The latest news from Quarry Integrated Communications is about their joining “a select group of communications agencies worldwide in being recognized as a Certified Agency Partner by Eloqua, the category-defining marketing automation leader. Quarry is the first communications agency serving agrimarketers in North America to achieve this distinction.”
“Eloqua’s award-winning marketing automation platform, in concert with our own trademarked Relationship Builder™ system, will enable our clients to do more with less – while enhancing the overall customer experience,” says Bob Wilbur, Quarry senior vice president, Agri-Food. “Specifically, we can help marketers rapidly design and deploy highly-targeted campaigns to generate demand, monitor and track individual responses, and continuously nurture relationships based on their profile and activity. This also helps build alignment between sales and marketing by identifying and passing along only the most qualified ‘purchase-ready’ leads to the sales force.”
Search Bing
We’re all pretty comfortable making statements like “Did you Google for it?” Do you think we could start saying “Did you Bing for it?” Just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it. Microsoft unveiled it’s new search engine over the weekend – Bing.
So, have you tried it? What do you think?
New Media In USDA
I don’t know if Larry Quinn is ready to rename the Broadcasters Letter, the New Media Letter, but new media is slowly but surely making its way into the USDA Office of Communications strategy. For example, I just recently met Amanda Eamich online via email. I was intrigued by her title, “Director of New Media (Acting).” Now that’s progress.
So Amanda was gracious enough to take a few minutes to speak with me by phone about her job and what’s going on with new media and USDA.
The mission of the Office of Communications is to provide leadership, expertise, counsel and coordination for the development of communications strategies which are vital to the overall formulation, awareness and acceptance of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and policies, and serves as the principal USDA contact point for the dissemination of consistent, timely information.
Amanda is from Virginia and was working for the Food Safety Inspection Service. She’s really excited to move up from the agency level to the department level. She says USDA communicates with so many different communities and they’re trying to figure out how to interact with them by engaging them in interactive multimedia ways. One of my favorite quotes from Amanda when talking about using new media is, “It’s really just us having a conversation with a guy down the street.” Now that’s what it’s all about!
I asked her to provide a few links for us:
USDA YouTube
FSIS Twitter
USDA Recovery Map
USDA Podcasts
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Too Much Pork In My Stew”, by Lazy Poker. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: 
ZimmCast 221 (19 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview with Amanda Eamich - ZimmCast 221
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Billy Frey Wins Pork On A Fork Contest
I see that our good friend Billy Frey, Alltech, has won the Faces of Agriculture Pork On A Fork Contest. You can see the entries with this link. Here’s the message from Trent:
The winner of the Pork on a Fork contest is Billy Frey of Lexington, KY. Congratulations, Billy. Your photo is great and really shows your appreciation for all that U.S. pork producers do to feed our great nation and provide for our food security. Billy and I will be spending time together touring the World Pork Expo in Des Moines next Wednesday.
Besides Billy’s picture which was posted earlier this week I really liked this one with the kids. One has a t-shirt that says “I Love My Pig” and the other one says “I Love Bacon Better” while he’s eating some bacon.
You can also hear Trent Loos and Billy here. (mp3)
Case Study in Social Networking
ZimmComm client, Renewable Fuels Association, posted an interesting comment in it’s latest e-newsletter about using social media that I thought you might be interested to read.
A case study in social networking: This week the RFA saw what social networking efforts like Twitter can produce. A “tweet” from Missy Ruff, RFA’s Market Development Manager, about the opening of this station warranted the attention of numerous bloggers and online publications, but in particular, the attention of a DTN writer.
This led to a communication exchange that involved RFA staff providing information on E85 development efforts, and ultimately led to a story published in DTN.
Twitter is just one social network that RFA staff is using to increase consumer awareness and balance information exchange.
Zimfo Bytes
- To address the nation’s need to remain competitive in the global agribusiness marketplace, 4-H has developed a cutting-edge, research-based, online learning system called Project Pathways. The program was created to help drive youth ages 9 to 19 to develop an interest in pursuing ag science careers and ultimately, to grow America’s next generation of leading ag innovators.
- EarthRenew, Inc., and Crop Production Services, Inc., have entered into agreements for the licensing of EarthRenew brands and the marketing and sale of EarthRenew Organic Matter Fertilizer products exclusively by CPS in the Western United States.
- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced allocations under USDA’s Dairy Export Incentive Program for the July 2008 through June 30, 2009 period.
- Agricultural Research Service studies conducted in Oklahoma have shown that simple sugars in watermelon juice can be made into ethanol.
USPB Hosts Workshop for International PVO Guests
The United States Potato Board (USPB) recently met to introduce new ideas about dehydrated potatoes. Guests learned the nutritional facts, planting, production, harvesting, storing and processing. Eight international guests from four private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and two guests from US PVO headquarters attended the USPB Dehydrated Potato Workshop. Among the PVOs participating this year were Africare, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD), Joint Aid Management (JAM), and the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA).
For the third year running, the USPB hosted guests from select international PVOs for a workshop to introduce US dehydrated potatoes (dehy) as a sensible solution to food programming. The workshop started in Idaho Falls, ID, and finished with the 2009 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and USDA sponsored International Food Aid Conference (IFAC) in Kansas City, MO.
