Food, Fiber and Energy at an American Super Store

Chuck Zimmerman

IFMA 17Here’s our first report from the IFMA 17 Congress. Good job newsroom!

From farmers markets to super markets, IFMA 17 delegates had the opportunity to spend Sunday, July 19 touring the Meijer’s Super Store. Delegates arrived at the Bone Student Center Sunday to register for this week’s events. A shuttle, provided by Peoria Charter Coach, took them from the ISU Campus to Meijer.

While at Meijer, delegates had the opportunity to purchase items forgotten or lost on their trip to Bloomington. Others were able to experience an “indoor” farmers market as they shopped in Meijer’s fresh produce section.

This is just one of the many “American experiences” that delegates from over 26 countries will experience this week at IFMA 17.

Since IFMA’s start in 1971, Bloomington, Ill., is only the second U.S. City to host the Congress.

For review of the complete itinerary, visit: http://www.ifma17.org/

AgWired coverage of the IFMA 17 is made possible by Syngenta

Food

MGEX is Tweeting

Cindy Zimmerman

MGEXThe Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) is the latest ag-related biz to go Twitter.

According to a news release: With the creation of the MGEX site, anyone subscribing to view information on MGEX can receive up to date information in a timely manner. The page can be accessed at: http://twitter.com/MGEX1.

MGEX will use Twitter to distribute press releases and share Exchange information and services.

“Twitter provides us with a tool to stay connected with our members and market participants and gives us the opportunity to reach out to a larger audience,” Rita Maloney, Director of Marketing and Business Development, MGEX said. “We are always looking for ways to build brand identity and enhance existing relationships. Twitter offers that in an extremely convenient, cost-effective way.”

Uncategorized

Looking Ahead To IFMA 17

Chuck Zimmerman

IFMA 17The International Farm Management Association will be holding it’s annual convention in Illinois this coming week and we’ve made a unique arrangement with the group to bring you news and information from the event.

Thanks to the support of Syngenta, the IFMA 17 Newsroom will be staffed with student reporters who will be filing reports to us here at AgWired where we’ll post them.

The theme of the conference is Food, Fiber and Energy for the Future. You can find out all you want to know about the event on their website. The program gets started on Sunday and runs through the end of the week.

AgWired coverage of the IFMA 17 is made possible by Syngenta

Ag Groups

No Request For Soybean Checkoff Referendum

Chuck Zimmerman

United Soybean BoardIt looks like there was very little interest on the part of soybean growers to request a new referendum according to the results of the latest opportunity as announced by USDA.

USDA received only 759 request for referendum forms at county Farm Service Agency Offices, which reflects approximately one tenth of one percent of all eligible U.S. soybean farmers. Had 10 percent of the 589,182 eligible farmers – with no more than one-fifth of the 10 percent coming from any one state – requested a referendum, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture would have conducted the referendum on the soybean checkoff within 12 months.

USDA requires a soybean checkoff request for referendum period every five years. The most recent period took place from May 4 to May 29.

“These results reaffirm that U.S. soybean farmers strongly support our soybean checkoff,” says USB Chairman Chuck Myers, a soybean farmer from Lyons, Neb. “Our effective, efficient and farmer-driven program will continue to strive to maximize the return on investment of each checkoff dollar to ensure that U.S. soy is the highest quality and most competitive in the global marketplace.”

Farmers certifying that they paid the checkoff, which is one-half of one percent of the price per bushel sold, at any time during a period beginning Jan. 1, 2007, and ending Dec. 31, 2008, were eligible to participate in the petition for a referendum. Eligible farmers who did not want a referendum did not need to take any action.

Ag Groups, Soybean, USB, USDA

NCBA on HSUS Agenda

Amanda Nolz

forrest-roberts It’s no longer a secret that the Humane Society of the United States is dedicated to their main agenda of abolishing food animal agriculture in this country. It’s also no secret that HSUS has spending power and an active lobbying core that has taken part in 25 ballot initiatives, including the most notable, Proposition 2. For years, there have been those of us that have watched HSUS and told others about their dangers to our nation’s food supply, and now, the industry is finally taking note. It seems like every agriculture meeting discusses the HSUS agenda, and it’s time agriculture comes up with an action plan against these huge lobbyists.

NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts spoke this morning at the general session at the 2009 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colo. where producers from across the country have gathered to discuss the hot topics in agriculture today. Listen to Forrest’s speech on the state of the industry and his thoughts on HSUS.

