Geileon.com/PowerHour

Chuck Zimmerman

Geile/Leon Power HourEveryone’s bragging about their “greenness” today it seems like. “We’re now carbon neutral,” “We’ve gone green,” etc. Here at ZimmComm I think we’re making a very tiny carbon dent in the universe. We don’t print anything on a regular basis. We’re mainly sending out bytes of data in various ways. We are breathing however and I don’t intend to quit doing that any time soon. I get tired of it. It just doesn’t impress me.

But, I seriously like the Geile/Leon Marketing Communications approach. They’re advocating an hour of darkness tomorrow by flipping off St. Louis. It’s the Geileon.com/powerhour. If you’re in St. Louis tomorrow then they want you to flip off your lights and head to J.Buck’s Restaurant from 7-10pm. They’ve even got a special drink prepared called the “Planetini.” It’s an earthy blend of apples and social activism.

Agencies

Milestone Mania

Chuck Zimmerman

CZ YoungSince Cindy took it upon herself to inform the agrimarketing world that I am no longer young (at least in one sense) I thought it only fair to voice how thankful I am for the incredible response. Well most of it anyway. There are some of you who have a mean streak.

I’ve now got a little over 50 bday wishes and the day is young. Some of my favorite lines so far include:

Beat me by 3 days.
You look so good to be soooooo old!
’58 was a vintage year, wouldn’t you agree?
What? 50? I thought you were around 40! Man, whatever you are doing keep doing it. Maybe the secret is good scotch??
50 is easy…wait ’til you hit 60!
You don’t look a day over 60….
But so you don’t get too big a head, Chuck, remember there are others who’ve paved that half-a-century highway for you.
Chuck: The bow tie. Dude
CZ OldYou’ve got five years on me, which means I’ve got five years before I hit the 5-0 mark…and believe me, 50 is going to be a piece of baclava.
Have a great next 1/2 century.
. . . today’s 50 is the new 30.
Here’s hoping you mark the date appropriately, then punctuate it with a damn good cigar.
Chuck, I don’t know if you understand Dutch, van harte gefeliciteerd. Proficiat. Een mijlpaal. Nog 50 nieuwe jaren
Take comfort in knowing you have to be 55 to get even your “junior” senior citizen credentials.
I’ll buy you one to celebrate the 5-0 at NAMA!
Just wanted to Congratulate someone older than me!!!!!!! (I turn 50 in Dec….)

I’m just wondering how we’ll be communicating 50 years from now since my earliest recollection is of a very large radio and small b&w tv that I could watch Roy Rogers on.

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Diamond V® recently announced the hiring of Darin Henry, D.V.M., as Western Region Manager. In his new position, Henry will supervise the field staff in the Western U.S. Prior to Diamond V, Henry worked for Monsanto Dairy Business.
  • AGCO Corporation celebrates as the 20,000th Challenger® track tractor, model MT835B, rolls off the line. The tractor was built at the AGCO manufacturing facility in Jackson, Minn., and also marks a milestone for Challenger track tractors since being introduced in 1987. AGCO acquired the Challenger line from Caterpillar® in 2002.
  • Collaboration between the National Institute for Animal Agriculture and BeefCast®, DairyCast®, PoultryCast® and SwineCast® will make available news and highlights from the organization’s annual meeting scheduled for April 1-3 in Indianapolis. The podcasts will provide audio access to seminars and forums with industry experts from the NIAA conference. Speaker’s presentations will be available for download as well.
  • Makhteshim Agan of North America, Inc. (MANA), announces the addition of Robin Malm to its national sales team as an area business manager. Malm will serve customers in Northern California from the state’s northern border to Stanislaus County providing channel partners, retailers and growers with information and support regarding MANA’s expansive portfolio of crop protection products.
Zimfo Bytes

The Return of the NAMA Bombers

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA BombersYou can now find the NAMA Bombers online. They’ve got a guess who going too but you’ll have to visit the site to participate. If you’re up for a beautiful ride then you might want to join them prior to the NAMA Convention.

The NAMA Bombers Motorcycle Club will be hosting a ride on April 15th prior to the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City. All NAMA members with a valid motorcycle license are invited to attend.

