ZimmComm Making Impressions, Creating Content

Chuck Zimmerman April 21, 2015

Here we are in our home away from home for two days last week at the Agri-Marketing Conference. Taylor, Me, Cindy and Jamie. We had a great time and sure enjoyed getting to see and talk with so many friends and sponsors.

The convention is like a family reunion to many of us who have attended more of them than the age of the student attendees and some of NAMA’s newer members!

This year our goal was to help you better understand the AgWired community which we also refer to as the ZimmComm News Network. From a beginning with just one blog (AgWired) to today we’ve added several news sites, Energy, Animal Ag, Precision Ag and AgNewsWire. These websites are interactive with each other, mobile friendly, distributed by mobile apps and all have associated social media channels where we also engage with our audiences.

So to help show how our network is structured we created this ZimmfoGraphic. Click on the link to see the full graphic which shows some statistics about the impressions we make and the content we create. We think you’ll be interested to see the reach of little ole ZimmComm!

During the convention we conducted a drawing for an awesome Anker Astro E7 mobile charger. Our winner is Randi Walden, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Congrats Randi and we hope you keep all your gadgets charged all the time.

2015 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by New Holland and Brownfield Ag News

Coverage of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by Brownfield Ag News for America

NAMA, ZimmComm Announcement

Agri-Pulse Survey Finds Farmers Cutting Expenses

John Davis April 21, 2015

Soybean farmers in Iowa are cutting back on expenses as they see their farm incomes drop for a second year in a row. The survey by Agri-Pulse and conducted in partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) shows nearly three out of four farmers (73 percent) expect their farm financial outlook to worsen in 2015 – with more than 53 percent expecting it to worsen “slightly” while almost 20 percent think it will worsen “a great deal.”

“The simple truth is margins are going to be tighter this year,” says ISA President Tom Oswald of Cleghorn, Iowa. “This poll confirms what farmers, ag manufacturers and biotech organizations have already been feeling.”

Seventy-seven percent of poll respondents also expect farmland values to decline in 2015, up slightly from 75 percent in 2014.

About the same percentage of farmers as last year said they plan to purchase more or continue to carry about the same level of crop insurance this year (86 percent in 2015 compared to 87 percent in 2014).

Almost 54 percent said they’d cut back on equipment expenses compared to 58 percent last year. One-third of respondents will reduce fertilizer expenses while 15 percent said they would scale back on purchases of crop chemicals.

Twenty-three percent of farmers will cut back on seed expenses compared to 8 percent a year ago.

The gloomy outlook by Iowa farmers seems to track with what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is projecting: a drop in net farm incomes of 32 percent – from $108 billion in 2014 to $73.6 billion this year. That would make 2015 net farm income the lowest since 2009 and a drop of nearly 43 percent from the record high of $129 billion in 2013.

Agri-Pulse says the news also underscores the need for a supportive farm safety net in the 2014 farm bill.

The poll was taken April 5 with 112 Iowa farmers responding to the unaided 11-question poll.

Agri-Pulse

NFU Releases Policy Handbook

John Davis April 21, 2015

The new policy handbook from the National Farmers Union (NFU) underscores the group’s longstanding commitment to family farmers, sustainable farming practices, and its strong grassroots underpinnings.

“NFU policy is the result of a grassroots development process – with some of the policies in this handbook starting on the county level – that culminates every year at the organization’s annual convention,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “This year’s policy reaffirms NFU’s strong support for Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and fair trade policies,” said Johnson. “Initiatives like these support family agriculture’s ability to provide food, fuel and fiber to our nation and the world.”

NFU’s policy-setting process began in late January with the meeting of the NFU Policy Committee, comprised of members who are all considered outstanding leaders in their state/regional Farmers Union organizations and were nominated by their respective state’s president to serve on the committee. These members began the process of revising NFU’s policy handbook and brought their recommendations to the delegate body at the NFU’s 113th Anniversary Convention, March 14-17, for consideration, amendment and adoption.

Full text of the adopted policy manual is available here.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness

2015 Best of NAMA

Cindy Zimmerman April 20, 2015

Russell Nimitz of the Northern Ag Network was the host for our industry’s version of the Oscars – the 56th annual Best of NAMA.

A total of 62 awards were presented, topped off with the overall Best of Show:

Advertising: Syngenta – Martin/Williams
Public Relations: Driscoll’s Berries – The Baddish Group

Zoetis walked away with a total of seven awards while Bader Rutter was a big winner in the agencies with nine awards. All the winners in all the categories are listed in the latest issue of AgriMarketing Magazine and you can find all the photos of all the winners in our NAMA photo album.

