It may be late on Friday but I did mention earlier this week that we’d have a big announcement today. It’s the Drive Green Utility Tractor Show blog, which is now official and public (final tweaks being made as speak).
Yes, it’s a ZimmComm project, working closely with the folks at BCS Communications and the public relations staff at John Deere. I’ll be the Drive Green Guy at many stops along the Show route starting the first week in December at the kickoff event in Middleburg, FL.
In case you’re wondering just what this is all about, let me bring you up to date. To start with, this is the truck that’s going to be pulling in to John Deere Dealers, starting in the Southeast. We’ve already got 45 locations scheduled in the coming months. You’ll always be able to find the upcoming locations here or on the John Deere Drive Green page. This custom tractor transporter will hold a variety of new John Deere utility tractors for display and ride-and-drives at each stop. You can see pictures of many of them in this online photo album.
To help you understand what the show is all about I spoke with Eric Hodson, John Deere Senior Writer, Public Relations. We were at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention. Eric says the company wants people to know “that there’s a John Deere tractor for you at a price you can afford.” To prove it, he says, they’re taking the tractors on the road so people have a chance to see them and drive them for themselves.
You can listen to my interview with Eric here: drive-green-hodson-1.mp3
A program designed to give rural property owners, agricultural producers and other interested consumers a chance to operate and ask questions about the latest models of utility and compact utility tractors is being launched by John Deere. The company-sponsored Drive Green Program includes special equipment displays and ride-and-drive events at more than 45 currently scheduled locations starting in the Southeast.Read More

Well we had a very successful North Central Chapter NAMA meeting here in Minneapolis and I’m now connected with more of my NAMA peeps. That’s what I like about NAMA the most – connecting with other people. Pictured here is chapter president, Josh Krenz, Land O’Lakes, getting us started.
After we worked through the online version we moved to a face to face speed networking session.
I mentioned students above. Here’s me with the students attending from the University of Minnesota.
Hello from Minneapolis and the North Central NAMA Chapter meeting. We’re in the cafeteria/meeting room at
High speed mobile internet access is changing the way that NRCS offices look and work. Now they’re coming to farmers so farmers don’t have to come to them!
You know I can never get enough NAMA so I’m looking forward to the
I saw one of these bad boys at the POET Project LIBERTY field day recently although I didn’t get to speak with anyone at
in collecting bio-mass materials for resale or reuse as well as supporting our country’s efforts to produce home grown energy.”
This may have been the last time I will have the chance to interview the current Secretary of Agriculture – I think this is about the 10th secretary I have been able to report on during my career in ag communications!
Chuck is out hunting with no internet access, I am on location covering the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit and two groups decide to have dueling telephone press conferences. What’s a blogger to do?
I know posting has been light but sometimes the agriblogger has to take a few days off. I’ll be back on the grid by Wednesday evening and ZimmComm will have some exciting news by the end of the week.