Our photo album for the IFAJ Congress/Ag Media Summit has been giving us fits the last few days. Flickr is great but every once in a while . . .
So, I’ve got most of our photos re-uploaded and ready for your viewing pleasure.
Here’s the link to use for IFAJ Congress/Ag Media Summit photos:
Allen Moczygemba has been busy creating a new enterprise.
The Haymond Group, LLC a new marketing consulting firm with an emphasis on providing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) expertise has been formed to serve agribusiness clients.
Industry veteran Allen Moczygemba has been named President of The Haymond Group, which is being funded with private equity. Joining Moczygemba on the management team of The Haymond Group are longtime livestock industry member, Bill Stovell who has been named Vice President, Business Development and Nicholas Poulos, Vice President, Customer Relationship Management.
In making the announcement, Moczygemba said, “I’m really excited about heading up this new business venture. I feel that there’s a real opportunity for our services as more and more agribusiness firms attempt to integrate CRM programs into their current marketing strategies. The Haymond Group’s mission is to provide focus and management across the key business disciplines of marketing, sales and channel management as they relate to Customer Relationship Management. Our strength will be leveraging the tremendous amount of business experience of the three principals of The Haymond Group as we work alongside clients to craft business designs that are both customer focused and customer based.”
A graduate of Southwest Texas State University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communications, Moczygemba has spent his entire career in agribusiness. His business experience includes sales, marketing, communications and event management. Most recently, he served as a member of the senior management team at Farm Journal Media where he had P&L responsibility for various business units. He also has served on several Board of Directors including World Dairy Expo, Livestock Publications Council, United States Canola Association and the National Agri-Marketing Association.
The results are in for the American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest. Thousands of votes were cast. You can see a list of the top twenty here.
The winners for this year are:
Large
Davis Farmers Market
Davis, CA
Votes: 3032
Medium
Williamsburg Farmers Market
Williamsburg, VA
Votes: 725
Small
Collingswood Farmers Market
Collingswood, NJ
Votes: 1027
Peanut butter is one of my favorite foods. I’m also choosy enough to choose Jif. Now Jif has a contest going that will award some college scholarships. So get your peanut butter creativity going.
Adding some creativity to mundane lunch routines could have a huge payoff. Jif Peanut Butter, the trusted peanut butter of choosy Moms, is accepting entries for the Eighth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest(TM). From August 7, 2009 through November 13, 2009, parents can help their kids ages 6 – 12 submit their most creative recipe for a chance to win a $25,000 college scholarship fund. Four runners-up will each receive a $2,500 scholarship fund.
Last year, the contest received the most entries in its history and 10-year-old Jordyn Boyer of Lebanon, Pa., was awarded top prize with her “Po’ Boy Peanut Butter Chicken Cheesesteak.” Inspired by regional culinary influences, her sandwich was made with Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, chicken, peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese — and even apples — providing a new twist on her home state’s staple cheesesteak. For added flavor, she created a dipping sauce of Jif Peanut Butter, Worcestershire sauce, honey mustard with a drizzle of honey.
The Eighth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest encourages families to spend time together in the kitchen as an activity to foster creativity. A parent can submit their child’s original recipe which is scored based on creativity, nutritional balance, taste, appearance and ease of preparation. Ten semifinalists’ recipes will be selected in January 2010 and posted on www.Jif.com as part of a nationwide online vote. Peanut butter lovers who are 13 years or older can then vote for the five finalists who will compete in a live judging event in New York City during March 2010.
Today, I thought I would share some reflections from my role as a cattle producer, instead of an agriculture writer. Thanks for letting me stand on this soapbox so often…
Nowadays, it seems the worries of a farmer and rancher are monumental. High input costs, ballot initiatives, strict regulations, bad media coverage, consumer misconceptions, animal rights activists’ agendas and low prices seem to plague the agriculture industry. Most depressing, it’s been said that for every consumer dollar spent in the grocery store, the farmer and rancher only receives 18 cents. Yet, true agriculturalists don’t let these negative things get to them. Nope, they endeavor to persevere.
Despite the challenges and obstacles, we have a lot to be thankful for in the agriculture industry. There is nothing better than having a career that provides nourishment for the world. For me, I live to watch my calves grow up, and it’s always a good feeling when we can fit the needs of our customers with our seedstock offerings. It’s amazing that the calves in my own pasture will someday move down the beef industry chain to backgrounders, feeders, processors, the grocery store and finally, to a dinner table around the world. The best part is knowing that the folks involved in every stop along the chain are great people that are dedicated to the same things as I am.
