Live News On RFD-TV

Chuck Zimmerman

Mike MillerMy goodness, this is like deja vu. Mike Miller will be anchoring agricultural news on RFD-TV starting in January. I haven’t seen Mike in many years but was thrilled to run into him in Kansas City last week. Mike’s always been a good friend.

In fact, Mike talked me into working with him on an agricultural tv venture in Houston, Texas many moons ago. (Remember that Mike?) I stayed at his house and we commuted in to the studios each day. Oh my gosh does that bring back memories. That was before I joined Learfield Communications and the Brownfield Network and moved to Jefferson City, MO.

I’ve been following the development of RFD-TV with a lot of personal interest and am very happy to see it progressing. Adding a regular schedule of live daily news is a big step and I wish them all the luck in the world.

Daily broadcasts and hourly updates will begin on January 6, and will be produced in RFD-TV’s Nashville studios. Veteran rural newscaster Mike Miller will anchor the broadcasts, and will also assume the role of news director for this major programming expansion on the nation’s popular rural television network. Rural News Updates, Ag Weather Updates, and Market Minutes will be produced separately and rotated at :28 & :58 past each hour. Featured will be news from Washington D.C. and the USDA, current weather radar along with short-term and long-range forecasts, plus cash and future market coverage and analysis from Chicago and other commodity exchanges from around the major producing areas of the world.

“With independent research now confirming that at least 60% of all farmers and over 80% of all ranchers actually watching RFD-TV, we believe that this high-profile programming will attract strong sponsorship support from the agricultural community,” added Mike Hansen, Director of National Sales and Marketing.

Media

Finding The Good News In Iraq

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast94 - Ag News From IraqHopefully you’re familiar with Paul McKellips and his reports on the good news of what’s happening in Iraq, especially as it relates to agriculture. If not, then I suggest you listen to this week’s ZimmCast to hear from the man himself.

I was very happy to get to meet Paul in Kansas City last week and we sat down for a conversation that I thought you might like to listen in on. Paul is on a leave until after the first of the year and then he’s going back to Iraq. If all you see and hear is what’s on the main news outlets you might think what we’re doing there is all doom and gloom and failure. That’s just not the case but what can you do with the kind of biased traditional media we have today?

Paul McKellipsWhat you do if you’re the Department of Agriculture or Department of State, is send in Paul and his equipment to go behind the scenes and try to show the positive side of what our men and women are doing in this country. Paul wears a flack jacket when he’s on assignment but as he says in this interview, when he’s with our military in Iraq he feels safer than being alone on the streets of our nation’s capitol.

Paul talks about what he does on assignment and what he thinks are the biggest success stories in Iraq agriculture that our military has had a hand in. He says that many of our service men and women are working on ag projects but don’t have ag backgrounds. But they’re still getting the job done.

When Paul starts cranking out the reports again in 2007 you can count on finding them posted here on AgWired. Paul says that my posts have gotten noticed by the top military leaders too and even the White House. paul-mckellips.mp3

Wouldn’t it be cool if “W” was subscribed to the ZimmCast on his iPod?

Download this week’s program: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 94 (15 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:

zimmcast94-11-20-06.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.

Audio, International, USDA, ZimmCast

Farm Blog & Podcast Listing

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m slowly but surely working on my listing pages here on AgWired and thought I’d solicit your help. Let’s start with the Blogs & Podcasts page.

If you have an ag-related blog or podcast or know of one that’s not listed can you email me a link/description to it? I’d appreciate it. I’d like this to be a constantly updated listing. I’m off to a good start but I know there’s a lot more out there.

The same holds true with my pages for Agencies, Media and Companies & Ag Groups. I’d like them to be lists of website links and haven’t finished them yet. This way you’ll have a quick resource page to find a web link when you need one.

Thanks for your assistance. If you’ll get me your links I promise to have these pages updated by the end of the week.

Uncategorized

The ThinkTank Agency Website

Chuck Zimmerman

Blasdel Cleaver Schwalbe CommunicationsThe strategy is changing at Blasdel, Cleaver, Schwalbe Communications. Yes they now have a website as Leigh Ann and Kelly informed me last week.

The three agency principals, Illinois Blasdel, Leigh Ann Cleaver and Kelly Schwalbe, left years in the big-agency world in order to have more direct, day-to-day contact with clients. We strive to have intimate knowledge of each client’s business and market: to become experts. We apply that knowledge to hit strategic home runs that achieve your business objectives.

I say the strategy has changed because Illinois told me sometime last year that not having an agency website was “part of their strategy.” I guess the strategy is working because these folks seem to be doing very well.

Agencies

Get Rid of Farmer’s Tan

Chuck Zimmerman

Proving that there’s no limit to the creative ideas people will come up with and the things people will spend money on . . . it’s The Anit-Shirt. Yes, thanks to AgWired fan Steve, this was brought to my attention. I assume he wants to help all the farmers out there who are agonizing over their tan after a long day in the sun with just a regular shirt on. To learn more you need to watch the video:



If you want your Anti-Shirt you just have to visit Kyle Bone’s website and “Get rid of your farmer’s tan.”

Uncategorized

Capital Press is Podcasting

Chuck Zimmerman

Capital Press PodcastHow about this? Capital Press is podcasting. You know what I think? That’s COOL!

