Valley Cams Tracker SP Remote Controlled Irrigation

Chuck Zimmerman

Valley Cams Tracker SPHere’s news from Valmont Irrigation about a new component of their remote controlled irrigation systems. I think it’s interesting because farmers need to be pretty savvy adopters of technology to use these things and they certainly do. For example, if there’s a problem with the system:

As with the cams Tracker, the Tracker SP will notify the farmer with an alarm message either with a phone call, cell phone text message, or e-mail if a problem occurs, not only increasing efficiency, but ultimately reducing pumping costs as well.

I wonder how many farmers are using PDA’s to manage these systems? And guess what they can listen to on a PDA. I’m not going to tell you. If you’ve been reading AgWired lately you’ll know.

BTW. I visited the Valmont Irrigation website before posting this and have to add a comment. It’s a pretty site. But enough with the “flashy thing” as Will Smith would say in Men In Black. I do like the flash animation but it keeps running over and over. I like that it’s inside the page instead of full screen and it really looks nice but as I left the page up it just keeps re-cycling.

Agribusiness

Too Many Personalized Search Engines To Choose From

Chuck Zimmerman

Windows LiveJust when I finally got my personalized Google and MyYahoo pages set up now there’s Windows Live (beta).

If you haven’t customized a search engine “my” page you ought to. I have a Google Gmail account and MyYahoo email account, both of which you can have previewed on your customized page. I’ve made my Google page, my home page on one computer and my MyYahoo page my home page on my other computer. So what about Windows Live? It seems to have about the same functionality of the others from what I’ve seen so far. However, right now they only let you have an MSN Hotmail email account show up and I don’t have one and don’t want one. I’ve got too many email addresses as it is! Besides, 2 computers is enough for one blogger to deal with.

A nice feature of all of them is built in RSS feed reading. Plus you can then check it from anywhere since you can log into these pages from any computer. I use NewsGator as an RSS feed reader with the plug-in version to my Outlook email program. It works great but I’m beginning to think I could move to one of these search engine services instead. Anyone else out there decided which is better?

Internet

Reading Life After The 30-Second Spot

Chuck Zimmerman

Joe Jaffe BookI promised Joe Jaffe that I’d review his book, “Life After The 30-Second Spot,” so I’m getting started. I am not going to sit down and read it cover to cover. I think I’ll take it a little at a time and comment here when I see something you might be interested in. Who’s Joe Jaffe you may ask. The best way to get to know someone is to visit their blog. You can find out all you need to know about Joe there, that being Jaffe Juice. I’m going into this read in a very positive frame of mind because I already believe that mass media as we know it is not the great message mechanism it once was. There are too many choices. How many media points have you touched today?

So, let’s take the very start of the book and the first chapter title, “The End Of Mass Media.” I’m with you Joe. Right away he talks about the “fragmentation and proliferation of media touch points and content alternatives.” I know he’s writing about the average consumer but I think he might as well be writing about the average farmer. What do you think? How many media choices does a farmer have today? Do you think he/she sticks with just one?

Okay, we’re up to paragraph two. In here Joe mentions that the average supermarket has over 40,000 products up for grabs. That’s a lot of choices and they’re all being advertised somewhere, somehow, right? I wonder how many products are on display at your average farmer cooperative?

Well, I haven’t read too far into the book and I’m intrigued. The subtitle of the book is “Energize Your Brand with a Bold Mix of Alternatives to Traditional Advertising.” Sounds like a great talk at a NAMA conference if you ask me.

Media

Multi Vu Offering Video Podcasting Service

Chuck Zimmerman

MultiVuI just found out that Multi-Vu, a PR Newswire company, is now providing a video podcast service for their clients. Very interesting . . .

MultiVu, PR Newswire’s broadcast and multimedia company, is now providing its customers’ video content directly to consumers through Apple’s new iPod with video. Through video podcasting, MultiVu is now indexing video content it produces on behalf of organizations in Apple’s iTunes MultiVu’s customers will benefit from having their video content indexed as individual podcasts and as part of MultiVu’s general news podcast on iTunes.