I’m thankful to be able to work alongside my family in a career that I love. I’m thankful to be able to work with my hands to help create something bigger than myself. I’m so blessed to be capable of the well being of so many animals, and I feel fortunate to live in America where food is abundant, healthy and safe. Today, set your worries aside and think about the things you are thankful for. You will quickly find that the list is much longer than your stresses and fears. God Bless the American farmer and rancher!
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009 is sponsored by:
and 
Several student and young professional awards were given during the IFAJ/AMS summit and one of the most coveted awards, the Forrest Bassford Award was given to Whitney Wallace and is sponsored by LPC. Whitney will be a senior at the University of Missouri this fall and she is an active member of ACT – the AG Communicators of Tomorrow. She will be graduating next May with a degree in Agricultural Journalism with an Ag Economics minor.
I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Whitney, and she is a talented and well spoken woman who has already taken the ag communications industry by storm. For those companies looking for a rare talent, you’d better get in line now, because I suspect that Whitney will be off the market in a blink of an eye!
As such an active and young member of the journalism community, I asked her to give her fellow students some advice.
“Just like I tell the other students at Mizzou, you just gotta jump in an try everything you can. Because we have so many opportunities that we can pick and choose and find so many great little niches of places we can succeed.”
Whitney, I like your style.
You can see the pictures of all the award winners in the IFAJ/AMS 2009 Photo Album.
You can listen to my full interview with Whitney here.
I would roast or fry these. Wouldn’t you? Purple freedom fries!
Klamath Basin Fresh Direct, an association of potato farmers along the Oregon-California border, has been awarded exclusive rights to grow and market a new purple fingerling developed by the USDA and three Northwest universities.
The potato is called Purple Pelisse, named for an intense hue inside and out that looks like a color you’d find in a crayon box. The tuber is the first specialty spud that Oregon State University, the University of Idaho, Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have jointly made available for public consumption. It’s called a specialty because it’s not like a traditional potato with white flesh and brown skin, such as Russets, commonly used for fries.
Dan Chin, chairman of the association, said his company was interested in the Purple Pelisse because it is looking to expand its color spectrum with a potato that it can grow on a small scale for a niche market. KBFD produces two potatoes: a red-skinned one and a small, white-skinned variety.
“Right now there’s not a good purple fingering on the market,” Chin added. “But this one has good flavor and looks good. It fits the bill for what we think a consumer might want.”
He said KBFD, which beat four other bids, plans to market it as a potato that can be boiled, fried and roasted. The group plans to change the name of the potato, which it will grow organically and market to high-end supermarkets and restaurants in the United States. He hopes to eventually promote it overseas. In November, he’ll take it to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines as part of a trade mission with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Thanks to Carly and Joanna, pictured here about to go into Billy Bob’s, our online photo album from this year’s IFAJ/AMS is very full. You’ll find almost 900 pictures in there. Please feel free to use them and if you need a high res version we’ll do our best to get one to you.
I got up early this morning and watched all the photos as a slide show via my Apple TV on my 42″ plasma screen. It felt almost like being there. I could hear the voices and know what they were saying. That happens when you spend a lot of time with good friends and colleagues at an extended event like this each year.
Quasimojo played once again at this year’s event. I’m thinking we should be recording these for future release. What do you think?
Then we could release an annual CD, Best of CD, etc. Perhaps a recording contract with a big label down the road? I don’t know.
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009/Ag Media Summit is sponsored by:
and
All registrants to the IFAJ Congress 2009 received a great wild west souvenir to take home with them. These leather note pad holders were all printed with our names. I was registered although I did not get to attend.
Cindy brought mine home. She actually just got home yesterday after attending the APS meeting in Portland, OR right after IFAJ/AMS. She’s starting to know what it feels like to be me when I’m healthy!
If you attended this year’s IFAJ Congress for your first time I’d love to know your thoughts on meeting with fellow ag journalists from other countries. Did you find it helpful? What did you get out of the relationships you made?
Conversely, if you’re an IFAJ member outside the U.S. who attended, what are your thoughts? Was it a good Congress? What do you think about these crazy Americans? Feel free to post comments.
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2009/Ag Media Summit is sponsored by:
and
