In our ZimmCast this week I interview Leon Corzine, President of the National Corn Growers Association, about marketing and legislation. Although sometimes these seem very separate they really are very related aspects of the business of agriculture.
You can listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast
The current edition of ZimmCast is always available in our “Audio Programming” sidebar.
Another Chairman of this year’s NAFB Washington Watch is Ken Root, WHO. Ken is a past NAFB president and executive director who’s now back on the air on WHO.
Here Ken’s interviewing Larry Mitchell, CEO of the American Corn Growers Association.
The lunch sponsor at NAFB’s Washington Watch was the National Cattlemens Beef Association, NCBA. Of course we had steak!
Jay Truitt was on hand to welcome the farm broadcasters attending and mention his past experience as one himself. He said that his daughter would tell her school teacher that Daddy talked to farmers and drank coffee. Sounds like a farm broadcaster description to me.
Today at the pre-NRECA Legislative Conference members can attend a morning session called “Congressional Insight” that turns them into federal legislators. They’re set up in a congressional office setting and made to deal with staff, media, legislation and round-the-clock meetings with constituents, lobbyists and colleagues.
That’s followed by a class in ethics. Sounds to me like something some real senators and representatives ought to attend!
Later on today official registration begins before this conference kicks off tomorrow.
Tommorow the NAFB group will attend a USDA briefing at which Ag Secretary, Mike Johanns, is expected to make a big announcement. At least that’s what the press release USDA put out late Friday said.
JOHANNS TO MAKE MAJOR NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT
WASHINGTON, Apr. 29, 2005–Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns will make
a major news announcement during a speech to the National Association
of Farm Broadcasters.
WHO: Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns
WHAT: Secretary Johanns speaks to NAFB members, makes announcement
WHEN: Monday, May 02, 2005, 9:10 a.m. EDT
I’ll be there and post what we find out right here as soon as I can. I should have the audio available to listen to depending on what type of access they have available. You’d think it would be pretty good. However, at this Hyatt hotel I’m in, I’ve been having some technical problems accessing our web server via their high speed wireless access. It’s not making me happy.
If you’ve ever been to a National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) fall convention you’re familiar with Trade Talk. It’s a trade show where companies and organizations set up booths and staff them with representatives who are available to be interviewed by the broadcasters who attend.
Here at the NAFB Washington Watch they have a small version of that called the Issues Forum. Instead of elaborate booths though, companies and organizations who are very involved in legislative issues have tables that are staffed with representatives available for interviews on these types of topics. It’s much less product and service oriented.
The Issues Forum takes place this afternoon, sandwiched in between a morning board meeting and professional improvement session, followed by a banquet tonight.
The plane to Washington, DC today was filled with people going to the NRECA Legislative Conference. And there were people going to the NAFB Washington Watch. After we got our bags we took the Metro. We being Jeff Whetstine, Osborn & Barr, who’s here to work on the Propane Education Research Council account and Tricia Braid Terry, WMBD/WIRL farm broadcaster.
Keep your eye on AgriMarketing Pros for information about the NRECA Legislative Conference and NAFB’s Washington Watch program. I’ll be there.
NRECA has hired ZimmComm to produce and distribute Talking News Releases from their conference and Southeast AgNet has us providing their network with some coverage from the NAFB meeting. Both meetings will feature some interesting speakers and topics which we’ll bring to your attention.
Maybe I’ll see you in DC!
In an article on Economist.com today they write about some amazing predictions for online advertising this year. Remember when “banner” ads were just getting started and we kind of laughed about them being “serious” advertising?
The online ad attack
Apr 27th 2005
From The Economist print edition
Online advertising is becoming a serious rival to the traditional sort. Google’s new advertising service could make the internet an even more valuable marketing medium
THIS year the combined advertising revenues of Google and Yahoo! will rival the combined prime-time ad revenues of America’s three big television networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, predicts Advertising Age. It will, says the trade magazine, represent a “watershed moment” in the evolution of the internet as an advertising medium. A 30-second prime-time TV ad was once considered the most effective—and the most expensive—form of advertising. But that was before the internet got going. And this week online advertising made another leap forward.
Excerpt from story online today.