“There is no entry fee for the ride, but all participants are encouraged to make a contribution to the Agri-Business Educational Foundation. We want this to be another opportunity for NAMA members to have some fun for a good cause,” says ‘Iron Mike’ Gustafson, NAMA Bombers President.

The April 15th ride will be a 180 mile adventure into the scenic paradise of central Missouri. Motorcycle rentals are available through Blue Springs Harley-Davidson. E-mail Jeremy Povenmire at the NAFB for more information.

NAMA

Plant Precisely and With Confidence

Chuck Zimmerman

Precision PlantingIf you’re going to do some precise planting then you should do so with confidence and Farm Journal Electronic Media and Precision Planting want to help growers do that.

Farm Journal Electronic Media (FJEM), the broadcast division of Farm Journal Media, announced today an agreement with Precision Planting to air Planting with Confidence, an educational program focused on planting performance technologies. The thirty-minute program will air March 31st through April 5th on DIRECTV, Channel 225 immediately following regular airings of AgDay and U.S. Farm Report.

“Precision Planting will take its message of proper spacing and planter performance to the air waves to educate growers on the impact of planting performance,” says Dustin Blunier, Marketing Services Manager for Precision Planting. Blunier describes the program as a guide to help growers make their planter pass more precise, productive, and profitable.

“We are thrilled Precision Planting will be the first to take advantage of our new satellite platform,” says Brian Conrady, General Manager of FJEM. “The launch on DIRECTV has made it easier than ever for viewers to watch our programs, and we believe access to this audience will prove valuable to a growing list of agribusiness partners, beginning with Precision Planting.”

Media

Resisting the Changes in Media Today

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m sure you all know someone who wishes things were still like they were in the “good old days.” Especially the good old days of agricultural communications and marketing. I know quite a few of them actually. They’re the ones who keep hoping that people will finally get over this whole “internet thing” for example. You know, the ones who say it’s just a fad and can’t understand why anyone would read blogs or listen to podcasts or subscribe to their markets on their mobile phone.

Well those kind of people are also teaching in our colleges and universities as evidenced by Paul Conley’s latest post on his blog. Paul goes on a speaking tour at the journalism departments and schools around the country and he’s been writing about his latest one. He’s found some very interesting reaction to his speeches which I’m sure promote using those tools we have lumped in the category of new media. For example:

Journalism education has divided into two factions. There are those who see digital media and convergence as positive. And there are those who see recent developments in the press as a catastrophe. The first group wants to use the universities to spread the new forms of storytelling. The second group believes universities are the place to draw the line against change.

The gap between the two is broad and deep. Most upsetting, disagreements between the two sides are uncivil. And since most journalism programs have members of both camps on the faculty, the atmosphere in many schools is toxic

This might explain my experience at Cal-Poly recently. I conducted two sessions, one for students (very well attended and many great thank you letters) and one for faculty (no one showed up) except the enlightened professor who invited me (thank you Scott!). Actually the department head stopped by to say hello early and left. Now I don’t know if they were all just busy that day or what but . . . When you’ve got someone in as a special guest speaker and notices have been printed and posted everywhere inviting you, it would be reasonable to think that someone would show up.

I applaud the professors who are willing to expand their own professional skills and teach them to their students and are open and honest enough to invite in people like Paul Conley who are ahead of the curve. They’re doing their students and school a real favor. They’re preparing them for the real world where multi-media skills using the latest technology is becoming required for employment as the media world changes.

University

No-Till Farmer Doing Video

Chuck Zimmerman

No-Till FarmerNo-Till Farmer is now producing video. Another publication joins the multi-media producer ranks. It’s a great idea but you do have to fill out a registration form to see it. I know why that is but it does put up a barrier for farmers or anyone who wants to see the video. I’d recommend letting them be public guys. You’ll get a lot more eyeballs on the content that way. And if you’re going to be doing a lot of them then consider putting them into a podcast feed or using an online service like YouTube to host them.

The editors of No-Till Farmer announced today that they have launched their first informational video at No-tillfarmer.com. The video features a presentation from this past January’s National No-Tillage Conference with Vincennes, Ind., no-tiller Ray McCormick outlining his steps to success at no-tilling continuous corn.

