Web Access To LikeKnowledge

Chuck Zimmerman

Life KnowledgeFFA just unveiled the website for it’s LifeKnowledge program. Remember that their annual convention is coming up October 25-28 in Indianapolis.

The National FFA Foundation has launched a new website to help teachers, parents and school leaders get the most from FFA’s new LifeKnowledge leadership curriculum. The website www.ffa.org/ageducators/lifeknowledge, is tailored to specific audiences – teachers, parents, school leaders, supporters and media – with sections to help each group learn more about LifeKnowledge and what it can do for them.

Along with news and information about LifeKnowledge, the website also offers a free monthly e–newsletter, LifeKnowledge AT WORK, which site visitors may view and obtain an online subscription. Designed with local teachers in mind, LifeKnowledge AT WORK features tips from teachers, education experts, leadership gurus, as well as a magnitude of other resources.

Ag Groups, Internet

World Harvest for Kids Sets Record

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensIt’s a new world record, and it’s going for a good cause.

Winkler began to celebrate it’s centennial today by harvesting 160 acres of wheat with 100 combines.

Combines In World Harvest For KidsIt only took them 11 minutes 16 seconds, beating the previous mark of 15:48 set by Westlock, Alberta in 1998.

For me, this day has been an awesome experience. Thousands of people with estimates as high as 8,000 or 9,000 were not uncommon as the combines moved down the field at speeds of 2 1/2 to three miles an hour.

Ray WeilerHere’s event organizer, Ray Wieler announcing and displaying the official record.

The event was also a fundraiser to send underprivileged children from countries like India to camp. Funds raised through the event will go to Children’s Camps International, which sends thousands of kids in countries like India to camp.

The awareness created by this event will help to increase the fund raising efforts.

Siemens Says

International

An EPIC Retreat

Chuck Zimmerman

EPIC Agency Retreat ParticipantsHere’s a fine looking group. We just completed the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council agency retreat in Omaha. EPIC is taking a very creative approach to the agency relationship. They’re having a number of “agencies” work very closely together to provide the organization with a variety of services.

With in-house coordination, we’ll be integrating our individual strengths on projects over the next year. This promises to be very interesting as we work to develop consumer awareness, acceptance and demand for ethanol.

Agencies, Ethanol

Straw Fired Heating Systems

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensFarmscape.ca reports the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB has kicked of a three-year project aimed at developing monitoring systems that will improve control of emissions from straw-fired industrial heating systems.

Five years ago, Vidir Machine replaced the coal fired heating system at its Arborg manufacturing plant with a wheat straw fueled heating system and the company is installing a similar unit at its manufacturing plant at Morris. The greenhouse gas displacement system, developed by Vidir Biomass Systems, uses large straw bales as fuel and relies on primary combustion followed by secondary combustion to get a complete burn. Read More

International

Farm Journal Media Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

Farm Journal MediaIt looks like Farm Journal Media came away from the Agricultural Media Summit with some nice awards. Starting with:

John Phipps, host of U.S. Farm Report…Town & Country Living, was awarded “Story of the Year” honors by the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) for a column published in TOP PRODUCER magazine in September 2005. The award-winning column, entitled “This Will Leave a Scar,” described Phipps’ decision to discourage his son’s return to their sixth-generation farm. Phipps won in the category of Regular Column. His winning column was chosen for top story honors from among all 373 farm magazine contestants in all categories of the annual AAEA contest.

In other Farm Journal Media wins announced at the Agricultural Media Summit in Portland, Ore., on July 26, DAIRY TODAY magazine received the prestigious James Flanagan Award from the Livestock Publications Council (LPC) for the most improved publication over the past year. In this year’s awards, DAIRY TODAY Editor Jim Dickrell received first place in the LPC Regular Column competition for his monthly column entitled “Dairy Talk.”

Linda Smith, Managing Editor of TOP PRODUCER, won first place in the Economics & Management category of the AAEA writing contest for an article entitled “Why Funds are Bullish on Farming” published in September 2005. TOP PRODUCER Artist Dana Timmins won first place in Cover Page Design for the same issue.

