NAFB Top Ten Stories of 2005

Chuck Zimmerman

National Association of Farm BroadcastingI have no motivation or inspiration to do a year in review so I’m glad that others are taking care of these duties. I guess I think that if anyone wants to know about the year at AgWired they can just scroll down!

NAFB has announced it’s top ten stories of the year. This was sent out in the form of a news release and I commend them for doing it. So many organizations don’t ever take the time to let the world know what they’re doing. AgWired is happy to pass it along. “Note to NAFB: You know how you like to get presents with the news releases you get? Bloggers are no different!! hint, hint”

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) announced its Top-10 Farm Stories and Ag Leader of the Year for 2005, selecting U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns as the year’s top farm newsmaker, and the unexpected sharp rise in energy costs as the year’s top farm news story.

NAFB’s Top-10 Stories of the Year for 2005:

1. Energy costs spike and squeeze producer profitability.
2. Hurricane Katrina devastates Southern agriculture and snarls the U.S grain transportation system.
3. U.S. Supreme Court finds checkoffs constitutional.
4. Congress passes comprehensive energy bill with Renewable Fuels Standard.
5. Japan re-opens market to U.S beef.
6. Asian Soybean Rust has no impact on U.S. soybean production in 2005.
7. U.S. Senate Confirms Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
8. U.S. re-opens border to Canadian live cattle.
9. U.S Ag Secretary Mike Johanns holds dozens of farm bill listening sessions in partnership with NAFB.
10. U.S. corn crop is second largest ever as Midwest drought is less severe than thought.
Full Release

So there you have it. I have to make a comment on the release though. If you’re an AgWired regular you’ll understand. Why no audio? You’re NAFB. It’s what you do. How about some audio to go with this release? Now that would have been really cool. I would have posted it. I know you’ve got it archived, or at least members do. Just a thought.

NAFB

Cool Extras At The ASI Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

Hot Air Balloon RideNo, it’s not a story about hot air balloon riding per se. But hot air balloon riding is what you can do if you go to the American Sheep Industry Association convention in Mesa, AZ. Here’s how they describe it:

Depart the hotel at 6:00am and drive west where the adventure begins upon arrival at the Sonoran desert launch site. Once your balloon is inflated, you will join your pilot in the beautiful hand-crafted wicker basket. The luxurious, over-sized basket has plenty of room to allow everyone to enjoy the ride to the fullest. Basket sizes vary, with carrying capacity of 4-9 people. As you gently leave the earth, you’ll be amazed at how light the balloon feels. During the glorious one-hour flight you have an unobstructed 360-degree view to take excellent photographs.

I’ve done this before and it is an awesome feeling. I got my mile high certificate after we supposedly went that high. Just remember you’ll be in the land of cactus. Be careful where you land!

Oh and btw, the convention is January 24 – 29 at the Phoenix Marriot Mesa. Registration Form

Ag Groups

Pork Delegates Appointed

Chuck Zimmerman

Pork BoardIt’s appointment time again for our U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns. This time it’s 153 pork producers and 8 importers to the 2006 National Pork Producers Delegate Body. I’m not going to post them all here. If you really want to know who they are though you can see the full list by downloading the release here: USDA release.

Delegates meet annually to recommend the rate of assessment, determine the percentage of assessments that state associations will receive and nominate producers and importers to the 15-member National Pork Board.

Ag Groups, Pork, USDA

Lallemand Supports Organic Producers

Chuck Zimmerman

LallemandMy friends at Lallemand know how to get my attention. This time it was with some great San Louis gourmet coffee from Alotenango, Guatemala. I can’t find a website for this coffee or the importer, Lankin Corporation, but if you can find it, it’s good! It’s farm fresh roasted and packed.

There’s a reason for the gift. This is what looks like “organic” coffee, meaning that it’s grown without the use of agro-chemicals. It came along with information about how they’re supporting the work of organic livestock producers. They’re doing this with a variety of products approved for organic use like: Alkosel, Agrimos, Biotal, Levucell SB and Levucell SC. You can find out all about these products on their website.

Great idea Lallemand. Good coffee, something every late night blogger needs.

Agribusiness

WordPress 2.0 Now Available

Chuck Zimmerman

WordPressIt’s the best and it sounds like it’s getting better. For all you bloggers and wanna-be’s you need WordPress to do it right. I’m hooked and it’s going to be hard to change me.

WordPress 2.0 is now available. I think I’ve got about 12 blogs going now in WP and more planned. I’m going to upgrade on one of my personal ones before converting AgWired. I’ll let you know how it goes.

This is exciting (for a blogger anyway).

Uncategorized

100 Years of the National Western

Chuck Zimmerman

Stick Horse RodeoThis would be me in a rodeo. You can’t get thrown and trampled by a stick. However, I wouldn’t be safe because you can still trip over a stick and fall down and break your neck.

