This is my first post from my Blackberry (iPhone coming in a couple months) via Flickr.
This is ZimmComm master control.
It’s opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
Printing Potato Goodness
The U.S. Potato Board has launched a little bit of spud goodness in a national print campaign.
The U.S. Potato Board launched a national print advertising campaign today as part of its continued effort to educate consumers about the nutritional benefits of potatoes. “Peel Back the Truth” inquisitively tackles potato nutrition myths and quickly reveals, with the swoop of a potato peeler, the healthy truth inside a fresh potato.
The new campaign is a continuation of the U.S. Potato Board’s (USPB) consumer nutrition education campaign that began in 2004 when low-carb diets were at their peak. Fad diets come and go but the nutritious potato stands tall.
Farm Progress Show Headlines
How many of you are getting ready for Farm Progress Show? The media is geting an early look right now. I can’t make it but am hoping someone will send me an interesting photo to post. I’m looking at my in box of Farm Progress invites and releases. It’s growing fast!
Here’s some of the headlines:
- 130 million acres of RTK coverage–and growing! What does it mean for agriculture? What changes are happening now? This is your opportunity to find out. And eat a tasty breakfast.
- Monsanto Company “Discovery Tour” and Other Events
- Fertilizer prices are up, but so are commodity prices. Bottom line: Efficient use of fertilizer still pays.
- News from Bayer CropScience: RFD-TV Goes Live at the Farm Progress Show
- Sustainability Roundtable & Technology Pipeline Discovery Tour
- Channeel Bio Media Day – Aug. 27
- Valent experts available at Farm Progress
- Get Up Close and Technical With the Experts From Pioneer Hi-Bred at Farm Progress Show
- Bunge Farmetrics to Exhibit at Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa
- Loos Tales FoodLink Chuck Wagon to forge trail to the 2008 Farm Progress Show
- New Multi-Million Dollar World Class Facility Ready for Farm Progress Show
- 2008 Farm Progress Show Media Preview Day
- NCGA officers at Farm Progress Show
- Farm Incident Survivor Shares Her Story at Farm Progress Show
AgWired coverage of the 2008 Farm Progress Show
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Zimfo Bytes
- Following the introduction of its new, redesigned Class VIII Model 9895 combine in 2007, Massey Ferguson is unveiling its all-new, redesigned Class VI and VII combines for 2009. Closely modeled after the 9895 Class VIII machine, the MF 9695 and MF 9795 continue Massey Ferguson’s goal of bringing record levels of harvesting efficiency to the North American farmer and custom harvester. Visit the Web site for more product details.
- Dow AgroSciences is making substantial progress with field tests leading to the launch of new trait technologies in the company’s research and development pipeline. Multilocation testing is under way on SmartStax, the industry’s first-ever eight-gene trait combination in corn, as well as on Dow AgroSciences Herbicide Tolerance traits for corn and soybeans.
- Dow AgroSciences has selected the brand name INSTINCT nitrogen stabilizer for its new product designed for use with urea ammonium nitrate and manure applications. An encapsulated product, INSTINCT will stabilize nitrogen in the soil to make it less susceptible to loss due to denitrification and leaching, offering growers a tool for growing healthy corn and supporting environmentally sound practices. The product label is currently under review by the EPA.
Elanco Purchases Posilac From Monsanto
Here’s an interesting announcement. Elanco has signed an agreement to buy the worldwide rights to Posilac from Monsanto. The deal includes the product’s supporting operations. I hope they have good luck with it. There sure are a lot of activists against it. I don’t think they’ve got any scientific basis for their fears but sometimes perception is reality. I sure don’t mind the product and think it’s perfectly safe.
“Global dairy demand is increasing, outstripping supply, and consumers are seeing rapidly rising prices,” said Jeff Simmons, president, Elanco. “With the purchase of Posilac, Elanco can enhance its overall product portfolio and work together with the industry to provide dairy farmers more options and give consumers affordable choices. Critically, we remain focused on the health and care of the cow in working with farmers to increase global milk supply.
“With our rich history and experience in the dairy industry, Elanco is the ideal steward of this vital technology,” Simmons said. “Elanco remains committed to using science to address the growing need for safe, affordable food, and to choices for consumers, retailers and producers.”
