Australia Thinks Apples Aren’t Healthy

Chuck Zimmerman January 19, 2006

I know how important government rules about nutrition and food are in the agricultural world. Look at how the new MyPyramid has been used in advertising and publicity campaigns. I just think it always seems like an exercise in futility and a pretty serious waste of taxpayer dollars. That’s why a story like this is both amusing and disturbing.

According to a story on One News, the standards group for Australia and New Zealand has draft rules that say “anything with a sugar level above 16 grams per serving, which includes apples, pears and most stonefruit, cannot be marketed as healthy.” As if that’s not ludicrous enough the same standards group also “promoted an Apples in Schools’ programme which is now being contradicted by the proposed ruling.”

That’s government in action looking out for us. I know it’s Australia and New Zealand but I could just see this happening here and those are good export markets for us anyway.

International

I Don’t Smell The Hogs

Chuck Zimmerman January 19, 2006

Here’s a project that doesn’t smell, literally. What do you do with what hogs do anyway? GRRO has a solution and they’ve obtained help from USDA to develop and market it.

Global Resource Recovery Organization, Inc. (GRRO) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a formal agreement with Farm Pilot Coordination, Inc. (FPPC) in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service (“NRCS”) to form a new Joint Venture company to commercialize the GRRO Tempest Dying Technology in all Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) in North America. The new joint venture will be a Florida Limited Liability company with all of its operations located in Eldora, IA. The first project in swine manure is well underway and will be located in Hardin County. A new 2400 Head Swine confinement will be built using state-of-the art technologies that will capture at least 75% of the nutrients from the AFO and eliminate all liquid manure on a daily basis. There will be no on site long term storage of liquid manure with this new process. Daily production of manure is gathered and processed with the end product being an easily handled dry fertilizer product that can be stored and used when needed by the farmer.

The hogs make a mess and when all’s said and done you’ve got something to store and use when you need. Neat.

Agribusiness

Dow AgroSciences & Monsanto Get Along

Chuck Zimmerman January 18, 2006

This is a big announcement. It’s “let’s get along time” in the agribusiness world.

Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, and Monsanto Company announced today a global business agreement that establishes cooperative arrangements that will give farmers new technology options and more choice in the products to meet their needs.

There’s a lot of information about this agreement available on either website. Powerpoint slides are available on the Monsanto website, under “Investor Information.”

Agribusiness

NAFB Directory Deadline

Chuck Zimmerman January 18, 2006

The deadline is coming up if you want to advertise in the 2006 NAFB Directory. The deadline for materials is February 22.

The Directory continues to be a favorite resource for information for media buyers, farm broadcasters, agribusinesses, commodity groups, farm organizations, and public relations agencies across the United States. Paid advertising will be placed throughout the directory. NAFB Allied Industry members will be eligible for the below specified areas. All advertising will be full pages in color, but black and white is available if preferred.

You can download the order form. (PDF File)

NAFB

Beef And Veterinarians

Chuck Zimmerman January 18, 2006

The Missouri Beef Industry Council’s weekly MBIC Report this week is with Executive Director Steve Taylor. Steve talks about their presence this weekend at the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association annual meeting in Branson and how veterinarians are partners in the beef industry’s long range plan to increase profitability by assuring a high quality product.

You can listen to this week’s MBIC Report here:

The MBIC Report is an AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link you’ll find on our “Blogs & Podcasts” page or on the MBIC website.

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Podcasts

Join NAMA For Chance At Video iPod

Chuck Zimmerman January 18, 2006

I’m jumping the gun just a little with this post but it’s the only time I have until later today. Here’s another reason to get “Jazzed” about NAMA. Now’s the time to join if you haven’t already. Hey, if you join then you get the “member” rate for convention in April. To provide a little incentive NAMA is holding a contest to encourage you to join or recruit someone else to join.

Have you been wanting an iPod? Now’s your chance! New members who join NAMA between January 1 and April 20, 2006 will be entered into a drawing for a 30 GB Video iPod. In addition, existing NAMA members who recruit these new members will also be entered into the drawing.

