The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ new website kind of snuck up on me but it’s now live.
The IFAJ has a new website. The site carries many of the same features as before, but with a fresh new look, and in a format that is much easier to nativigate. Work is still being done on expanding and refining the content. In the meantime, we would be pleased to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
But that’s what the IFAJ newsletter is for. To let us know what’s going on. You can find the latest edition here. In it is a link to new IFAJ President, Mike Wilson’s first column.
I’m deeply honored and humbled to be taking on the leadership reins of the IFAJ following the successful terms of our past president David Markey. I plan to give this challenge my best effort and I know I can count on the support of my colleagues here at home as well as overseas. I’m really looking forward to working with the new IFAJ presidium, as well as the new executive committee. Read More
Zimfo Bytes
- Lindsay Hill, of the Buckeye Ag Radio Network/ABN Radio, was elected NAFB National Vice President. She will be part of the 2009 Officer team that includes President Pam Jahnke, of WTDY/Q106 Radio, and President-Elect Greg Akagi, of WIBW/Kansas Ag Network. Click here for a complete list of officers and directors.
- Bader Rutter has been selected by Ball Horticultural Company, based in West Chicago, Ill., to provide integrated brand communications services.
- A new international Agricultural industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) is the result of cooperation between the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the North American-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) in support of agricultural equipment manufacturers worldwide. The foundation is a manufacturer-led effort to advance global adoption of ISOBUS and electronics standards. The initial focus is data communications between tractors and implements.
- The Kuhn farm equipment group announced that Kuhn Farm Machinery Inc., the North American marketing and distribution arm of Kuhn Group, and Kuhn Knight Inc. will legally merge as one business called Kuhn North America Inc.
Happy Thanksgiving
I’m just guessing that most of you are either on vacation or thinking so much about being on vacation that you might as well be on vacation.
I’m kind of in that mood myself. So . . .
Have a Happy Thanksgiving from ZimmComm New Media.
And just in case you want to know more, here’s what Wikipedia says about it:
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it’s a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. Thanksgiving is a North American holiday with the dates and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration a topic of modest contention. It has generally become a national secular holiday with religious origins. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida[1][2], the traditional “first Thanksgiving” is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members.
Texting Turkey
What turkey week would be complete without a turkey post? Cindy and I watched the History Channel’s Modern Marvels – Turkey and since Butterball was mentioned so prominently I visited them this morning.
You can find some recipes for turkey for dinner here. If you’ve got questions you can call their Turkey Talk-Line – 1-800-Butterball.
Another option is to have turkey cooking information texted to you phone. I’m signed as you can see in the picture. So here’s what I’ll be getting:
Once you’ve signed up, you will receive text messages from November 3 to December 31, 2008.* Each message will include:
* Tips on how to prep and cook a turkey.
* Reminders on when to buy and start thawing your turkey.
* Shopping list alerts for new recipes.
* Features to instantly connect to the Butterball Experts
o Click to call 1-800-BUTTERBALL∗ directly from within the text message to speak with an expert.
o Or, click through to the mobile site to quickly get more information.
Drive Green Widget
We haven’t even kicked off the first event in the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show and I’m already so excited I can hardly wait. It all starts next week in Middleburg, FL. I’m also very proud of our web guru, Robert, who built the blog for this project. We’re trying to incorporate a number of social media mechanisms into it and the latest is the Show Widget. Perhaps you’ll want to use it, perhaps not, but here it is anyway.
So, you know where I’ll be next week. BTW. I think it’s cool that the first two video clips I uploaded to the Show’s YouTube account have already been viewed over 150 times and we’re just getting started!
Zimfo Bytes
- The four finalists for the 2008 Ag-Chem Operator of the Year program have been chosen. All will attend the 2008 Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Conference and Expo, Dec. 2-4 in Austin, Texas, where the grand prize winner will drive away on a new Harley Davidson motorcycle.
- King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alpharma Inc. have signed a definitive merger agreement under which King will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock of Alpharma for $37.00 per share in cash for a total equity value of approximately $1.6 billion.
