New Checkoff Board Appointments

Chuck Zimmerman

USDAU. 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.

Ag Groups, USDA

World Dairy Diary Public Now

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmComm, Marketing & Communications ServicesThis 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

World Dairy Diary(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.

Audio, Farm Shows, World Dairy Expo

New Prez For TFI

Chuck Zimmerman

The Fertilizer InstituteSometimes it pays to be the vice president! Sometimes you do make it all the way.

Washington, D.C. – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced today that TFI Senior Vice President Ford B. West has been tapped by TFI’s Executive Committee to serve as TFI’s president effective Sept. 6. “With more than 25 years experience in service to the fertilizer industry, Ford is uniquely qualified to lead TFI’s advocacy efforts,” said TFI Chairman and J.R. Simplot Company
President and CEO Larry Hlobik. “Ford understands the fertilizer business and has built the kind of long-standing relationships with key policymakers and allies that will greatly benefit TFI’s future efforts to promote and protect fertilizer.”

For more information contact Kathy Mathers, (202) 515-2703.

Ag Groups

New Media Showing Biggest Growth In New Report

Chuck Zimmerman

Communications Industry ForecastThanks to an alert from Mediapace, who learned about it on Media Daily News, I learned of a new communications industry book you might want to look into. It’s the “Communications Industry Forecast – 2005-2009” by Veronis, Suhler, Stevenson, an investment banking firm that invests heavily in media companies.

I didn’t invest the $1,995 for the report but according to the article on Media Daily News, the report says that the media industry has “effectively reached a “new order” that shifts power to consumers from advertisers, and to new media from traditional media.” It also quotes the report as saying “Ad spending in the new media–which VSS defines as cable and satellite television, satellite radio, business-to-business e-media, consumer Internet, movie screens, and video games–is growing at double-digit rates, while traditional media are rising only at single-digits. As a result, VSS projects that new media will account for 26.3 percent of all ad spending by 2009–an estimate some new media pundits might find conservative, given the rapid shifts in digital technologies.” Like most reports I assume they don’t break out farmers. However, when I compare farmer media usage studies I see a lot of similarity with the general consuming public. The higher a farmer’s income the higher their use of the interent becomes too!

One thing that I think should also be noted from the report is that even “traditional” media is experiencing growth. We’re just a media rich and using kind of society!

Media

Promoting Ethanol At The MO State Fair

Chuck Zimmerman

CornTalk PodcastFirst it was hot and dry and now it’s cool and wet. That’s the way it goes at the Missouri State Fair. In the Missouri Corn Growers Association CornTalk program this week, summer intern Rachel Nivens talks about what the organization is doing, including promoting ethanol and displaying their flex fuel Chevrolet Tahoe. They plan to present Missouri Senator Jim Talent with an appreciation award on Thursday as well.

You can listen to CornTalk here Download MP3 File

CornTalk is a weekly podcast on AgWired that you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar.

Ag Groups, Corn, Podcasts

Brewing Beer To Keep Blogging?

Chuck Zimmerman

Glass of beerI know I’m going to get in trouble for this post. But it’s a good story. This is the kind of stuff you can find when you use the Google RSS news feeds by the way.

On the Daily News Online from Botswana there’s a story with the headline “Barefoot wife brews beer to make ends meet”. This lady, Ditsele of Maunatlala in Tswapong North , does exactly that. She learned how to brew beer at a young age and is supplementing her family’s income. What are the chances that I could convince Cindy to start brewing so I can keep blogging?

Uncategorized

Producer Panel At NAMA Boot Camp

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Boot CampIn just a few minutes I’m going to be on a conference call with the panelists for Wednesday evening’s NAMA Boot Camp producer panel. They’ll give attendees an opportunity to “Hear first hand how to effectively communicate with the end user.” Featured guests will include lifestyle and large operators.

Panel Guests: Brian Bogue, Bogue Farms; Michael Amigoni, Amigoni Family Vineyards; Larry Oltjen

I’ll be blogging to and from the event so stay tuned.

NAMA

LPC Critique Contest Results Available

Chuck Zimmerman

Livestock Publications CouncilIf you want to know the results of the Livestock Publications Council critique contest then you can download the results here: LPC Critique Contest Results (pdf file). The awards from the contest were presented at the Ag Media Summit in Milwaukee earlier this month.

Ag Media Summit, LPC

The Art of Dairy On The ZimmCast

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 29 - Tom McKittrickHow much do you know about the World Dairy Expo? Now you can learn more by listening to this week’s ZimmCast. I interviewed World Dairy Expo, general manager, Tom McKittrick in his office recently. Tom describes the history, mission, purpose, theme and structure of the Expo. Many of you probably already know this but we’re also operating a weblog called “World Dairy Diary” in cooperation with World Dairy Expo. Look for more on the Expo in coming months. AgWired will be there blogging the show!

You can listen to my interview with Tom here Download MP3 File

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar.

Audio, Farm Shows, Podcasts, World Dairy Expo, ZimmCast

Hot Topics Served Up By Valent

Chuck Zimmerman

ValentValent was serving up “Hot Topics” at the recent Ag Media Summit. Like many exhibitors they weren’t there to make a major announcement but to build relationships with agricultural editors. Now I like hot sauce so they got my attention with the materials in their booth. For example, we received a CD that was labelled like a bottle of Tabasco sauce that contained recent news releases and personnell bios. I wish it had included images (logos, etc.) and some audio. Additionally they had questions and answers on little cards attached by a piece of ribbon to tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce.

All in all it was a job well done by the folks at Archer-Malmo (agency) and the company. Building relationships with ag journalists will go a long way toward having your materials get looked at when the real news is available.

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness