This week’s CornTalk has a holiday them. Missouri Corn Growers Association CEO, Gary Marshall, announces his “Big Turkey Award” which goes to big oil for posting record profits at the expense of consumers. Marshall also gives thanks to Missouri corn growers and lawmakers for supporting the continued growth of ethanol.
You can listen to this week’s CornTalk here: 
CornTalk is a weekly AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link you’ll find on our “Blogs & Podcasts” page.
Traceability is certainly the buzz in food safety today. We’ve got to know where it came from no matter what “it” is. This is true for all commodities and new products and services are being developed very quickly. Today AgInfoLink USA announced that it has received USDA Process Verification Program (PVP) approval.
A key component of AgInfoLink’s Process Verified Program is the ability to connect data across the meat and livestock supply chain. An immediate application of AgInfoLink’s PVP will be age and source verification for livestock producers and processors. AgInfoLink will deliver this verification through its approved alliance customers like Beef Verification Solutions in Kansas and Kentucky Beef Network, or directly with other approved producers.
It will be interesting to see how these systems develop.
Thanks to my good friend Adam Finley (AdJab), someone who I’ve never met, spoken with or written to, you can hear some strange songs about fruitcake. This is agricultural in a very twisted sort of way. At least it’s in the holiday spirit.
Actually it’s the Oregon Lottery promoting a new scratch-off game called Fruitcake Cash. The songs are jingles used in their advertising. Of course it has it’s own website. You can listen to the music from links on the site.
In case you didn’t make it to the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Agribusiness Forum, you can still participate in an online version of one of the sessions: “Are You Customer Focused? – The Truth Revealed!” The session will be done as a webinar.
Dr. Gene Brown, professor of marketing in the Henry W. Block School of Business, at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), conducted original research among the members of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), to gauge the degree of customer focus in their companies. The findings of his research were presented during the 2005 Agribusiness Forum, November 8-9 in Kansas City. This web-based seminar (Webinar) will provide an opportunity to hear the results of this research and to learn how to determine if your company is truly customer focused.
Cost for the webinar is $35 for individual registrations. To participate in the Webinar, you need to have access to a telephone and a computer. Once you are registered for the webinar, you will receive an e-mail with the phone conference information and web link to log in. To register visit, http://www.nama.org/programs/webinars/register.html.
For more information visit, http://www.nama.org/programs/webinars/customerfocused.htm.
Are you still skeptical about the whole podcasting thing we’ve been championing since early this year? Let’s see how skeptical you may be after some new information.
For example, the Apple Ipod is probably the most well know brand and last I saw over 28 million of them have been sold. But that doesn’t take into consideration all the other brands out there that have been aggressively competing with them or the fact that most pda’s and even some mobile phones now allow you to download audio to them.
How about a recent survey by Bridge Ratings: The study estimates that 4.8 million persons have at some time during 2005 downloaded a podcast from either a radio station or other source. iTunes was referrenced as the most often accessed portal for podcast downloads. This 4.8 million estimate is up from 820,000 podcast users in 2004. . . . By 2010 podcast audience growth is expected to reach a conservative 45 million users who will have ever listened to a podcast. Aggressive estimates place this number closer to 75 million by this date.
Do you read the Sunday newspaper? Did you see this week’s Parade Magazine? If not, you can find the archive when they post it on November 28. In this week’s edition they have an article titled “Now, Hear This.” The subtitle says “Podcasting may change the way you think about radio.” They quote the “Podfather,” Adam Curry, former MTV VJ, “Podcasting is not appointment-based listening. It’s there for you when you want it.” That’s one of the keys to this whole podcasting thing.
Okay, but what about farmers? Are you one of those people who for some reason can’t accept the fact that farmers aren’t much different than the general public? Do you think they don’t know how to use computers or that they don’t have anything but slow dialup? Get with the program folks! Here’s a farmer comment from a loyal AgWired fan and ZimmCast (my podcast) subscriber: “The only thing better than Sirius, is listening to the Zimmcast and other farm commentary podcasts on my Ipaq. Farmers spending so many hours on the tractors should be jumping on the Ipod bandwagon in a big way. Especially in Canada now that the NHL is back! Keep up the great work.”
Ag companies and ag groups are finding out that they can create their own programming and target a very niche audience of customers and members with it. How about you? Need some help getting started? Need someone to produce your programming because you don’t have time? Give us a call, eh?
Meet Michael Peterson, country music star, who is about to release a new album that I am sure is going to be a huge hit. The only place you’ll be able to buy one will be your local New Holland dealer. It’s expected out right after the first of the year. Michael was at the recent NAFB Convention. He was a big hit with folks there.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast here:
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.
The FAO just re-elected Jacques Diouf. If you need help pronouncing that give me a call.
Dr Jacques Diouf of Senegal was re-elected to a third six-year term as Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today. He received a total of 137 votes out of 165 votes cast and was the only candidate nominated by the Organization’s 189 members. An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 188 member countries plus one member organization, the European Community.
The National Pork Board has finalized its new budget. They’ve got an aggressive plan to spend just under $50 million. This means the continuation of pork racing and the approval of all state budgets. Producer approval is high too according to their annual survey: the survey showed that producer support of the Pork Checkoff and the programs the Checkoff supports is now 71 percent in favor and 19 percent opposed. In 2004, the support level was 61 percent in favor and 26 percent opposed.
That’s nothing to be blah about!
An overview of the Beef Checkoff is now available in the form of a 28 minute video that you can download off the Cattlemen’s Beef Board website. It’s a big file so make sure you’re on broadband. If you don’t have it you can order a dvd. The video was launched on the RFD-TV network in September.
There’s a new IT Director at the Meyocks Group. Since he’s always on the computer or in it does that make him an in-the-box guy?
His name is Brandyn McKibben. Welcome to the team.
