2025 Tech Hub Live

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Melissa Sandfort

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  • Protecting pigs against enzootic pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae has just become more flexible. Ingelvac MycoFLEX® from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., (BIVI) has been approved to aid in the reduction of enzootic pneumonia, providing quick immunity and long-lasting protection. Enzootic pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a widespread swine disease that can affect pigs of all ages, but is primarily a disease of rowing and finishing pigs and is characterized by a dry cough and impaired performance. Ingelvac MycoFLEX uses single-dose technology pioneered by BIVI.
  • The Appaloosa Horse Club is proud to sponsor Bob and Suzanne’s Wind Rider Equestrian Challenge at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo Feb. 21-24, 2008 in Harrisburg, Penn. The Wind Rider Equestrian Challenge is open to riders 14 years or older from all disciplines including western, dressage, hunter/jumpers, trail, natural horsemanship, gaited horse riders and more. The grand prize winner will receive a custom made saddle provided by master saddle maker, David Genadeck, About the Horse Inc. and Tree by Anotoree Ltd. Click here for more information and entry applications, or call 845-692-7478.
  • Leaders of the Farmers’ Health Cooperative of Wisconsin (FHCW) honored the Wisconsin Farm Credit Services (FCS) at the 2008 Wisconsin FCS Legislative Conference on Jan. 14. The four Wisconsin associations — AgStar FCS, Badgerland FCS, GreenStone FCS and United Farm Credit — provided upfront support to the cooperative, including making financial grants for startup legal and actuarial costs; assisted in conducting member focus groups to determine what farmers would want in a healthcare plan; and provided marketing support to help get information about the new cooperative to farmers across the state of Wisconsin.
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B2B Finding Success With Emerging Media

Chuck Zimmerman

eMarketer GraphicThere’s a great article on eMarketer today that anyone involved in agricultural marketing ought to take a look at. No, they don’t use the word “farmers” but when we’re talking business to business what else is agribusiness to farmers? They point to several studies for those of you looking for justification information.

Guideline asked B2B and B2C marketers to rate the effectiveness of various online marketing tactics. Almost all marketers surveyed used some form of social media. However, business marketers reported more success with podcasts (21% of B2B vs. 13% of B2C listed podcasts as “effective”), blogs (17% vs. 6%) and RSS feeds (14% vs. 11%).

“In 2008, B2B marketers will increase spending on the most effective tactics first—developing their company site, e-mail, webinars and search engine marketing,” said Lisa Phillips, senior analyst at eMarketer. “However, these marketers are ready to experiment more broadly with social media.”

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Saved By The Bud

Chuck Zimmerman

Flower BudsFlower farmers rejoice. There’s now a website which will help more guys make better buying decisions just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Savedbythebud.com is a free site that combines information, illustrations, Flash video demos, common sense and some wit to show why flowers should be major weapons in any man’s struggle to win the affections of the opposite sex. It was created by the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center (NFBIC), in Danby, Vt.

The site shows the type of guy who might normally discount flower power exactly why and how he should use nature’s chick magnets to his advantage. The idea is backed up by science.

According to recent research by Rutgers University scientists, women not only like flowers, they’re physically and positively affected by a gift of flowers and the effects linger for days.

So there you have it guys. Go get some flowers.

Ag Groups

Lyle Orwig Congrats NAMA

Chuck Zimmerman

Young Lyle OrwigTo see what Lyle Orwig looks like today you can visit CongratsNAMA.com. I just happened to stumble across it this morning. NAMA turned 50 in ’07 and Charleston|Orwig created a special site to commemorate it.

I especially like the comparisons of 1957 to 2007 like the fact that Lyle had to watch the first episode of “Leave It To Beaver” in black and white while dreaming about one day owning an HD Plasma.

The comparison of movies is pretty good to with the speculation that Lyle might have voiced three of the minor characters in “Shrek The Third.”

Agencies

Why Not YouTube Your Announcement

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m not going to get all political on you here, just using this YouTube video as an example of how to use new media. Our Missouri Governor Matt Blunt made a very major announcement yesterday afternoon that he would not be running for re-election to a second term. No other hints or allegations and it has surprised a lot of people. But after making that announcement on YouTube he’s created some great buzz.

Put on your new media hat for a minute and think about how you announce a new product or service. You send out a press release, maybe you hold a press conference and of course you promote it in your trade show booth. What if your President or CEO made a simple, personal statement and even demonstrated it on a video clip that’s uploaded to YouTube? Got courage enough to try?

I just looked at my YouTube account and the 111 video clips I’ve uploaded have been collectively viewed over 172,000 times. One of the video clips on the John Deere product introduction last year has been viewed over 15,000 times. How many times have the video clips you only put on your website been viewed/downloaded?

By the way, as of this posting the video has been viewed over 7,000 times and 3,700 times (posted twice for some reason) since it was posted late yesterday afternoon.

