Looking Ahead To A Classic Time in Texas

Chuck Zimmerman

Commodity Classic 2009In just over a week corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers will be getting together in Grapevine, TX for Commodity Classic and you’ll find Cindy and myself there once again. I hope you’ve got your reservations in since this looks to be a big one. Actually, it’ll be just like “family” as an expected 4,500+ growers and their families and industry representatives are expected to attend.

Here’s some of the highlights to expect:

  • • A Texas-sized General Session featuring emcee Mark Mayfield, better known as “the Corporate Comedian,” a discussion with the four association presidents and entertainment from Sam Glenn, one of the nation’s top motivational speakers and author of “A Kick in the Attitude”
  • • The largest trade show in Commodity Classic history with more than 940 booths representing more than 230 companies, featuring equipment, technology, products and services of today’s leading agricultural businesses and organizations
  • • A star-studded Evening of Entertainment with performances by two Grammy award-winning acts—singer, songwriter and actress Pam Tillis and comedic flair from Riders In The Sky, the classic cowboy quartet
  • • NCGA, ASA, NAWG and NSP policy-making sessions
  • •The opportunity to enjoy Grapevine’s exciting attractions and activities

You are of course invited to attend: commodity-classic-psa.mp3

We’ll be posting audio in downloadable format for all our media friends to take advantage of with our full permission. We also want to thank BASF and New Holland in advance for once again sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic!

BASF, Commodity Classic, New Holland

Last Look at Farm Machinery Show

Cindy Zimmerman

Here are a few parting shots and thoughts from the National Farm Machinery Show.

First up, this cute little pup (I think his name was Mitchell) hopped up on the New Holland Boomer 8N for a great photo op. He did get tired of the attention pretty quickly, but not before his owners and several by-standers snapped him sitting in the seat of the revised classic tractor.

Then we have the “Greenberry,” Barry Nelson’s John Deere green-skinned Blackberry. Not a custom skin – Barry says he bought it at an airport.

Of course we have the obligatory AgriTalk photo, which I also took but neglected to post from the National Biodiesel Conference. Between AgriTalk and AgWired, we covered pretty much every color tractor in the rainbow at NFMS. They did the show from the Case exhibit Wednesday and the AGCO exhibit on Thursday.

Finally, Agri-Talk host Mike Adams’ new iPhone, which he went out and bought in Louisville after seeing our friend Gene Hemphill of New Holland use his. Mike said that if Gene could do it, he certainly could! He bought it Thursday evening and said Friday that he already loved it. Chuck will be very proud to see another iPhone convert!

It was great to see everyone at the NFMS – we’ll see you again in just a week or so at either the National Ethanol Conference, Commodity Classic – or both!
NFMS 09 Photo Album

John Deere, Media, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland, NFMS, Technology

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Michael Oleykowski has joined United Phosphorus, Inc., as northern account manager responsible for Turf-Ornamental-PCO markets in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions.
  • Iowa Corn launches the Iowa Corn Fed Sweepstakes, including the giveaway of a souped-up 2009 black Chevy FFV Silverado. The truck will be on tour from January 15 to May 22 throughout Iowa. Consumers can enter the drawing once each month in person at tour stops or online.
  • The “Modern Face of Animal Agriculture – Shaping Public Perceptions,” will be the topic for the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City’s Feb. 20 luncheon meeting. The lunch begins at 11:30 at Plaza III.
  • Living the Country Life media properties continue to expand with radio programming now on more than 200 radio stations in 29 states and the Living the Country Life magazine circulation topping 200,000.
    Zimfo Bytes

    John Deere Has New Names and Numbers

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Katie Sheets is a John Deere marketing representative out of the Waterloo, IA factory and she has been at the National Farm Machinery Show this week introducing a brand new tractor name and numbering system.

    “We have extended this tractor line up from two tractors to four tractors,” Katie told me. “The one we are standing in front of a 6100D, a 6 series tractor, 100 engine horsepower and the D stands for the specification level – this is a lower, mid-spec tractor.”

    Katie says this tractor is perfect for those small ag customer using it for loader work or light hay or cattle operations.

    Listen to an interview with Katie here nfms09-jd-katie.mp3

    You can also download the interview here: Katie Sheets (mp3).

    NFMS 09 Photo Album

    Audio, John Deere, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS, Tractor

    Farm Machinery Show Tweet Up

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Several Twitter-heads met up in the media room at the National Farm Machinery Show on Thursday for a Tweet Up.

    Among those in the photo – the folks from ABN, John Blue with Truffle, Susan Crowell with Farm and Dairy, Julie from Purdue and Dave Russell with Brownfield Network.

    I know that sooner or later I will become Twitter savvy myself, but for now Chuck is the official ZimmComm Twit. As I write this, he is at Southeast Agnet introducing Gary Cooper to the ways of Twitter.

    NFMS 09 Photo Album

    National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

    FinOvation Awards

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Farm Industry News presented their 2008 FinOvation Awards Thursday night at the National Farm Machinery Show. The awards went to the 16 most innovative products coming to the market, based on reader interest.