T.K. Kuwahara, USPB International Marketing Manager of Dehy, introduced the USPB and its programs designed to support PVOs in their food programming efforts. Dehydrated potatoes, a commodity available to PVO’s through USDA and USAID programs, was also introduced. Dehy is often overlooked due to the fact PVO’s are not aware of its benefits.
“Dehy is convenient, nutritious, versatile, and economical for use in food programming,” Kuwahara said. “You can’t get all of benefits of dehy from a list of commodities, so we invite the PVO’s to learn firsthand how they can incorporate dehy to support programs such as the health recovery of people living with HIV/AIDS, to school feeding programs with sustainability features of Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs), to food aid for emergency relief work.”
NAFB Webinar
If you haven’t seen the results of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Wave Study then you’ve got an online chance coming up.
We want to share that presentation with you, as an NAFB member. It features recorded clips of a number of producers, from across NAFB geography, talking about their dependence upon farm radio. These farmers and ranchers offer candid and valuable insights into their daily use of agri-media.
Mike Parry will walk you through this presentation during two upcoming Webinars. The session will last 60 minutes. Please e-mail Member Services Manager Jennifer Saylor by June 5 to register for the Webinar you prefer:
Tuesday, June 9 at 2:00 pm (CST)
Wednesday, June 10 at 10:00 am (CST)
This free Webinar is intended for members of all three NAFB Councils – Broadcast, Management & Sales, and Allied Industry. Don’t miss it!
FCC/USDA Helping Us Become Publishers
The move to make sure all Americans have access to high speed internet access continues to gain momentum. This week Acting FCC Chairman, Michael Copps, released a report to be used as a starting point for the development of policies to continue to deliver broadband to rural areas. I believe this is needed to help restore economic growth and opportunities for people living the country life.
Recognizing that the need for broadband in rural America is becoming ever-more critical, Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill required the FCC Chairman, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, to submit a report to Congress describing a rural broadband strategy. Entitled “Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy,” (pdf) the report byActing Chairman Copps identifies common problems affecting rural broadband, including technological challenges, lack of data, and high network costs, and offers some recommendations to address those problems.
Broadband “is the interstate highway of the 21st century for small towns and rural communities, the vital connection to the broader nation and, increasingly, the global economy,” Acting Chairman Copps said in the report. “Our nation as a whole will prosper aa concerted effort to bring broadband to rural America.”
In the report, Acting Chairman Copps notes that Congress has provided new direction and support for federal broadband policies and initiatives, in particular through the American Recoveryand Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition to providing $7.2 billion for broadband grants, loans and loan guarantees administered by the Agriculture and Commerce departments, that law charges the FCC with developing a national broadband plan by next February.
I love this statement in the report on why broadband matters:
In addition, we not only surf the web, send e-mail, form social networks, and download music and video, but also become ourselves creators of web-based content as we blog about local or world events, and become publishers in our own right.
Here’s what it says about agriculture:
It is clear that access to fixed and mobile broadband services also has the potential to enhance the efficiency and productivity of a number of agricultural activities in rural areas. Farmers, particularly those with smaller operations or in more remote locations, can materially benefit from real-time access to weather and crop reports and to databases of local and national agricultural extension services. For example, farmers can be warned if there is a heightened risk of a plant blight, a livestock disease, or an insect infestation; examine the problem; and know immediately what they need to do to address it. They can call upon Internet-driven tools and applications to consult with experts and precisely calculate the additional inputs they might need to enable their fields to flourish and their animals to thrive—with less waste or risk to the environment. Detailed online market information can help farmers time the sales of their products more profitably. Web-based interaction can help consumer-focused farmers develop a personal relationship with their clientele to assist in bringing the right products to markets at the right time—saving time, fuel, and frustration.
Speaker to Debunk Animal Activists
A workshop to educate farmers and ranchers on how to become spokespersons for agriculture will be held June 19, 2009 at Westwood Park in Geauga County, Ohio. This workshop, sponsored by the ProAnimal Coalition of northeast Ohio, will provide information on how local speakers can tell the factual story of animal agriculture and its importance to us and our food supply.
Featured speaker will be Matt Sutton-Vermeulen, nationally known for working with leaders in the community and agricultural industry to help them reach out to the community with factual information about animal agriculture. If you’re in the area, this workshop sounds like a valuable resource for spokesperson training.
Sutton-Vermeulen will focus on the myths and misinformation from animal rights groups that are out of touch with today’s agriculture and putting our food supply at risk. He is well-know for working with non-governmental groups to help them become animal agriculture activists.
The June 19 workshop is open to all interested people who want to be spokespersons for animal agriculture and its importance to our country. Threats are coming from the Humane Society of the United States that they are coming to Ohio with a program to restrict sound, approved livestock practices. Such restrictions, if imposed, would reduce our food supply and increase the cost.
Registration for the workshop can be done by calling the Northeast Farm Bureau Office at 800-410-4613 by June 15. Registration is free if made by June 15 and $30 after that date. Westwood Park is located at 9465 Kinsman Road, state Route 87, in Russell Township, Geauga County.
For more information, link to John Parker’s article at Trib Today.