This is just one element of the multitude of fun you’ll find at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo and lots of other stuff. I’ve never been but I’d love to go. It’s the 100th year and to get a little background they have a story for you:

If the founders of the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo and Horse Show were to attend its 100th anniversary celebration in January, they’d likely pop a few buttons with pride. The brainstorm of Elias Ammons, Fred Johnson and G.W. Ballantine, the first show opened on Jan. 29, 1906, for a six-day run that attracted 336 entries–a number with which the trio was mighty pleased. The mid-winter date, sandwiched between the busier fall and spring seasons, appealed to farm and ranch folks, while for the show’s Denver boosters, primarily businessmen, the livestock hoorah was just the fix for those post-Christmas blahs. The first three shows were held under canvas. Full Story

Anyone going? Want to send me some pictures and a story?

Farm Shows

Brownfield’s Year In Review

Chuck Zimmerman

Brownfield NetworkI’m not planning on doing a year in review although it seems like a lot of people are. Take the Brownfield Network for example. Tom Steever looks back at the year in agriculture in this hour-long special report: Stream or Download (22mb mp3)

Speaking of the Brownfield crew, another one’s going south of the border.

Brownfield’s Josh St. Peters will travel to South America Jan. 19 through Jan. 29. St. Peters, along with several Illinois farm families and agribusiness leaders, will tour Brazil’s cities and farms. The farm broadcaster will also be accompanied by staff of South American Soy, LLC., an Illinois-based group that is investing in Brazilian agriculture.

Agriculture is truly international so I’m sure Josh is going where the action is. He can’t just want to get out of the office can he?

Post Update: I must have missed this announcement. Besides the boys going south Tom Steever is headed overseas.

Brownfield’s Tom Steever is traveling to Berlin, Germany in January to attend the East-West Agriculture Forum, which is part of that country’s International Green Week observance. Steever is going at the invitation of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., which extends the invitation to one U.S. journalist each year.

This is a great trip and one I went on back when I was with Brownfield. I have a lot of stories Tom. Make them take you out to eat some good old German food. The first couple days we ate everything except German for some reason. If you try to convince us that you made it to all the booths I won’t believe you! This is one huge show going on there.

Audio, Media

The Radio War Perspective From Sundog

Chuck Zimmerman

Sundog Carol of the ChinsIt’s still the Christmas season so you can still enjoy singing a carol or watching someone or something else sing them. Like these chins from Sundog.

Actually I found them when I visited their site to see Greg’s latest post on “Radio War Heats Up.” If you haven’t visited Sundog you ought to. I mentioned them earlier this year since they did the creative behind the excellent GoE Roadtrip blog. If you’re looking for an agency that “gets it” when it comes to the new online world of communications then give these guys a try. Of course, you can call us too.

I am bringing this to your attention because I’d like your thoughts on what Greg writes. For example, eventhough he points you to studies that show the growth in various forms of new audio delivery mechanisms he still believes in it: “While all these radio alternatives make it almost impossible to use any one segment of the “radio” broadcast pie to reach a mass audience, it, nevertheless, makes it easier to narrowcast targeted, relevant messages to more granular market segments. Ultimately, this should increase the return on investment for advertisers.”

I wonder how it applies in the farm world. How fractionalized are the ways a farmer “listens?” How do you reach them if they’re listening to satellite radio, internet radio and podcasts in addition to their local radio station? Do you believe they are using all of these? How do we measure this? Anyone want to sponsor a national farmer media use study that will include questions about their computer, internet and use of new technology like iPods besides how and when they listen to their local station? I’ve got just the completely independent company that can do the research for us. They aren’t one of the “traditional” ones that always conducts the studies we see and hear about. Interested? Want to know what your members and customers are really doing?

Agencies, Internet

The AgWired Frappr Map

Chuck Zimmerman

AgWired Frappr MapAs if I didn’t have anything else to do but play around with something that I’m guessing is almost completely worthless interesting, you can now check out the AgWired Frappr Map. What is it? I’m not really sure. Just another experiment in internet social communication.

The theory is that all my friends will want to got there and add themselves. (addition: Show me where all the AgWired friends are.) They (you) can enter your location, comments, a picture and it’s even got a user forum which I’ve got set up with the topics of agriblogging and farm podcasting just to get you started.

We’ll “see how this works” as someone I know said about theirs.

Internet

Blog Training At MBIC Today

Chuck Zimmerman

MoBeef UpdateIt’s the Missouri Beef Industry Council’s newest website project and it’s a blog. It’s MOBeef Update and was the subject of an MBIC Report recently.

I got to conduct a training session with the staff today. Besides Steve Taylor, the executive director, Dawn and Alane can now post their own information. I’m sure we’ll start seeing their content as they become comfortable and find their voice.

It’ll be interesting to see how the board likes the new communications vehicle. I’m planning on giving them a presentation at their next meeting and show them how to subscribe if they aren’t by then.

Ag Groups