Early Fun in Dallas

Chuck Zimmerman

Early BusinessWe haven’t had this much fun since last year.

There are some early arrivals here in Dallas. If you’re the first person to leave a comment on this post and correctly identify the people in the picture I’ll send you a set of ZimmComm retractable ear buds for your iPod.

Today has started off a little wet outside from the looks of it. I haven’t even checked the forecast but I hope it doesn’t affect the golf tournament later today.

I’m going to wander around and see what else I can find as there are some activities taking place like the Executive Committee meeting.

NAMA

Settling In At the Hyatt

Chuck Zimmerman

Monduel's in the HyattHere’s what Monduel’s, the Hyatt Atrium Bar, looks like from my floor. Keeping in mind that we’re going to have an AgWired Meetup tomorrow evening from 5-7pm here, just take the escalator up to the 2nd level and you’re there.

Yes, I’m here in Dallas and ready for the games to begin. I’ve already started a photo album for you which you can find here: 2007 NAMA Convention Photo Album

I’ll be adding to the photo album periodically over the next several days so feel free to check back often.

NAMA

New Logo for ZimmComm

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmComm New MediaThis week ZimmComm New Media introduces a new logo and a new look for ZimmComm.biz. We’re celebrating 3 years in business and over 2 years helping agribusiness companies and agencies navigate the new media world.

Thank you to all the various companies and organizations we’ve had the honor to work with. It wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

I look forward to seeing a lot of friends and clients this week in Dallas at the NAMA convention.

Uncategorized

An Agricultural Relations Council Report From Bob Giblin

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-114 - Agricultural Relations CouncilIt’s NAMA Convention week here on AgWired. I’ll be blogging from Dallas, TX starting on Tuesday. You can hear all about the activities the guys at Truffle Media Networks and I have prepared in this week’s program.

ZimmComm/Truffle iPhone GiveawayFor example, we’re going to be giving away an iPhone at our booth at the convention trade show. You’ve got to register at our booth but you don’t have to be present to win when we do the drawing at the end of the trade show Thursday evening.

Ned Arthur, Aaron Gilbertie and I will have entry cards and they’ll be in all the registration bags too. You can also stop by our AgWired Meetup at Monduel’s (Hyatt Atrium Bar) from 5-7pm on Tuesday evening to get your entry card as well.

ARC at the AquariumThis week on the ZimmCast I have a feature interview with Bob Giblin, Senior PR Counsel, Director of Research, Insight & Measurment, Morgan & Myers. Bob attended the recent Agricultural Relations Council spring meeting and gives us a report on what they did and the status of the organization. Bob says they’re working through a new strategic plan that includes bringing back the Golden ARC awards this year. He says there’s never been a better time for an organization like ARC. Here’s the group at an Aquarium visit during the spring meeting.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 114 (15 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast114-4-8-07.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.

ARC, Audio, ZimmCast

Introducing the Ohio AgNet

Chuck Zimmerman

Ohio AgNetBart Johnson and Dale Minyo have been hard at work creating a new agricultural media outlet in Ohio called the Ohio AgNet. Programming is scheduled to start tomorrow, April 9 on about 20 radio stations according to the pair when I interviewed them late last week. It sounds like some changes at Clear Channel Communications have led to new opportunities for people like these guys. It looks like another state with two farm radio networks.

Ohio AgNetBart also publishes Ohio’s Country Journal. He says it’s an exciting time and he’s happy to add radio to the mix of what he can offer to his advertisers. Dale Minyo will be the voice of the network. In my interview he gives a pretty thorough description of the programming they’ll be offering to radio stations after soliciting what they want and need.

Interesting to me is the fact that they’ve got a daily email you can subscribe to which will contain an MP3 file attachment of Dale’s morning report. The idea Bart says is for a farmer to open his email, click on the audio file attachment and listen to Dale while they go through their other emails with a cup of coffee. I told them this sounds like podcasting and I don’t know of anyone else doing exactly what they’re describing. One this is certain, they believe most farmers have broadband access, or at least have it available to them in the state. I think they should just make it a podcast so farmers can subscribe and get the report even if they don’t open their email. They they can listen on their computer or in the truck on the way out to the field! You can learn more about the Ohio AgNet in my interview with Bart and Dale.

