- Farm Journal Media announced a significant expansion of its senior management staff for the Company’s Internet division, AgWeb (www.AgWeb.com). Steven Slakis joins AgWeb as Senior Vice President and Managing Director. David Bergen joins AgWeb as Vice President Operations and Business Development, and Damon Popovich joins as AgWeb’s Site Manager.
- Syngenta announced today that Scholar and Graduate postharvest fungicides have been granted maximum residue levels (MRLs) in Canada. This will allow stone, pome, pomegranate, kiwi, yam, and citrus fruit packers to treat fruit destined for Canada, one of the top importers of American fruit, with Scholar or Graduate to prevent postharvest decay. For more a complete listing of MRLs for fludioxonil and more information about Scholar and Graduate, please visit www.postharvestuniversity.com.
- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) annual marketing seminar in 2007 will focus on customer strategy and relationship marketing, with Don Peppers of the Peppers and Rogers Group as featured speaker. Peppers is a globally recognized author and thought leader on customer-focused business strategy. The AEM 2007 marketing seminar will be held May 14-16, 2007 at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- The Livestock Publications Council Southwest Regional Workshop will take place at the Radisson Hotel North iFort Worth, Texas on April 18, 2007. LPC Members: $60; Non-LPC Members: $75; Students: $35. To register: simply RSVP via e-mail (dianej@flash.net) with your name and contact information by April 9 or call Diane at the LPC office 817/336-1130. You MUST RSVP! No shows will be billed!
- The North American Agricultural Journalists Association is inviting friends and professional associates of the late Sonja Hillgren, a long-time AAEA member and former NAAJ president, to join the group in a salute to her at its annual dinner in Washington on April 16. Hillgren was a long-time UPI and Knight Ridder writer in Washington who was the vice president for editorial at Farm Journal Media when she died in December in Philadelphia. In the celebration of her life as a journalist, the speakers will include Jim Webster, a South Dakota-born journalist, Chuck Abbott of Reuters, Farm Journal Media CEO Andy Weber and Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Affairs Bruce Knight, who is also a South Dakotan. The dinner will be held in the ballroom of the National Press Club, beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 16 during the annual NAAJ meeting in Washington. The cost of the dinner for non-members will be $75. To make a reservation, please email NAAJ President Jerry Hagstrom at jhagstrom@njdc.com and send a check to NAAJ for $75 to Jerry at his home at 2807 Woodley Road N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008. Checks must be RECEIVED by April 6 so that the press club can be informed of the number of attendees. If you have questions, please send Jerry an email or call him at 202-739-8440.
Liver Fluke Roundtable on RFD-TV
Now I ask you. Where else but on a “new media outlet” would you find a full hour tv show on the subject of liver flukes? Could you see this on Good Morning America? No. But on RFD-TV now . . . I assume this is sponsored by Merial.
Tune to RFD-TV Live on Monday, April 23, 2007, at 8 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. CDT, for a special one-hour broadcast featuring a panel of industry experts gathered to discuss the spread of liver flukes, the risk flukes pose and the impact on the industry. Experts will share diverse experiences and offer producers tips on how to minimize the risk. The panel members will include Dr. Clint Krehbiel, ruminant nutritionist, Oklahoma State University; Dr. Doug Kirkpatrick, Southwest Veterinary Clinic, Elgin, Okla.; and Dr. James Hawkins, Parasitologist and Associate Director Merial Veterinary Professional Services.
Producers will learn how these damaging internal parasites might be in their herd or a neighbor’s herd — and they don’t even know it. Questions will be fielded by the panel of experts. To ask a question during the live broadcast call (866) 547-9696. RFD-TV is carried by DIRECTV, Channel 379; Dish Network, Channel 231; and Mediacom, Channel 78. The program will be rebroadcast Tuesday, April 24, at 4 a.m. EDT and 12 p.m. EDT and Sunday, April 29, at 3 a.m. EDT.
Not Paying Close Attention
Our presenter here at the appleJAC Mac Users Group meeting is going through the different types of digital cameras there are available. He hasn’t mentioned the iSight built in to most Macs today.
So while he’s talking my buddy Steve Mays here and I are doing digital photography and I’m posting to AgWired.
I know this doesn’t have anything to do with agricultural marketing but we’re having fun. I hope that I’m also showing you how quick and easy it is to post onto your website (if you’ve got a blog) and from anywhere.
Steve has told me that I can do everything on my PC that I can do on my Mac but, and this is key, it will be a lot more fun doing it. I agree.
Meeting Some Fellow Mac Users
Here’s a new/next step in my Mac conversion experience. I’m attending my first appleJAC Mac Users Group meeting.
“Hello, my name is Chuck Zimmerman and I’m a Macaholic.”
Actually we’re getting a presentation on digital photography right now. There’s about 25 of us in attendance. I’m hoping for some time to meet with and ask some questions of these folks who have been Mac users for a long time.
On my way out of the house Cindy told my daughter, “Dad’s going to his Apple support group.” Wrong. It’s an Apple “User” group. There’s a difference.
I know you can’t tell here on the website but everything I’ve posted onto AgWired in the last couple weeks has come off my Mac. However, today I fired up and used my PC for a couple of things. Gotta keep in touch with my other side you know.
NALC Attendees Get Agency Exposure
At the National Agriculture Leadership Conference, sponsored by Alpha Zeta, that was held in St. Louis recently, Osborn & Barr Communications made a presentation to the students participating.
The conference’s workshops focused on ethics in agribusiness, shaping the image of agriculture and developing sound public policy. 6sborn & Barr and approximately 20 other employers met students and discussed career opportunities during the NALC’s career and internship fair. “Strong agribusiness education programs and organizations like Alpha Zeta are so valuable to our clients and our agency,” said Steve Barr, CEO of Osborn & Barr.
