The march goes on to bring high speed internet access to rural America. We’re becoming a wired countryside folks. How are you gearing up to communicate?
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced today that broadband and telecommunications loans totaling almost $210 million are being awarded to communications firms in four states. The funds, provided through two USDA Rural Development programs, will allow for the extension of new and improved telecommunications services to more than 40,000 residential and business subscribers.
Move That Tractor
Well I was heading out. Then I got an email with this announcement about a Case IH tractor making its acting debut on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this coming Sunday.
“Move that bus!” is a legendary catchphrase for viewers of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Shouted by thousands of cheering onlookers at the end of each episode, those words cue the show’s producers to reveal a mind-boggling home built in just a few days for a deserving family. When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on Oct. 29, the crowd may end up shouting, “Move that tractor!” That’s because the featured family will receive a new Case IH JX1100U tractor with a LX252 loader, courtesy of Case IH, along with their new home. Be sure to catch Case IH on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Sunday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Central Time) on ABC.
Time to Head Home
My presentation here in Cedar Falls is over. We gave my Dell equipment a good workout and I hope I contributed some information that’s useful.
There were a few bloggers in the audience and even a couple of people involved in a podcasting project. Great questions were asked. As usual I found that the “comments” feature of blogging got a lot of questions. This is a challenging aspect of blogging for companies to deal with. How do you handle feedback and what if it’s negative? I think you just remember why you’re doing this to start with. Hopefully it’s to be more open and honest with your customers. I think we all learn from our critics. I know I have. I’ve also seen negative commenters turn into positive customers when they not only felt like their voice was heard but they got immediate company feedback (or saw positive comments from other customers) that addressed their concerns.
So long from here. It’s road time back to Holts Summit, MO (near Jefferson City).
MAC Meeting About to Start
Well we’re about to get started here at the MAC meeting in Cedar Falls.
It’s pouring rain outside but we’re inside and dry. I’ve been chatting with a few of the members who are very interested in learning how or why you would use new media tools for business purposes.
That’s what I’m going to try to cover over the next hour.
I’ll have more later.
Out and About
Good day from Cedar Falls, Iowa. It’s a beautiful rainy morning, the kind that makes you just want to turn over and go back to sleep. But not the serious blogger.
I’ll be speaking at the Marketing, Advertising & Communication Professionals of Northeast Iowa luncheon which is being held at the Holiday Inn on University Ave. starting at 11:30am. Come on out if you’ve got nothing planned. Sorry for the short notice.
You can probably expect to see something from the meeting later on and during the presentation. That’s just how I like to do my presentations – live and online. As a little bit of a heads up I’ll be participating in a presentation on November 7 at the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association convention in Minneapolis, MN. I believe we’re the general session that’s mid morning. That’s going to be fun.
Interactive Director for Colle+McVoy
Colle+McVoy has named Patty Henderson (formerly with Target Corporation) the director of their interactive department. Does “interactive” mean websites still? How many interactive department people are blogging? That’s just something I’ve wondered. I wonder if they like blogging. Just a thought. . .
At Target, Henderson led strategic planning of interactive and emerging media initiatives for electronics, entertainment, kids, toys, sporting goods, holiday and Target Financial Services. Previously, she has held interactive and marketing director positions with Juut Salonspas, Martin/Williams Advertising, Regis Corporation and Mara-Mi. “Capitalizing on the always-changing field of emerging technologies takes someone who displays smart thinking and passion, someone who has been in the trenches, like Patty Henderson,” says Christine Fruechte, Colle+McVoy’s president. “Patty will play a critical part in our clients’ success moving forward.”
79th FFA Convention Kicks Off
The 79th FFA Convention got kicked off today. I was hoping to be there but it just didn’t work out. The FFA website has a lot of content you can check out though to keep up with all the action.
With all the hoopla surrounding the start of this mega convention a little controversy did surface related to the fact that Carrie Underwood is performing tonight. She’s made it clear that she’s a vegetarian and that’s apparently created some animosity among a number of people, including Trent Loos. I had several emails today on this topic and tried to get in touch with the folks at FFA about it. I got a call back but was in a meeting so I didn’t get to talk to anyone. However, it looks like Lindsay Vance at Buckeye Ag Radio Network did.
I just didn’t get to work on it this year but maybe next year I can set up an FFA AgWired blogger to help me out so we get the on-the-scene scoop from the perspective of one of the blue coat participants.
Late Day Corn Harvest
I did lots of miles through the corn and soybean fields today. I had meetings in Des Moines and then it was on to Cedar Falls. Along the way a little while ago as it was getting dark you could see lots of this going on.
I stopped to experiment with my camera and realized right away I forgot my tripod. Not good for low light shots. But that’s never stopped me from trying. These first two pictures are of the same combine making the same path through this field.
These are all along highway 63 north of I-80 in Iowa. It kept getting darker but that doesn’t stop these guys. I know it’s raining in a variety of places throughout the Midwest but it wasn’t here. Unfortunately it has the World Series in delay tonight.
I tried to shoot a video clip but at this point it was full dark. So here’s what you get without a tripod in the dark and ready to get to your hotel room so you can begin posting. Actually it’s a nice colorful effect that shows how bad my hand shake is.
That’s the extent of my creativity for the night.
Demo Day In Canada
If you’ve got some spare time Thursday you might want to check out Seed Hawk’s Demo Day. It gets started at 1:30 p.m. Seed Hawk is located two miles north of Langbank, SK (this would be in Canada) on highway nine. They also have a big announcement:
Seed Hawk Inc is pleased to announce an agreement to sell a minority share in the company to Vaderstad-Verken, an agricultural company based out of Sweden. In addition, a new manufacturing plant is being planned at the existing facility near Langbank, SK to accommodate significant growth. Read More
New FFA Merchandise Center
FFA is big business from the looks of this announcement about their new Merchandise Center. I guess you learn something new everyday. I had no idea their merchandise business was so big.
This November, the National FFA Organization will break ground on the future home of its new 36,000-square-foot Merchandise Center. This $10 million operation includes the merchandising, licensing and customer and distribution services departments. “The reason we’re building the merchandise center is to be able to meet current customer demand and build capacity for future growth,” said Lee Anne Shiller, director of merchandise operations.
Duke Construction has been contracted to build the facility. RATIO Architects Inc., who designed the Indianapolis-based National FFA Center nine years ago, will design the $3.5 million merchandise center. The new facility will also offer tours, and to enhance member visits, the building will be specifically designed to allow tour groups to watch while plaques are being engraved. Nearly 40 existing FFA staff are expected to move into the center by June, with the capacity to house 70. The move allows for a $1.4 million expansion at the National FFA Center that will be completed prior to the 2007 National FFA Convention.