Ready For The Syngenta Media Day

Chuck Zimmerman

Gardner HatchHello from Raleigh, NC where we’re about to kick off the Syngenta Media Day. To get things started I interviewed Gardner Hatch, Gibbs & Soell, to find out why we’re here.

He says it’s a way to provide agricultural reporters with information, especially what’s “in the pipeline” from Syngenta to communicate to our grower audiences. We’ll be able to ask a lot of questions and interview Syngenta researchers and learn more, which helps us do our job better.

Makes sense to me. Listen to what Gardner has to say here: Listen To MP3 Gardner Hatch Interview (2 min MP3)

Before getting started we got to get together for supper this evening at the Angus Barn. If you’re ever in the Raleigh area this is the place to eat. Awesome is all I can say. Make reservations though. Tonight (Wed) if you didn’t have them you faced a 2 hour wait. That ought to tell you something!

Agencies, Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech

Testing Mobile Broadband

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m in the St. Louis airport on my way to Raleigh, NC and got to test my new Sprint Mobile Broadband card in my computer. According to the test I got 768K download speed and 100k upload speed. Not bad and much better than dialup!

It’ll be interesting to compare it to how the service works in Raleigh and then in Portland starting this weekend.

Post Update: I’m in Raleigh, NC now and just did the same internet speed test with my mobile broadband connection. I got 468K upload and only 40K download speed. Not as good as St. Louis but still better than normal dialup. It’s what I’m using for my posting here so far. I just saved $10, which is how much the hotel I’m in charges for internet access.

I’m off to Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. for a day of talks and the opportunity to interview their research representatives. Keep an eye here on AgWired for lots of posts from this event.

Internet

Barbecuing A Healthier Cooking Method

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensA home economist with Manitoba Pork Council is recommending barbecuing as one of the healthier low fat ways of cooking. With the arrival of the warmer summer temperatures outdoor barbecuing peaks in popularity.

Home economics consultant Marlene McDonald says barbecuing, along with baking, grilling, broiling or roasting, is one of the recommended methods for healthy cooking. “When you’re looking at a nutritious cooking method, we’re looking at methods that either minimize the fat in food by limiting the amount that’s added during cooking,” says McDonald. “That would be like frying or deep frying or deep frying where you’re using a lot of fat. On the other hand, if you’re doing something like grilling or broiling or barbecuing, you’re cooking the meat on a grill somehow and the excess fat is dripping away so you don’t have it retained in the meat.” Read More

International

Brisket Sub From Quiznos

Chuck Zimmerman

Ken RahjesAccording to meatingplace.com, Quiznos is coming out with another beef sub. At last week’s Cattle Industry Summer Conference the media (like Ken Rahjes here, KRVN) were treated to Quiznos beef subs. They were awesome.

Now it looks like theyr’e coming out with a new one, “Smokehouse Beef Brisket Sub, available in small, regular and large sizes priced from $4.99 to $9.99. The newest offering from the Denver-based quick-service sandwich chain features a double portion of mesquite-smoked brisket that has been slow roasted for seven hours, sliced thin, then topped with cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce.”

Now that’s really what’s for dinner in my opinion!

Beef

Fresh Glue is Sticky

Chuck Zimmerman

BKG GroupI really wish more advertising and public relations agencies working with agricultural clients had a blog. I haven’t seen much yet. That’s why I got excited about Fresh Glue. One of the words I hear more and more marketing people using lately is “sticky.” Well Fresh Glue is kind of sticky.

Fresh Glue is the Breukelman Kubista Group blog. They’re in Sioux Falls, SD and we know of them from their work for US Bioenergy. Nathan Schock sends us news releases. Guess what, we use them on Domestic Fuel.

Nathan and crew, “get it.” BTW. If you don’t get it yet, go to Amazon.com and buy “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson. I am going to get my copy this week. I’ve only read excerpts from other people’s blogs but I think it looks like a must read.

Agencies

Get Your Waygu From Down Under

Chuck Zimmerman

Greg Norman PremiumPro golfer Greg Norman thinks beef is what’s for dinner. The only problem is he’s Australian and importing it into the United States. It looks like he’s got 2 flavors, “Signature Waygu” and “Premium.” It’s all targeted to upscale restaurants and they point out that, “This range is produced by AAco as a fully DNA trackable farm-to-plate standard. It’s your guarantee of the highest, most consistent quality beef, grain-fed and aged to perfection.”

Called Greg Norman Australian Prime™ (GNAP), the new brand is led by its flagship range, Greg Norman Signature Wagyu, a 350-day, grain-fed, super premium line of Wagyu beef. It is accompanied by Greg Norman Premium, a range of 120-day, grain-fed beef. The range also includes Greg Norman 100 percent Australian Beef Patties and Hot Dogs.

GNAP is produced in partnership with Australian Agricultural Company (AAco), Australia’s oldest surviving corporation, founded in 1824. The company has more than 600,000 BSE-free cattle on 24 stations and feedlots comprising 22 million acres in Australia’s Queensland and Northern Territory. AAco’s “farm-to-plate” standard ensures complete management over the entire supply chain. The entire range is USDA-inspected and approved.

Beef, International

Working On A New Connection Point

Chuck Zimmerman

National Agri-Marketing AssociationI have just been talked into agreed to chair the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference Trade Show committee. We want to make it even more of a Connection Point for you.

So, I’ll need some help. Who wants to volunteer to be on the committee? We’ll have a few conference calls, work with Eldon and the staff and have fun. C’mon. I know you’ve been wanting to do something to make the convention’s trade show better than ever. Hey, even if you don’t want to serve you can still email me your ideas and suggestions.

One thing I can promise is no surveys. We did that last year and now we will be looking at the feeback we’ve already received.

NAMA

Farmers Supply Now Online

Chuck Zimmerman

Farmers Supply company just announced a new website. You’ll find an online store of all things John Deere. You had better like music with your web pages too since you’ll get a lot of it each time you click on a different page or visit the homepage. This isn’t my favorite use of audio on a website. I recommend a way to turn the sound off and have it remember that I’ve already heard it when I come back to a page I already visited.

Farmers Supply provides the best selection of used tractors online, and their fifty years experience allows customers an unmatched level of trust and service in the farming industry. Specializing in John Deere equipment and accessories, Farmers Supply is the premier online source for today’s farmer.

Agribusiness, Internet

Brave Agri-Golfers

Chuck Zimmerman

Agri-golfersI know this is a small picture but that’s so it’s not easy to see how absolutely nasty/sweaty we are after playing 18 holes of golf in 100 degree weather. This was from our goodbye to Steve Taylor golf game at Eagle Knoll yesterday.

Pictured from l-r are me, Steve Taylor (Going to Appaloosa Horse Club), Nip Neidert (Neidert Associates) and Gary Marshall (MO Corn Growers). In case you’re wondering, Gary came away with the most cash and we all recovered from the heat very well on hole #19.

Ag Groups

American Agri-Women Get Fresh In Florida

Chuck Zimmerman

American Agri WomenWhy is it that everything from Florida is “fresh?” I’m from Florida. Does that mean I’m “fresh.” I guess it’s all that beautiful blue sky and sunshine. That’s where the American Agri-Women will be holding their annual convention this year. They say it’s, “Fresh Ideas, Fresh Outlook, Fresh From Florida.” I wish they’d hire me to blog it for them.

Here’s the schedule and registration form.

Ag Groups