Canadian Support Extreme Measures to Contain Avian Flu

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensA report from Ipsos Reid shows most Canadians will support extreme measures to contain the threat of a human pandemic resulting from avian influenza. With many experts predicting H5N1 Avian Flu could reach North America by this fall, a survey of 16 hundred Canadians conducted earlier this month, as part of a tracking study of attitudes toward the issue, found six in ten Canadians have concerns about the virus.

Vice president in charge of Ipsos Reid’s public affairs trends division Dr. Glenys Babcock says the study explored potential public policy. “”It turns out Canadians overwhelmingly support serious measures to contain avian flu should it arise in Canada as an epidemic,” said Glenys. “We asked about people spending time in quarantine due to the avian flu, should they be in contact with it, and facing criminal charges if they violate it, businesses being required to waive sick leave, mandatory court ordered quarantines and pets, including destroying pets infected with the H5N1 virus to prevent transmission of the virus to humans.”Read More

International

Grassroots In Action at D&PL

Chuck Zimmerman

Tiny Miss GeorgiaI’ve been meaning to follow up on a story from last month on how D&PL’s grassroots initiative for National Agriculture Week went. Janice Person was kind enough to send me a page from their employee newsletter that highlights individuals and how they found creative ways to distribute the “Did You Know” cards supplied by the National Cotton Council. For example, the picture is Mary Madeline, this year’s Tiny Miss Georgia Cotton who attended the state’s ag week kick-off with her mom. Her dad (D&PL employee) made sure they had cards in hand as Mary Madeline visited with commissioner of agriculture Tommy Irving (shown in photo).

The efforts of D&PL’s employees and business partners to draw positive attention to the cotton industry for National Agriculture Week went well. The photo at right from agwired.com shows the type of attention we received from media – this was shared by customers and others who found the information of interest.

We have heard some success stories on how well employees used the cards and want to say thank you to everyone who helped raise awareness.

In addition to this, employees at the National Cotton Council conducted similar efforts across the U.S., with employees in their Washington DC and Memphis offices joining their field employees. And Planters Bank in the Delta handed them out at the 14 branch locations across the region.

It sounds like this might become an annual event.

Agribusiness

The Horse Clonerers

Chuck Zimmerman

Royal Blue Boon & CloneIf you’re not “horsey” then you might not have heard about the fact that a couple of horses were cloned recently and seem to be doing very well. They’re the result of a collaborative effort between Viagen, Inc. and Encore Genetics.

“The legendary cutting horse Royal Blue Boon, a registered American Quarter Horse, became the first mare to be commercially cloned when a foal was born to a recipient mare on Royal Vista Southwest farms in Purcell, Okla., on Feb. 19, 2006. The foal was born healthy and continues to thrive on the farm where she was born. She was joined soon after by a clone of the mare Tap O Lena, born at the same farm on March 9, 2006.

You can watch a video of the Royal Blue Boon meeting her clone here: Watch Video Clone Video (13 min wmv) There are a number of additional clones to be born still this year.

Agribusiness, Video

Blogging, Blogging on the BIO

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO 2006It’s all going to be here on AgWired too. I’ll be blogging the BIO, live from Chicago’s McCormick Place starting at the end of this weekend. This is going to be an interesting challenge. They’re claiming a crowd of nearly 20,000 people from all over the world.

Rhea & Kaiser Marketing CommunicationsThe biggest news though is that my coverage is being sponsored by Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications. Just recently we reported that the agency has joined with Worldwide Partners, Inc. I think these folks are really open to new ways of doing things and this sponsorship is ample proof of that. In fact, R&K is going to have the distinction of being the first agency to advertise on AgWired. Is it too early to call it a trend?

I want to say thank you to Steve Rhea and his staff for this opportunity to work with them on this event. You’ll be seeing lots of interesting content here as we work through the coming days.

I’ve got to give you my BIO news release update. I’m up to 60 news releases that have been emailed to me this week so far. Most of them are an announcement about a press conference or interview opportunity. There’s no way a lone blogger can make them all but I’ll be at as many as I can. I look forward to bringing you the best of the BIO.

