New Media Workshops at the Ag Media Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

2007 Ag Media SummitThanks to the Livestock Publications Council’s latest newsletter I’ve got an early peak at the program for this summer’s Agricultural Media Summit. You can find a general program outline on the Ag Media Summit website.

If you want to see the detailed schedule then join LPC or give me a call and I can share it with you. I do want to point out two workshops though. Why? Because I’m the presenter. I conducted my first workshop ever at last year’s Summit and I guess I didn’t alienate anyone. In fact, I had quite a few people ask me to come back and develop the topics from last year’s session. So that’s what I’m doing. Last year I gave a pretty basic overview of blogging and podcasting. This year I think agricultural journalists are much more familiar with how these new media channels work and they want to know more about how to apply it in their businesses.

The two workshops I’ll be giving are:

Publishing: Blogging for Business – Monday, July 30 8:30-10am

Publishing: Podcasting for Publishers – Tuesday, July 31 10:15-11:45am

Registration opens on April 15. I hope to see you there.

Ag Media Summit

Mangoes From India

Chuck Zimmerman

You are definitely not going to see this on CNN or Fox News. At least not until they have their event in June. I can only imagine what Florida or California mango growers think of this idea. How big of a need do we have for mangoes anyway?

U. S. - India Business CouncilToday, the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) met with U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Susan Schwab, to advocate for import of Indian mangoes to the United States this season. “The possibility of mango export to the U.S. assumes commercial as well as symbolic significance, as access to the global marketplace will benefit Indian farmers and consumers, together with their American counterparts,” USIBC’s president, Ron Somers, said.

The Bush administration, working through the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is actively clearing the way for Indian mango exports to the U.S. this harvest season. USIBC’s member-companies are spearheading the private sector lobbying effort to ensure these exports. “The U.S.-India Business Council hopes to host in Washington, D.C. the first-ever Indian Mango-Tasting Festival this harvest season — at USIBC’s 32nd Anniversary ‘Global India’ Summit,” Ron Somers said.

That Summit takes place June 27th.

Agribusiness, International

Land O’Lakes Makes Better Animals

Chuck Zimmerman

Better Animals.orgIt’s “The place where animal lovers come together.” It’s a new interactive website by Land O’Lakes Purina Feed. You need to be a member to be able to take advantage of the features offered on the site.

Land O’Lakes employees, members and customers now have a fun, interactive way to learn about Land O’Lakes Purina Feed’s Better Animals program. Visit www.betteranimals.com, the place where animal lovers come together, and become a member. Membership grants access to newsletters, future information, product offers and the ability to post pictures and stories about your favorite animals by clicking on “Show and Tell.”

Land O’Lakes Purina Feed is also producing a 13-episode television show called Animal Makeover TV, airing on RFD-TV, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST starting May 8. Each episode will highlight animal Ph.D. experts, veterinarians and researchers discussing animal environment, health, equipment, tools and nutrition with insight and solutions to help viewers make better animals. During each episode, viewers will be encouraged to visit www.betteranimals.com to view clips from the show and find additional resources.

Agribusiness, Internet

The KINZE Vision

Chuck Zimmerman

Kinze VisionTwo Iowa companies, KINZE Manufacturing and Ag Leader Technology, have gotten together to develop new planting techology that improves the precision and control of row crop planters. Now if they could just add a satellite tv feed into this thing.

The new KINZE Vision system is based on the Ag Leader Insight display with touch screen control (on a large color display) to manage compatible KINZE electronic seed monitoring and variable rate drive systems. It also includes factory-installed Tru Count air-actuated, single row clutches for manual or GPS auto-swath control to enable growers to engage and disengage individual planter sections at headlands, point rows, waterways or previously planted areas. In addition, growers will be able to easily track their planting operations by mapping and recording hybrids and varieties (including split planter configurations).

“The new KINZE Vision system re-defines planting as a process within precision agriculture,” says Al Myers, President of Ag Leader Technology. “This will help growers signifi cantly reduce seed costs and field time while maximizing the yield potential of every seed they plant.”

Agribusiness

Three Hills Rodeo Owner Dave Moorehead

Chuck Zimmerman

Rory Meeks & Dave MooreheadThe main man for Three Hills Rodeo is owner, Dave Moorehead (right). He’s pictured here with bull fighter Rory Meeks.

Dave was on the scene at their rodeo last week in Green Bay, WI making sure everything was running smooth. I got to talk to him about his rodeo business before things got crazy. Dave says the rodeo grew out of a little rodeo show they put on at their home in Iowa and has turned into 80 percent of their business. The rest of his time is taken up farming and ranching.

You can learn more about his rodeo business in my interview. He says that when they put on a show like the one in Green Bay that they have to haul in over a million pounds of dirt and that’s where his New Holland equipment really comes into play.

Here’s my interview with Dave Moorehead:
3-hills-07-dave-moorehead.mp3

Audio, New Holland, Rodeo

Zimfo Bites

Chuck Zimmerman

  • 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.
Zimfo Bytes

Liver Fluke Roundtable on RFD-TV

Chuck Zimmerman

Merial LogoNow 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.

Agribusiness

Not Paying Close Attention

Chuck Zimmerman

Me and SteveOur 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.

Uncategorized

Meeting Some Fellow Mac Users

Chuck Zimmerman

Jefferson City Apple User Group MeetingHere’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.

Uncategorized

NALC Attendees Get Agency Exposure

Chuck Zimmerman

Mike OrsoAt 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.

Agencies