Start The Day At The Farm Gate

Chuck Zimmerman

The Farm GateThe extension specialist quoted in the release for The Farm Gate is the father of Keith Good who publishes FarmPolicy and writes for AgWired weekly on Tuesdays. I guess he saw what the boy was doing and pronounced it good.

“Agricultural decision-makers have a new place to start their day – “The farm gate,” an internet blog updated daily by University of Illinois Extension. “The farm gate is a place to go to find integrated information across a variety of disciplines, including crop and animal sciences, ag economics, ag engineering, and veterinary medicine,” explained U of I Extension marketing specialist Darrel Good. “These disciplines will be addressed as they meet, intersect and often intertwine to shape the environment in which the ag community lives and work.”

The Farm Gate blogger is actually Stu Ellis. This only makes sense!

University

The Dude Has A New Dell

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s my first post from my new Dell Latitude D410. With all the travel that’s underway and not going to stop (except for the holiday weeks) I can not lug around an Inspiron 9100. That is a great machine but it’s a portable desktop. This is a dream machine for a road warrior.

I was on a plane today that was so small that even when I took my old Inspiron out of my bag it still wouldn’t fit under the seat in front of me. I’ve still got leg cramps. That’s not going to happen with this baby. As my good friend Napoleon would say, “Sweet.”

Maybe this will mean more road posting, especially at events since this unit gives me a lot more options on how to carry it around.

Uncategorized

Utah State Fair By Napoleon Dynamite

Chuck Zimmerman

Utah State Fair NapoleonSteve Mays gets the credit here. He found out that the Utah State Fair is using Napoleon Dynamite in their marketing campaign and I think it’s hilarious. Of course I’ve already watched the movie about 4 times and think it’s funnier every time I see it. You can find Napoleon’s Sweet Ads here. Just look at the link in the left side list.

Like Stevie Mays the Wonder Man I thought I’d preserve one of the radio ads for you. It’s very agricultural.

Audio, Farm Shows

Podcast Is Word of the Year

Chuck Zimmerman

Farm PodcastingAccording to Podcasting News: “The Oxford University Press, publishers of the New Oxford American Dictionary, has selected podcast as the Word of the Year for 2005.”

Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, said: “Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept. This year it’s a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon.”

Supposedly the word will be in the new online update in early 2006. I wonder if it will include a sub definition for farm podcast?

Hey all you public relations and communications people. Let’s make farm podcasting the buzz of the new year.

Podcasts

News Release Follow Up Quandry

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m back from the east coast and catching up on email and news feeds. I just had to post some links about a topic I first saw on “Church of the Customer.” It’s about following up on press releases with reporters. A subject near and dear to my heart. In fact, this was a topic in most of my meetings this week.

Basically, Ben McConnell gets the ball rolling on the subject and then you can just follow the links to “The Publicity Hound” here and here. Then on to The Bulldog Reporter’s Daily’ Dog.

All they say applies to agricultural reporters. Basically they make a point about how annoying and ineffective it is to have people call reporters to follow up a news release. It happens all the time though. What I don’t think these folks take into consideration though is that public relations agencies in particular are under pressure from their clients to justify the investment they make in having releases produced and distributed. I think the agencies are trying to obtain documentation of the value of the client’s investment and there really isn’t an easy way to do this. It would be nice to have a personal relationship with every reporter out there but that’s just not practical. Clipping services don’t clip every publication and you certainly can’t monitor hundreds of radio and tv stations.

So how do you justify news releases? Good question. Can anyone comment on how they do this?

Public Relations

Janice Dahl Starting Anchor Management Group

Chuck Zimmerman

The AnchorageI just heard from Janice Dahl who’s on a little R&R before starting a new venture. Janice has been the executive director for the United Soybean Board for the last 8 years. Here’s what she wrote:

I will be starting a consulting company called Anchor Management Group, specializing in governance and management for associations and not-for-profits. We will be launching in January. It is a great opportunity to work with many associations’ managers and leaders to build their most effective governance models and, ultimately, to make their work as impactful as it can be on behalf of their members.

Congratulations Janice on your new adventure. We look forward to hearing about your progress after the first of the year.

Agribusiness

LPC Held Boot Camp Recently

Chuck Zimmerman

LPC Boot CampThe Livestock Publications Council just held Boot Camp Ver. 1.’05 in Lousville. Two of the attendees were new student members from Michigan State University, Sara Barker and Abby Jones.

I know they had a Photoshop workshop and a lot of great “classes.” Wish I could have been there.

LPC

Nutritional Advertising By The Beef Industry

Chuck Zimmerman

MBIC Report PodcastThe Missouri Beef Industry Council’s weekly MBIC Report this week is with Missouri Beef Council board member John Kleiboeker of California, MO. John talks about the beef industry’s nutrition advertising campaign that will soon be appearing in magazines like Parents, Good Housekeeping, Bon Appetit, Weight Watchers, Shape and Men’s Health.

You can listen to this week’s MBIC Report here: Download MP3 File

The MBIC Report is an AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link you’ll find on our “Blogs & Podcasts” page or on the MBIC website.

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Podcasts

Massey Ferguson 5400SA Series Announced

Chuck Zimmerman

Massey Ferguson 5400SA SeriesIn a first for our new AgNewsWire.AgWired.com service, Massey Ferguson announced their new 5400SA series of specialty tractors. As their release says, “Massey Ferguson’s new 5400SA tractors feature special cab styling for better maneuvering through mature fruit orchards, plus an advanced air filtration and pressurized cab air system that keeps interior air clean for the operator. ”

That’s a nice looking tractor and you can read the whole release as it’s posted for reporters on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com. Thank you AGCO and Massey Ferguson!

Agribusiness

Will The Missouri River Rise Twice

Chuck Zimmerman

CornTalk podcastCornTalk is the week’y interview program of the Missouri Corn Growers Association. The proposed plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to have two spring rises on the Missouri River could create another problem for farmers – crop insurance may not cover any losses as a result. Randy Asbury, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River, talks about the potential problem and what is being done about it.

You can listen to this week’s CornTalk here: Download MP3 File

CornTalk is a weekly AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link you’ll find on our “Blogs & Podcasts” page.

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Podcasts