The Boot Camp crew had to stop for lunch. I don’t have the name of the farm but they got to lounge around in the shade. I wonder who that is on the cell phone?
Photo courtesy of Ken Dean, High Plains Journal.
Agri-Marketing Boot Camp Bus Tour
Agri-Marketing Boot Camp got started today. I didn’t go on the tour but thanks to my good friend Ken Dean, High Plains Journal, we have some photos to share! Over 60 people are here to learn about agricultural marketing, along with about another 20 of us (staff, presenters, sponsors).
The tour started out on bus. So here’s the brave crew headed up by committee chair Beth Burgy, Broadhead+Co.
Let’s salute the committee that put this all together:
Chair:
Beth Burgy, Broadhead + Company
Vice Chair:
Colleen Gerke, John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center
Committee Members:
Liz Suter, Osborn & Barr Communications
Sharon Larson, Morgan&Myers
Matt Herman, Farm Journal Media
Scott Kington, Woodruff Sweitzer
Executive Committee Liaison:
Tom Smull, Associations, Inc.
Boot Camp Blogging
Now we’re talking Boot Camp Blogging! NAMA has one and of course AgWired’s blogging it. I just got in and noticed the announcement about the Agri-marketing Boot Camp Blog. Eldon, you’ve been busy. Good start. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.
To leave a comment you have to register. Your username is case sensitive I just found out.
Anyway, I’ve got to go exercise a tad before tonight’s producer panel. I’ll have more later.
AAEA Has 5-Year Plan
The American Agricultural Editors Association has just finalized a new strategic plan. This has been a process in which members were given plenty of opportunity to have input. You can download and read the full plan here.
Included in the plan is this mission statement: “The American Agricultural Editors’ Association fosters excellence among agricultural communicators through professional development and an open exchange of ideas while promoting standards of integrity.”
This is a 5-year plan and includes 8 primary goals that include maintaining and increasing membership and seeking new ways to provide benefits to members. It’s a very comprehensive plan that the leadership is committed to working hard at accomplishing. I find strategic planning fun but most people are bored to death when it comes to it. However, if you don’t have a roadmap, where are you going? I wonder if other ag communications groups have a plan like this. If not, they should!
Research Projects Funded By Beef Checkoff
The beef checkoff funds research in addition to promotional projects. In this week’s MBIC Report from the Missouri Beef Industry Council, Cindy interviews Bob Weaber, University of Missouri Extension, about some of the projects being funded by checkoff dollars.
You can listen to the MBIC Report here 
The MBIC Report is a weekly AgWired podcast which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar.
Podshow Obtains $8.85 Million
I know this is a blog about agricultural marketing and you’re wondering why Chuck keeps pushing podcasting. It’s because I can see how valuable this tool is! Besides our very own ZimmCast, you can listen to the MBIC Report or CornTalk (see our sidebar to the left). These are weekly programs that open-minded agricultural organization leaders are having us produce. Doubt they have listener? Don’t. Their files are structured so that I can measure how many times they’re downloaded by the people who use the standard MP3 file link and there are additional downloads from subscribers who are using podcasting software. They have listeners. It’s not big numbers yet but the people who listen “want” to listen! That’s important. They can also listen whenever and wherever they want to.
Still doubting that podcasting will ever become “something?” How about this little news item from CNET News.com:
Privately held PodShow has received $8.85 million in strategic investments from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital and Sherpalo Ventures, the company said Tuesday.
That’s not a small investment by anyone’s measure!
AGCO & NASCAR Put Agriculture In High Gear
Actually their headline was that Challenger, Caterpillar and NASCAR Put . . . but my title space only has so much room.
Many companies do it. Gotta love those race cars and their fans. It’s a publicity machine! This time AGCO announces their sponsorship of a NASCAR race car in agreement with Bill Davis Racing. Pretty sweet looking machine, eh?
I wonder what the “metrics” are on this investment. How do you measure the value of the sponsorship? Is it just how many stories it generates? How many fans see it at a race or on tv? How about measuring how it impacts your target audience? A little customer research? Does sponsoring the car contribute to new sales for AGCO? Does it affect buying decisions? Inquiring minds want to know this kind of thing. Anyone have any research on the effectiveness of sponsoring race cars?