Current plans call for posting a new podcast about once a week, however additional podcasts could be posted if interest or event warrant. The first episode, which was made available to visitors of the Capital Press blog site, Blogriculture, last month featured audio clips from the newspaper’s endorsement interviews with the candidates for Oregon governor.

The Farmers’ CAP, Capital Press Agriculture Podcast, looks at news and issues of interest to farmers and ranchers in the Western United States. The program is hosted by Gary L. West, associate editor of the Capital Press agriculture newspaper and website covering the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

You know what Gary, once upon a time we’d say you have a future in radio. But guess what? Not anymore. Welcome to the internet. You sound marvelous.

Use this link to subscribe.

Audio, Media, Podcasts, Publication

Healthy Sandwich Contest & Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman

Tracey McCaugheySandwiches are about my favorite way to eat. For one thing you can be creative and there’s no end to what you can put between two slices of bread. The Grain Foods Foundation partnered with celebrity chef Dave Lieberman to search for the country’s healthiest and best-tasting sandwich with the America’s Healthy Sandwich Showdown. One of the cool things about it was that Lieberman did podcasts while the contest was running. You can hear his last one here.

Pictured is the winner Tracey McCaughey, who was announced yesterday. The Foundation ran this contest in November since it’s National Bread Month (I did not know that).

Tracey McCaughey of Ardmore, Pa. won America’s Healthy Sandwich Showdown with her Grilled Chicken with Pomegranate and Caramelized Onion Reduction and Goat Cheese sandwich recipe. “The combination of sweet and tangy flavors in the pomegranate reduction is rich with antioxidants, and is complementary to the creamy tang of the goat cheese,” explained McCaughey in her submission. “The smoky grilled chicken provides protein while the crisp romaine lettuce and the soft, fiber-rich whole grain Kaiser rolls offer freshness and round out the sandwich.”

Audio, Food

Emerging Digital Communication Channel Use

Chuck Zimmerman

I think the fast pace of the last couple weeks finally caught up to me yesterday after the NAFB Trade Talk session. I came down with the cold a bunch of people seemed to have in Kansas City this week. But I’m back in the home office and raring to plow forward.

After talking agricultural marketing and communications all week I thought this graphic from an eMarketer.com article would be of real interest to you. In the title they use the phrase, “emerging digital channels.” That’s another way of saying new media I think but I like it. We’re riding a wave of emerging media options and it looks like there’s some solid research to show that people are using them. Here’s an excerpt from the article, “According to new report from Bluestreak, “Emerging Digital Channels: Consumer Adoption, Attitudes & Behavior,” which surveyed consumer behavior and attitudes toward emerging technologies — including podcasts, text messages (SMS), RSS, blogs and message boards as well as e-mail — users are not only feeling positive about the new channels, they are increasingly using them.”

Emerging Digital Channels Article Graphic

The survey also found that the consumers who use these “emerging digital channels” don’t hate ads. They seem to accept advertising in order to get better content.

Is there anyone out there who doubts that farmers are any different in their use of these new channels of communication?

Uncategorized

GrainLink To Sell USDA Grain Stocks

Chuck Zimmerman

Grain LinkGovernment owned grain stocks now have a new marketing spot on the web. Beginning yesterday you can visit GrainLink.com, although it looks like you’ll have to wait to next week to conduct a transaction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it has awarded a contract for the online marketing of grain stocks owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to Farms Technology, LLC, of Overland Park, Kansas. Candace Thompson, Acting Deputy Administrator for Commodity Operations at USDA’s Farm Service Agency, said CCC’s past sales practice of cataloging, issuing public invitations, and providing sales lists for grain now will be handled electronically. The transition to the new, electronic system will be accomplished in several phases. “We believe the new online marketing platform will bring cost savings, optimize market returns, and provide greater efficiencies in general to the grain trade and to the government,” Thompson said.

Jason Tatge, CEO, Farms Technology, said the new, electronic cash grain marketing platform, called GrainLink.com, will be available for use on November 20, 2006, although the site will display CCC inventory beginning November 16. Initial listings will be limited to CCC’s corn inventory with other commodities to follow. Tatge said FarmsTech invites the grain trade to register to use the new system at the website, www.grainlink.com. He said the process for online marketing of CCC stocks will be quite similar to the process the grain trade has used in the past, but it will now take place in an electronic, largely paperless environment. He said the new electronic platform, which will be open to all qualified buyers and sellers of cash grain, should offer many efficiencies to both grain merchants and the government. Sales that take place on the electronic platform will be guaranteed through FarmTech’s clearing house.

Agribusiness, USDA

Trade Talking

Chuck Zimmerman

Farm BroadcastersThere was a lot of this going on today at the NAFB Trade Talk session. I conducted 10 interviews and I think Cindy got in 9.

We’ll be using ours here and on our other sites like Domestic Fuel and World Dairy Diary in coming weeks.

I think that it’s interesting to see more booths than ever and yet less broadcasters. This was a comment I heard from several people today. I hope all the people exhibiting were happy with the results. The hours have been extended from previous years but it’s still just not possible to make it around to see and interview everyone.

I’m fighting off a cold and by about lunch time I couldn’t talk very easily anymore. That’s not good for a farm podcaster.

NAFB