Here’s my interview with Bart & Dale:
ohio-agnet-interview.mp3

Audio, Media

Happy Easter From ZimmComm

Chuck Zimmerman

Cadbury Creme EggHappy Easter from ZimmComm New Media. I was looking for a nice image to use for this post and thought of an Easter basket standard – the Cadbury Creme (or caramel) Egg.

So, while you’re enjoying one of these you might want to shoot a little YouTube action and upload and enter it for a chance to win some money. Actually it’s called Goo Tube.

Besides that you’ve got some games like Goo Earth and Stop the Goo. It’s chocolaty creme gooiness in all its glory.

Food

Dixie Gray is Executive Director of Commercial LifeKnowledge

Chuck Zimmerman

Dixie GrayDixie Gray has been appointed to be the Executive Director of the Commercial LifeKnowledge team at the National FFA Organization.

As Executive Director, she is responsible for licensing and customizing FFA’s LifeKnowledge and collateral materials for other national youth organizations. “Dixie joins FFA from Indianapolis based @Work Solutions, a consulting firm providing human resources and information technology solutions to the career development industry,” said Tom Kapostasy, senior director of business operations.

“Her experience in adapting existing software to meet both local and Department of Labor needs for workforce development systems fits well with both the content of the LifeKnowledge lessons and our strategy of mass customization.” “I am pleased to accept this new responsibility and to join FFA to positively change the lives of students,” she said.

Ag Groups

Clyde Lear With a Mac

Chuck Zimmerman

Clyde with a MacThis is too good a picture to pass up. Clyde Lear, Learfield Communications, with a Mac. Way to go Clyde. I can just see this happening. Clyde starts using the Mac, realizes it’s pretty cool and contacts Charlie in Learfield Engineering to discuss a company-wide conversion. Next stop is short Roger/Stan/Greg conference call to talk about how much sales revenues need to go up to cover the cost of this decision.

Of course this will cause some heartburn in the news rooms as “we’ll have to learn to do what?” is uttered over and over. The production people will all be saying “hooray” since they know editing on a Mac is way more fun. Same in sales support where they have to constantly be designing creative new materials to help the staff obtain the money to pay for all this.

Am I missing anything? Let me know when this all comes to pass.

So, if you see Clyde at the NAMA convention next week at the Brownfield party (I assume he’ll be there once again) congratulate him on his Mac. I sure will.

Thanks for the heads up Steve.

Media

Is Blue Better

Chuck Zimmerman

Why Blue is BetterI was looking through my latest issue of Living The Country Life and saw an ad for New Holland. It features a blue cow out in front of a red, green and a sort of off-white cow. All it says is “Looking for a new tractor? whyblueisbetter.com.” That leads you to a website showing off some tractors.

You can listen to different ones starting up and watch videos of various features of each.

Pretty cool website. It also includes a dealer locater.

By the way, Living The Country Life features an electronic version which gives you multiple format choices to download, including I’m happy to see, a Mac OS version.

Agribusiness, Internet, New Holland, Tractor

NIAA Symposium Release

Chuck Zimmerman

National Institute For Animal AgricultureThe National Institute For Animal Agriculture has just sent out its final virtual news room release from its annual meeting out in California. Just like earlier this week they’re using AgNewsWire.AgWired.com to produce and distribute the release.

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture annual meeting in Sacramento this week featured a symposium titled “Impacts of Animal Production Safety Practices on the Food Supply.”

Included in this release are links to audio interviews, photos and power point files from presenters at the symposium. All audio interviews are 96 kpbs mp3 files and can be downloaded from the link. If you would prefer to have the file emailed directly to you, please contact us.

Download Full Release Here

Ag Groups, Public Relations