This Quasimojo Member Won’t Be Forgotten

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s a post I really wish I didn’t have to do. I received an email a little while ago that Andy Markwart, the editor of John Deere’s “The Furrow” magazine just passed away. I only just got to know Andy in the last year or so since I’ve become involved with AAEA and IFAJ. Andy was one of the members of the popular Quasimojo band that played at their events. I know I will join many people in missing Andy. The news was a shock and he and his family will be remembered in our prayers.

Andy has been on AgWired in the past, including an interview I did with him late last October. You can also see him in two other posts, here and here.

Here’s the funeral information supplied by AAEA this morning:

Andrew J. Markwart, 43, Shawnee, KS, passed away Friday, February 24, 2006. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m., Tuesday, February 28, 2006, at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee. Services will be 10:30 a.m., ednesday, March 1, 2006, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 7851 West 119th St., Overland Park, KS. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Capitol Federal Savings, c/o the Markwart Children Education Fund, 5700 Nieman, Shawnee, KS 66203.

Andy is survived by his wife, Thelma, and their two children, Marlaina (7) and Owen (3). Condolences can be made at www.amosfamily.com.

Agribusiness, Publication

E-Watch Your Release Results

Chuck Zimmerman

E-WatchThe folks at PRNewswire have been listening to their clients and are now offering users who send a news release a “complimentary” service to find out about online “use” of a release that’s sent via their US1 wire. It’s called E-Watch Media Monitoring.

Beginning February 27, you can receive complimentary online media monitoring when you send a news release over any US1 newsline. US1 Media Monitoring will monitor thousands of online news sources for mentions of your organization for 30 days after the release is issued.

When you send a US1 release, you’ll receive an e-mail prompting you to activate your monitoring account. Once you click on a link in the e-mail, you’ll receive a username and password, allowing you to log into the site where you can view results, add keywords to track products, issues and industry players as well as forward articles to colleagues and save articles to download into clip reports.

Monitor more than 14,000 online news sources and blogs.

This is interesting especially since they mention blogs separately from news sources. I wonder what the difference is in a blog and a news service. I may have to send out a release through PRNewswire to see how they generate a report. I realize how much agencies in particular want to measure their PR efforts, something I think is difficult and very easy to mis-interpret and mis-represent. For example, let’s say you know how many reporters open and look at your release and maybe they even download an image or audio file. Does that mean they used your release? How would you report that information to your client? At least with online media like this service will monitor you can actually see the story. At least it sounds like it. Has anyone used this yet? How do you like it? Does it provide you with the information you need?

Media

Listen To Michael, Mary and Margy

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast58-Commodity Classic WeekIt’s Commodity Classic week here on AgWired. That means you must enter our contest to win a video iPod, which is being sponsored by New Holland and watch for event coverage that includes student bloggers Mary Irelan and Margy Fischer, sponsored by Monsanto. This week’s ZimmCast is a little different. No one on one interview. You can hear some of the music from Michael Peterson’s new CD, “Down on the Farm” and I interviewed both Mary and Margy to find out what they want to accomplish at Classic and what they think about blogging it.

You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Download MP3 File (13:11 MP3 File)

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar.

You can also now find the ZimmCast on CoolCast Radio or subscribe in iTunes.

Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Rural High Speed Internet Rising Quickly

Chuck Zimmerman

The availability of high speed internet access in rural America is the subject of the latest study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Around 24 percent of rural Americans were using high-speed connections to the Internet in their homes by the end of 2005, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported Sunday. This is an improvement over the 16 percent of rural Americans with broadband connections in 2004, but below the 39 percent of urban and suburban Americans using high-speed connections at home in 2005, said John Horrigan, associate director for research at the Pew Internet Project.

Overall rural internet penetration has risen quickly in recent years, with 62% of adult rural Americans at the end of 2005 with internet access, compared with 70% of adults in urban and suburban locales. This 8 percentage point gap is about half the rural-non-rural gap at the end of 2003. Coupled with fast growth in broadband adoption, the internet profile of rural America is slowly becoming more like the rest of the nation.