2015 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by New Holland and Brownfield Ag News

NAMA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes April 20, 2015

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a new reporting model to keep up with the rapid spread of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the nation’s chicken and turkey flocks.
FARMLAND in partnership with Campus Solutions, are showing more than a dozen screenings of the film at colleges around the country.
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is pleased to announce that former Chief Operations Officer (COO) Jeremy Peters has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to manage the association and lead advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts.
BRANDT is the exclusive sponsor of the new Western Farm Press online continuing education course “Organic/Sustainable Agriculture Production” for California licensed agricultural professionals.

Zimfo Bytes

Brownfield NAMA Tradition Continues

Cindy Zimmerman April 20, 2015

It was yet another memorable Brownfield party at the annual Agri-Marketing Conference last week in Kansas City. Can you believe it’s been 25 years? What was your favorite Brownfield party over the years? I’d have to say it was the Red Solo cup year at Howl at the Moon.

2015 Brownfield NAMA Party Photos

Because this year was a milestone, Cyndi Young and Tom Steever gave a special rendition of the Hank Williams Jr classic “Family Tradition” – it’s a Brownfield Tradition!

Click here for all of the lyrics and watch the video below.

All the NAMA partiers have been a real close family
But lately, some of my friends just can’t stay up as late as me
I guess it’s because we have a 25 year connection
Lord, tonight let’s just all celebrate our Brownfield tradition

They get on me and want to know
John, why do you we drink? Why can’t we roll smoke?
Why must we live out the contracts we wrote?
Over and over, everybody makes our predictions
So if we have fun, we’re just carrying on an old Brownfield tradition

I am very proud of the Brownfield name
And for twenty five years we must say we are glad you came.
Stop and think it over, put yourself in my position
If we get drunk and sing all night long, it’s a Brownfield tradition!

Media, NAMA, Video

NAMA Agribusiness Leader of Year – Clint Lewis

Chuck Zimmerman April 20, 2015

During the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference the National Agri-Marketing Association presented the Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award to Clint Lewis, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Operations, Zoetis.

This award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding leadership in private, public or academic service and is conferred each year to a senior agribusiness executive who not only exemplifies excellence in agribusiness but has also made significant contributions to the industry.

Zoetis is the world’s largest animal health company, established when Pfizer announced that its animal health business would become an independent company. Mr. Lewis helped launch the entity and now oversees the management of the livestock (cattle, pork, and poultry) and companion animal (small animal and equine) businesses in the United States and is also responsible for leading the global genetics business.

Clint says he defines the business he runs as from the “petables to the edibles – every livestock operation regardless of size and complexity.”

You can listen to Clint’s remarks here: NAMA Agribusiness Leader Clint Lewis, Zoetis

2015 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by New Holland and Brownfield Ag News

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, NAMA

NAMA Student Competition Showcases Top Talent

Taylor Truckey April 18, 2015

The annual Student Marketing Competition held in conjunction with the NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference brought students from NAMA chapters all over the country to Kansas City this week. NAMA President Marvin Kokes, NCBA, remarked during the student awards ceremony that this year’s competition offered perhaps the highest caliber of teams, marketing plans, and product presentations than any year prior. Students are required to submit an in-depth marketing plan that includes a market analysis, business proposition, financial evaluations, and an action plan.

For the second year in a row, Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo brought an impressive marketing plan to present and walked away with top honors. The six highest placing teams for the 2015 competition are as follows:

1. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
2. University of Wisconsin-Madison
3. North Dakota State University
4. University of Guelph
5. University of Wisconsin-Platteville
6. University of Minnesota

Congratulations to all of this year’s student teams for an impressive performance!

You can view and download all photos from there event here: 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by New Holland and Brownfield Ag News

Marketing, NAMA

House Votes to Kill Death Tax

Cindy Zimmerman April 16, 2015

By a vote of 240-179 largely along party lines, the U.S. House voted Thursday to repeal the federal estate tax, better known by opponents as the “death tax.”

Co-sponsor Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) told his colleagues that repealing the tax is a top priority for farmers and ranchers in his state and around the nation. “Agriculture, particularly raising cattle and crops such as corn, is a land and capital intensive process…their assets are the land and equipment they use to help feed our nation and the world,” said Smith.

Rep. Adrian Smith on repeal of death tax

Democrats like Jim McDermott of Washington state argued against the repeal, saying that it would only benefit the very wealthiest of farmers, using an example given by the Republicans of a 15,000 acre Texas farm. “That’s a five by five square mile farm, that’s more than the island of Manhattan,” said McDermott. “A farm at the very top of the income scale experiences unprecedented wealth and prosperity.”

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) said that was a farm that had been in a family for five generations. “It started small and they built up over years and years,” said Brady, noting that the heirs had to sell off two-thirds of it to pay the taxes in order to keep some of it in the family.

Listen to the exchange here: Estate tax repeal debate - Reps. McDermott (D-WA) and Brady (R-TX)

While the bill has little chance of passage in the Senate and faces a presidential veto threat, most agricultural organizations were pleased to see the House action.

Audio

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