IFAJ 2009 Logo

Chuck Zimmerman

IFAJ 20092009 seems like a long way off doesn’t it? But this logo isn’t a mistake. That’s because we’re already promoting the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress which will be held in Ft. Worth, TX in 2009. If your company, agency or organization would like to be involved and help out in any way, now’s the time to let the committee know. We’ll have ag journalists from all over the world here. The meeting will take place in conjunction with the Ag Media Summit that year. Just email me with your interest and I’ll pass it along to the rest of the committee.

Special thanks go out to Kiersten McCarty and friends at Osborn & Barr for the logo.

If you don’t know much about IFAJ you can scroll through all my posts from last year’s Congress using the IFAJ category coverage or keep an eye out here for my coverage of this year’s Congress in Norway in just a couple months.

IFAJ

PictureCloud Creates A 360 Degree View

Chuck Zimmerman

Picture CloudHere’s an interesting idea called PictureCloud. It looks like a great way to showcase things like livestock, equipment, plants or just about anything. I’m going to remember this the next time I’m next to Jeff Simmon’s #17 Ethanol Car.

You can get started yourself immediately for free, which means your picture cloud will have their logo on it or for a relatively small fee you can have an account that doesn’t. If you register, type in “agwired” into the cloud code to receive 5 credits for a penny. Here’s what their website says about it:

In simple terms, a picture cloud replaces your still photo with one that spins and pans up to 360 degrees. Take several images around an object or scene, and upload them to this site – no special skills, software, or equipment are needed.

Internet

How I Blog Part One

Chuck Zimmerman

I have been asked many times about how I blog and what tools I use. I’ve been meaning to write a post about it but I’ve been too busy blogging. BTW. This is post number 1,875 on AgWired since I started in case you had a burning need to know that. I’m going to break this up into two different posts. One now and one, well, sometime soon.

Let’s look at tools first:

Blogging Software: It’s WordPress and that’s all you need to know if you want to be serious about blogging. If you have any other questions about this call me. With their new Widgets and all the plug-ins, this software does it all. Read More

Uncategorized

New Holland CMA iPod Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland CMA iPod ContestYou may remember that New Holland gave away a video iPod at Commodity Classic as part of their ongoing promotion with country music star, Michael Peterson. The iPod was pre-loaded with all my content from Classic (audio interviews, pictures and video of Michael’s performance). To say the contest was a hit would be to put it mildly.

With that successful first campaign under our belt, New Holland and I are doing it again at the Country Music Association Music Festival which starts next week. Although we’re not running an online contest, CMA Festival attendees can register to win a video iPod while they are there. The winner will receive an iPod that’ll come pre-loaded with all my content from blogging the event. It will include pics and audio from the final day Celebrity Boomer Tractor Race which now has 85 celebrities on the list to compete.

Michael Peterson CD CoverAs a little bit of extra creativity New Holland has made a life size replica of the Michael Peterson CD cover that’s missing Michael. If you buy a CD at their booth you get to stand in front of it and have your picture taken, which will be given to you immediately so you can have a special memento to take away with you.

This is very cool. In fact the whole promotion has continued to generate momentum since Michael plays personal performances at dealerships and private events for New Holland all over the country. Although the CD is still only available at New Holland dealers, a new version with some extra songs will be hitting retail outlets in the near future. I think New Holland and Michael Peterson already have a bit hit on their hands.

Agribusiness, Tractor

Recorder For The Farm Podcaster

Chuck Zimmerman

Belkin TuneTalk StereoWhile I’m on podcasting. How long before you see your favorite farm podcaster sticking one of these in your face at a farm meeting? I’m guessing only as long as it takes me to get my hands on one since they’re supposed to be available this month.

I think it’s worth a shot. It’s high quality digital audio and another use of the gadget I take with me everywhere. It is the Belkin TuneTalk Stereo, which allows you to record onto a video iPod. Learn more about it from the same place I did: Engadget.

