Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort June 11, 2008

Truffle Media Networks is offering four podcast that feature the “Leveraging Interactive Marketing” workshop from this year’s NAMA convention. Explore new technologies; find out the emerging trends in search, content, applications and community; discover how farmers use online media; and learn what challenges impact your organization’s ability to successfully leverage the power of interactive marketing.
Hereford breeders from across the United States, Canada and New Zealand took part in the first-ever National Hereford Tour, “Rollin Through Dixie”, in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Guests also enjoyed Music on the Mountain as the grand finale event on Friday evening which raised over $200,000 for the Hereford Youth Foundation of America.
Twenty-two U.S. pork producers have been selected for the Pork Leadership Academy, a program sponsored by the Pork Checkoff to identify and train industry leaders. The Pork Leadership Academy (PLA) participants are selected by their individual states and represent different production styles. The Checkoff provides initial leadership training, as well as long-term support in preparing presentations and interviews.

Ag Leader Technology Precision Scholarships

Chuck Zimmerman June 10, 2008

Precision agriculture training at Iowa State University just got a boost.

Today, Ag Leader Technology announced their commitment to support students interested in precision agriculture by establishing the Ag Leader Technology Precision Agriculture Scholarship within the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) at Iowa State University. Five Ag Leader scholarships will be awarded annually starting in the 2008/2009 school year.

“Ag Leader has benefited from the knowledge and expertise of many graduates from ABE at Iowa State University,” says President of Ag Leader, Al Myers. “Our goal is to enhance students’ awareness of, and interest in precision agriculture so they are prepared for the ever-changing agriculture industry landscape.”

Agribusiness, Education, Precision Agriculture

Food Before Fuel?

Chuck Zimmerman June 10, 2008

As if we didn’t have enough confusion about the whole food and fuel issue, now we’ve got a new “coalition” with an agenda and a website. There’s a built in blog with no posts too. I really recommend posting on your blog if you want anyone to visit it and if you want any credibility. This one is called Food Before Fuel.

Today, the Food Before Fuel Campaign – a partnership of more than 20 environmental, retail, hunger, Hispanic and food industry groups – launched a cooperative effort urging Congress to revisit the nation’s food-to-fuel policies, a key factor in the growing global food crisis.

I’ve got to say that as soon as I saw the Grocery Manufacturing Association on there it lost my interest. They’re the group that was caught spending a ton of money hiring a PR firm to smear ethanol. I’m also surprised to see NCBA on the list. The poultry people and AMI have been pretty outspoken on this issue but you don’t see the pork industry represented. You just have to chuckle about the tortilla group involvement.

Cindy participated in a so-called press conference with GMA recently and any farm journalist, regardless of bias, could clearly hear the lies they told. Ask her about it sometime or read a post she did about it on Corn Commentary.

We’re very open about our relationship with organizations involved in ethanol and biodiesel production so I’m sure I have a bias. However, I’ve had a lot of chance to see the facts from many different studies. The bottom line is that our biofuels policy in this country isn’t taking food out of anyone’s mouths. The higher price of corn has contributed in a very small way to food cost increases, but no where near what has been claimed. Although I don’t advocate changing the RFS for example, eliminating it wouldn’t solve anything. The main culprit is the price of oil which we’re allowing other countries to hammer us with. That is taking food out of people’s mouths. And unless we want to be owned by countries who hate us, we need to develop alternative fuel sources here at home of all kinds.

Energy, Food

Are You Sending AgWired Your News?

Chuck Zimmerman June 10, 2008

I thought I’ve been pretty clear about the fact that you can send me your company/organizational news and announcements for possible posting here on AgWired but I’m finding that some companies are not doing so or forget to include us at times. So I guess all I can do is remind you again. If you want your customers to know what you’re up to then you won’t find a better outlet than this one which is reaching people involved in agricultural marketing on many different levels and with many different touch points, like AgWired, AgWired Mobile, ZimmNews and through our YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and AgWired Live TV accounts.

So, send your announcements to news@agwired.com. Or you can send them to my personal email at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

They then have the potential to run here and perhaps on AgWired Mobile as well.

I’d also like to address a comment someone made to me yesterday which bothered me and I’m pretty sure isn’t shared by many, but. . . The comment about AgWired was, “Isn’t that some kind of industry gossip column?” The person admitted to not having read my content. The answer is, “NO.” We don’t write gossip, we don’t write speculation and we don’t violate confidences. If you ever find that happening then I sure hope it gets brought to my attention asap.

We’re a daily source of news about agricultural marketing that you won’t find anywhere else. The goal is to help you be better agrimarketers. You should be able to find ideas and hopefully learn more about the latest techniques to communicate whether you work for an agency, media company, farm group, agribusiness or farm yourself. Do you think that the AgWired online community accomplishes that?

Uncategorized

Curt Lancaster Has New Texas Farm Bureau Duties

Chuck Zimmerman June 9, 2008

I just got off the phone with Curt Lancaster, Texas Farm Bureau Network. He’s got some new responsibilities.

This Texas radio veteran has now added marketing for TFB Publications and the TFB Voice of Texas Agriculture Website to his duties at Texas Farm Bureau.

As of June 1st Lancaster is the Director of Advertising Sales & Marketing for Texas Farm Bureau communications products. Lancaster says by combining the Publications, Internet and Radio Network properties, TFB will be able to offer advertisers a synergistic media marketing package that will be unbeatable in Texas.

