Why Does Keith Good Publish FARMPOLICY.com?

Chuck Zimmerman

Our ZimmCast this week features fellow blogger Keith Good. Keith is the publisher of FARMPOLICY.com, one of the few blogs focusing on agriculture. Keith keeps an eye on the mainstream news and provides a concise summary of news that’s important to agriculture. You can listen to the interview here or subscribe to our podcast feed in the sidebar titled “ZimmCast.”

I spent quite a few hours this weekend working on the podcast file to make sure it functions properly. I use the latest version of iPodder which you can download for free. It’s a very simple little program which allows you to subscribe to a “feed” like the ZimmCast. Once you’ve subscribed just make sure your iPodder program is open while you’re online and it will search when you tell it for new programs (manually or at preset time intervals) . When it sees that a new program is available it downloads it to your computer where you tell it to.

I have mine set to download my subscriptions to a file that syncs to my Dell Axim pda. Then I can listen to those files anytime I want! It’s just like radio except I listen when I want to or when I can!

You don’t have to sync it to any device if you don’t want. You can just listen to the downloaded file on your computer too.

Hope you enjoy our ZimmCast this week. Gotta get Cindy into the act. She sounds so much better than I do. But you can listen to her in some of the other audio files available now in our sidebar titled “Audio Programming.”

Audio, Internet, Media, Podcasts

Tell Us What You Want To See

Chuck Zimmerman

We’d like to extend an invitation to submit articles, news releases, pictures and other announcements for possible publication on AgriMarketing Pros, your newest place to learn about what’s going on in the agri-marketing world. In fact, as far as we know it’s the only blog about our business.

We’re interested in what you’re interested in. Here’s some ideas:

New marketing campaign
Obtained a new client
Hired a new agency
Started a new publication
Doing something different
Changed your name
Gone on an adventure to a foreign country
Published a new book
Started a new website
Started a new business
Bought somebody
Been bought by somebody
Won any awards
Hired somebody
Fired somebody
Launched a new product
Started a new partnership
Rants and raves
Scheduled your next convention

You can use the old-fashioned mail system or fax machine or just put us in your address book to email us:

AgriMarketing Pros
1600 Skyview Dr.
Holts Summit, MO 65043
573-896-5842 (fax)
news@agwired.com (preferred)

Even if you don’t have anything to submit don’t forget to bookmark us or subscribe to our site feed with your news reader (we like NewsGator).

Look up AgriMarketing Pros at our booth at the upcoming NAMA convention.

Public Relations

Corn Growers Looking For a Good Communicator

Chuck Zimmerman

I don’t plan on making this a habit but because he’s a great guy and one of ZimmComm’s favorite people I’ll do it.

In fact, before I even get started you should know that you can find listings of agri-marketing jobs through NAMA‘s job bank. You have to be a member though!

The new Vice President of Marketing for the National Corn Growers Association is Fred Stemme. He just let me know about a communications position they have open so I thought I’d post the description here.

NCGA is looking for a candidate with the following qualifications: 2-3 years news writing experience, ag background, journalism or ag journalism degree (preferably), who is able to handle a heavy work load. This position is responsible for writing 1-3 daily news stories posted to our web site, our quarterly report, annual report, one-page newsletter that appears six times a year in Farm Futures magazine, presentations on NCGA activities and issues, among other assignments. Additionally, the successful candidate will know how to take photos, be able to travel to meetings as needed (our trade/show convention, Corn Congress in Washington, D.C., and special meetings), work closely with ag media on farm broadcasts and with national media by setting up interviews with our key grower spokespersons and writing letters/op eds.

NCGA covers six key issue areas: ethanol, biotechnology, farm policy and rural development, trade, transportation, research and business development. Needless to say, we have a lot to write about. Our web site, www.ncga.com, provides a good idea of our issues and the type of writing we expect. Both the 2004 Annual Report and our World of Corn are posted to the web site and are examples of some of the publication work the Communications department produces.

For more information on the job, contact should be made to our HR department at hr@ncga.com

Maybe in their spare time this person could write some articles to post on AgriMarketing Pros!

Ag Groups

Ag Meeting Schedule

Chuck Zimmerman

There are a number of places you can go to find a listing of meetings that are important to the ag industry and there’s a lot of them, especially when it comes to state associations and state fairs. A good place to find them is in AgriMarketing Magazine where you can search them by type and date.

