Remembering Ed Slusarczyk

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck with Ed SlusarczykI really do not like having to report that my good friend Ed Slusarczyk has passed away. Agricultural communications has lost another good friend and one of the best. I will update this post when I have more details but I want to thank Pam Jahnke for helping keep us up to date since we learned that Ed wasn’t doing well.

I’m sure that a lot of you have a favorite Ed story. How many of you remember Ed as an NAFB cheerleader at a NAMA convention? I know Gary Cooper and I won’t forget going in with Ed to pay for the wine and cheese at a reception at the house of the U. S. Ambassador to the FAO in Rome, Italy. Ed was a good listener and always willing to offer advice when asked.

Cindy and I remember Ed for the time when he almost obtained a private audience for us with then Pope John Paul II in Rome. Ed was a friend of the Pope and unfortunately it was at a time when the Pope became sick and couldn’t see anyone. Post update: Cindy found a picture of Ed and me on St. Peters Square in Rome on this trip which I thought I’d share with you.

Here’s what the NAFB website has to say about Ed:

NAFB has received word that Ed Slusarczyk passed away on Friday December 29 at approximately 6:00 a.m. eastern time. Ed had been struggling with recovery after surgery for a recently discovered brain tumor. When funeral arrangements are made and more information becomes available it will be posted for members. Ed’s family has requested that no cards be sent at this time.

Ed, you and your family will be in our prayers.

Second Post Update: Here’s the information on the funeral arrangements for Ed.

Tom and Holly are requesting that any financial gifts be made to the NAFB Foundation in Ed’s name. Sympathy cards are welcome.

Visitation will be: Sunday 2-4 and Monday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Dimbleby, Friedel, Williams and Edmunds Funeral Home
40 Whitesboro St., Whitesboro, NY 13649

Funeral will be: Tuesday, Jan. 2nd – 11 a.m.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
201 Main St, New York Mills, NY 13417 (315) 736-4432

Obituary will be on line at www.uticaod.com.

NAFB

New Media For Agribusiness

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast99 - Wayne Hurlbert InterviewI was a guest on Blog Business Radio recently with Wayne Hurlbert and decided you might want to hear what he’s got to say about using blogs and podcasts as business marketing tools. Wayne knows a lot about it and has been doing it longer than I have.

So this week’s ZimmCast is a Skype conversation we had late last week. Wayne has some great ideas for ways to use new media tools in agricultural marketing. I think he’d like to have an agribusiness client even!

By the way, the next ZimmCast will be episode 100. What would you like to hear? I’d like your creative ideas on what the centennial episode of the only podcast on agricultural marketing should be about. Send them along.

To listen to my complete interview with Wayne you can download the ZimmCast: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 99 (34 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast99-12-28-06.mp3

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, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Family Time For ZimmComm

Chuck Zimmerman

Since this week is such a slow week as far as most business is concerned, ZimmComm is taking it easy too. Cindy and I decided on a trip to see family in multiple states so posting will continue to be light until we get back. It’s interesting to see who’s still working and who’s not based on emails. One thing is for sure, the email spammers are not taking the week off. I’m still getting my full daily amount of spam. In fact, over last weekend it was all spam.

January is going to be a very busy month as most of you know. Road tripping will pick up very shortly after the new year gets started and I think I’ll have some great stuff to bring to your blog and feed reading attention. I’ll still be looking for posting ideas until next week though. Don’t be shy. Send me your thoughts and ideas and I’ll pass them along.

Uncategorized

You’ll Like Lane’s Home Cooking

Chuck Zimmerman

Lane McConnellI remember posting a picture of Lane McConnell here on AgWired and saying, “Lane, now you can really say you’ve been blogged!”

Well not only has she been blogged but she’s a very accomplished blogger. You can find Lane at “Home Cooking is What I Like.” Here’s what Lane’s blog is all about, “I’ll provide recipes from family, friends and cooking shows, plus my own little family specialties. So, hang on for a ride down the only way to truly cook- the Home Cooking Way.” Lane is pictured with her husband Charlie. I’m not sure of the puppies names.

I bring this up since Lane’s blog is getting a lot of attention. She was just featured in an article in Iowa Farmer Today for example. In the article it says that 113 other websites now link to her blog. Lane obviously has a passion for cooking but it’s not the only reason she’s blogging about home cooking.

But, she doesn’t limit her site to recipes. She also writes about rural and personal issues. A driving force behind the blog is McConnell’s desire to pass down the legacy of agriculture and cooking to future generations.