“We think the information we’ll be able to provide through video will be of great interest to no-tillers,” says Darrell Bruggink, managing editor and publisher of No-Till Farmer. “Our readers like to share information and learn from each other, and this new tool will be an impactful way to do that.”

In addition to providing several more video presentations from the conference in the near future, Bruggink says editors see an opportunity to share information right out of the field, such as no-till equipment setup demonstrations or on-camera interviews with no-tillers talking about techniques they’ve used to improve their no-till management.

“This new video feature will enhance the value of our Web site to both our loyal readers and visitors seeking the latest no-till information,” says Frank Lessiter, editor of No-Till Farmer. “It’s a wonderful complement to our print publication and our annual conference.”

Publication

Podcast Training by University of Florida Ag School

Chuck Zimmerman

Wedgworth Leadership InstituteCindy found some great pictures from the current class going through the Wedgworth Leadership Institute. I assume they were learning to use their iPods for creating and subscribing to podcasts like the ZimmCast during the media training portion of the program. The name of the program changed after a generous donation in honor of the memory of Mr. George Wedgworth.

The program’s name was changed to the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLIANR) in 2003. The program is sponsored by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida and has an academic home in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. The program has an advisory council made up of alumni, industry officials and university personnel, who assist the director and program staff in keeping the program relevant and advise in program structure and content.

Personnel of the WLIANR include:

Dr. Hannah S. Carter, program director
Dr. Ed Osborne, executive director
Ms. Janice Barner, executive secretary
Ms. Rochelle Strickland, program coordinator

Florida is Cindy’s and my alma mater.

Podcasts, University

ABEF Online Media Auction Underway

Chuck Zimmerman

ABEF Media AuctionHere’s a great chance to support our youth via the Agri-Business Educational Foundation. The ABEF Online Media Auction atarted at 8:00 a.m. this morning and lasts until 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 2, 2008. All proceeds from the Online Media Auction benefit the Student Careers Program. We’ve submitted an advertising package for the ZimmComm Ag News Blog Network. Get your bids in.

To view the media and service auction items click on “View by Company” or “View by Media Type” below. Then click on the item of interest to you in the list. A full description of the item will appear in a new window. Click on the “See All Bids” button to view all of the bids on this item. Click on the “Add a Bid” button to make a bid on the item. You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your bid.

If during the closing 30 minutes of the auction a bid is entered on an item, the bidding on that item will be extended for another 24 hour period (if this occurs on a Friday, the bidding will remain open until 5:00 p.m. (CST) on the following Monday). This process will continue until no higher bids are received during the last 30 minutes of the auction.

If you have any questions about the Online Media Auction contact Kathi Conrad or call 913-491-6500.

Media and service auction items:

View by Company

View by Media Type

Here’s the Online Media Auction Procedures.

NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) has begun establishment of an endowment, thanks to the generosity of its founder, Jack Odle and his wife Sheryl. Their personal contribution launches the foundation’s efforts to establish a $10 million dollar endowment by 2013. Visit the Web site for more information about contributing or call 888-257-3529.
  • The Agriculture Department’s Chief Financial Officer Chuck Christopherson announced the selection of Jon M. Holladay as the deputy CFO. In his new position, Holladay is responsible for supporting the requirements of the Chief Financial Officers Act and providing oversight to USDA financial operations, the National Finance Center (NFC), and agency financial organizations.
  • Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will speak during the opening general session of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday, April 1. In addition to Secretary Schafer, the opening general session will feature four highly regarded, robust speakers: Dr. Wes Jamison, University of Florida; Dr. Ray Stricklin, University of Maryland; Steve Kopperud, Policy Directions Inc.; and Charlie Arnot, CMA Consulting.
  • Angus enthusiasts across the nation won’t want to miss the 2008 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), July 13-19 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Iowa Angus and Junior Associations will host “Christmas in July” at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The week-long event features the largest single-breed beef cattle show in the world, with more than 1,000 head of cattle exhibited by youth ages 9-21 years old-all members of the National Junior Angus Association.
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