For our purposes I made up a quick list for planning purposes. They all have websites I’m sure but I didn’t have enough energy to link to all of them. Maybe when I’m just sitting around on a weekend with nothing to do?

We’re going to try to attend as many as we can and provide coverage right here on AgriMarketing Pros!

    Meetings Schedule For The Serious Agri-Marketer

NAMA – Phoenix, AZ 4/20-22/2005
World Pork Congress – Washington, DC 4/27-30-2006
Washington Watch – Washington, DC 5/1-3/2005
NRECA Legis. Conference – Washington, DC 5/2-4/2005
World Pork Expo – Des Moines, IA 6/9-11/2005
BIO 2005 – Philadelphia, PA 6/19-22/2005
Intl. Fuel Ethanol Workshop – KC, MO 6/28-7/1/2005
Cattle Industry Summer Conf. – Denver, CO 7/26-30/2005
Ag Media Summit – Milwaukee, WI 7/31-8/3/2005
ACE Annual Mtg. – Omaha, NE 8/16-18/2005
Farm Progress Show – Decatur, IL 8/31-9/2/2005
IFAJ – Thun, Switzerland 8/31-9/4/2005
Husker Harvest Days – Grand Is., NE 9/13-15/2005
Feed Industry Expo – KC, MO 9/19-21/2005
World Dairy Expo – Madison, WI 10/4-8/2005
Sunbelt Ag Expo – Moultrie, GA 10/18-20/2005
American Meat Inst. – Intl. Conf. – Chicago, IL 10/26-29/2005
North American Livestock Expo – Louisville, KY 11/5-18/2005
Agritechnica – Hannover, Germ. 11/8-12/2005
NAFB – KC, MO 11/9-11/2005
National Agricultural Bankers – Omaha, NE 11/13-16/2005
National Western Stock Show – Denver, CO 1/8-23/2006
NCBA – Denver, CO 2/1-4/2006
World Ag Expo – Tulare, CA 2/14-16/2006
National Farm Machinery – Louisville, KY 2/15-18/2006
Commodity Classic – Anaheim, CA 3/2-4/2006
National Grain & Feed – San Diego, CA 3/30-4/1/2006

Agribusiness, Farming

Great Article About Podcasts

Chuck Zimmerman

Although it repeats some of the things that I’ve written before about podcasting I still recommend you look at this article written by Stephan Spencer for MarketingProfs.com and in their e-newsletter today.

I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to a ZimmCast, our version of the podcast which is available in the sidebar. We started the weekly interview program just a few weeks ago and already have several interviews scheduled in coming months that I think you’ll enjoy listening to.

I agree with one of the things Stephan says in his article and about how podcasting isn’t for everyone. To start with, it’s very much like deciding to start a new radio show. I can’t tell you how many times over the years someone would come to me with an idea for a “great” new program. Most never got started once the idea person realized the effort involved in making a good sounding product that someone will want to listen to.

I think this is one of the reasons why companies and agencies haven’t used audio with their news releases and targeted radio reporters. It’s not always easy sounding good but that’s what professionals like us here at ZimmComm are for! We take the effort out of it and make sure the product you send is broadcast quality and something reporters can use if they choose to.

The same holds true for podcasting. If your company or agency would like to start a regular podcast look to a company like ZimmComm to produce it for you! Feel free to comment or email me with questions.

Audio, Podcasts

Blog Search Engines

Chuck Zimmerman

I just added some links to a number of blog search engines. You’ll find them in the Suggested Links sidebar.

These are some interesting ones you might want to look at if you’re trying to learn more about what blogging is all about.

Another reason to link there is that it improves the priority your blog receives when they crawl and search for you!

Uncategorized

Feedback From Reporters

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m going to periodically post feedback we receive from reporters because I think it’s a good idea to see what reporters tell us regarding Talking News Releases. I plan to post the good and the bad without edits.

The reporter in this post was responding to an email request for feedback on a series of releases we sent over the last couple months for the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service about their ARMS Survey. We really prefer not to send out requests because we know reporters hate taking the time to respond but we will do so and in this case we received more than the normal number of responses.