Internet

Podcasting With A Vatican Official

Chuck Zimmerman

Cardinal Arinze PodcastThis has absolutely nothing to do with agriculture but I thought it was very cool. I use it as an illustration of how podcasting is not some sort of goofball strategy. I subscribe to the Cardinal Arinze Podcast. It’s “podcasting with a Vatican official” and he’s really good at it and so are the people doing the production. In fact, they’re even doing video podcasts. I just like the new logo they emailed me. In case you wonder who he is, Wikipedia has this:

Cardinal ArinzeFrancis Cardinal Arinze (born November 1, 1932) is the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni in the Roman Catholic Church and has been the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Roman Curia under popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Arinze was one of the principal advisors to John Paul, and was considered papabile (a possible pope) before the election of Benedict and still could be, depending on the length of Benedict’s Pontificate.

Podcasts

Pass PAS Along

Chuck Zimmerman

PAS ConferenceHere’s something to pass along to your friends and neighbors. It’s the National PostSecondary Agricultural Student Organization conference. It’s going to be taking place in St. Louis. You can find out more about the conference here.

If you’re a NAMA member you might want to stop by for the Gateway Chapter lunch meeting on Friday, March 17. You can get more information from this handout. The location is the Millenium Hotel in downtown St. Louis at: 200 South Fourth St., 314-241-9500. We’ll be in the Illinois/Missouri Rooms.

I think they’re looking for help with judging if you’re interested. Give them a call.

The National Postsecondary Agricultural Student Organization is an organization associated with agriculture/agribusiness and natural resources offerings in approved postsecondary institutions offering baccalaureate degrees, associate degrees, diplomas and/or certificates. PAS is one of the ten career and technical student organizations that has been approved by the U. S. Department of Education as an integral part of career and technical education.

NAMA

Your Silence Is Golden

Chuck Zimmerman

ABEFFind a home for that special edition wildlife print or even those sports tickets and surplus company logo jackets. Or give a media package or services, and support the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) at the same time.

Donations are needed for the 2006 Silent Auction, held during the Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show, April 19-21 in Kansas City.

Please join your agri-marketing peers in supporting this worthwhile effort by donating to the auction. Fill out the on-line Pledge Form at http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm to indicate your donation and/or interest in the project by March 24, 2006 to be included in the auction catalog. Any worthwhile product or service will be gratefully accepted.

Please show your support of the ABEF and donate what you can (minimum of $50 value suggested). All proceeds from the Silent Auction support the NAMA Student Careers Program.

Please note that all media and service packages will be auctioned on-line. The on-line auction will take place at the end of March. For more information on the ABEF and the Silent and On-Line Auctions visit, http://www.nama.org/abef/abef-index.html.

NAMA

Quick Link Stories

Chuck Zimmerman

I’ve got quite a backlog of stories that I’ve been meaning to mention. So in the interests of time and my sanity here’s some quick links:

New NC+ website by Swanson Russell Associates.

BAYER ANIMAL HEALTH NAMES FIRKINS TO LEAD FOOD ANIMAL BUSINESS

SRA Announces Promotions and Personnel Change to Public Relations and Interactive Services

New Century Farmer applications now available

New Inactivated Vaccine is First with Lepto hardjo-bovis Combo

Several Leadership Role Changes Announced at Dow AgroSciences

FB Launches ‘Production Decision’ Web Site

Agribusiness

Mid South Show This Week

Chuck Zimmerman

Southern Cotton GinnersWhile a lot of us will be in Anaheim this week a bunch of folks will be in Memphis for the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show. In fact, I know some of you will be flying from one to the other. Lots going on this week.

Farmers, agribusiness representatives and others interested in Mid-South agriculture will converge on the Memphis Cook Convention Center March 3 and 4, 2006 for the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, the south’s largest indoor farm show.

The show will feature approximately 400 exhibitors from more than 40 states and three foreign countries and will occupy over 200,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Convention Center. Show attendees will see an expanded number of farm equipment manufacturers, specialized services, the latest in seed varieties, and new technologies in precision farming software and services. Visitors who go through the exhibit areas are eligible for prizes, which will be awarded each afternoon, including $2,000 in attendance prizes awarded daily. Drawings will be at Noon ($500); 2 PM ($500); and 4 PM ($1000).

Farm Shows

Get Some Elvis PR In Graceland

Chuck Zimmerman

Kevin KernHave you registered for the Agricultural Relations Council meeting in Memphis yet? Time’s a wasting. You’ve got until March 3 to get the convention rate at the hotel. They’ve got a full program on public relations lined up including one with Kevin Kern, Media Coordinator for Elvis Presley Enterprises.

You can download the program and registration form here. (pdf file)

ARC, Public Relations