affiliate Kansas Livestock Association (KLA), and until 2004 he coordinated membership recruitment efforts and worked as part of the government relations team. In 2004 Johnson joined the staff of the Kansas Beef Council as executive director. Prior to KLA, he worked at the American Hereford Association as director of youth activities.

Ag Groups, NCBA

Livestock Publications Council Boot Camp

Chuck Zimmerman

Livestock Publications Council Boot CampIt’s time for another Livestock Publications Council Boot Camp. This is for designer, writers and photographers. It happens the day before opening day of deer season in Missouri just in case you wanted to know that.

Speakers and topics will include:

Adobe InDesign & Adobe Illustrator – Presented by Shari Holloway and Amber Martin, EDJE Technologies

Writing Better Headlines & Cutlines and What’s New in AP Style – Speakers from the Courier Journal – Andy Alderette, Editing Manager, Jim Kirchner, News Operations Manager

Videography & Photography – with Crystal Young American Angus Assn. Director of Public Relations, Creative Media Coordinator

November 13, 2009 – 8 am to 4:30 pm

Workshop will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott by the airport and Expo Center, 819 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209
800-321-2211 or 502-368-5678 – Room rate: $109

LPC

Social Potatoes

Chuck Zimmerman

Baking a potato is not a difficult thing to do unless you’ve never done it before and have no idea how. There’s help for consumers now from the U.S. Potato Board.

Potato classics go convenient and digital. The United States Potato Board (USPB) recently launched a campaign to help remove the time-barrier between busy moms and potatoes. It revolves around a new collection of Quick & Healthy Potato Recipes, and the news is reaching consumers reading traditional food pages and socially surfing the web.

The six most popular online searches for potato recipes—baked, mashed, fries, soups, salads and casseroles—were updated to be “Quick & Healthy” and enhanced with several flavor variations, for a total of 24 new potato recipes to please every palate. Additionally, six, one-minute educational videos were created. This package was introduced on September 18 through a multi- media on-line news release, so in addition to an article touting the quick-and-healthy benefits of meals with potatoes, there are links to recipe pages on www.potatogoodness.com, photos to download, and links to the videos on the Potato Goodness YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/PotatoGoodness.

Here’s how to bake a potato:


Mom’s Dinner Helper Blog
Facebook

Ag Groups, Potato, Social Networking

Dairy Farmer Leading Social Networking Charge

Chuck Zimmerman

As more and more farmers embrace new and social media mechanisms it’s only natural that they will see them as channels to connect with and educate the consuming public. I think dairy farmers lead the way.

Take Will Gilmer, Gilmer Dairy Farm, for example. He’s just started a new video series on YouTube called MooTube Minute. Additionally, he has created a video to demonstrate the eco-friendly way dairy farmers conduct manure management.

Find him on:

The Dairyman’s Blog
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

Dairy, Social Networking

Wheat Leaders Traveling

Chuck Zimmerman

Wheat LeadersSteve Mercer, U.S. Wheat Associates, Inc., says, “We’re posting photos from the Wheat Leaders Team now traveling in Colombia, Peru, and Mexico on our Flickr site.” He’s right.

Here’s one of them captioned:

Wheat Leaders at Pastas Doria, Bogata, Colombia, with Supply Chain Manager Guillermo Botero.

Great use of Flickr to “photo-blog” a trip. Find all the photos in their event set.

Ag Groups, Wheat

Immersion In New Media

Chuck Zimmerman

150pxThe BlogWorld & New Media Expo is next week folks. Have you registered? I’m serious.

If you work in ag media, agency, company marcomm then you should really consider being there. This is your professional improvement opportunity to be immersed in new and social media for 3 days. That’s where you’ll find ZimmComm.

If for some reason you can’t make it then I will be writing about what I see and hear on ZimmComm.biz and here too. So I can be your new media eyes and ears.

Now if you really want to create some online branding for your company while learning more about today’s communications tools and mechanisms then I will be happy to have you “sponsor” my coverage. Just let Cindy or me know and I’m sure we can work out a deal!

Uncategorized

Wrapping Up The Global Dairy 500 Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Pearse LyonsWrapping up the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech President. Dr. Lyons summarized many of the presentations with a series of take home messages. The focus was on the future of dairy farming, the integration of a brand, methane production, cow comfort, tourist attractions, education, milk marketing with nutrition also being a key topic. Additionally, a strong message that came out of the presentations was to “record the data” and that body conditioning is critical. As Dr. Lyons said, “Talk to the cow and the cow will talk to you.”

During his closing remarks Dr. Lyons introduced the Agri Aware program that Alltech has sponsored. The educational program for school children of all ages now has it’s first video module featuring “A Day in the Life of a Dairy Farmer.” We watched the video and then Dr. Lyons called on participants to go back home, take the program and have it translated into their languages.

You can listen to Dr. Lyons remarks below. And don’t forget to check out my photo album from the event. If you didn’t attend you can see what you missed!

2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by Alltech.

Alltech, Audio, Dairy

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Syngenta was ranked among the Top 20 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Employers according to survey results published in a special feature of today’s edition of Science magazine.
  • MGEX (“the Exchange”) announced strong September 2009 growth in its Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) futures and options volume and open interest numbers.
  • The National Sorghum Producers announced that Gerald Simonsen will assume leadership of the NSP Board of Directors to serve as chairman for the coming year.
  • National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Daren Coppock announced his resignation. He will become president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association as of Jan. 1, 2010.
    Zimfo Bytes