Ken Colombini New Director of Communications for NCGA

Chuck Zimmerman

Ken ColombiniHe’s become a master Twitterist and blogger. He’s Ken Colombini, the new Director of Communications for the National Corn Growers Association. Please join us in welcoming Ken to his new position.

“Ken has been a valuable member of the award-winning NCGA Communications team during the past two years,” said NCGA Vice President for Marketing Fred Stemme. “He has a great grasp of the issues and I’m pleased that he accepted this new opportunity and challenge.”

Before joining NCGA in October 2007, Colombini held several communications positions at Anheuser-Busch, serving finally as director of governmental and environmental communications. He started his career as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist in California, where he also worked as a speechwriter to the governor and as chief spokesperson for California State Parks.

Reporting to Colombini in this role are Mark Lambert, senior communications manager; Christina Koboldt, marketing manager, who oversees communications regarding events and other programs; Janice Tolley, communications manager in the NCGA Washington office; Jennifer Hausman, online marketing manager and webmaster; Beth Musgrove, graphics and presentation designer; and Mary Quigley, administrative assistant.

Ag Groups, Corn, NCGA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • AFBF sent comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the development of a national broadband plan by the FCC. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year requires the FCC to develop a comprehensive broadband plan by Feb. 17, 2010.
  • Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, have launched a consumer awareness initiative to educate consumers about the nutritional and economic value of dairy products, as well as the contributions that America’s dairy producers make to their community, economy and the environment.
  • BASF has provided online technical bulletins due to excessive rainfall and delayed planting increasing stress and disease potential in corn and soybeans.
    Headline corn in wet weather
    Headline soybeans in wet weather
    Corn solutions guide
    Soybean solutions guide
    Zimfo Bytes

    Talking Ethanol This Week

    Chuck Zimmerman

    FEW 2009From Farm Bureau to fuel, I’ve transitioned over to my next event on the agriblogging highway.

    The 25th Annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo is underway in Denver, CO and I’m on location for the next couple days to bring you news, interviews and photos, most of which will be posting onto our Domestic Fuel website. I attended the opening reception this evening and met with many industry friends in a great social setting in the trade show. I saw Mike Bryan, CEO, BBI International, as I was leaving the reception and he seemed very pleased with the start of this year’s event. BBI is the organization that puts on this event each year.

    Special thanks go to the Renewable Fuels Association for making our coverage of this event possible. RFA has been a long standing client of ZimmComm New Media and we really enjoy working with them.

    Things will get kicked off tomorrow morning with the opening general session and I’ll be there. So expect to see information being posted throughout the day.

    Celebrating a quarter century of excellence, the 25th annual FEW will offer cutting-edge content, unparalleled business development opportunities, and a lively tribute to industry progress. From its inception in 1985, this globally recognized event has helped facilitate the ethanol industry’s evolution by providing world-class programming that includes spot-on technical workshops and invaluable networking forums alongside the largest, most widely attended expo in the business.

    Ethanol

    Car of the Heartland To Promote The American Farmer

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Car of the HeartlandThis afternoon I saw the unveiling of the Car of the Heartland, the official Car of the American Farmer. This is a concept car developed by Furniture Row Racing. They’re looking for industry partners to help them make the car a reality on the NASCAR tracks in 2010, starting with the Daytona 500.

    The unveiling was done to the participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Conference. Prior to seeing the new car we received a very in-depth tour of the Furniture Row Racing garage. Furniture Row races the #78 car in NASCAR. It was very interesting to see cars in various stages of development and speak with the engineers who work on them.

    One of the key developers of the Car of the Heartland concept is Pat Driscoll, Corporate Relations, Furniture Row Racing. Pat is a former farm broadcaster friend from way back and it was great to see him again. I spoke with Pat about this new project after the cloth was pulled off the new car. He says the car is really a new model for NASCAR. For one thing the car will not sport a multitude of corporate logos. It will solely promote the American farmer with the intent of displaying different visuals of the agriculture that’s local to the area in which a race track is located. The goal is to help the American consumer better understand where their food comes from. Pat says they’re currently communicating with 31 different organizations about partnering with them on the project.

    I’ve created a photo album from the unveiling so you can see multiple views of the car: Car of the Heartland Photo Album

    You can listen to my interview with Pat here:

    AFBF, Audio

    News Media In Transition

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AFBF PR ConferenceOne of the sessions here at the AFBF Shining at the PR Summit was titled, “News Media in Transition.” I thought I’d hear stories about how tv and newspapers were utilizing new and social media mechanisms to “transition” to how consumers want to get news and information. Instead I would characterize the comments as being very defensive and actually blaming shoddy reporting today on social media and citizen journalism.

