Lamy New WTO Director General

Chuck Zimmerman May 26, 2005

Since what happens to international ag trade is very important to how companies market their products and services the World Trade Organization (WTO) plays a key role. Well, the leadership just changed there. Are American ag interests happy with the decision?

WTO Members choose Lamy as organization’s 5th Director-General

The 148 members of the World Trade Organization today formally selected Pascal Lamy of France to be the organization’s fifth Director-General. The decision was taken by consensus at the General Council. Mr. Lamy will assume his four year, renewable term on 1 September.

“I congratulate Pascal on his selection as Director-General. His experience in trade matters, his grasp of detail and his proven track record in institutional management ensure that he will be an excellent Director-General. I look forward to working closely with him in the future,” said Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, who will assume 1 September the post of Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

“I intend to make every effort to move the Doha Development Agenda negotiations as far as possible to ensure that we are well positioned for our Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December. A solid outcome in our July General Council will give Pascal a very good platform from which to launch the last stage of Ministerial preparations,” Director-General Supachai said.

The General Council decision brings to a close the five month process during which four candidates were nominated by their respective governments. In addition to Mr. Lamy, the candidates were Carlos Perez del Castillo of Uruguay, Jaya Krishna Cuttaree of Mauritius and Luiz Felipe Seixas Correa of Brazil.

Visit here for the full release.

Uncategorized

Kite To Drive Ethanol Car Friday

Chuck Zimmerman May 26, 2005

I’ll be leaving today for Indianapolis! It’s off to the races. As a start to the news I’ll bring you, here’s the latest from the Ethanol Promotion & Information Council:

Kite to drive ethanol-powered IndyCar Series car during Miller Lite Carb Day Activities

Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing driver Jimmy Kite will drive an ethanol-powered IRL IndyCar® Series machine during Miller Lite Carb Day Activities on May 27.
Kite, who will make his fifth Indianapolis 500 start on May 29, will drive a Dallara which will be fueled with an ethanol/methanol blend beginning at 10:40 a.m. It will be the first-time an IndyCar Series car has run demonstration laps since the IndyCar Series partnered with the Ethanol industry to become the fuel supplier beginning with the 2006 season.
Ethanol is an alcohol derived primarily from grain. As a clean-burning and renewable fuel that is non-toxic and 100 percent biodegradable, it reduces harmful air pollution and improves racing’s environmental footprint. Its high octane rating delivers strong engine performance by helping engines resist detonation so they can run higher compression ratios.

I’ll be there and hope to bring you pictures and sound so stay tuned.

Ag Groups, Indy Racing

Global Animal Management Sends Talking News Release

Chuck Zimmerman May 26, 2005

ZimmComm’s newest Talking News Release client is Global Animal Management (Schering-Plough) and their agency, Morgan & Myers. Here’s the latest news on a proposed mandatory animal ID system.

You can download the complete release here: Global Animal Management Release (Word Doc)

PROPOSED MANDATORY ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS

-Industry leaders say data may help make U.S. livestock producers more competitive globally-

KENILWORTH, N.J. May 26, 2005 – The proposed mandatory National Animal Identification System (NAIS), recently unveiled by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, provides an opportunity for U.S. livestock producers to become more competitive globally.
Jim Heinle (Hine-lee), president of Global Animal Management, Inc., says that by tracking animal movements, the proposed system would allow officials to quickly identify potentially infected animals in case of a major disease outbreak.
“I think the national animal ID system is the right activity at the right time, and I think it will help further people’s confidence in the nation’s food supply and I applaud USDA’s move in this direction.”

For more information contact Julie Lux at (908) 298-4774.

Agribusiness

Brownfield’s “Agriculture Today” Growing Like A Weed

Chuck Zimmerman May 26, 2005

There’s not a lot that’s really free in the world anymore but the Brownfield Network’s e-newletter is. You do have to subscribe and receive it by email. An RSS feed of it would be nice. Maybe that’ll be a future subscription option!

Jefferson City , Mo. May 25, 2005 — Brownfield celebrates the 18 Month Anniversary of their free daily e-newsletter, “Agriculture Today .”

Agriculture Today is sent via email to registered subscribers in 44 states and Canada each afternoon. The newsletter features futures closes, market briefs, top ag stories of the day and ag weather. The majority of Agriculture Today subscribers are farmers, agricultural educators and other agricultural professionals.

For more information contact Lane McConnell.

Media

ProBlogging – A Way of Life

Chuck Zimmerman May 25, 2005

I may not be a ProBlogger yet as defined by Darren Rowse, ProBlogger, but it could happen. Darren’s blog offers lots of advice that is useful for anyone, not just the full time blogger. I like the way he thinks and after reading his posts for a few weeks thought I’d point it out for those of you who want to learn more.

Some of his recent posts include: How to Be A More Productive Blogger and Frequent Short Posts – A Secret of A-List Bloggers Success

I’ve been a little sparse with my posting the last couple days but that’s only due to high school graduation (tonight) and family in town. Keep reading because there’s lots more to come!

