Another company that incorporates Talking News Releases into their communications strategy is BASF through their agency, Brighton Agency. In this picture the Commodity Classic trade show was just kicking off on Thursday afternoon.
In the BASF booth they have an outdoor scene complete with the sounds of crickets and birds. The audio changes throughout the day to match what you’d normally hear outside. 
Monsanto has been one of our biggest supporters and first Talking News Release clients. Through their agency, Osborn & Barr Communications, we’ve sent out numerous product-related news releases with audio. They have the first press conference on Friday morning bright and early at 7am. I’ll be there to record the announcements and bring it to you here on Agrimarketing Pros.
You can listen to my interview with Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA here: Commodity Classic 1.
Rick talks about the jointly run annual meeting of ASA and NCGA. He says that they’ve actually formed a separate corporation with farmer board members from each organization to run this meeting and there is a separate full time staff that works on it all year long. The interview is less than 5 minutes.
At the first press conference Leon Corzine, President, NCGA, made a speech to a large gathering of media.
Here’s some working journalists at the Commodity Classic. This is the very small area set up with internet access. There’s actually a line waiting to get connected. Thanks to Jeff Nalley, pictured in the back, interviewing Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA, we have a multiple access switch which allows more reporters to get connected to the interne! To the right is Sara Wyant, Agripulse, working on a newsletter.
Hi from Austin.
I made it and am in the convention center newsroom. Sitting here among a bunch of reporters like Jeff Nalley, from Kentucky (Cromwell Ag Media) and Michelle Rook from South Dakota(WNAX), Sara Wyant from Illinois, (Agripulse) and others.
C5 internet connection jacks are at a premium here. Commodity Classic needs to double the connections or arrange for wi-fi for the press!
I’m hoping to interview leaders from NCGA and ASA and post those for you to listen to in a few minutes.
Later this afternon the trade show opens to the media only and I’ve got interviews scheduled with John Deere for a Talking News Release project tomorrow! I’ll post it here as well as sending out to the reporters in the areas they want me to.
On my way to Austin. I had to get one of those connection cards for my notebook. It’s not broadband speed but I’m connected.
I can’t believe how many Blackberry’s I’ve seen this morning on the plane and airports. They must be doing good. People are walking around talking and typing. It’s almost weird to see this many.
Maybe they’re posting to their blogs as they walk!
You never know.
I’ve already been able to chat with some of the communications folks from Monsanto on the way down. There should be between 3 to 4,000 attending Commodity Classic this week.
More to come.
It’s almost Commodity Classic time. Well some folks are already there.
I’ll be heading that way tomorrow and will be providing reports on what I see, hear and participate in. I can tell you that the trade show and press conferences alone would keep a person busy full time for 3 days. You should see the press conference invitations and notices I’ve got!
A highlight on the schedule will be the general session on Friday. Most of the attendees will get their first personal contact with our new Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns.
The session will start with a panel discussion, followed by a speech from Johanns.
Ag commentator John Phipps will moderate the panel, which includes Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore; agriculture biotechnology expert Sano Shimoda; and Lynn Jensen, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development director for South Dakota.
Panelist will talk about topics, including the promise of biotechnology, combating negative consumer attitudes toward technology and farming, redefining U.S. agriculture’s role in improving the economic and social well-being of Americans and strategies for moving rural America forward.
Look for pictures and audio file links to statements and interviews I’ll conduct while I’m there.
It should be a very busy agenda!
I was looking around and found some ag-related blogs I thought you might be interested in taking a look at:
Extension Daily
Cowboy Commentary
Green Digit
Didn’t see much else on this search. Know of any? Please pass them along.
We all know that the world has become much smaller due to new technologies. Journalists of all kinds are travelling all over the world covering agricultural news and information. We’ve got friends outside the country right now on the Valmont World Tour for example.
You may be familiar with a number of professional improvement groups here in the U-S like NAMA, NAFB, AAEA and LPC whose members are covering the industry wherever it takes them but did you know about IFAJ?
That’s the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. As they describe themselves on their website:
Our members are writers, broadcasters, photographers and designers working in all agricultural communications media. Members report on all aspects of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishery and food production industries.
OBJECTIVES
promote the research and distribution of fair and accurate information
encourage unbiased and objectively presented work
help foster professional and personal contacts between agricultural journalists
assist in training of members
contribute to a better understanding between agricultural industries and all other sectors of the community including those active in environmental and animal protection issues.
Once again this year IFAJ will be holding it’s annual World Congress. This year in Switzerland in late August. The program will feature presentations on Swiss agriculture, the role of agriculture and the role of media. Sounds interesting. I think it would be a great place to be and blog what I learn there. We’ll see what happens. I hope they have good internet access.
