Corn Farmers Concerned about Google/Yahoo Advertising

Chuck Zimmerman

Cindy found an interesting story on Cnet, titled, “Corn farmers take anti-Google fight to Washington.” It’s about a letter from the American Corn Growers and some other ag groups to Congress, urging them to look into a proposed advertising partnership between Google and Yahoo. It’s kind of a complicated story to explain easily so I encourage you to read the story if you’re interested. Here’s an excerpt from the letter.

We write to request that your respective Committees hold prompt hearings on the proposed partnership between Google and Yahoo! which threatens to create a monopolistic concentration of power in the market for online search and related advertising. This issue is of immense importance to rural communities that we represent.

As you know, search applications have become the primary portal for all Web users. Cattleman are now buying and selling calves on frontierstockyards.com, seed customers are finding suppliers through search ads displayed on AgriSeek.com, and family farmers are connecting with customers via localharvest.org.

What I think is really interesting is that this points to how important the internet has become to agricultural marketing and how significant search is. I think it shows how important it is for you to be “found” on the web and that’s what new media techniques and social media platforms are made for.

Ag Groups, Corn, Internet

Sacia and Duwe Join Filament Marketing

Chuck Zimmerman

Buffy SociaFilament Marketing has added a couple of new people to their staff.

Filament Marketing, LLC has announced the hiring of Buffy Sacia as an associate marketing executive. In this role, she will coordinate marketing projects and conduct public relation activities in order to carry out strategic marketing plans for many of the company’s clients.

Sacia has worked as an intern for Filament Marketing since May 2007 assisting on a variety of client projects. She has previous professional experience as a specialty writer for Agri-View newspaper and as an equine specialist intern for University of Wisconsin Extension.

“As an intern, Buffy has proven to be an exceptional member of our team,” says Ed Peck, owner and president of Filament Marketing. “Buffy’s vivacious personality and marketing skills make her a valuable, long-term addition to Filament and an immediate asset to our clients. And, her cattle, equine and diverse livestock experience add considerable depth to the team.”

Kristina DuweFilament Marketing, LLC announces the hiring of Kristina Duwe. As an associate marketing executive, Duwe is responsible for strategic project management for several of the company’s clients.

Duwe most recently worked as Special Projects Coordinator for the Dairy Business Association (DBA) of Wisconsin where she planned and coordinated association events, managed association public relations, and assisted with member recruitment initiatives. Prior to that, Duwe gained valuable project management and client service experience as an account executive for Neighbors and Dane County Kids, community-based newspapers in the greater Madison, Wis. area.

Agencies

Social Media Explained

Chuck Zimmerman

Although many of you are “getting it” when it comes to this whole new social media thing, which includes new media, there are so many who don’t. Well, maybe this video will help you understand.


Social Media in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

Thanks to Sundog for bringing it to our collective attention.

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • 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.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Ag Leader Technology Precision Scholarships

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Ag Leader TechnologyPrecision 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

    Food Before FuelAs 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

    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

    Texas Farm Bureau NetworkI 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

    CNET WWDC LiveI’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

    Mike Adams and Chuck ZimmermanMike 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:
    New Holland

    Audio, Media, New Holland