The drawing for the iPod will take place at the Trade Show Closing Reception on Thursday, April 20. Start recruiting members today and take home your new iPod after the conference.

Special thanks to AgWired.com for sponsoring this promotion!

Your chances will be much better than the lottery. If you win I will provide you with a free class on installation and use. Of course I’ll subscribe you to the ZimmCast right away.

You know you want to join NAMA. You know you want one of these hot little gadgets. Now you know what to do – Join NAMA.

NAMA, Podcasts

Get Jazzed About The NAMA Connection Point

Chuck Zimmerman January 17, 2006

It’s time to get “Jazzed” about the April NAMA convention if you’re a company that wants to reach the movers and shakers in the agrimarketing world. I’m not just talking about attendance now. I’m talking about exhibiting in the NAMA Connection Point. We’re going to have an exciting show this year with a lot of fun activities. For example, there will be chances to win iPods!

AgWired will be blogging the event and I’m planning on having live blogging demonstrations from my booth. Plan to spend a few minutes and learn a little more about this new media thing.

I just found out that NAMA has employed the services of one of the best to help with the Connection Point. Diane Johnson, will be soliciting sign-up for the show, exhibitor communication, and onsite coordination of the trade show. She will also be coordinating the special events in the trade show. Diane is going to do a great job. You may already know and love her from her work with the Livestock Publications Council and Ag Media Summit.

If you haven’t exhibited at NAMA before then this is the year to do it. The location is great and we’ve got some exciting events planned to make it a good one. Feel free to contact Diane to sign up: 817-232-1872.

NAMA

Osborn & Barr Redefines Role of Media Department

Chuck Zimmerman January 17, 2006

I think this is the most exciting time in agricultural communications that I’ve ever seen! I’ve been involved in presentations and discussions today in the Des Moines area that I wish I could have recorded. The questions being asked and the options to reach farmers being discussed are revolutionary. Speaking of revolutionary how about this announcement from Osborn & Barr Communications?

Recognizing the impact of today’s media technology and its impact on delivering innovative solutions, Osborn & Barr has redefined the role of its media department.

Wow! “today’s media technology,” “impact,” “redefined.” There’s more . . .

The media staff provides interactive solutions and ideas on strategic tie-in opportunities in addition to strategic advertising planning and placement to ensure that brand building and brand maintenance maximize the effectiveness of communications. As data and metrics allow media professionals to better pinpoint specific vehicles and methods to target niche audiences, media departments have an increasingly important role in the successful execution of communications plans as well as the growth of clients’ businesses.

“interactive solutions,” “niche audiences.” I love it.

“Twenty-five years ago, when there were only three networks, it only took an average of five hits with a television spot to reach your target audience,” explains Joe Osborn, president of Osborn & Barr Communications. “Today, target audiences are fragmented, and it is critical to develop and analyze data to segment audiences according to viewership and readership. We research new, efficient ways to reach the target audience and motivate them to the desired response.”

“audiences are fragmented,” “segment audiences,” “new,efficient ways to reach the target audience.” Right on Joe!

So without speculating on what all these things mean (call me, I’ll speculate with you), how are they going to get this done? For one thing they’re bringing on new staff to help them reach these objectives.

Courtney Floresca joined Osborn & Barr as media supervisor, bringing her expertise in management, planning, research and sales for national accounts. Well versed in sales strategies and sales goals, Courtney analyzes and negotiates buys based on efficiency, selectivity and environment. She has 13 years of advertising experience on the agency and media sides of the desk, including many successful years in television and radio sales.

Nancy Schiera was hired as media team leader for Osborn & Barr. Her experience in planning and developing regional and local marketing plans for home products is an asset to Osborn & Barr’s growing home products and services segment as well as the agency’s John Deere account. As an account executive and senior media planner and buyer for Gish, Sherwood & Friends in Nashville, Tennessee, Nancy negotiated network, cable, radio, outdoor and print for clients such as Carrier and Bryant Air Conditioners and Furnaces. Prior to that, Nancy was a senior media buyer for Leo Burnett U.S.A. in Chicago, Illinois, where her clients included such well-known brands as Ameritech, Amoco, Kellogg, Hallmark and Maytag.

