Blue Ribbon Cookbook Wins Prize

Chuck Zimmerman

Blue Ribbon CookbookLiz Harfull, IFAJ e-news editor and author of The Blue Ribbon Cookbook is pretty excited.

A best-selling book about South Australian country show cooks and their prizewinning recipes will represent Australia in the 2008 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

The Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Adelaide Hills author Liz Harfull has been selected from a record number of entries to be named Australian winner for the Best Easy Recipes Book category. It will now compete against finalists from other countries for the Best in the World award, due to be announced at a gala dinner in May 2009.

Published by Wakefield Press, the book celebrates the traditions of country shows and their cookery competitions. It features the stories, recipes and secret tips of about 50 show cooks throughout state, with historic and contemporary photos of the shows, the cooks and the food.

‘It is extremely exciting to have the book recognised at such a high level, and a great tribute to the team at Wakefield Press who worked on it, as well as the talents and generosity of the show cooks who so willingly shared with me their stories and knowledge,’ Liz said.

Media

Happy Holidays

Chuck Zimmerman

Ervin Group Holiday GreetingThe Happy Holidays just keep coming. I’m trying to space them out but this is proving to be a popular post.

This time we’ve got a Warm Fuzzy from the Ervin Group. You sensitive types may want to know that it’s faux fur.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at Ervin Group in Omaha!

Thanks Ken. Same back at you.

Agencies

More Media Fragmentation and Diminished Importance of Reach

Chuck Zimmerman

Loyal AgWired fans will know that I am a big fan of Steve Rubel, Micro Persuasion. He’s one of the new media guru’s who helped form my initial thinking about the online world and the direction it was going at the time we started ZimmComm New Media. He posted a great outlook for where media is going yesterday which is also his column in AdAge. In it he addresses one of the key issues that “traditional” media and “traditional” media buyers/planners are having with online content delivery mechanisms – fragmentation and meaningful metrics.

Although advertisers increasingly are exploring other metrics, i.e. engagement and reputation, reach still rules — at least for now. Unfortunately, reach is slowly losing its value as media consumption increasingly moves deeper into the digital realm.

Where in the analog age we might be loyal to a given media brand, today’s consumers are far more agnostic. We’re more likely to dip into an array of online sources including traditional news sites and blogs — and often via search or social networks.

All of this diminishes the entire concept of reach. After all, if a site claims that it reaches millions but they’re all just drive-bys, do such figures truly matter? In the years ahead, advertisers will rethink reach and not pay nearly as much for it as they did when they bought media based on a rate base and/or circulation. This will create tremendous disruption for media companies as they have to shift to new ways to prove their value.

It’s his belief (I share it) that “five years from now all media will either be completely digital or well on its way to becoming intangible.” Then marketers will have to rely on great creative and employ multiple media channels to achieve their goals.

If you’re in media buying or planning what are your major concerns right now? How do you plan to best invest your limited dollars? Do you think you understand today’s consumer (farmer) media consumption habits?

Media

Happy Holidays

Chuck Zimmerman

Livestock Publications Council Holiday GreetingHappy holiday this time comes from the Livestock Publications Council.

To all of our LPC friends and associates, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to a brilliant 2009.

Diane Johnson
Livestock Publications Council

I’ve been asked if I’m going to put all these in a Flickr set. Hmm. No probably not. Unless you think I should . . .

LPC

Obama Announces Vilsack and Salazar

Chuck Zimmerman

Tom Vilsack APThanks to AP we can see President-Elect Obama’s announcement of Tom Vilsack for Ag Secretary and Ken Salazar as Interior Secretary.

I have to ask the question, “Why does every ag group out there feel compelled to send out news releases with their thoughts on the matter?” They all say the same thing (exicted about . . . looking forward to working with . . . congratulates . . . have been working with . . . etc . . . etc). Is that news? Does anyone care?

USDA, Video

NAFB 2009 Membership Directory

Chuck Zimmerman

NAFB Directory 2009One way you can show your support of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting is with an ad in their annual membership directory.

The annual NAFB Directory is in development with a projected mailing date of early March. Advertising space is available for Allied Industry Council members at a cost of $1,500 for a full page color ad placed within the highly read Broadcast Council member listing.

The NAFB Directory continues to be a favorite resource of information for media buyers, farm broadcasters, agribusinesses, commodity groups, farm organizations and public relations agencies across the United States.

Deadline for ad materials this year is February 2. Please call Jennifer Saylor at 816-431-4032 or jennifer@nafb.com to place an order.

I’m curious to find out your thoughts on these printed directories. Do you use them or prefer to look up the info online?

NAFB

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Rising production costs and uncertain profit margins have risk-averse farmers ready to cut corn plantings in 2009 in favor of soybeans, which could see another substantial jump in popularity next spring, according to latest Farm Futures survey.
  • The daily volume of 7,363 contracts traded Dec. 10, 2008 topped the former daily Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) record. The new daily record also pushed December 2008 in to the top 20 for total monthly electronic volume. And, for the 128th time in its history, MGEX held its Annual Meeting of membership.
  • The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company announces the recent promotion to senior vice president of Jeff Garascia, Ph.D.
  • The Board of Directors of the American Soybean Association has confirmed Johnny Dodson from Halls, Tenn., as President, and John Hoffman from Waterloo, Iowa, as Chairman. Board members also elected Rob Joslin from Sidney, Ohio, to serve as First Vice President.
Zimfo Bytes

Vilsack is Obama’s Pick for Ag Secretary

Cindy Zimmerman

Tom VilsackAccording to media reports out late Tuesday, President-elect Obama will announce former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as his choice for secretary of agriculture at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday.

Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa from from 1998 until 2006 and was a short-lived opponent of Obama’s in the presidential race. He has been with a Des Moines law firm since 2007. The last Secretary of Agriculture from Iowa was Henry Wallace who served under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1941. Wallace was a plant geneticist who founded what is now Pioneer Hi-Bred.

Obama is also expected to announced Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) as his secretary of interior, which opens up that Senate seat for appointment by the governor. Salazar’s brother John, a potato farmer from southern Colorado who currently serves in the US House, is a possible choice.

Uncategorized

WCCA 2009 World Congress of Computers in Ag

Chuck Zimmerman

WCCA 2009 World Congress on Computers in AgricultureThis sounds like an ag geeks dream conference. Might I be going? We’ll see.

This is the 7th World Congress of Computers in Agriculture and Natural Resources. It will be held in Reno, Nevada. from June 22nd through the 24th 2009. The congress will be held at the Grand Sierra Resort concurrently with the ASABE International Conference..

WCCA is a collaborative effort among agricultural information technology associations worldwide. This congress provides a forum for agriculture related professionals to exchange information on applications and developments in the use of Information Technologies. It covers a wide array of topics. These include new applications of well established and understood technologies to innovative and entrepreneurial applications of emerging technologies, in addition to issues related to policy and knowledge dissemination. Contributions from various countries will allow a broadened perspective for all attending.

This congress is sponsored by ASABE. Supporting institutions include AFITA, CIGR, EFITA, FAO, IAALD, and PanAFITA.

Ag Groups