Elanco has exclusively sold sometribove outside of the United States for a decade. Posilac has been safely used for more than 14 years. Read More
More People Going Online For News
The PEW Research Center for the People and the Press has a new survey report out titled, “Key News Audiences Now Blend Online and Traditional Sources, Audience Segments in a Changing News Environment.” It’s a very interesting read if you’re involved in the media at any level (journalist, public relations, advertising, etc.). I thought this graphic was particularly interesting. There’s lots of them though. I only point you to it because it shows a continuing trend that should be taken into consideration when deciding how to invest your money. Click on the image for a larger version.
A sizable minority of Americans find themselves at the intersection of these two long-standing trends in news consumption. Integrators, who get the news from both traditional sources and the internet, are a more engaged, sophisticated and demographically sought-after audience segment than those who mostly rely on traditional news sources. Integrators share some characteristics with a smaller, younger, more internet savvy audience segment – Net-Newsers – who principally turn to the web for news, and largely eschew traditional sources.
This report isn’t all about people moving to the internet for news. If you’re in radio, tv or print, there’s lots that will let you breathe a sigh of relief. I look at it as more proof that audience choices of how and where they get information is changing and fragmenting. There are less and less options that will get you a majority of your target audience. Today, it’s all about being in a variety of places.
Barry Engle New President/CEO New Holland Ag
New Holland Agriculture has a new President and CEO. He’s Barry Engle. He starts his job on September 8. That’s the position that was assumed on an interim basis a year ago by CNH President and Chief Executive Officer Harold Boyanovsky.
“Barry Engle has extensive international management experience and an impressive record of results. We are pleased to welcome him,” said Boyanovsky.
Engle has worked in the automotive industry since 1992, holding a variety of positions with Ford Motor Company in North America, Latin America and Asia. Most recently he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford of Canada.
Company Adoption of New Media
New media, social media, whatever. On August 6, I participated in the first Aggie Lance Social Media Tele-Seminar. Besides company President, Mark Jewell, I was joined by John Blue, Truffle Media Networks and Liza Markle, National FFA.
We had a lively discussion, talking about using new media in agricultural communications, including why you should be doing it now. You can download and listen to the Tele-Seminar with this link. (wma file) I’ve already discussed making these mp3’s btw.
Perhaps you’re still wondering if your company or organization should be getting involved in new media. One of our recommendations is to start participating yourself (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blog, YouTube) to become personally familiar with it. I just saw some interesting new data on how Inc. 500 companies are making use of social media. Here’s a chart comparing their use in 2007 (green) with 2008 (blue). You can click on the image to see a bigger version of it.
Research Highlights:
* Four out of five companies in the Inc 500 rate social media technology as important or very important;
* 21% of the companies are podcasting and 39% blogging;
* The number of companies blogging and podcasting has doubled in the last year;
* The Inc. 500 are adopting new media technologies much quicker than Fortune 500 companies.
The research suggests that companies that are using social media & new media technologies are growing faster than other companies.
The research was done by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research. You can download the study, which I recommend.
Via Podcasting News.
Liza Teixeira New PR Specialist For CA Strawberries
Liza Teixeira is the new Public Relations Specialist for the California Strawberry Commission.
In her role, Teixeira will provide support for media relations, industry communications and public outreach. Teixeira, a 2008 graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, received her degree in agricultural science with minors in agricultural communications and agricultural business. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, she is familiar with all aspects of the ag industry. She will use her background to relate with the changing needs of the industry and its members.
Commission marketing & communications director, Mary De Groat said, “Having grown-up surrounded by agriculture, Liza personally understands the challenges farmers face every day. She brings knowledge, communication skills and a built-in instinct for representing the industry that will certainly help achieve the Commission’s goals. We are very happy to have her join our team.”
Zimfo Bytes
- New Holland’s new line of Discbine® disc mower-conditioners features the latest advances in disc cutterbar technology: the MowMax™ modular cutterbar with the protection of ShockPRO™ disc drive hubs. These features, standard on all H7000 Series Discbine disc mower-conditioners, ensure a cleaner cut, reduced operating costs and less downtime.
- Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. announces that it has received approval from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to market the Ingelvac® CircoFLEX-MycoFLEXTM combination package to protect pigs against both porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.
- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers announces the latest winners of its annual Student Engineering and Mechanization Awards. The awards recognize outstanding initiative and accomplishment in university student branch activities of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Click here for the full list of winners.
- Syngenta Crop Protection announced that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation approved Platinum® 75SG insecticide for use on brassica vegetables, bushberries, cucurbit vegetables, fruiting vegetables, grapes, leafy vegetables, potatoes, root vegetables, strawberries, tobacco, and tuberous and corm vegetables. Platinum 75SG controls more than 30 sucking and chewing pests with minimal impact on beneficial insects.