Food

Organic Vegetable Farmers Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

If you’ve always wondered about organic vegetable farming there’s a farm apprenticeship available at Old Shaw’s Farm in Vermont. The link will take you to the farm blog which was started by the former attorney owners who decided to get away from all that stuff and move out into the country.

It’s also interesting to note how well their blog is doing. According to a newspaper story, farmer Peter Griffin says they receive a couple hundred visits a day and emails from people all over the world. “There are a lot of farmers out there who have blogs,” he said. “For us it is a couple of things. I don’t view it as a marketing tool, but we do have CSA (community supported agriculture) customers, and CSA members read the blog. People send e-mails to us (saying), ‘I’ve always wanted to have a farm and I can live vicariously through you.’ ” Other farmers send them e-mail to inquire about unusual vegetables or how to find seeds.

Of course the story about this was posted onto LexBlog where “real lawyers have blogs.” Thanks to Smays for the alert.

Farming

Camp David Lunch on Christmas

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m not sure how many people really care to know this but the White House Press Office did share the lunch menu at Camp David on Christmas.

Turkey with Giblet Gravy
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Sweet Potato Casserole
Rolls
Ambrosia
Pumpkin and Pecan Pies

Sounds pretty good to me.

Uncategorized

Research Beef Online

Chuck Zimmerman

Beef Research WebsiteAs if the Beef Checkoff doesn’t have enough websites, now there’s one more. I’m really not sure I understand the philosophy behind the whole multiple website strategy. This one focuses on research. You can find a lead-in site to all of them at Beef.org (16 just for the Checkoff).

The topic of research may sound a little academic, yet it has been the cornerstone of nearly every decision that impacts the beef industry. Without research, there wouldn’t be a Flat Iron Steak, or monumental improvements in beef safety or even the unforgettable ad tagline, “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.” A new Web site, www.beefresearch.org, showcases checkoff-funded research in fact sheets and summaries, graphics, extensive resource listings, related Web sites, staff contacts and even glossaries of terms. The site is basically reader-friendly, presenting facts and findings in layman’s terms.

Research presented on the site was managed by the checkoff-funded Center for Research & Knowledge Management (R&KM) at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in four priority areas: human nutrition, beef safety, market research and product enhancement. Much of the information on the Web site, ranging from ethanol byproducts to anti-carcinogenic activity in beef, has stemmed from cooperative research efforts at some of the country’s leading university agricultural and meat-science programs.

Ag Groups, Beef, Internet

Merry Christmas From ZimmComm

Chuck Zimmerman

I'm an ElfI know this is kind of old at this point but it’s the only holiday picture I’ve got. Cindy and I are going to be spending some time with family and taking a posting vacation starting today and through Christmas.

This doesn’t mean there’s nothing to read here on AgWired if you should visit. So far there’s about 2,700 posts you can browse through. Keep in mind that they’re all categorized too. You can use the categories links in the sidebar to narrow down your browsing search. And there’s a keyword search function as well.

Cindy is an ElfNow just in case you missed it you can still see us do a little holiday dance for you.

All you’ve got to do is check out my moves here thanks to Office Max.

Or if you’d rather, you can see Cindy doing the elf dance here too.

Merry Christmas from ZimmComm New Media.

Uncategorized

New Year Resolution

Chuck Zimmerman

Actually this isn’t about that kind of resolution. Right after the first of the year ZimmComm New Media will have a big announcement for you and I just thought I’d tease you now so you can spend your holiday wondering and speculating. We’re taking another big step forward in the new media world and very excited about it.

So keep your eyes on your in-box when you’ve recovered from your New Year’s celebration. That’s all I can tell you right now. Mysterious I know. It’s meant to be. Let’s just say though that we’ll have more to offer and that’s a good thing for us and I hope for you too.

Yee-haw!

Uncategorized

Give Me Broadband For Christmas

Chuck Zimmerman

eMarketerHow many of you remember when most households didn’t have a television set or even a radio? It wasn’t that long ago. A new estimate by the folks at eMarketer shows that when it comes to broadband internet access we’re fast approaching a saturation level. Are you making sure your communications strategy is geared up for this?

According to eMarketer’s estimates, an important milestone will be reached over the next 12 months — high-speed Internet penetration will surpass 50% of US households, equating to over 60 million residential broadband subscribers.

They also state in this article that “an increasing number of broadband households are utilizing their high-speed connections for value-added services such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), Internet protocol TV (IPTV), paid audio and video content and more.” None of these national studies and estimates breaks out farmers but does anyone really think they’re somehow different from the rest of the population?

Internet