Representing Aerial Applicators

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-199 - NAAA OverviewAfter following along on AgWired last week you may have a better understanding of the National Agricultural Aviation Association but after listening to this week’s ZimmCast you’ll have an even better one. That’s because I interviewed NAAA Executive Director, Andrew Moore and he tells us all about it.

Andrew MooreAndrew has a farm background which fits in very nicely with the job of representing aerial applicators across the country in Washington, DC. He says they lobby on behalf of their members and represent them in front of key regulatory agencies like the EPA. Another big element of their member services focuses on training and safety. Andrew says they’ve seen a big increase in the number of acres that members have flown over based on FAA data that shows number of hours in the air. He says that since 2006 there’s been an almost 50 percent increase in that number!

Thanks once again to BASF for sponsoring our coverage of the NAAA Convention.

The program this week ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. This one is called “Flying Away” from Empyrion. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 199 (19 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview with Andrew Moore - ZimmCast 199

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes

Audio, BASF, NAAA, ZimmCast

Gifts For Ag Communications Professionals

Chuck Zimmerman

Icy MissouriIt’s a little icy here in mid Missouri this morning. We’ve got about 7 degrees with a -10 wind chill. How ’bout that global warming!

Have you got finished your Christmas gift list yet? Of course, that’s not the real reason for the season but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the news lately. It’s all about the money honey. Who’s got it, who shouldn’t have it, who doesn’t have it and who wishes they had it.

So what do you get that favorite farm communications professional of yours this Christmas? I thought I’d list out a few items you may consider depending on your budget. These would be useful to most anyone in today’s world, including farmers themselves.

Computer: Macbook or Macbook Pro (I can’t recommend PC)
Point and Shoot Camera: Canon Digital Elph
DSLR Camera: Nikon D40
Camera Flash: Nikon SB800
Video Camera: Canon HG20
Audio Recorder: Marantz PMD620
Phone: iPhone or Blackberry Bold
Rolling camera/equipment case: Think Tank Photo
Portable Hard Drive: Western Digital My Passport Essential 500GB
Desktop Hard Drive: Free Agent Desk 1TB
Ear Buds: Ultimate Ears
Headphones: Bose QuietComfort 3
Compact Flash Memory Card: Sandisk Extreme II 2GB
SD Memory Card: Sandisk Ultra II 2GB
Card Reader: Sandisk ImageMate 12 in 1
iPod: Touch or Nano
iTunes Gift Card: All Denominations

What’s on your wish list?

Equipment

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Members of CHS Inc., have selected six producers to serve three-year terms on the farmer-owned cooperative’s board of directors.: Dan Schurr, Richard Owen, Curt Eischens, Bruce Anderson, Jerry Hasnedl and Greg Kruger.
  • AgriLabs introduces Colostrx 130 Colostrum Replacer, a complete replacement option for maternal colostrum. Colostrx 130 Colostrum Replacer contains a full 130 grams of globulin protein protection in every dose.
  • Ceres, Inc. announced that it has begun booking switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum seed under its Blade Energy Crops label. The company simultaneously launched a Blade Web site to support direct-to-farm sales.
  • DuPont business unveiled a new business strategy to bring its seed genetics to more acres around the world through a network of partnerships and new brands. The strategy, called PROaccess, will increase Pioneer global seed market reach through co-brands, second brands and investments.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Send In Your Christmas Cards

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Alltech Fortnight FestivalOr holiday cards, or whatever you call them. Here’s my current favorite from the Alltech Fortnight Festival. You can find it here.

    Here in central Missouri it’s starting to look like a white Christmas. We actually didn’t have much snow yesterday but it had to start out with a blast of almost an inch of ice. Now that stuff *&$(^&’s. I hope you’re nice and warm today wherever you are.

    Uncategorized

    Planes For Pilots

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Flying Balsa Wood PlaneWhat better thing to give away in your booth than a balsa wood glider, especially if you’re exhibiting at the Ag Aviators convention? That’s one of the items BASF had in their booth and they were very popular.

    This young guy was definitely in to it and I just had to share the photo with you.

    It’s one of many you’ll find in the event photo album.

    NAAA Convention Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the 2008 National Agricultural Aviators Association Convention
    is sponsored by: BASF.

    BASF, NAAA

    Learning More About Video

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Cindy and Me in MirrorI’m still recovering from most of two weeks on the road but just about have everything archived and copied that needs to be. This is Cindy and me captured in the door to the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last week.