Of course I love my Marantz PMD 660 but this might be worth a try.

Podcasts

Listening To The Whole Podcast

Chuck Zimmerman

PodtracAs if you haven’t heard enough from me about podcasting, but I think you’ll be interested in this. Especially you, “we have to measure it” types. Podtrac, which claims to have the largest database of demographic information on the people who listen to podcasts just released the results of their quarterly survey. Here’s some interesting findings:

According to their survey, over half (56%) of the podcast audience is listening and viewing podcasts on their computers, 46% on a portable device, and the vast majority (88%) listen or view the entire podcast episode. The survey also found that podcast awareness continues to grow as 41% of U.S. online adults were aware of term “podcasting” at the end of Q1 2006 versus 32% at the end of Q4 2005.

Would you think farmers are any different?

via Podcasting News

Podcasts

Recruiting Down Under

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag CareersIt seems like I was just in Australia. Actually I do hope to visit there someday. Ag Careers is there now.

AgCareers.com, a Farms.com Company, is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rimfire Resources PTY Ltd. of Australia to cooperate on a number of strategic human resource offerings.

The Memorandum of Understanding will allow each group to offer innovative, yet proven services in its home countries. These include: Read More

Agribusiness, International

Bounty On The Bay

Chuck Zimmerman

Commodity Classic 2007It seems like I was just in Anaheim for Commodity Classic and now we’re talking about Tampa in 2007. Here’s the new poster.

And of course that means the website looks different too. And who’s that funny looking guy on the left? Why, I believe it’s a stalk of wheat.

“We are so excited to join corn and soy at Commodity Classic,” said Dale Schuler, NAWG president. “This is a great opportunity for wheat growers and our organization.” Producers can expect to receive updates in association publications over the coming months.

Ag Groups, Commodity Classic

Dairy Month Festivals

Chuck Zimmerman

June is Dairy MonthYou must not get out much judging by the lack of “Here’s my favorite festival . . . “ responses. So I’ll just have to take up the slack. Actually dedicated reader Dave Mehlhaff said he’d go with me to Olean next year.

While researching a post for World Dairy Diary and since it’s now Dairy Month I found a couple of dairy-related festivals coming up.

To start with there’s Harvard Milk Days. This is in Harvard, IL. “The Longest running festival in the state of Illinois. Milk Days has grown from a small hay wagon stage with street dancing to a week of 30 plus different events. It is yearly attended by thousands of people all along it’s two mile route through the town of Harvard, IL.”

Then there’s the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute. “The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival is a three-day event that takes place at Doyle Park. The festival is a family event that features music, the Big Cheese parade, cheese tasting, a cheese carving demonstration, a cheesecake contest, a cheese curd eating contest, carnival rides, children’s games and entertainment, the Golden K’s Big Cheese breakfast, and food and refreshments sold by nonprofit organizations.”

If that’s not enough you know what to do. Google for more.

Dairy

USDA Broadband Loan Lawsuit

Chuck Zimmerman

Not everyone is happy with the way USDA’s Rural Development office is doling out rural broadband loans. According to a story on C/net yesterday, the department is being sued by Mediacom Communications, the same company supplying us with our high speed access. Apparently a competitor (Lisco) in Fairfield, IA received a low interest loan to develop a system in a community that already has 2 other providers.

According to the story, “The lawsuit seeks to force the USDA to rewrite the regulations that determine how the program is administered. It’s also looking to block Lisco’s $9.5 million loan.”

On the surface it seems like Mediacom has a point. If the intent of the program is to provide incentives to companies in rural markets that don’t have broadband access it doesn’t seem to make sense to provide this money in a market where companies have already invested private dollars. In this case Lisco followed the language of the regulations. Mediacom is saying that the language needs to change. I can’t say I disagree. Let’s get those tax dollars working in areas where farmers can’t get broadband right now. Of course there’s at least one company that would argue that all farmers already have broadband available.

Internet, USDA