    Two of this year’s awards went to the two company partners who sponsored coverage of the NFMS on Agwired this week.

    Katie Sheets with John Deere picked up their award for the 7030 Premium and 7030 Mid-Spec tractors. They range from 100 to 140 PTO hp and are loaded with new features that include a glass hatch roof for increased visibility, a higher transport speed of 25 mph, and cab suspension on the premium model.

    Ed Barry with New Holland received the Finovation award for combines. Both Case and New Holland are claiming to have the largest combines in North America, so rather than argue the point, they both got the award. You can read more about the New Holland big boy in yesterday’s post where Ed tells us all about how size matters!

    The lovely and talented FIN senior editor Jodie Wehrspann was the award presenter. Thanks to editor-in-chief Karen McMahon for a great awards dinner and ceremony honoring the best of the best! Read about the other FinOvation award winners here.

    NFMS 09 Photo Album

    Equipment, Farm Machinery, John Deere, Media, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland, NFMS

    New Holland Makes the Old New Again

    Cindy Zimmerman

    This ain’t your great-grandaddy’s tractor – even if it might look like it!

    This is the New Holland Boomer 8N, a new and improved version of the classic Ford 8N tractor originally made in the late 1940s. New Holland’s Rory Chisholm says the tractor features a modern drive line with the latest innovations. “So its a marriage of two things that results in quite a stunning looking tractor,” Rory said. “We realized that we had this tractor in our history that’s a link to our past so we decided to put a little of the new and a little of the old together and the end result was the Boomer 8N.”

    Comfort and safety are features in the new tractor, with a shiny rollover bar and a cushioned seat modeled after the much less comfortable steel pan seats of the original.

    Over 500,000 of the original Ford 8N tractors went into production and many of them are still in existence and hold a sense of nostalgia for lots of people who grew up on farms. The Boomer 8N will be going into production later this spring. The tractors will not necessarily be a limited run, but they will be numbered, and our friend Gene Hemphill is in negotiations right now with a certain celebrity vehicle buff to get serial number one in his garage.

    Listen to an interview with Rory here nfms09-cnh-rory.mp3

    You can also download the interview here: New Holland Boomer 8N (mp3).

    NFMS 09 Photo Album

    Audio, Farm Machinery, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland, NFMS, Tractor

    New Holland’s Big Combine

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Size definitely matters at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville and New Holland is proud to be showing off the largest combine in North America – the new CR9080 with 523 maximum horsepower.

    I spoke with Ed Barry, cash crop marketing manager for New Holland, and he told me that it’s not just horsepower that makes it the biggest. “It’s the largest cab, largest threshing area and largest cleaning area,” Ed said.

    “We have a strong history in combines,” he said. “Model year 2010 will be our 35th year in the rotary combine business and our heritage has led us to the future.”

    This evening, Farm Industry News will officially present a FinOvation award to New Holland’s CR9080 as one of the best innovations of 2008 designed to help producers farm more efficiently and more profitably.

    Listen to an interview with Ed here nfms09-cnh-combine.MP3

    You can also download the interview here: New Holland Combine (mp3).

    Watch Ed’s presentation on New Holland combines at a Farm Industry News seminar:

    NFMS 09 Photo Album

    Audio, Farm Machinery, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland, NFMS, Video

    Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment FairIt sounds like things went very well at the Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair. Michelle Fowler sent me this picture of Andy Holstein with Tim Smith, center of Cropsmith Inc., and Dale Lutz, extension specialist with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois Extension.

    I was also very happy to receive this recommendation from Rich Schell, Wagner & Schell, L.L.P.:

    I was on the committee for The Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair and we availed ourselves of Chuck’s new media skills. Getting ZimmComm in the game helped tremendously. With his help, we were able to effectively implement the new media strategy that Jeff Martin and I had developed. Despite an uncertain economy and a rough year for some farm investing sectors, we had very good attendance, picked up new members and may have interested folks in becoming corporate sponsors. In this economy, that is a very successful event indeed.

    You can find Rich on his blog.

    Ag Groups

    Social Weed Communications

    Chuck Zimmerman

    WSSA Annual MeetingAfter my presentation this morning on ag communications and the new media world we had an informal session with some university researchers and teachers who are actively working on ways to employ online strategies for archiving and making educational presentations available.

    It’s interesting to hear a different perspective from the university side of the industry. It seems like every sector has its own challenges when it comes to sharing information publicly and online. However, there are still common concerns such as, “how much will it cost?” “can I make it private?” “will this take up too much of my time?”

    I couldn’t believe the amount of money WSSA was quoted by a local production company to create a video of a presentation here. The number is almost unbelievable. One of our participants suggested putting my Flip camera on a tripod and shooting it ourselves. That’s good thinking. Doesn’t get any easier than that. The other presenters suggested using some of the software options that are out there to include your slide show.

    Ag Groups