DULUTH, Ga.-Aug. 5, 2005–The Challenger(R) brand, which already graces a full line of quality tractors, combines and hay tools, will soon make its appearance in a whole new venue–on the NASCAR NEXTEL CUP racing circuit. Through an agreement with Bill Davis Racing, the Challenger brand is a new associate sponsor on the No. 22 Caterpillar(R) NASCAR race car, driven by Scott Wimmer, through the end of the 2006 racing season – and, in addition, is the primary sponsor on the No. 23 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP entry, driven by Johnny Benson, in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this October.
“We are pleased that Challenger has decided to join us as one of our sponsors for the 2005-2006 racing season,” says Bill Davis, team owner and president of Bill Davis Racing. “We approached them because we believe they have the same drive and ambition toward their goals as Bill Davis Racing has towards winning on the track.”
For more information contact Cheryl Thompson.
Need An Agriblogger?
I’ve never been to San Francisco for some reason but that’ll change later this week. I’ll be attending the Blog Business Summit. Call it blogging professional development. Want to see what I’ll be learning? Check out the schedule here.
I’ve been speaking with a growing number of people in agricultural communications who are interested in this topic. If you can’t attend my class at the NAMA Agri-Marketing Boot Camp Thursday or go to an event like the Blog Business Summit, then give me a call. I’m available for consultation and blog design and implementation. Call it agriblogging? Agribloggers-R-Us? Personally, I like to think of it as the coolest public relations tool to come along in a long time!
New Checkoff Board Appointments
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, was in an appointing mood this week. He made quite a few appointments. I’m just posting the new ones. You’ll have to visit their website to find the re-appointments.
National Dairy Board
Newly appointed were: Ronald L. Koetsier, Visalia, Calif., (region 2); William R. D. Anglin, Bentonville, Ark., (region 4); Donna L. Sharp, Bath, S.D., (region 5); Carl F. VanDen Avond, Green Bay, Wis., (region 6); Bradford A. McCauley, Viola, Wis., (region 6); Douglas D. Nuttelman, Stromsburg, Neb., (region 7); Carl A. Schmitz, Wadesville, Ind., (region 9); Joyce A. Bupp, Seven Valleys, Penn., (region 11); and Ronald R. McCormick, Java Center, N.Y., (region 12). Debora A. Erb, Landaff, N. H., (region 13)
Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board
Thomas S. Jones, Arkansas; Ross Jenkins II, California; Carlyle W. Currier, Colorado; Roger L. West, Florida; Timothy J. Shaw, Idaho; Terrell D. Handke, Daniel J. Kerschen and Kenneth L. Stielow, Kansas; Charles L. Miller, Kentucky; Charles J. Bassett, Missouri; James R. Almond, Montana; James J. Eschliman and Lyndell W. Whipps, Nebraska; John P. Woods, New Mexico; Margie B. Hande, North Dakota; Bob Drake and Andrea D. Hutchinson, Oklahoma; Randall P. Meabon, Pennsylvania; Edward T. Blair, South Dakota; Robert L. Bruner, Daniel Dierschke, Bryant W. Fisher; Daryl Owen, and Lavine G. Sartwelle, Texas; and William W. Oliver, Virginia.
Appointed to represent importers are Ronald G. Allen, Greg L. Benedict, Joakim A. Holzner, John J. O’Carroll and David W. Palmer.
For more information you can also contact USDA News, 202 720-4623.
World Dairy Diary Public Now
This isn’t new news to many of you but we post all Talking News Releases that our company produces and add them to our RSS feed. Today we publicly began promoting “World Dairy Diary,” the official weblog of the World Dairy Expo. Since it’s a TNR it includes links to sound bites. We distributed to our list of ag journalists (print & broadcast) here and internationally as well as our national database of radio station reporters and through PR Web. Feel free to check it out. BTW, sponsorships are currently available.
WORLD DAIRY EXPO BLOG SITE TO PROVIDE UP-TO-THE-MINUTE EXPO INFORMATION
(Holts Summit, MO) The 2005 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin is reaching out to the global community with an on-line daily information source to provide the latest news and promotional materials about the event and the dairy industry.
“World Dairy Diary” at wdexpo.org was created and is being maintained by ZimmComm, an internet communications company based in Missouri. President Chuck Zimmerman explained that Expo officials were looking for a new way to get information out to people about the event.
“World Dairy Diary” is what has become known as a web log, or blog,” Zimmerman said. “Since a blog is just simply a website that is easy to update, it is getting more popular as a communications tool to provide information, pictures, audio and even video on an immediate basis.” (full release) Word document
For more information contact me! That’s Chuck Zimmerman.