Video

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Melissa Sandfort

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  • The Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences announces its first barley day titled Barley Production and Management for Profit to be held on Monday, Jan. 28 at Holiday Inn in Minot North Dakota. Registration for the event will begin at 8:30 am with the program beginning at 9 am. Presentations from research and extension personnel and domestic and international marketing experts from North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Canada will cover current recommendations for production and marketing of barley. Registration is requested by contacting Karen Hertsgaard 701-793-1146 or karen.hertsgaard@ndsu.edu.
  • AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation enters the New Year on a wave of momentum as the carbon credits aggregator begins to realize results from its expanded distribution network. AgraGate now has contracted for more than 3.4 million carbon credits with farmers, ranchers and private forest owners. In addition, two independent companies also have linked with AgraGate as contract facilitators: Carbon South, LLC, a unit of Grafton Ag Management of Oxford, Mississippi, and Land Stewards, LLC, of Marion, Ohio.
  • Reminder: The Chicago Farmers will be hosting its Annual Farmland Investment Fair 2008 at the new Joliet Junior College Weitendorf Agriculture Education Center on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. The registration fee to attend is only $50 per person and includes lunch. Click here for complete information and to register.
  • The National Pork Industry Forum will be held March 6-8, 2008 in St. Louis, Mo. at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. Click here for information on hotels, schedules and registration. Deadline for making reservations at the hotel is Feb. 5.
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Sit On A Soybean Seat

Chuck Zimmerman

Soyfoam SeatSitting on a soybean seat is what farmers may be doing soon.

Farmers could soon bring in the harvest using equipment made with their own crops, thanks to collaboration between Ford and John Deere, the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment. The two companies have agreed that Deere will further develop and manufacture Ford’s soy-based flexible foam for seating materials in tractors, riding mowers and other equipment.

Ford first introduced soy-based polyol to the auto industry in the seat backs and seat cushions of the 2008 Ford Mustang. The 2008 Ford F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator now also feature this eco-friendly technology, with the next application coming on the 2009 Ford Escape. Meanwhile, Deere has used soy-based products for body panels on some farm equipment. Ford will work with John Deere and its seat supplier, Sears Manufacturing Company, to bring this greener alternative to traditional seat foam to fields and even backyards nationwide.

Ford is working closely with the United Soybean Board to bring soy foam to the automotive market. The company is using 2.2 million pounds of soy foam in the 2008 Mustang alone. Just based on that application, this green alternative is on track to deliver a carbon dioxide reduction of 605,000 pounds annually.

With more than 3 billion bushels of soy harvested in the U.S. each year, at a 20 percent soy foam inclusion rate, Ford could potentially use up to 844,000 bushels of soy throughout its product lineup annually.


Thanks to Ford and Lear Corporation for the image.

Soybean, USB

New Website For Certified Hereford Beef

Chuck Zimmerman

Certified Hereford Beef WebsiteIf you like Certified Hereford Beef then you’ll want to check out the new website for their customers.

Certified Hereford Beef® (CHB) LLC has re-launched a customer-focused Web site, www.herefordbeef.net . This new Web site is equipped with upgraded navigation software to make it more user-friendly for CHBs three publics, consumers, customers (retail/foodservice) and producers.

HerefordBeef.net provides users an opportunity to locate where they can purchase CHB product at both the retail and foodservice level as well as being able to find distributors in their region. “This Web site is a key marketing tool for CHB and allows us to reach each of our key audiences with a fresh look at our quality CHB product,” says Arden Gremmert, Certified Hereford Beef General Manager. “The new site not only tells visitors where they can purchase our product in their home state in supermarkets or restaurants, it offers them recipes, nutritional information, smart shopping techniques and other tips that help them better enjoy the great taste of Certified Hereford Beef.”

Ag Groups, Beef, Internet

Blog Usage Up According To BIGresearch

Chuck Zimmerman

Big ResearchFor those of you who are always looking for new information about the use of media here’s an interesting study. Multitasking media is up according to a new SIMM study from BIGresearch.

“Technology is creating new media options faster than most people can assimilate and is causing more multitasking,” said Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch. “Unfortunately for marketers faced with the challenges of an uncertain economy and the need to increase marketing ROI, new media options are impacting how consumers use traditional media. Specifically, TV’s influence on consumers to purchase products declined, whereas new media options such as web radio, satellite radio, instant messaging and blogging all increased. Consumers seem to be seeking information from digital platforms while TV has traditionally been viewed as a brand building medium, which isn’t providing the requisite information,” said Drenik.

This is great information and I hope no one thinks farmers are any different than the general public any more. Ask some farmers you know if they do this and see what you find out.

This does not mean all traditional media are declining in influence. Media that can target, be timely, and deliver value to consumers, such as coupons/direct mail, radio, yellow pages, newspapers and newspaper inserts all increased in influence to purchase as consumers are looking to stretch budgets in a slowing economy.

I think this list of key findings is fascinating:

  • Regular simultaneous media consumption for online, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and direct mail is up from 1% to 35%, depending on the medium.
  • Channel surfing remains the #1 regular activity engaged in during TV commercials with 41.2% doing so followed by:
    33.5% talk with others in the room or by phone
    30.2% mentally tune out
    5.5% regularly fully attend to commercials
  • In SIMM 11, eating continues to be the #1 activity people engage in while using media followed by doing housework, doing laundry, cooking and talking on phone.
  • Top simultaneous media used when reading a newspaper are: watch TV, listen to the radio and go online.
  • For people listening to radio, other media simultaneously used are (top 3): engage in other activities, go online and read the newspaper.
    Web radio usage is up in all dayparts.
  • Cable is where most TV viewing takes place.
  • Dayparts which had highest number of media types increase usage over SIMM 10 – 1:00 am to 6:00 am, Noon to 4:30 pm, 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm and 10:00 am to Noon.
  • Top 3 In-Store Promotions for influence of purchasing a product: Product Samples, Shelf Coupons and Special Displays.
  • Top 3 Media for triggering an online search: Magazines, Reading an article on the product and TV.
  • Blogging increases in all dayparts.

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