Lancaster says the new marketing effort will be known as Texas Farm Bureau Media, reflecting the broad based coverage TFB will offer. Lancaster has been serving as Texas Farm Bureau’s Radio Services Director for the last 7 years, building the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.

The former President of The National Association of Farm Broadcasters and Man of The Year in Texas Agriculture will maintain a weekly broadcast slot on the TFB Radio Network.

Media

Mobile Computicating Upgrade

Chuck Zimmerman June 9, 2008

I’m not sure if mobile computicating is a term but the phones of today are computers that let us communicate on the go and today the iPhone took a step forward. I got back from Nashville in time to follow along with Tom Kravitz on One More Thing as he wrote about the stage show at the Apple WWDC. I really like the idea of updating your post during a presentation like this.

For you ag meeting planners out there, “How about some wireless internet access during the presentations and in the meeting rooms?” I know many of you are finally getting a media room with internet access but we’re way beyond that. Of course, we can update our websites from our phones and with more AT&T 3G, it’s getting easier.

If none of this makes sense to you then we need to talk about how you’re communicating in a web 2.0 world.

Uncategorized

AgWired & AgriTalk is Winning Combo

Chuck Zimmerman June 9, 2008

Mike Adams (right), Host of AgriTalk was the celebrity announcer of the celebrity tractor race. He and I talked about the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race right before it got started. AgriTalk producer, John Herath, got this photo of us sporting our Frogg Toggs to keep cool.

This was Mike’s second year as the emcee for the race and once again he did a great job of keeping track of all the competitors and entertaining the crowd for an event that lasted several hours. Mike does tend to kid the competitors and I was afraid for him at one point when he made a sarcastic comment to one of the Tennessee Titan guys who drove in the race. Let’s just say he could have come up on stage and picked Mike up and thrown across the race track. But he smiled and waved instead.

Listen to my interview with Mike: cma-08-mike-adams.mp3

2008 CMA Music Festival Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CMA Country Music Festival is sponsored by:

Audio, Media, New Holland

Great Pork BBQLossal

Cindy Zimmerman June 9, 2008

The winners of the 21st Great Pork BarbeQLossal have been officially announced – and the Grand Champions are Mike and Beth Wozniak of Brimfield, Illinois. They are the second two-time champions in a row for the event. They previously won in 2004.

I spent some time at the BBQlossal before heading home on Saturday and got to speak with the lady who has been coordinating the event for the entire 21 years of its existence, Anne Rehnstrom. The BBQ competition is a year older than the World Pork Expo itself, since the first year expo was planned there was a foot-and-mouth disease scare.

Ann says the event is a really good way to promote pork to barbeque enthusiasts everywhere. She talks about the event, how it is judged and other interesting facts in this interview:
wpx08-bbqlossal.mp3

Or download here:
Anne Rehnstrom Interview (4:00 min MP3)

I also got the chance to visit with last year’s grand champions, Mike and Patty Kidwell of Missouri – the first two time winners – who were not actually competing themselves this year but helping daughter Jeanie and her husband Justin Duett.

Jeanie was hoping to follow in the footsteps of her folks and be this year’s grand champion, since she says she did “learn from the best.” But, they did place 4th in the rib category and 5th in whole hog this year. There’s always next year!

Listen to an interview with Patty and Jeanie here: wpx08-bbq-champs.mp3

Or download here:
2007 Champs Interview (1:30 min MP3)

World Pork Expo Photo Album

Special thanks to Novus International for sponsoring AgWired coverage of World Pork Expo:

Audio, Novus International, Pork, World Pork Expo

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort June 9, 2008

Dow AgroSciences has expanded its PhytoGen® cottonseed research with a move to a recently acquired, 225-acre facility in Leland, Miss. The purchase is part of the company’s commitment to offer cotton growers choices with superior fiber length, strength, micronaire and yield potential. By the end of June, the PhytoGen staff will be operating from the new station.
Starting June 1, Minnesotans will be able get details about dairy-related activities and events with just a click of the mouse. ExploreDairy.com is a one-stop resource for all the latest news on family-friendly fun — and the state’s nearly 5,000 hardworking dairy farm families. ExploreDairy.com was created by Midwest Dairy Association through the dairy checkoff.
John Deere has increased its scope of work with Baltimore-based Imre Communications for products and service in the Worldwide Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division (C&CE). Imre Communications takes on increased public relations responsibilities within the company’s C&CE division to include three consumer product categories, including mowing portfolio, compact utility vehicles and utility vehicles. In addition, the agency is responsible for promoting John Deere’s Mobile Service program and aiding in dealer communications.

Zimfo Bytes

Celebrities Riding Tractors

Chuck Zimmerman June 8, 2008

My latest road trip ended at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race in Nashville, TN. So this week’s program has been produced there and includes an event wrap-up with Michael.

Michael Peterson has become a good friend after I’ve had so many opportunities to work with him since this event started 3 years ago. Today he got the crowd fired up as they enjoyed the competition and seeing some of their favorite artists get up on a tractor and for the most part, do real well.

Michael got on the tractor himself at one point so I recorded that so you can watch him drive. I think his time was actually the fastest but he can’t win.

Special thanks go out to not only Michael but also Gene Hemphill and Dawn Fox at New Holland as well as Holly Fritz at H.B. Fritz & Associates who did so much work to put this event on.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 174 (8 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:zimmcast174-6-8-08.mp3

2008 CMA Music Festival Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the CMA Country Music Festival is sponsored by:

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, New Holland, Tractor, Video, ZimmCast

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