Mike Orso (pictured), associate director at Osborn & Barr, spoke to the nearly 200 college and university students in attendance about effective ways to promote agriculture to the media and in partnership with the media. During his training sessions, Orso explained how to approach diverging views of agriculture and work with the media to convey the value of American agriculture.
American Egg Board Appointees
The American Egg Board members and alternates have been appointed by Ag Secretary Johanns.
Reappointed members and alternates, by region, are:
North Atlantic states – Paul D. Sauder, Lititz, Pa., member; Christopher M. Pierce, Annville, Pa., member; James L. Adams, Mount Joy, Pa., alternate. South Atlantic states – Adolphus (Dolph) B. Baker, Jackson, Miss., member; Michael H. Bynum, Fayetteville, Ark., alternate. East North Central states – Thomas E. Hertzfeld, I, Waterville, Ohio, member. West North Central states – Brian S. Hayward, Warsaw, Ind., member; Loren E. Asche, Lake Mills, Wis., member; Ruth Ann Hendrix, Seymour, Ind., alternate; Alfred J. Schimpf, Dousman, Wis., alternate. South Central states – Bruce L. Dooyema, Sioux Center, Iowa, member; Blair J. Van Zetten, Oskaloosa, Iowa, alternate. Western states – V. Wayne Mooney, Garland, Texas, member; David W. Elbel, College Station, Texas, alternate.
Newly appointed members and alternates, by region, are:
North Atlantic states – John L. Sperry, Atlantic, Pa., alternate. East North Central states – Ronald L. (Tad) Gross, St. Henry, Ohio, member; Brian J. Winner, New Weston, Ohio, alternate; Robert F. Gornichec, Centerburg, Ohio, alternate.
The Secretary also named Timothy J. Bebee, Wakefield, Neb., member; Loren W. Bosma, Sibley, Iowa, member; Richard R. Hall, Massena, Iowa, alternate; and Gregory B. Nelson, Manhattan, Kan., alternate, to fill vacancies in the South Central states. These appointments will complete vacant board member terms expiring December 31, 2007.
NIAA Distributing Virtual Newsroom via AgNewsWire.AgWired.com
The National Institute For Animal Agriculture is offering a virtual news room for reporters who can’t attend their annual meeting taking place in Sacramento. This isn’t the first time the organization has used this mechanism and it’s because they’ve received such positive feedback from the first time they tried it. The focus of the meeting on Monday was animal agriculture and biofuels production. NIAA used our AgNewsWire.AgWired.com service to produce and distribute the document which you can find a link to below. It contains links to interviews that Cindy did with the presenters as well as their documents and images.
Included in this release are links to audio interviews, photos and presentations in document or power point files from the main presenters at the annual meeting on Monday. 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.
Dave Miller with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation introduced the General Session with some statistics and general information about biofuels and animal agriculture, the main point of which can be garnered from his Power Point presentation.
NIAA-07-Gen-Session.ppt.
NAMA Party Time
It’s going to be party time next week in Dallas, TX at the NAMA Convention. Take this special invitation I got in the mail today from Colle+McVoy. It’s a Togafication Kit for their 5th annual party. I looks like a sheet with instructions on how to wear either as the traditional way, a headband or as a cape. The party will take place after the Best of NAMA awards and Trade Show open.
The next night it’s Brownfield party time. Many of you know that I used to be involved and I’ve been going to these as long as I’ve been in agricultural marketing. That’s a few more than 5 years btw.
This year the Brownfield party invite came in a very big cardboard box. Inside was a very tiny invite which says “Size matter.” Fits in with the Think Big theme. This party will feature local Dallas rock band, Crawfish. Sounds like a good one.
Sorry for me in the picture but I was using my built-in iSight on my Mac with Photo Booth. It’s so easy to do.
So what does your company have planned for NAMA? Send me some information and I’ll be happy to feature it here. I’m wearing a blue Florida Gator t-shirt in case you’re wondering.
Got Championships?
How ’bout them Gators? I know I’ve posted this before but . . . How about a three-peat in aGainesville!
If you AgWired Gator fans haven’t done it yet, take a break right now and check out the following:
Order your official Gator Gear. My order is in.
From YouTube:
This video may be from right after the football championship but I guarantee you this is what the streets looked like last night too.
If you missed the game you can already re-live the final 23 seconds here. In case you’re wondering if anyone would watch something like this. I have. In fact, I think I’ll watch it again.
Here’s one that’s definitely out there on the edge. Do not do this unless your team has won at least 3 national championships.
Okay AgWired fans. It’s time to get back to work.
Rodeo Toughness on the ZimmCast
I found out that I’m tough enough to wear pink last week. That’s because the Three Hills Rodeo I attended in Green Bay, WI held a Tough Enough to Wear Pink night on Friday to raise awareness for breast cancer. They tied this in with the Deanna Favre (Brett Favre’s wife) Foundation. So I got to wear a pink shirt to the rodeo that night.
This week on the ZimmCast you get to learn a little bit about rodeo, especially indoor traveling rodeo. First up in the program is an interview with Steve Gander. He started the World’s Toughest Rodeo and after selling the business he still stays involved with the marketing side of things.
Steve sold his business to Dave and Marla Moorehead. The program also contains an interview with Marla who talks about the causes they support and how they set things up with local media in Green Bay. Marla says that they split their time between rodeo and farming since they have a large beef cattle operation in Iowa where they’re based.
I was in Green Bay attending the rodeo to actually follow around country music star, Michael Peterson, for New Holland who sponsored my trip.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: 
ZimmCast 113 (16 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
zimmcast113-4-2-07.mp3The 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.