- AdFarm has hired Angie Skochdopole, veteran ag media specialist, as director, media. She comes to AdFarm from her previous role as VP, media services for Quarry Communications, where she worked on BASF US and BASF Canada, and Novartis Animal Health.
- CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has announced that its Board of Directors has elected Bert A. Frost to be vice president, Sales and Market Development, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Some Social Media Wisdom
Since most of what I’ve been asked to speak about or consult on lately has been social media/networking I have to share this. To start with, the inspiration for this post comes from my latest follower on Twitter, David Alston. So, by being on Twitter and looking at what a follower is doing I came across his blog, tweetpr, and a post titled, “Debunking the Social Media Barriers.” You need to read this if you’re in agricultural marketing.
I’d love to copy the whole thing but picked out a few choice parts for you:
- Search engines love the fresh content social media serves up and as a result social media posts, tweets, pics, videos all can end up in key shelf space on the first page of a Google search. And what most of you can agree on is that almost all stakeholders use search as one of the primary ways to find and research products they want to buy. So, while a large part of your audience may not be participating in social media it only takes a small but influencial portion of it to comment on your brand in social media and seriously impact your brand’s search results. If you aren’t part of those conversations and are not building relationships with those that are talking about your brand in social media then you are rolling the dice on your search results.
- I hate to be the one to break the bad news but you never did control the message.
- Social media is about building relationships, plain and simple, be it partners, influencers, fans, advocates, future customers, or current buying customers. It’s not about lots of eyeballs it’s about the right set of eyeballs. As such the numbers are smaller, as they should be, because they are in the narrow part of the funnel and closer to the customer. Wouldn’t you rather be talking about metrics that are easier to tie to actual sales?
David is right on the money with his thoughts on the corporate use of social media. And as he points out in his post, there are a growing number of companies (like ZimmComm New Media) that can help you navigate this bold new world.
Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation Announced
The Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) has been announced as a result of cooperation between the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
The foundation is a manufacturer-led effort to advance global adoption of ISOBUS and electronics standards, which provide a means for greater electronic compatibility between equipment from different manufacturers. The initial focus is data communications between tractors and implements.
An industry wide, global approach for integration of complex electronic systems and software will improve machine functionality and efficiencies, for the benefit of agricultural equipment customers. Projects to achieve that integration can be accomplished faster and more efficiently because of AEM and VDMA funding and staffing of AEF.
Although there is no website for the new AEF you can find North American information on the AEM website.
AdFarm Hires Angie Skochdopole
Congratulations to Angie Skochdopole for her new gig.
AdFarm has hired Angie Skochdopole, veteran ag media specialist, as Director, Media. She comes to AdFarm from her previous role as VP Media Services for Quarry Communications, where she worked on BASF US and BASF Canada, and Novartis Animal Health.
Skochdopole also brings a wealth of additional agricultural media experience, including past experience with Vance Publishing, TBWA-Chiat Day, Rumrill-Hoyt/Saatchi & Saatchi and AGCO Corporation. Bob Wilhelm, AdFarm Managing Director, U.S., says her strong credentials in crop protection, fertilizers, biotech and farm equipment will be great assets to the present and growing roster of AdFarm clients.
Field Assignment: Support Large Animal Vets
Here’s a call to help out with the vet shortage via Charleston|Orwig. All you have to do is post a comment on the latest post on Field Assignment.
We’ve blogged about the large animal vet shortage before. But now we really want to ramp up the conversation in an impactful way. In fact, we’re so eager to start a dialogue, we intend to donate $5 to a great, vet-related cause for every non-frivolous comment anyone adds to this blog about the crisis.
Tell us what you think is causing the shortage. We’ll donate $5.
Suggest ways in which you think it can be solved. We’ll donate $5.
Share a link to a news story or other online discussion about the shortage. We’ll donate $5.
Advance the conversation by responding to someone else’s comment. We’ll donate $5.
Go ahead. I’m sure Lyle will appreciate it. The money they donate will support the University of Wisconsin’s Dairy Teaching Herd Endowment.