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

Client Meeting In Omaha

Chuck Zimmerman

Chuck & CindyHello from Omaha. It’s a rare opportunity for both of us to travel together (Chuck & Cindy) but it happens. We’re spending a day doing some creative strategy with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. That may mean that posting will be light.

However I do have wireless internet here and some breaks so we’ll see what happens. More to come . . .

Ethanol

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

    Signing The OI Flag

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Signing The OI FlagI just received this picture from Albert Renteria the founder of Operation Interdependence. He’s one of the the guys who drove a vehicle every mile of the recent Celebrate the Interstate cross country convoy I participated in. He drove this motor coach with the flag flying all the way across America. All of us in the convoy signed it and now he’s working on a plan for the flag.

    If you haven’t checked out Operation Interdependence you ought to. Albert is a former Marine who is dedicated to helping our military men and women get supplies they want and need. He says that a lot (I mean a lot) of what’s shipped privately overseas never reaches the intended recipients. He’s worked out a system thought to send manageable boxes of C-rations that are guaranteed to arrive. In case you missed it, I interviewed Albert and posted the interview on Domestic Fuel.

    Thanks for the picture Albert and it was a pleasure to travel with you across this great country of ours.

    Uncategorized

    Egg McMuffin Not a Kroc

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Egg McMuffinLet’s all celebrate with Herb Peterson. According to a story in the Chicago Sun, he was just honored with a lifetime achievement award by McDonald’s Corporation for inventing the Egg McMuffin among other things. He did so after becoming frustrated that the restaurant didn’t have a breakfast menu. Thanks to the Meatingplace for the heads up.

    Getting on the menu at McDonalds has to be difficult. Of course Herb was a good friend of Ray Kroc. “Peterson first met Kroc when Peterson was vice president of D’Arcy Advertising Co. in Chicago. That’s when Peterson wrote the first McDonald’s national ad slogan, “Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day.” . . . He got the idea for the Egg McMuffin from his own favorite breakfast meal — eggs Benedict. He asked a local blacksmith to make an egg ring to keep the fried egg round and tidy for a hand-held sandwich.”

    How many Egg McMuffins have you eaten since they were introduced in 1975? It’s my favorite McDonalds breakfast. What’s yours?

    Food

    Writing About New Media

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Jefferson City Business TimesNew media will now be getting some regular play in my local business paper, the Jefferson City Business Times (JCBT). They’ll be kicking off a new website any day now and I’ll be able to link you to my regular column that started with the August issue. I got started by defining blogs, podcasts and RSS. In the coming months I’m going to be focusing on each of these new media tools separately.

    It’s not enough to just blog, I have to write about blogging, talk about blogging and teach blogging.

    Speaking of which, I’ll be providing some consulting for the JCBT because they want to start blogging.

    Publication