Driving A Green One

Chuck Zimmerman

Drive GreenThis is what the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show is all about. Driving John Deere equipment. Today’s show stop is set up perfectly for people like Carl Daly, here to test drive the new line of utility tractors and vehicles. We’ll meet Carl in a video interview I’ll post with him on the show blog in coming days.

I’m up to 5 interviews so far today and with people who live from 3 to 60 miles away. They’re all looking for some features that these new tractors have and seem to be seriously interested. Of course that’s what John Deere wants to hear. I hope it turns into sales today.

John Deere

Pennsylvania Farm

Chuck Zimmerman

Farm CountryIf you’ve got to work on Good Friday at least doing it in a place this pretty helps. This is just one of the farms in the Oxford, PA area.

I’m on location with the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show at Atlantic Tractor today. Tomorrow I’ll be at Our Lady’s Manor Steeplechase. I don’t know anything about it but I’m assuming I’ll know a lot more then.

The sun is peeking out now and it’s time to get to work so I’ll be seeing you on and off line today.

John Deere

Public Relations Grant Available

Chuck Zimmerman

Seed To SucceedHello non-profits. Here’s a chance to obtain a grant for public relations services. The folks at Harvest PR & Marketing want to help you out. If chosen, they would start working for you in June.

At Harvest PR & Marketing, Inc., we believe big ideas can sprout from the smallest and unlikeliest of places. And, with a little nurturing, those ideas can grow and thrive.

We are seeking an opportunity to help one nonprofit thrive in 2009 — with the help of our first PR grant offering, Seed to Succeed.

We will donate up to $20,000 in services to promote one worthy not-for-profit organization or cause that serves to better agriculture — its reputation, its products, its future, the communities and families it supports from one generation to the next.

Please spread the word if you, or someone you know, could benefit from our own special currency of seed money. Interested parties can find more information at www.Harvest-PR.com. Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a proposal by May 15 to be considered for this PR grant.

Agencies, Public Relations

AnimalAgNet

Chuck Zimmerman

Okay. Here’s a new social network for animal agribusiness. What do you think? Good idea? It looks like it has internal special interest groups. Is this going to be of sufficient value/benefit to draw in significant participation? Although I’m a big fan of social networking I have wondered how these types of online communities are faring. I’ve seen some that are very active on some very niche topics. Will producers who are involved in Facebook utilize more than one social network? If you’re a producer what are your thoughts? Have you become a member of AnimalAgNet? If so, what do you like/not like?

WATT has announced the launch of www.AnimalAgNet.com, an online social networking community for the global agribusiness industry. The site is created for producers, processors, animal health and nutrition professionals, animal feed manufacturers, marketers and others working in any phase of the global poultry, pig and animal feed sectors.

Animal agribusiness professionals are encouraged to visit AnimalAgNet.com and join a community of their interest, view breaking industry news, ask questions, share ideas, network and/or catch up with their peers, or post photos and videos. Groups exist for poultry production, regulatory issues, animal health, feed trends, environmental issues and pig production. Community members are invited to start their own blog, form their own groups and invite their peers to join.

“AnimalAgNet is designed as a place for animal agribusiness professionals to network and share knowledge in a safe, business-only environment,” said WATT Vice President of Content Bruce Plantz.

Media, Social Networking

Money Farm on MGEX Commentary Call

Cindy Zimmerman

MGEXEvery time the USDA issues an important crop report, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange hosts a conference call for reporters with a market commentator. We have been responsible for recording and uploading that call to their server for the past couple of years now.

money farmToday the call focused on the April Supply Demand report and the commentator was Mike Krueger from The Money Farm, who said that normally this month’s reports are normally not that significant since we had the big prospective plantings report out last week.

He said the reports include the “typical monthly revisions of supply and demand” which all came in well below the range of analysts’ estimates for ending stock numbers.

Listen to this morning’s call here and check out the MGEX website for daily commentary.
mgex-4-9-09.mp3

Audio, Markets, USDA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Farm Market iD has released two new data files. Due to continued demand, the company has updated its popular Turf & Ornamental Database now representing almost 210,000 companies and facilities who purchase equipment, seed, chemicals, fertilizer and other products and services. For more information about the new Farm Market iD databases, contact Dick Olmsted at 800-313-4778, ext. 202.
  • The 2009 Ag Media Summit which is being conducted jointly with the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists will bring together an estimated 700 agricultural communicators from around the world for workshops, panel discussions, tours and networking opportunities. The meeting will be held Aug. 1 through Aug. 5 at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Ft. Worth, Texas.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is making more than $17 million in grants available under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Vilsack also described recent initiatives, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), designed to help producers and keep farmers on the land.
  • CoBank has named Mark Yonkman executive vice president and general counsel.
Zimfo Bytes

NAMA Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA BlogSpeaking of NAMA. I’ll be the NAMA blogger once again this year and you can find posts on the NAMA blog.

As you can see it’s being sponsored by Successful Farming, just like AgWired! Thank you Agriculture.com.

Cindy will be with me and we’ve got help from Michelle Kautz, who is doing free lance writing for us on our Domestic Fuel website. So that’s the ZimmComm crew you’ll find in Atlanta next week.

It’s looking like we’re going to have a great show so rest up. The games begin next Tuesday!

NAMA

Sunrise Soothes My Soul

Chuck Zimmerman

Missouri SunriseIt’s a travel day for the agriblogger. I’m heading east for a couple days work on the Drive Green Utility Tractor Show. These stops will wrap up the east/south route and then the big rig heads west through Missouri.

I had to stop off the highway on the way to the airport this morning for this photo. You can also find one I tweeted from my phone here.

I’ll get home on Easter and have a day to pack for NAMA. You’re all going right? Last I heard the trade show is sold out and we’re on our second overflow hotel. If you’re not there then you’re . . .

Remember that when you stop by the ZimmComm booth you can register to win a very cool giveaway – HP Mini Netbook!

Uncategorized

Quarry Idea Exchange

Chuck Zimmerman

Quarry Integrated CommunicationsWith an alert from the Quarry Integrated Communications Twitter feed I was pointed to their blog: Idea Exchange. It contains “a series of articles examining ways to thrive, not just survive, in 2009.” Here’s an example.

You all know the deal. During periods of economic instability, your organization will focus with laser-like precision on the bottom line, allocating dollars to only those areas they know will deliver positive business results.

While clicks matter, it’s the outcome of the click, not the click itself, that really counts.

Your CFO doesn’t care about how many clicks you generated on your Web site. Neither likely does your CEO. And your VP Sales doesn’t want more leads. They want better-quality leads. The bottom line? While clicks matter, it’s the outcome of the click, not the click itself, that really counts. In 2009, your organization will want you to “show them the money” – that is, prove to them not only your impact on demand creation, but importantly, your impact on revenue creation.

Continue reading →

Agencies

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • StollerUSA announced university research results on the effect of Root Power on onion crops. The research was performed by Dr. T X Liu, professor of entomology, Texas Agri-Life Research, at the Texas A&M University System Weslaco site.
  • The American Soybean Association celebrated more than a decade of diligent and persistent work on behalf of U.S. soybean farmers to advance global acceptance of new biotech soybean traits after LibertyLink soybeans (A2704-12) from Bayer CropScience received food safety approval from the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA).
  • Bayer CropScience announced that it acquired certain assets and technology related to biological development products of Agrogreen, Ashdod, Israel.
    Zimfo Bytes