PRIME BioSolutions eMerging

Chuck Zimmerman

eMergeThis seems to make a lot of sense. Merge a cattle oriented technology company with an ethanol production company. They can go hand in hand in some interesting ways. That’s what eMerge Interactive is doing with PRIME BioSolutions.

eMerge Interactive, Inc. and the sole member of PRIME BioSolutions, LLC jointly announced that today they signed a definitive agreement pursuant to which PRIME will be merged into a subsidiary of eMerge. Upon completion of the transaction, eMerge will change its name to PRIME BioSolutions, Inc. and will be headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Company’s strategy will be to become one of the industry’s lowest-cost producers of ethanol. In using the IBR system, the Company expects that it will be able to significantly reduce, and possible eliminate, key production costs such as natural gas, the second largest cost factor in the production of ethanol by replacing it with biogas via anaerobic digestion of cattle waste and other residual streams from the co-located ethanol unit. In addition, the net corn cost, the largest cost factor in the production of ethanol, should be reduced because the co-product from corn fermentation (wet distiller’s grain) will be used as cattle feed in the adjacent cattle operation without incurring the additional costs to dry and transport the wet distiller’s grain.

Agribusiness, Ethanol

2007 Ag Equipment Sales Forecast

Chuck Zimmerman

AEM 2007 Forecast ChartThe Association of Equipment Manufacturers has come out with its annual industry forecast for the United States and Canada. These are 2007 Retail Sales Predictions (in units vs. 2006). If you can’t read this chart very well then go to their website and you’ll find a complete summary of their report in the Industry Trends section.

Agricultural machinery manufacturers participating in the survey expect the industry overall to experience flat or a slowing in retail sales of 2-wheel-drive tractors in 2007, with the greatest decreases in the over-100-horsepower category, and with U.S. sales slightly more robust than Canada. Sales declines are also forecast for 4-wheel-drive tractors, again with Canadian sales to be slower. The outlook is brighter for U.S. combine sales with slight growth predicted, while Canadian combine sales are predicted to decline somewhat. AEM notes that these numbers should be put in the historical perspective that they follow a few years of strong sales for the overall market for tractors and combines.

Ag Groups, Equipment

BCS Doing PR For John Deere

Chuck Zimmerman

BCS CommunicationsJohn Deere is spreading a little PR love around, specifically to Blasdel Cleaver Schwalbe Communications. They’ll be doing various public relations activities for the ag division.

“We are excited to be working with the No. 1 brand in agriculture,” says Leigh Ann Cleaver, partner at BCS Communications, Kansas City, Mo. “We look forward to contributing to John Deere’s already strong public relations efforts with our extensive strategic communications and agriculture experience.”

“The partnership with BCS allows us to measure our public relations efforts and look at key opportunities as we launch new technologies that benefit agriculture,” says Barry Nelson, public relations manager at John Deere, Lenexa, Kan. In addition to category and brand experience, BCS provides a unique approach to marketing communications. “The services they offer, their seasoned professionals and their ‘flat’ structure fits well in our culture,” says Nelson. “We anticipate that the agency will contribute greatly as we move to the future.”

Hey BCS. Barry called you “flat.” That is a compliment right?

Oh and when are you going to get a website? How about a blog? I know not having one is part of your agency marketing “strategy” but . . .

Agencies, Agribusiness

Be A ByLine Sponsor

Chuck Zimmerman

AAEA ByLineThe AAEA newsletter, The ByLine, is seeking sponsorship(s).

Companies and other potential sponsors are now able to sponsor a month of The ByLine for $1,000. There are nine issues of The ByLine published each year. Companies will receive numerous benefits through this sponsorship. Those include:

  • Company name on the right hand side of the front page of The ByLine.
  • An opportunity to provide product or service information to the nearly 400 members of AAEA.
  • The credibility of attaching your company’s message to The ByLine, listed in a recent survey as one of the top benefits to membership.
  • Recognition as appropriate through editorial in The ByLine noting your company and others who sponsor AAEA programs.
  • Ability to promote your sponsorship of The ByLine internally and externally within your company as appropriate.

If you’re interested please call Den Gardner at 952/758-6502.

ACN

Help Us Think BIG

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Convention 2007The 2007 Agri-Marketing ConferenceTrade Show Committe just met via conference call and we’re thinking big. It’s always a challenge trying to come up with a schedule and locations that will meet everyone’s needs and wants.

I’m wondering if any of you creative types who attend the Conference would offer your ideas about what we can do at the trade show to attract your and your peers to visit and spend time there. We want to kick the trade show off with a bang. It’s going to be in Dallas and you can see what the theme is.