    I’ve also been experimenting with a new video editing program, Final Cut Express, and trying to find the best export settings for a movie to put on YouTube. YouTube now allows you to upload up to 1GB of data and is using a widescreen player format. So, since I’m shooting AVCHD in 16:9 it’s a whole new learning curve. I think I’m going to go to an Apple store this week for a lesson although I’ve already posted several video clips to YouTube using the new format. You can find them on the Drive Green blog.

    If any of you would like to comment on what settings you find best for the new YouTube please chime in.

    Uncategorized

    National FFA Rotating Louisville and Indianapolis

    Chuck Zimmerman

    FFAThe FFA is going to be roaming up and down the Hoosier state for a while.

    he National FFA Organization announced today that its annual convention will rotate between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind., for the foreseeable future.

    Starting in 2013, Louisville will share hosting duties with Indianapolis on a three-year rotational basis. Louisville will host the convention 2013 through 2015. The convention will return to Indianapolis for the years 2016 through 2018. Louisville will then be given the first right of option for the years 2019-2021; Indianapolis will have the option for 2022-2024.

    FFA

    AgRootsTV

    Chuck Zimmerman

    AgRootsTVI had a chance to look at Alltech’s AgRootsTV this morning and thought I’d make a few comments. I’m not really into doing full reviews here though unless you think I should. I’d like your feedback on that. Every time I do so I find that someone is not happy with me no matter what I say.

    On to AgRootsTV. To start with, I think this is a great idea and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more companies do something like this. I think the company has supplied some Flip cameras to field staff and they’re shooting video clips which are used for this project. If not, please correct me. This is a great concept though. Who better to capture a great testimonial or statement than the person who’s face to face with the customer? And what better time than right then? The quality of the video is just fine for this purpose. I don’t see any need for extensive editing to make it look like a “slick corporate video.” It’s much more real this way. Here’s the introduction video.

    I wish they were posting these so I could subscribe to them and embed them on my web page though. They provide a link, but to know when new ones come out I have to subscribe to another email and I’m betting most people won’t. They’re also only available on their web page. However, they do have a YouTube account. But it doesn’t have any of the 15 videos you can find on the company site except the introductory video seen above. Maybe more will be added? I hope so because they’ve already got subscribers in YouTube!

    Farmers work tirelessly to feed our world and they are doing so with the good of the environment and well-being of their animals in mind.

    AgRootsTV aims to inform consumers about the sustainable environment that is the source of our food. Through these videos, farmers from all over North America give you a glimpse into their farms, showing you responsible farming practices. Join us in sharing these stories focused on proper care of the animal, environmental stewardship and responsibility towards the consumer.

    Agribusiness, Alltech, Video

    Zimfo Bytes

    Melissa Sandfort

      Zimfo Bytes

    • Seven former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture provided perspectives on today’s agriculture and offered advice to the new Obama Administration during the 90-minute “Conversation With the Secretaries” as part of the Food and Agricultural Policy Summit. C-SPAN coverage can be viewed here.
    • Alltech is proud to announce AgRootsTV, an online initiative showcasing farmers operating with a responsibility to sustainable farming practices. The program aims to educate consumers on the sustainable environment from which their food is produced, bringing the truth about farming to the public through farmers’ testimonials.
    • Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition announces several user-friendly upgrades to the company’s Web site, including: distributor map, webinar uploads, audio file uploads and search capabilities.
    • Asoyia has named Emily Rogers as the company’s Customer Service & Logistics Manager, in charge of managing orders, discounts and bill backs, forecasting the oil side of the business as well as working directly with customers and customer accounts and product processes and packaging logistics.
      Zimfo Bytes

      BlogWorld Expo

      Chuck Zimmerman

      This just makes too much sense. BlogWorld and the New Media Expo have announced that they’re merging to create one big event in 2009. If you’re a communications professional of any type then I would love to see you there. Let’s show them how involved ag communicators are in the new media world!

      BlogWorld and New Media Expo

      BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media. Designed to give participants the strategies, tools and technologies they need to leverage new media communication in business, editorial and entertainment environments, the conference features dozens of seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online technology and Internet-savvy business. BlogWorld & New Media Expo will place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, October 15-17, 2009. More information on BlogWorld & New Media Expo can be found at www.blogworldexpo.com.

      Uncategorized