Uncategorized

Getting The Beef Message To Young People

Chuck Zimmerman May 25, 2005

In this week’s Missouri Beef Industry Council Report (MBIC), now that the question of the future of the national checkoff has been answered, committees can forge ahead with important promotion programs. MBIC Region 2 board member Dean Carroll from Clarence, MO talks about programs to reach young people.

The MBIC Report is an AgriMarketing Pros podcast which you can subscribe to in the “Interviews” sidebar.

Ag Groups, Audio, Podcasts

Mid Missouri Energy Grand Opening Subject of CornTalk

Chuck Zimmerman May 24, 2005

In this week’s CornTalk, I interview Ryland Utlaut, President of Mid Missouri Energy. Ryland discusses the ethanol plant’s grand opening which is scheduled for Friday, June 3. He also talks about the event and how important the facility –and ethanol – is for the state of Missouri.

The podcast file for CornTalk is always available in our “Interviews” sidebar.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Podcasts

Get Your Suit Biopolished

Chuck Zimmerman May 24, 2005

Although I live in Missouri, I’m from Florida so I didn’t grow up wearing wool. I came to love it during about 5 months out of the year though after moving here to the great white north. I thought this story was interesting mainly because of the process described in the release. It’s “biopolishing.” At first you might think that means taking a very tiny buffing machine and applying it to some new genetically enhanced micro-organism or something. Not so. Read about it in the release from the American Sheep Industry Association.

ASI ANNOUNCES NEW WOOL PROCESSING METHOD

DENVER, Colo. – Wash and wear wool has been available for many years. Unfortunately, the processes used to achieve washability, while completely successful, require expensive equipment. Recognizing this, the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) teamed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in 2001 to develop a revolutionary new environmentally friendly wool-processing method, called biopolishing, which is now ready for commercial application. This inexpensive process will change the comfort level of wool garments.

ERRC’s Jeanette Cardamone, Ph.D., developed a process to remove the outer-lipid layer from the wool fiber using activated peroxide. Removal of the lipid layer is required for the second part of the process to be successful. In the second step, wool is exposed to a special blend of enzymes that ‘digest’ the now exposed scales on the surface of the wool fiber. The scales on the fiber surface cause wool shrinkage; by removing them, shrinkage is minimized and the resulting garments are now washable. In addition, biopolishing makes wool fabrics brighter, whiter and more easily worn next to the skin.

To date, all of the biopolishing mill trials have been successful at treating knitted or woven fabrics; however, trials are currently under way to determine biopolishing’s success with yarns and loose fibers.

For more information contact Rita Kourlis Samuelson.

Ag Groups

Show Me The Angus Future

Chuck Zimmerman May 24, 2005

I think one of the most interesting things about the announcement for the upcoming National Angus Conference & Tour is the logo. I had to look at it a few minutes to get it. Of course it’s been a long day and I’m tired but I was thinking “Where’s the beef?”. Then I thought it was an old Jimi Hendrix or Santana album cover but finally I can see that it’s someone staring into a crystal ball, duh.

I like it. It’s not “traditional.” It’s creative and stands out from the crowd. Way to go American Angus Association! If I can’t make the tour please send photos and info for me to post!

2005 National Angus Conference & Tour set in Show-Me State

The 2005 National Angus Conference & Tour is set for Sept. 27-29. Hosted by the American Angus Association, and sponsored by Purina Mills LLC, the major partner, and Alpharma Animal Health, this year’s event “Show-Me the Future,” includes a half-day conference and 1 ½ days of tours throughout Missouri.

The Association will conduct “Back to the Basics” seminars on Sept. 27, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Kansas City Airport. Registration opens from noon to 5 p.m. The event kicks off with dinner that evening and keynote speaker Tom Field, Colorado State University, and his presentation, “I’ll Show you the Future.” (full release)

For more information contact Shelia Stannard.

Ag Groups

Tracking News Releases Chapter 1

Chuck Zimmerman May 24, 2005

This is the first in a series of articles I’m writing on the issue of tracking news releases. It’s a big issue and I’m hoping for some feedback on it. The primary income source for ZimmComm is our Talking News Release service so it’s very important to us as well as our clients.

Chapter 1

How many reporters used my news release? What kind of pickup do you get? Can I have a list of the stations that used my release?

These are a few of the questions we get asked all the time. However, while we would dearly love to provide a detailed listing of the reporters, stations and airtimes of the stories that included our client’s news releases, that’s just not possible or practical with broadcast radio news. It never has been, and even with the most sophisticated e-mail tracking system (which we have yet to find) we might be able to find out who takes a look, but not who actually uses it on the air.

However, there are some things we can control that will increase usage. Let’s start with the most basic factor that affects media use of a news release. Is the content of the release newsworthy? This is the most important reason why news releases get used or ignored by reporters. If you write a commercial then your release is probably going to be sent to the sales manager at the station or network who should contact you with rate information to purchase advertising. If the release is extremely complicated, long and filled with technical terms that can’t even be pronounced by the average person then it is likely to be ignored. However, if it’s newsworthy, well written, and pertinent to the reporter’s coverage area then it stands a much better chance of seeing airtime. . .(full article).

Uncategorized

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