Notice the key phrase in their release, “providing its customers’ video content directly to consumers.” And this is a service that has traditionally provided that content to reporters who then make editorial decisions on what their readers/listeners/viewers get. This only makes sense folks. It’s why ZimmComm has entered into an agreement with Quickfarm to deliver client news release content directly to farmers through AgNewsWire.AgWired.com! When you see that the releases we now distribute are put directly in front of farmers you realize that it’s what I call unfiltered news. No editor has filtered it. Your client or member farmer gets to make his/her own editorially decisions when they see the AgNewsWire.AgWired.com feed on the Quickfarm Network. The releases can contain links to any variety of media content you want the farmer to see or hear. It can direct him to where to subscribe to your audio or video podcast even.

This is why we’re evangelizing farm podcasting. You can now create and become your own medium. I know there are those skeptical marcomm people who somehow can’t believe that farmers have iPods or high speed internet access. Actually, to be fair, I think their skepticism come from the fact that there’s no study or measurement they can point to. However, I believe farmers are no different than your average consumer when it comes to using computers, internet and now even iPods. I wonder who the brave new marcomm souls will be who will consider this excellent new way to create and distribute “content” directly to their customers or their client’s customers. I guess we need to figure out how to talk USDA into adding iPod use into their periodic farmer internet studies.

In my meetings over the last couple weeks as I’ve presented the concept to numerous people at companies and agencies I’ve seen a variety of reactions. However, even the skeptics are intrigued. When they realize that the cost of hiring a professional firm to produce a podcast and host it and then buy iPods for their top customers to get the ball rolling is so very, for lack of a better word, affordable, I can see the wheels turning. Why not produce content for your members or customers and allow them to subscribe to it? They are the perfect audience. They want to get what you have to say and you have complete control over the message. I like the way Multi Vu says it in their release “reach new, self-selecting consumer audiences directly with video content that is relevant to them.”

Internet, Podcasts

TGIF All You Agrimarketing Professionals

Chuck Zimmerman

On the road again. Heading back from Des Moines so you won’t see much until this evening or this weekend.

It’s been a great 2 weeks of presentations on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com, agriblogging services and farm podcasting services. I want to thank all the people who have had me in. We’ve had some great discussions.

AgNewsWire.AgWired.com is off to a great start as evidenced by the releases we’ve sent/posted this week and have on the schedule for the future. Some creative ideas are surfacing with our Quickfarm Network component that I’ll be discussing with them. This unique new industry service has received a lot of interest and we’ll be working to develop and perfect it as time goes on.

I’m really psyched (maybe psycho) about the interest in agriblogging and farm podcasting. We’ve got numerous projects in the works or being considered. Keep your creative juices flowing folks. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

And besides the interest in having us design and create blogs, 2006 will be a big year for our own blogs as we develop sponsorships for them. We promise that the revenue we generate will be re-invested in developing and promoting them even further!

Talk to you again soon.

Uncategorized

Cows Getting Their DNA Genotyped

Chuck Zimmerman

GeneseekI really think that what the folks at Merial are doing with DNA through their Igenity division is fascinating. But, it’s so complex and “technical” I don’t even know how to write about it. So this announcement about their deal with GeneSeek is going to have to speak for itself.

MerialGeneSeek, Inc. and Merial Limited announced today an agreement to conduct large-scale DNA genotyping in cattle. The two companies are collaborating to develop seamless and high-throughput platforms to support research and for commercial diagnostic purposes, including sample collection, sample preparation, SNP genotyping, data processing and data management. Cattle producers will be able to use this information for advanced management and breeding of cattle to optimize efficiencies.

Initially, the collaboration will focus on a demonstration trial called “Project Lariat” to illustrate the value of these new platforms. Over 50,000 cattle will be sampled and genotyped, and their performance data recorded, to demonstrate the benefits of cost-effective DNA analysis in support of Marker Assisted Selection and Marker Assisted Management throughout the beef production chain.