What can we do to attract traffic into the NAMA trade show? Our next conference call is coming up in just 2 weeks so please forward me any ideas you might have.

NAMA

CBOT and CME Merger

Chuck Zimmerman

Chicago Board of TradeI guess this is pretty big news. According to the announcement about, “with average daily volume approaching 9 million contracts per day and notional value of approximately $4.2 trillion per day based on recent results,” big. That’s big.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and CBOT Holdings, Inc. today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to merge the two organizations to create the most extensive and diverse global derivatives Chicago Mercantile Exchangeexchange. The combined company, to be named CME Group Inc., a CME/Chicago Board of Trade Company, is expected to transform global derivatives markets, creating operational and cost efficiencies for customers and exchange members, while delivering significant benefits to shareholders. Corporate headquarters of the combined organization will remain in Chicago.

The transaction is expected to close by mid-year 2007, pending approvals by regulators, and shareholders of both companies and CBOT members, as well as completion of customary closing conditions.

Agribusiness

World Food Day 2006

Chuck Zimmerman

World Food Day PosterI almost let World Food Day go by without a post about it. Almost. Today is World Food Day which is celebrated by countries all over the world. The FAO holds a ceremony at its headquarters in Rome. The current FAO Director-General addressed the ceremony today along with other dignitaries.

“The theme for World Food Day this year is investing in agriculture for food security so that the whole world will profit,” said Dr. Diouf.

The FAO Director-General said that “in 2002, FAO estimated that the combined extra public cost of all investment to meet the 2015 World Food Summit target is around US$19 billion for agricultural growth and productivity enhancement in rural areas and US$5 billion for programmes which provide direct and immediate access to food for those in greatest need.” Read More

International

Milking For Votes

Chuck Zimmerman

Tommy IrvinSpeaking of Sunbelt Ag Expo. What do you do when you’re running for re-election as Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture? You throw a cow milking contest.

This is Tommy Irvin and he’s going to be battling other southeast ag commissioners for the title of Supreme Sunbelt Cow-Milking Champion.

He’ll be competing with Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. All the commissioners have “considerable experience.” They’ll compete tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.

More than 200,000 visitors are expected to attend the 100-acre event that is considered the world’s largest farm show. The Tuesday through Thursday expo touts 1,200 exhibits coupled with field demonstrations.

Farm Shows

Internet Cloud Over Sunbelt Ag Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

CamveraI’ve been to many Sunbelt Ag Expos but not this year. It’s going on right now in Moultrie, GA. Thanks to Camvera Networks you can surf the web wirelessly anywhere on the site. This would sure come in handy at a lot of ag events around the country. Sounds like a business model to me.

Camvera Networks and technology partner, PreSoft Ag Solutions, will conduct demonstrations beginning Tuesday that showcase the benefits of Rural Broadband and how it integrates with automation devices and applications on the farm. In addition to technology benefiting Georgia’s farmers, Camvera will also highlight other services it will offer, including new educational and economic outlets to rural Georgia.

This year, for the first time, Sunbelt Agricultural Expo exhibitors and attendees will be able to access the Internet, wirelessly, from anywhere on the show grounds. Camvera has deployed a high-speed broadband Internet “cloud” that covers the entire Sunbelt Expo facility. This “cloud,” capable of covering entire cities, has now been tailored to fit the needs of rural farming communities of Georgia, providing new and more efficient ways to manage the day-to-day operations on a farm by using wireless high-speed Internet-based applications.

By the way, according to the company’s history page on their website it “became one of the first recipients of a USDA Rural Utilities Services loan. This massive program was backed by President George W. Bush to get high-speed Internet connectivity into rural areas of the U.S. as quickly as possible.” It looks like USDA made a good investment.

Farm Shows, Internet

Iraq Tomato Industry

Chuck Zimmerman

Iraq TomatoesHere’s the lastest story from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq. In this one he talks about Iraq’s re-emerging tomato industry.

Tomatoes are one of the most important crops in both the northern and southern regions of Iraq. Climate and water resources provide favorable conditions for tomato cultivation. Despite these advantages, tomato production has been historically well below international standards. Eighty farmers in Iraq were selected to establish tomato production plots on about half a donum (“donum” is a Turkic word with Latin origins; 1 donum = .61 of an acre) in their fields. Approximately 100,000 seedlings were produced in off-site nurseries and then these 80 farmers were taught how to properly transplant the hybrids. Each farmer received modern cultivation training as well.

Listen to his report:

iraq-tomatoes.mp3
Audio, International