Cattle Industry Conference

AdFarm/AGROTAIN Mount Ranier Relay Team

Chuck Zimmerman

Mt. Ranier Relay RaceThe folks at AdFarm are rooting for their team which is competing today in the Mount Rainier to Pacific Relay.

Hello AdFarmers! Runners and non-runners alike, tune your monitors to Twitter updates courtesy of our own Dan Danford at http://twitter.com/DanDan4D . He is one of the 11 member AGROTAIN client/agency team to run the Mount Rainier to Pacific Relay – 11 people. 152 miles. 22 hours. 33 “legs” to run down an honest-to-God mountain. From AdFarm, Les Kahl, Marisa Meyer and Hilary Winn will join Dan on this trek, along with Jeff Whetstine, Mike Stegmann and others with AGROTAIN. The Race begins Friday, July 17th at 2:00pm Pacific Time.

This run is famous for its low-key and racer-friendly atmosphere but it’s more than just a day in the park, so follow our team and wish them luck! Mount Rainier is part of the Cascade Mountains and overlooks the beautiful Olympic Penninsula, Seattle and the Pacific Ocean. See how craggy this run could be here. You can also make Dan a friend on Facebook and follow his updates there as well.

Stay tuned and … GOOD LUCK, TEAM!!

Agencies

5 Years After Global PR Blog Week

Chuck Zimmerman

It was in January of 2005 that I mentioned Global PR Week 1.0 here on AgWired. The conference was over at that point of course but it was one of those learning tools for me that let me see the power and effectiveness of new media. There was a Global PR Week 2.0 later that year but we haven’t had any since.

I was reminded of this from Steve Rubel’s Lifestream when he pointed us to an article about where we are in media and public relations 5 years after that first event. The article is on Bastien Beauchamp’s Blog. Here’s an excerpt from his conclusion:

The shift from advertising to PR will simultaneously mean a shift from PR to human resources.

The last word goes to Alice Marshall reflecting afterward on the Global PR Blog Week:

“Our single most important contribution (during that event) may have been to shift our industry from the idea of controlling the message and manipulating public opinion to that of presenting the message and cultivating public opinion. This change of metaphor is crucial to successful public relations in a world of increasing transparency. Those who fail to make transparency their friend will find it a formidable enemy. We offer(ed) readers many ideas on how to make transparency their friend.”

You can find Global PR Week 1.0 archived here.
You can find Global PR Week 2.0 archived here.

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • GreenStone Farm Credit Services has broken ground on a new corporate headquarters in East Lansing, Mich.
  • Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants.
  • Syngenta Seed Care announced that the first seed treatment insecticide for small-seeded vegetables has been approved by the EPA for use on leafy vegetables. This superior new tool offers unparalleled protection against early-season sucking and chewing insects and will be available as a component of the FarMore Technology platform.
  • Cooperatives Working Together announced that it will conduct its second herd retirement of 2009. CWT will consider bids up to, but not to exceed $5.25 per hundredweight.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Active, Online Beef Ambassadors

    Amanda Nolz

    img_2047 Today I met with the National Beef Ambassador Team to conduct a workshop on social networking: using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google and YouTube to help share the beef cattle production story. The ambassadors have a brand new blog to share information about the beef industry with consumers. Show your support and stop by to leave a comment. These are the next leaders of the future beef industry, and these young people are dedicated to working on behalf of farmers and ranchers.

    At the conclusion of the workshop, I caught an interview with the ambassadors on their favorite memories and their upcoming projects online. Catch my interview here:

    Audio, Cattle Industry Conference

    Cattle Industry Summer Conference Kicks Off

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Lynn HeinzIt’s Cattle Industry Summer Conference week in Denver and Amanda Nolz is on the ground doing some Beef Board blogging for us. Cindy just arrived at the airport from the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and yours truly is getting better from pneumonia or he’d be in Mexico with the United Soybean Board. Busy week. Here’s Amanda’s first interview from the CISC.

    The Cattlemen’s Beef Board met for the first time this week at the Administration Subcommittee Meeting tonight. The discussions from tonight’s meeting will be introduced and rehashed at the executive meeting bright and early tomorrow morning. During a break in the meeting, I had the opportunity to catch up with CBB Producer Communications Staff Member Lynn Heinze to talk about the outreach programs the CBB uses to educate producers about the checkoff.

    Lynn directs the checkoff’s national producer communications efforts, including paid media, dairy and beef trade media, surveys of producers, direct producer communications and CBB’s coordination with state beef councils. He has 20-plus years of experience in the meat industry, where he has managed a number of checkoff-funded programs for the National Live Stock and Meat Board, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

    Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference