It’s getting closer to time for the Agricultural Relations Council summer meeting. Are you an ag public relations professional? Are you a member? Want to know more about it?
Then listen to my interview with ARC president Jeri Omernik. Jeri talks about the mission of ARC and how it’s evolving and the program at our (I’m a member) annual meeting just prior to the Agricultural Media Summit.
You can listen to my interview with Jeri here 
(MP3 file – 7.5MB)
Another ag organization. You’ve got your USB, your ASA and now you’ve got your USSEC! Not much information sent out about this yet. I’m betting we’ll hear more. Wonder what agency they’ll work with. Anyone know?
Soybean Checkoff Farmer-Leaders Witness Historic Signing of New International Marketing Entity
ST. PAUL, Minn. (July 18, 2005) – Soybean checkoff farmer-leaders witnessed a monumental occasion at the recent United Soybean Board (USB) meeting. Leaders of USB and the American Soybean Association (ASA) signed a contract establishing the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC).
USSEC co-chairmen Mark Pietz, USB vice chair of International Marketing and a soybean farmer from Lakefield, Minn., and Neal Bredehoeft, ASA Chairman and a soybean farmer from Alma, Mo., signed the contract for USSEC, which will become the international marketing implementation arm of the soybean checkoff. USSEC will establish a unified and coordinated international marketing program to build demand and brand for U.S. soybeans and products.
For more information contact Chris Toebben.
The Missouri Beef Industry Council has a new director of consumer information. Her name is Alane Lidolph. She just started last week and is interviewed in this week’s MBIC Report.
You can listen to our interview with Alane here
The MBIC Report is a weekly AgWired podcast. You can subscribe using the link in our sidebar.
Valmont held an online audio conference today to discuss the company’s second quarter performance among other things. You can listen to the conference since it was recorded by going here.
Although the overall corporate business is up, the irrigation unit is their main agricultural market and the picture wasn’t too rosy, although the company remains positive for the future.
In the Irrigation Segment, second quarter sales were $65.4 million, a 25% decrease from last year’s record second quarter results. Operating income for the segment declined 37% to $7.5 million due to lower volumes and reduced factory utilization. Cost cutting measures were taken during the quarter. In North America, demand fell substantially due to lower crop prices and inflation in energy and fertilizer costs for growers. Many farmers use large amounts of diesel fuel and prices have risen to record high levels. Certain crop fertilizers are produced as a by-product in the production of natural gas, where prices are also fluctuating in tandem with crude oil. In international markets, sales levels increased in the smaller markets while declining in major international markets largely due to lower world crop prices and increased energy costs. Valmont believes the long-term economic and water saving benefits of mechanized irrigation continue to be compelling.
For more information contact Jeff Laudin +1-402-963-1158.
I guess he had some serious health issues but he’s over them now and he must be in good shape for the schedule he’s outlined.
’06 World Ag Expo chairman Erin Ferguson: “Helping is my business!”
TULARE, CA: 2006 World Ag Expo chairman, Erin Ferguson, wore a big grin as he talked about his connection with World Ag Expo, both past and future.
With last year’s physical concerns behind him and his health restored, Ferguson says he’s looking forward to working with the show’s exhibitors, visiting as many as possible in person, in addition to attending several trade shows including the National Farm Show in Louisville. Visits have already included the Gehl Corporation and Case IH.
“One of our goals this year is to call every past exhibitor whom we have not heard from yet about the ‘06 show,” Ferguson said. “So far we’ve been very successful in reaching out. We want to help them have the best show possible. Helping exhibitors is my business!”
For more informatin contact Doreen Nagle.
This isn’t the first year they’ve done it but they’re doing it a little differently this year. That is they’re using ZimmComm to pre-record interviews with growers and technical representatives for a series of radio reports. They’re Osborn & Barr for their client, Monsanto, and the reports are about YieldGard Plus with a focus on corn plant root conditions.
