I like to think that if you put enough toppings on a hot dog you have a gourmet meal. Now I’m sure of it.
The Minnesota Hotdish Hot Dog — a hot dog topping recipe created by Jill Blissenbach of St. Paul, Minn., that includes cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup mixed with green beans and French fried onions — won the title of America’s Greatest Tasting Hot Dog Topping Recipe at Ball Park’s Great Hot Dog Taste Challenge this 
summer, earning Blissenbach $25,000 and a lifetime of bragging rights.
You can see a story on the contest here (1 min WMV). “Americans love plump, juicy hot dogs either with or without toppings,” said Steve Clapp, vice president, Ball Park.”
Badger NAMA Announces Leaders
One NAMA chapter is sending out news releases. That’s how you know who’s who, eh? Tom is the prez so he gets his picture posted!
The Badger Chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association, a non-profit organization for agri-marketers, announces its new president and board members for 2006-2007. The following individuals were named to the leadership board:
• Tom Breunig, president, TTG Consulting/The Thomas Group, LLC
• Betsy Francoeur, vice president, Landmark Services Cooperative
• JoDee Sattler, secretary, DairyBusiness Communications
• Kelly Sheehan, treasurer, Accelerated Genetics
• Vince Kalt, awards chair, Bader Rutter
• Nicole Wagner, Best of NAMA chair, Charleston/Orwig, Inc.
• Tom Schomisch, UW-Madison student chapter liaison, Emeritis Professor UW-CALS
• Brian Wesemann, UW-Platteville student chapter liaison, North American Nutrition Co.
• Jon Anderson, golf outing chair, potratz.king.anderson
• Kerri Leistikow, membership chair, Lallemand Animal Nutrition
• Dana Pronschinske, communications chair, Dairy Business Association
• Laura Krause, programs co-chair, Alltech
• Lindsay Klahn, programs co-chair, UW-Madison
• Marianne Bellot, programs co-chair, Agtech Products, Inc.
• Ellen LaRose, regional director, Morgan&Myers
Clasen New President of Meyocks Group
Hy Vee leader, Craig Clasen, has been named president of The Meyocks Group advertising agency. Ric Jurgens, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hy-Vee, Inc., the agency’s parent company made the announcement. The move will be effective October 2.
For the past three years, Clasen has served as president of Hy-Vee Care, which distributes pharmaceutical products to patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. He began his career with Hy-Vee in 1977.
“In his role with Hy-Vee Care and throughout his tenure at Hy-Vee, Craig has demonstrated the enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit that can help The Meyocks Group grow, and grow rapidly,” Jurgens says. “We expect Craig’s leadership will help move the agency to a higher level of innovative service for all of its clients.”
Doug Jeske, who’s been serving as interim president has been named Chief Operating Officer.
Fix those things you can fix Leave those you can’t well enough alone
Randy Tkachyk is a beef producer in southeast Manitoba who wasn’t sure what to do when BSE shut the US border in May of 2003. He started selling beef from his own cattle to friends, neighbours, relatives. Today he’s part owner of ManitobaBeef.Com.
On top of BSE, 2004 and 2005 were wet years destroying much of his hay crops. This year, it looked real good, but then it didn’t rain in June and July, leaving him short again. However, this young chap, a strapping 6 ft 4, maybe 6-6, keeps on keeping on. Many could take a lesson from him. Here’s his latest email to me. Read More
Using Digg For First Time
I just created my Digg account so I can Digg stuff and maybe submit news to Digg. They’ve got some agricultural stories posted but not much. So I’m going to blog this as a test to see what pops up on AgWired. Besides being a test, I’m all for anything that will improve coffee!
Fungi are the secrets to tasty coffee, says a Brazilian researcher who is the first to identify the moulds that give coffee its distinctive range of flavours and aromas.
Ag Secretary Midwest Visits
Our Agriculture Secretary is sure getting around these days. He was in Kansas City this week. Here’s a couple more places we’ll be seeing him.
If you can’t make either of these events, don’t despair because I’ll be there. Which means you’ll get to see and hear more about it here.
New MU Student Podcast
Here’s a podcast you might find interesting. Can you believe how many agricultural podcasts we get to point out lately?!
The University of Missouri-Columbia’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources students have their own website called CAFNR Corner Post. On it you’ll find the CAFNRCast. It’s being done as a pilot project intended to expand opportunities for CAFNR students to practice not only print and photo journalism on Corner Post, but also to practice broadcast and convergence journalism. In case you’re not sure what “convergence journalism” is I found this resource to help you out.
If you’re not able to subscribe to podcasts yet, you can listen to the first CAFNRCast here: 
CAFNRCast (3 min MP3). It’s being produced by MU Junior Tyne Morgan.
Here’s the url for the podcast. Plug it into iTunes or whatever podcatcher you use and enjoy. Use this link and check out the Applications section for links to various programs that will allow you to subscribe to podcasts.
Student Blogger Kelcy Schroder
Let me introduce you to Kelcy Schroder, Iowa State University Student. Kelcy will be the next guest student blogger for AgWired at next week’s Farm Progress Show in Amana Colonies, IA. I am excited and happy to be working with her and hope you’ll welcome her to AgWired. She’ll start posting stories next week after we get together on Monday afternoon on site.
Kelcy’s work is part of the Monsanto Future Ag Journalist Fellowship program that was started earlier this year at the Commodity Classic. Maybe you remember all the posts that Margy Fisher and Mary Irelan did for me then. Well, now it’s Kelcy’s turn.
Kelcy is majoring in Ag Education/Communication and Communication Studies (double major). I know she’s going to do a fantastic job and hopefully she’ll get some valuable experience at the same time (photography, audio production, writing, etc.).
I’ve got a lot more to post about the Farm Progress Show and Monsanto’s participation since they will be sponsoring my coverage of this year’s event. There’s a lot of cool things going on at the show so expect some pre-event coverage over the weekend.
Power Out in Office
FYI.
Cindy just called to let me know the power is out in all of Jefferson City/Holts Summit, MO. Big time outage. Our battery backups don’t last long so the office is having a break.
I’m getting ready to head to Ft. Myers airport return home. Hopefully we’ll have power before I get back there!
Citrus Expo Photo Album
The 2006 Citrus Expo is now over. From all I’ve learned it’s been the biggest and best one ever. For Gary Cooper and his Southeast AgNet team, it was a first time effort and I’m sure they learned a lot. Next year will be even better.
As is customary with many of the events I’m blogging now, you’ve got a Flickr photo album available if you want to see what it was like. I used my new camera for this event and it has been a learning experience. I left Southeast AgNet with a CD containing all of them which they can use in their magazine, on their website, or in brochures for next year.
Using the link below, you can look at photos in the album individually or watch them as a slideshow on your computer. I hope you enjoy them or any of my other event sets. Feel free to browse and if you use any of these, please credit ZimmComm New Media and Southeast AgNet.