This post is from Bob Priddy, News Director for the Missourinet, a statewide news radio network, owned by Learfield Communications, where I used to work as manager of the Brownfield Network. Bob is a past president of the Radio, Television News Directors Association.

As you might recall from your days of living in the same room with us, the Missourinet is pretty cruel to people who offer canned tape. It’s easy to be cruel to strangers who call on the phone and offer comments from the head of the National Association of Left-handed Arc-Welders about the problems of the pasta manufacturing industry in an era of low-carb diets, especially since that person lives in New Hampshire.

We tell those folks we don’t take nor do we use canned tape. If we can’t do the interview ourselves and ask our own questions and the necessary follow-up questions, we’re not interested.

That has generally been the case with the Taking News Releases. We haven’t used them on the air. But in the case of the work you guys are doing, the situation is a little different. It’s different because you’re working with Missouri entities and dispensing Missouri information. So the ZimmCom product becomes a tip service for us. If the subject is something we’re interested in, we can follow up with the angle or the issue we want to pursue.

In the case of the ARMS survey, I don’t know if we would have known about it without the material you have sent us. I don’t recall any direct contact from the people behind the survey.

It seems to me the value of the kinds of service you folks are providing—from our standpoint—is that it offers your clients exposure. The ultimate decision on the value of the news from your client will always be made in the newsroom of whatever outlet gets this material. The important thing, however, is that the material is being put before the eyes of reporters and editors. Whether they use it exactly as you send it to them or whether they use the material to build their own stories, with our without the people you use, is secondary to the fact that they get to see the information, evaluate it, and pursue the issue.

You are providing your clients with a valuable service, using your expertise to enhance their outreach opportunities. You cannot order me to use the material but you can package it in such a way that I find it attractive enough to develop it for my newsroom’s use if I find it editorially valuable. And I think that’s about as much as your clients can ask for, at least from us.

Good luck with the Talking News Releases. Keep us on your list.

Bob Priddy

Thanks Bob for your feedback. We fully intend to keep sending you our Talking News Releases for the benefit of our clients and as a service to reporters like yourself!

Media

Blogging The NAMA Convention

Chuck Zimmerman

Although I planned to blog my way through the upcoming NAMA convention in Phoenix I didn’t plan to have a booth there.

That changed today, so AgriMarketing Pros is now an exhibitor!

My plan is to be set up with my work station (computer, mixer, microphone, recorder) and conduct interviews throughout the event with other exhibitors, attendees and speakers. I’ll post audio, pictures and other information as I find it.

If you’re planning on exhibiting and want to contact me ahead of time I’ll be happy to do an over the phone interview and post it before we get there. Call me to discuss what your company will be promoting!

I have to make a comment on how convention centers really rip off exhibitors though. I called the Phoenix Civic Plaza today to ask about high speed internet access. They don’t offer wireless in the trade show area, only in some of the meeting rooms. But for $450 I can get a wire to a cable modem in the trade show area. That amounts to $150/day for a 3 day convention and that’s a rip-off. I don’t know how they can even justify it. We’ll see what happens because I need the speed!

Blazin’ Horizons on the way to Phoenix!

NAMA

Personal Interview With Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns

Chuck Zimmerman

Cindy was able to spend some time on the phone with Mike Johanns, our newest Secretary of Agriculture. We thought you might want to hear the latest from Washington straight from the main man! In the interview he talks about the budget, beef trade, CAFTA, Cuba and National Agriculture Day (March 20). The interview is about 11 1/2 minutes long in mp3 file format. You can listen to it here: Mike Johanns Interview.

Stories from Cindy’s interview can be heard on Southeast AgNet.

We think Mike will do a good job for agriculture in Washington, DC. He’s very media friendly, meaning that he seems to enjoy speaking to the press and is comfortable doing so.

I remember when he became governor of Nebraska. At the time I was the farm director for the Brownfield Network. I had called his office and left a message that I would like to interview him. A little later I got a call and when I answered it I heard, “Hi Chuck, this is Governor Johanns.” Not many politicians I’ve ever had any experience with would handle that call like that. Usually you get some press aide who calls and then turns the phone over after you’re on the line and been waiting a few minutes.

Hope you enjoy the interview and we look forward to working with Mike in the coming years.

Audio