McKenzie Francis was hired as a media assistant. McKenzie has worked in account management and sales for Clear Channel radio in St. Louis, where she was responsible for establishing and servicing accounts, securing sponsorships for station events and scheduling advertising campaigns.

Agencies, Media

Thank You Keith Good

Chuck Zimmerman January 17, 2006

I’m going to make a couple of remarks about Keith Good. The post before this is Keith’s weekly Tuesday farm trade and policy post that he’s been doing for months on AgWired. However, it’s his last one (although I’m thinking we haven’t heard the last from him).

Keith mentions this in his last post. What he doesn’t go into detail about is the fact that his personal business has grown due to his blogging and his daily e-news publication! Keith is in demand and the demand was built by his courage and abilities to try something that very few have been doing (yet). You can’t read Keith in newspapers, magazines or hear him on radio or see him on tv. He’s a web publisher and a great success story. Web publishing of good content (text, audio, video) is the new media we are all seeing happen right before our eyes and agribusiness is part of the revolution.

Before Keith started FarmPolicy.com he wasn’t widely known as an expert on farm policy. He started small and patiently posted good content day after day. Although I’m not sure of his exact start date I think he’s been blogging and writing for at least a year. Keith is a shining example of how to do it right. I think we can all learn a lot from that.

Keith, we here at ZimmComm apppreciate your contributions to AgWired. Our readers have benefited and we’ll miss the regular post but we’ll keep an eye on your site and point people your way when we can.

If you’re not subscribing to Keith’s daily e-news just visit FarmPolicy.com to get started. As one of his subscribers says, “Farm Policy is the first email I read in the morning. As a congressional staffer who does Ag issues, I find it essential.”

Farm Policy

Ethanol & Global Hunger

Keith Good January 17, 2006

As domestic ethanol production continues to grow, agricultural observers can quickly and easily see many of the potential benefits: increased investment in the rural economy, the environmental benefits of using a renewable fuel, and increased demand for corn, which can lead to higher incomes for corn growers.

However, New York Times reporter Matthew L. Wald, in an article published in yesterday’s paper, provided a look at a potential downfall of increased corn based ethanol production: global hunger.

According to Mr. Wald, “The rising corn prices may be good news for farmers, but they are worrying some food planners.

“‘We’re putting the supermarket in competition with the corner filling station for the output of the farm,’ said Lester R. Brown, an agriculture expert in Washington, D.C., and president of the Earth Policy Institute. Farms cannot feed all the world’s people and its motor vehicles as well, Mr. Brown said, and the result is that more people will go hungry.”

The Times article also included the perspective of Joachim von Braun, the director of the International Food Policy Research Institute who noted that “the mouth of your car is a monster compared to your family’s stomach needs.”

On the other hand, the Times included the view of Nick Young, the president of an agriculture consulting firm, Promar, in Alexandria, Va., who indicated that, “it was an exaggeration to say that nonfood use of crops will make the world’s poor go hungry, but he added that the use of vegetable oil as a substitute for diesel fuel had already driven up the price of canola oil.”

As ethanol use continues to grow, it’s likely that media reports covering various aspects of the industry will continue to grow as well.

***

As it turns out, today will be my last guest post at AgWired.com. Activity surrounding my Email newsletter, FarmPolicy.com, continues to grow and requires more time and attention.

I have certainly enjoyed the opportunity to blog at what I consider to be the best ag related blog on the Internet. It has been a wonderful experience. Thanks for reading.

Keith Good writes The FarmPolicy.com News Summary, an Email newsletter containing a summary of news relating to U.S. farm policy which is published most weekdays. For more information, go to www.FarmPolicy.com.

Farm Policy

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