Agencies, Biotech

Have a Steak Sundae

Chuck Zimmerman

Steak SundaeI just had to post this because of the picture. We just sent out a Talking News Release for long time client, the Missouri Beef Industry Council on the steak sundae. It had me fooled when I first looked at it. I was wondering how beef would go with ice cream. But read on:

April is the “Month of the Young Child” and anyone who has children knows how difficult it can be to get them to eat nutritious foods. To make it a little easier, the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) offers a fun idea for even the pickiest eaters – the Steak Sundae. According to MBIC marketing director Dawn Thurnau, the treat can be made by alternating layers of mashed potatoes and chunks of steak with warm barbeque sauce or gravy in a sundae dish.

“Then on the top you put your chunks of steak with another little dollop of mashed potatoes and then a cherry tomato on the very top with some green onions. So it looks just like a chocolate sundae, but tastes like an open-face roast beef sandwich,” said Thurnau

Listen to Dawn here: Listen to MP3 File Dawn (MP3)

Audio, Beef, Food

R&K Receives ARF’s Ogilvy

Chuck Zimmerman

Rhea & Kaiser ARF stands for Advertising Research Foundation. And ARF bestows the David Ogilvy Award at it’s annual convention which was just held in New York City. Rhea & Kaiser received the award in the services/retail/media category.

The award, which recognizes the role that insightful research plays in developing marketing and advertising campaigns that deliver superior return on investment, was presented to R&K for the agency’s work on the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare “Why I Chose” campaign. R&K was the only independent advertising agency to be nominated for and to receive this award.

Agencies

More Rural Broadband Loans Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

USDAHigh speed internet access in the countryside just keeps growing and USDA’s rural development assistance program is helping make that happen once again. This time three loans totaling $43.7 million were announced to provide broadband service to an estimated 41,000 rural households and businesses in four states. I would have to believe that some of those folks are farmer wouldn’t you?

The four states are Florida, Georgia, Minnesota and New York. I hope the companies receiving the loans do well.

Internet

Food Code 2005

Chuck Zimmerman

NTISDo you want to know all about:

* Major Food Allergen Knowledge
* New Time and Temperature Controls to Prevent Pathogenic Microorganism
Growth Or Toxin Formation
* New Controls And Operations For Reduced Oxygen Packaging
* Refocused Date-Marking Provisions
* Updated Employee Health Provisions

Then you need the fully updated Food Code 2005 Book from the National Technical Information Service. We don’t want any toxins in our food supply!

The Food Code contains the latest science-based information on food safety for retail and food service industries. It represents FDA’s best advice for a uniform system for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is unadulterated and honestly presented when offered to the consumer. The Food Code 2005 edition is available as a handy loose-leaf manual from the National Technical Information Service.

Food

Here’s To Beer

Chuck Zimmerman

Here's To BeerCindy showed me an ad in our local paper for Here’s To Beer. It doesn’t say much other than that we should raise our glasses on April 7th and celebrate.

Why? Why not? Actually it’s to celebrate the fact that President Roosevelt signed emergency legislation on April 7, 1933, prior to prohibition, declaring “let there be beer.” After 13 years of prohibition people were thirsty! If you go to the website you’re going to find out lots of stuff about beer. Like styles of beer, beer quotes, beer facts, and lots more.

So I say, why wait. It’s now April 6. Let’s get this party started.

Food

Nesco Meats has innovative proposal

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensSince the beginning of the BSE crisis in Canada, there has been lots of talk about new beef slaughter and processing facilities. Although there have been scores of proposals, only a few have proceeded. Nesco Meats of Melfort, SK has maintained a low profile, but has developed what looks like a viable plan.

Farm Commentator and writer Kevin Hursh of Saskatoon says most of the 25 initial shareholders are producers who have investigated technology from a company in New Zealand that allows a slaughter plant to do a number of different species in an efficient and hygienic manner. “The result is a plan for a federally inspected slaughter and processing facility that would do 50,000 to 80,000 animals per year in a single shift,” said Hursh. “While beef will be the mainstay, the plant will also be able to custom slaughter bison, elk and wild boar.”

Nesco Meats has purchased 18 acres of fully serviced industrial land from the city of Melfort. The environmental assessment is nearly complete. A prospectus should be complete in the near future, at which time there will be a share offering. The $15 million capital project would create about 40 direct jobs. After all the failed plans for slaughter and processing facilities, it’s easy to dismiss these sorts of proposals, but Nesco Meats seems to have done its homework and it has an innovative plan

Siemens Says

International