I was just alerted to an ag blog you might want to check out. You can see for yourself at the Center For Rural Affairs .
See? There’s more of them happening all the time.
Feel free to contact ZimmComm if you’d like help in learning how to blog. We can set yours up for you and even help you maintain it!
I couldn’t resist posting a picture of this little guy from the NCBA trade show. Especially since New Holland is a client and we helped with their Polar Express movie promotion by sending a Talking News Release! 
Or are we the media?
Interesting question.
It used to be that companies had to push their information to their customers through “traditional” media (newspaper, magazine, radio, tv). The web has opened up a whole new world though.
What about blogging, or as I’d rather say, self-publishing and syndication? If I create an easy to use and subscribe to web log site then I’m going directly to the audience I want. My site can include audio, video and of course text.
Although not blogging, look at what companies like John Deere are doing today. They announced this week that member organization NCBA has “endorsed” the Gator and Buck as their official Utility and ATV vehicles. I’m sure this provides the organization with much needed and welcome revenue for it’s programs and services. In return, John Deere gets mentioned and plugged in NCBA news releases and materials which I assume will include their website and other member communication devices. They’ve passed the traditional media by to reach their customers directly in a relationship that seems to work for everyone.
Does this mean that NCBA has become the “media?”
I got my latest edition of NCGA News of the Day by email. It talked about a new agreement with Eden Bioscience that allows NCGA members to receive product discounts and participate in field demonstration trials with a product they hope to receive registration for prior to the upcoming planting season.
Does this mean that NCGA has become the “media?”
Love to know your thoughts on this.
I’ve been told that we have a record number of media representatives (reporters) covering the Cattle Industry Convention this year. I know I saw more at the media reception tonight than I’ve ever seen before. Thank you Merial for sponsoring it and the excellent food, especially the little steaks that were fork tender!
Because of all the reporters here I’ve spoken with many people we send Talking News Releases to. I like hearing the comments like, “Love what you send me. I’ve been using it.” Thank you. I wish they would write that to me and to you our clients!
As I was wishing that I got to my computer and checked email. Here’s part of an email I got from a farm broadcaster today that I thought you might be interested in:
“I also wanted to let you know that when you had the Machinery Link interviews months ago I had listeners comment on that report and really enjoyed the information about machinery cost, etc.
I told you about that at the NAFB convention, but never got it in writing! Thanks for your efforts!”
She’s referring to a release we sent on behalf of Blasdel, Cleaver, Schwalbe Communications for their client Machinery Link. Feedback is great.
So this is how I know our TNR service is being used by the reporters we send them to. We talk to them and know so many of them personally. Of course nothing beats a good story though.
The trade show here at the NCBA convention is huge. Producers have lots of opportunities to talk to company reps or here at the Novartis booth, they can compete in a computer quiz for prizes that are awarded each day to the 2 highest scorers.
Although there’s a formal press conference room, impromptu press conferences pop up everywhere. Here’s Phil Seng (USMEF President) holding court with reporters in the news center.
I know it’s not a very exciting picture but you can see how everything is sponsored. Reporters at the news center will leave this convention weighing several pounds more due to the large quantities of food bestowed upon them. Thursday’s breakfast included large steaks! After all we have to get our beef quota.
Thanks to the USDA Rural Development Broadband program more and more rural communities are getting access! Listen to my interview with Gill Gonzalez, Undersecretary for Rural Development with USDA as he talks about the loan program that’s helping bring broadband to the countryside.
Listen here: ZimmBlog Podcast
What do they have in common?
I’m at the NCBA/CBB convention in San Antonio and just sent a Talking News Release out for the National Biodiesel Board simultaneously with their live press conference going on at their annual convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It’s amazing what you can do with computers and the internet today!
So, here I am covering the convention in Texas as a way to demonstrate how you can use a blog for your company and/or client. At the same time we have clients like the National Biodiesel Board who are having us do release projects for them. We’re about as mobile as you can get.
I think we’re also going to create a new blog just focusing on farm news and directed to farmers. What do you think of that? It just makes sense to have a couple of reporters who are running their own public relations company create a source for news and information which we’re helping produce. Of course it has to be transparent and we’ll be up front about what they will read.
At the Schering-Plough booth a friendly bartender poured a free beer and you could enter a contest to win a new John Deere Gator! I spoke with Dan Ellsworth, Senior Product Manager, Cattle about new products from his company.
You can hear our next podcast here: ZimmComm Podcast.
Keep checking in for more from the Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show.