Agribusiness

NCGA Announces Yield Contest Winners

Chuck Zimmerman

National Corn Growers AssociationThe National Corn Yield Contest Winners have been announced by the National Corn Growers Association. The winning yields range from 351 to 232 bushels per acre.

Back when I was in farm broadcasting full time I had the chance to announce the winners of this contest at the Commodity Classic. That was an experience. It was an early breakfast and there are a lot of names to announce. You just have to assume you know how to pronounce them all.

I’d be happy to do it again if NCGA would like to have a farm podcaster on stage!

The 27 winners were among the 2,997 total entries from 47 states. Twelve states were represented among the 27 winners. Though the NCYC does not recognize an overall winner, the winning yields ranged from 351.6881 bushels per acre by Steve Albracht of Hart, Texas, to 232.4453 by Brenda Tanner of Union City, Tenn. This year, 11 contestants, including all three winners in the AA Non-irrigated and Irrigated classes, recorded yields of more than 300 bushels. The average bushels per acre among the 27 winners was 288. This year’s contest had a first: Kip Cullers of Purdy, Mo., became the first twin-row entrant to place in a category. Seventeen growers entered twin-row fields this year.

You can see a list of the winners on the NCBA website.

Ag Groups, Corn

Watch & Listen To WTO Talks Via Webcasts

Chuck Zimmerman

WTO Hong Kong MinisterialIn case you’re really interested in what’s going on at the WTO talks in Hong Kong they are recording and webcasting many of the public sessions like news conferences and statements. They’re offering them live and archived in video and audio format and even in different languages.

Just go to the WTO Webcasting Page and you’ll find listings of the available audio/video files that they stream from their web server so they play very quickly.

The quality is very good of what I looked at. I didn’t see anything earth-shattering to report on although I can guarantee you that I didn’t spend a lot of time on it today. It was a busy day of presentations in Des Moines for ZimmComm. We also distributed multiple news releases today and worked on the production of two more which will be sent out tomorrow. You can of course see them on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com.

Uncategorized

O & B Kansas City Says “Boo”

Chuck Zimmerman

Boo LarsonIt’s Osborn & Barr announcement time. The agency now has Annabel “Boo” Larsen in the Kansas City office as Managing Director. In her new role, Boo will be responsible for the account service, media, public relations, accounting and creative staff.

Boo joined O&B after 20 years with Geoff Howe Marketing Communications. Beginning her career in Geoff Howe’s London, England, office, Boo gained experience in account management working on brands such as Hellmann’s, PepsiCo, Budweiser and the New Zealand Dairy Board. She transferred to Geoff Howe’s Kansas City office to develop the Hill’s Pet Nutrition account. In addition, Boo spent two years as the group account director for Pfizer Animal Health.

The agency also announced that:

. . . Adam Elwell has joined as art director. Adam will focus primarily on John Deere Credit, RFD-TV and new business efforts. Previously, Adam was an art director at Geoff Howe Marketing Communications in Kansas City where he worked on Hill’s Pet Nutrition which includes Science Diet and Prescription Diet.

Agencies

Johanns Appoints Cotton Board Members

Chuck Zimmerman

Cotton BoardU. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, announced some new Cotton Board members:

The newly appointed board members are: Steve Cantu, Tranquillity, Calif.; Barry Evans, Kress, Tex.; Maureen Gray, Lyndhurst, N.J.; Linda Tipton, Bentonville, Ark.; and William Sheely, Burlington, N.C.

The newly appointed alternate members are: Catherine Fanucchi, Bakersfield, Calif.; David Grant, Garysburg, N.C.; Michael Hubbard, Gastonia, N.C.; David Levey, Menomonee Falls, Wisc.; Debi Gregg, Hunting Beach, Calif.; and Joseph Harris, Anaheim, Calif..

To see the full list, including those who were re-appointed, visit the Cotton Board website.

Uncategorized