Ag Media Summit, Publication

Nitragin Is Now EMD Crop Bioscience

Chuck Zimmerman

EMD Crop BioScienceNitragin has a new name and a new logo. It’s now EMD Crop BioScience.

Following Nitragin’s acquisition of Agribiotics, the two have combined as one entity now known as EMD Crop BioScience. EMD Crop BioScience is a subsidiary of Merck KGaA’s North American EMD Group and is recognized as a core business focusing on plant health research and commercialization of cropenhancing technologies.

“We are looking forward to continuing to provide growers with our successful line of early plant health products while introducing innovative new technologies to the market during this exciting time at EMD Crop BioScience,” says President Tom Winkofske. In March 2006, Nitragin Holding, Inc. acquired Cambridge, Ontario-based Agribiotics Inc. The acquisition resulted in several additions to Nitragin’s portfolio of crop-enhancing technologies and the ability to commercialize a variety of yield-increasing technologies in a number of markets.

Read More

Agribusiness

We Got Your DogEquine Products

Chuck Zimmerman

Dog-Equine, LLCI had to bring this to your attention just because of the name if for no other reason. DogEquine will certainly get your attention. I’ll let you create a mental picture before you read what it’s all about.

Recognizing a need to provide advanced science nutritional products for dogs, horses, and other livestock, a team of diverse executives led by food science industry veteran Lisa Alley-Zarkades today announced the establishment of Dog-Equine LLC. The marketing/manufacturing company will focus on meeting demand for naturally safe and beneficial supplements, treats and food components that focus on pest control, preventative methods, overall health, and improved quality of animal life. Operating as an umbrella parent company, DogEquine, will market its products under two trademarked brandnames: StableKare™ (for equine) and KennelKare™ (for canine). Several branded products will also be suitable for other livestock and companion animals.

Full release (pdf)

Agribusiness, Livestock

All About Podcasting

Chuck Zimmerman

R360 On PodcastingAfter hearing all the interest in podcasting expressed at the Agricultural Media Summit I thought I’d offer these tidbits. To start with a company called Ralston360 has created a virtual podcast for you that explains podcasting. Spend a few minutes and watch this. It’s not only well done but they used the same video iPod I own as their screen image. This is high up on the cool factor and brought to my attention by Steve Rubel.

Since farmers are know to be “early adopters of new technology” I have to believe their use of podcasts will be no different than the results found in a Marketing Sherpa survey that was reported on Podcasting News. It shows that blogging and podcasting are two of the most effective marketing tools for generating new sales leads in the technology industry.

If you really wants some numbers you might consider purchasing the Nielsen Analytics report title, “The Economics of Podcasting.” Marketing Vox got some information out of the report from the Financial Times: “that more than 6 percent of U.S. web users, or nearly 9 million people, have downloaded at least one podcast in the last month, reports the Financial Times. Of those, about 10 per cent are “heavy users,” downloading eight or more podcasts a week. Moreover, 38 percent of “active” podcast listeners say they less often listen to the radio now than before they began downloading podcasts.”

Podcasts

ARC Meeting At Ag Media Summit

Chuck Zimmerman

ARC Meeting At AMSAt the recent Agricultural Media Summit, one of the “official” participating organizations, the Agricultural Relations Council held a breakfast meeting.

Here’s outgoing(?) ARC President Jeri Omernik leading the meeting. ARC presented 5 recommendations from a task force that evaluated the organization. I couldn’t stay for the end of the meeting so I’m not sure where the discussion went after I left. The five recommendations are:

  • We offer professional intimacy with others in the same industry;
  • We offer professional development in ag, science and food-related Public Relations;
  • We are experts in ag, science and food-related Public Relations;
  • We extol the value of Public Relations in the agriculture, food and science industries and its continuing development; and
  • We strive to identify and to advocate best practices in Public Relations in the agriculture, food and science industries.


    • They consider these five attributes, the “unique selling proposition” of ARC. You can find a membership application here (pdf).

    ARC, Public Relations