This is kind of an adaptation of our Talking News Releases. We interview the grower and edit the sound bites. I upload them to our server. Then I create a document that contains the questions, followed by a hyperlink to those mp3 sound files on our server. The broadcaster is emailed the document. Then they can download the audio files and he/she’s got a ready made “live” interview to walk into the studio and record!
I’m sure these are tied into a paid advertising schedule. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The broadcaster has the flexibility to work with the material we provide to suit their format. They can edit the sound bites further if they need to for example.
Here’s a couple examples of what I’m talking about. Without posting a full document (there’s lots of them from multiple states) the broadcaster will get something like this:
What is the outlook for corn rootworm pressure this year, and why is it important for growers to conduct root digs to assess root damage? 
monsanto-obermeyer-rootdig-cut1
That’s with Dr. John Obermeyer, an entomologist with Perdue University.
Another example would be:
How does your YieldGard Plus corn look at mid-season, and what are your expectations of how it will yield at harvest?
monsanto-russell-cut6
That’s Joe Russell, a grower from Muncie, Indiana. Each interview and document has multiple Q&A which the broadcaster then turns into a “local” report for their listeners.
So you see, there’s lots of creative ways you can work with ZimmComm! Let us be your audio experts and we can help you prepare and distribute information to broadcasters more efficiently and easily for you and them.
Every once in a while you just have to take a break from the computer and “get on your bikes and ride.”
So, I head to the Katy Trail with my Schwinn. I had to play with my gadgets while riding too. My new phone (Treo 650) actually takes pretty good pictures.
The Chicago Farmers are holding a meeting in Peoria in August you may be interested in. The members of the St. Louis AgriBusiness Club have also been invited and sent out this invite.
Here’s the details I have:
St. Louis AgriBusiness Club members are invited to join The Chicago Farmers for a unique opportunity to visit the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) and Caterpillar’s C13 ACERT engine plant Wednesday, Aug. 24. The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research is one of four USDA research centers in the United States. The purpose of the research is to find new uses for agricultural products.
Agenda
9:45 a.m. Meet at the NCAUR Ag Lab (no later than 9:45 a.m.)
10 a.m. National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research to noon Ag Lab tour
Noon We’ll drive to Mossville (site of Caterpillar’s ACERT engine production).
12:30 to Lunch at the CAT plant, where Raymond Poe, Illinois
1:15 p.m. State Representative (R) for the 99th District, will address the group
1:15 to Hear from one of Caterpillar’s engine specialists and
2:30 p.m. take a tour of the facility
Go here to register. Registration is $25 ($30 for non-members). The deadline for registration is Thursday, Aug. 11.
If you’ve ever used Monster to try to find a job or hire someone and are looking for an “aggie” then you ought to check out AgCareers.com. They’ve just partnered up with the folks at the International Agri-Center in California.
International Agri-Center partners with AgCareers.com
TULARE, CA: The International Agri-Center has announced a new partnership with AgCareers.com, an Internet website that does for agriculture what Monster.com does for techies – it links employers seeking staff with prospective employees, all with an agricultural bent. The Agri-Center is located in Tulare, Ca.
“The Agri-Center looks to AgCareers.com to assist with recruiting efforts within the West,” says Gary Schulz, Agri-Center general manager. “They are the leading online human resources site for ag, food, natural resources and biotechnology.”
For more information contact Doreen Nagle.
I pointed you to the GoE guys before. Have you been keeping up with their summer road trip? All you gotta do is subscribe.
Anyway I really like what they’re doing and how this demonstrates blogging as a promotional tool. In one of their latest posts the guys visited Hebron, ND. They liked the name so much that “. . . we liked the word Hebron. So, we’ve decided to make it applicable to anything and everything. Meaning that we can use it as a noun, verb, ajective, or adverb at any time we want, just so we can give ourselves as many opportunities to say Hebron as we can. Example: Hey, cool hat man! That is totally hebron! or Wow, I’ve had a heck of day. I’m pretty hebronned out. See what I mean. It’s pretty cool, huh?”
I think they’re funny and this is a great promotion.