    We had a tv news reporter on the panel who says that when it comes to blogging, “I won’t do it.” He admits he’s old school and I think overlooks the value of providing his reports in a mechanism that makes it easier for me to get them. He is confusing unbiased reporting (what’s that?) with opinionating. I think you can use a blog to report news without adding personal perspective. However, I think that consumers want to know the opinion of people they respect and admire and that could very well be a tv reporter.

    This same reporter called his Facebook friends, “My little Facebook friends.” That sounded kind of demeaning and dismissive to me. I don’t think he meant it that way but when he said “Everyone has a Twitter/Facebook account” as if somehow there’s something wrong with that it really showed a resistance to change and transition which I think clearly shows why traditional media outlets are struggling so much.

    It has been a great session here today. We’re about to go on a tour which I’ll be posting about later.

    AFBF

    Country Classic on Display at CMA

    Cindy Zimmerman

    clint erickson boomer 8NThe CMA Music Festival in Nashville featured some well-known country legends like Reba McEntire and the Judds, so it was a perfect place for New Holland to display its own country classic, the Boomer 8N.

    “It’s a retro going back to the Ford 8N and we are very proud of that heritage of ours going back to the 40s and 50s,” said Clint Erickson, New Holland business manager for Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. The tractor, which was just launched earlier this year at the National Farm Machinery Show, was on display for all four days of the CMA Music Fest and at the New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race on Sunday.

    The slogan for the 8N is “The Legend Returns” and Clint says it attracted a lot of attention at the festival with many posing for pictures with the shiny, sweet ride. Find out more at www.8n.com.

    Listen to or download my interview with Clint here:

    New Holland, Tractor

    Who are the Next Generation of Food Producers?

    Amanda Nolz

    Most ranch kids can trace their heritage back to a long lineage of food producers. In past generations, if a kid’s father were a rancher, he or she would more than likely grow up to be a rancher, as well. Yet, today’s generation may have many ancestors of ranchers in their family trees, but because of the many challenges facing producers today, they often opt to pursue big city careers in favor of returning to production agriculture.

    bilde According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are two times as many farmers over 65 as under 35 in the United States today. In addition, it is estimated that one-quarter of the nation’s farms will change hands in the next decade. Yet, it’s a rare occasion for a young person to return to production agriculture, which is why a young person like Seth Zilverberg is making the news. Seth is a fellow Limousin breeder, and I recently chatted with him and his mother about his move back to his family’s cattle operation. Here is what his mom, Peg, has to say about young people in production agriculture.

    We are so proud of Seth and happy to have him home. I wish there were more young people returning home to production agriculture, and I think it’s so disappointing to know that more often than not, these kids are encouraged to pursue outside opportunities. So many people told Seth he was ‘too smart’ to return home to the farm, and I think that’s the biggest mistake of all.

    So, who are the future of food producers? Where is the next generation going? How can we help beginning farmers? What’s your story? Do you come from a farm background? How many generations of agriculturalists are in your family? What are your plans for the future? Inquiring minds want to know?

    Food

    Shining At The AFBF PR Summit

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AFBF PR ConferenceThe American Farm Bureau Federation, “Shining at the PR Summit” is underway here in Denver. I’m feeling my miles this morning after 5 days at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville but thank you to the Brown Palace Coffee & Tea Co. for helping out.

    I’ll be conducting a session on social media here in just a few minutes. Please feel free to tweet your thoughts on using social media to the PR professionals here from state Farm Bureaus across the country. Just use the #FBPR hashtag. You know what I’m talking about right?

    Public Relations

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • Alan Quarry, Chairman and CEO of Quarry Integrated Communications, has been appointed Entrepreneur in Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University where he will serve as a resource and advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs within the Laurier School of Business & Economics.
    • The American Agricultural Insurance Company announced the appointment of Janet S. Katz as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2009.
    • Wet weather and a delayed planting season in corn is giving broadleaf weeds a head start, taking over fields very quickly across the Corn Belt. The late planting season is also providing corn growers more time to evaluate their weed management program and make the best decisions to manage glyphosate-resistant weeds in their fields.
    • Jon Scholl, President of American Farmland Trust, spoke to agricultural leaders and the press as part of the Farm Foundation’s Forum on “Carbon Policy Options and Implications for Agriculture” in Washington, D.C., where he outlined why he’s “optimistic” on the opportunities for agriculture and refuted the idea that cap & trade legislation will only result in increased costs to agricultural producers.
      Zimfo Bytes

      Bone Collector Competes in Celebrity Tractor Race

      Chuck Zimmerman

      Michael Waddell is the star of Bone Collectors on the Outdoor Channel. He was one of the competitors in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson.

      Waddell gave it a valiant effort and hopefully will compete again next year.

      Hunting, New Holland, Video