ZimmComm – New Media, LLC

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team is attending a record breaking Commodity Classic this week in Nashville, TN. You can find out what’s going on by visiting AgWired.com. At last count there are nearly 6,000 registered attendees at this combined meeting of the NCGA, ASA, NAWG and NSP. You can find photos from the event in Chuck & Cindy’s online photo album.

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked, “What will be planted this year?” It’s that time and everyone seems to have their own idea about what it will be. 45% of respondents said More of both, 32% said More corn less soybeans and 12% each said More soybeans less corn and Less of both. USDA is estimating corn acreage will be higher this year and the highest since 1944 with soybean acres nearly the same as last year. What do you think?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Is our food system broken?” During the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum one of our speakers was Gawain Kripke, Oxfam America. He told us “our food system is broken.” We think the statement was made out of frustration that we produce more food than we can eat in this country and a huge amount goes to waste. Since we don’t have a system to get waste food to those who need it they seem to believe the food system is broken. It’s a provacative statement and we would love your thoughts.

Here are some interviews you might have missed. Much more audio on AgWired, so check it out!
• Paul Rea, BASF VP, U.S. Crop Protection, on future of weed control
• Dr. Larry Steckler, University of Tennessee, on weed control
• Gary Niemeyer, President, NCGA, preview of Commodity Classic
• Kai Robertson, Director, Food, Beverage & Ag Practice, BSR, on food waste

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team is agriblogging from the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, KY. You can see Chuck and Cindy’s photos here.

Just in time for the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show, our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How do you think farm equipment sales will do this year compared to last?” Things are looking bright for exhibitors at the show since 48% said Higher. However, 34% said Lower and 18% said Same. That seems like a positive outlook. What do you think?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What’s the next “big” thing in ag comm/social media?” Chuck posed this question last week and got quite a few responses. Here’s your chance to weigh in on the subject. If you have a different choice please feel free to leave a comment.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:
• John Elliott, New Holland, discusses all the new products being introduced by the company
• Brent Neuberger, FMC, discusses patent for Capture LFR Herbicide
• Tim Hess, Fastline, discusses the launch of the AgRacer game app
• Corinne Fetter, Kentucky State Fair Board, previews the 2012 NFMS

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

Chuck went from Beef Board Blogger to Biodiesel Blogger this week posting for the 7th year on the National Biodiesel Conference Blog, sponsored by New Holland. He’s got over 360 conference photos online. Have you thought about having the ZimmComm team blog your conference? Whether it’s about production agriculture or biofuels production or anything connected with food, the team has experience with it and would be happy to try to fit your event into their schedule.

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question, “What do you think about the proposed Egg Products Inspection legislation?”. We were surprised to find that although 59% said Dangerous precedent for livestock production, 41% said Necessary to save egg farming industry. Kind of a divided reaction. Does this surprise you?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How do you think farm equipment sales will do this year compared to last?” Let us know what you think. Will there be more new equipment sales this year? Is it time to replace a worn out piece of equipment?

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:
• Kristina Butts, NCBA Legislative Affairs Director, on proposed egg products inspection legislation
• Paul Teutul, Sr., Orange County Choppers, talks about the Biodiesel Bike
• Colin Woodall, NCBA Government Affairs V.P., on top policy concerns
• Forrest Roberts, NCBA CEO, on the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention
• Joe Jobe, NBB CEO, speech at National Biodiesel Conference
• Jill Ginn, past-president, ANCW, comments from stage at Cattle Industry Convention

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team is on location at the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention this week. They’ve got hundreds of photos online for your viewing pleasure. Chuck has been Beef Board Blogging once again. After the event he heads off to Orlando where he magically morphs into the Biodiesel Blogger. This will be the 7th year that ZimmComm has blogged the National Biodiesel Conference!

While at the Cattle Industry Convention Chuck noticed a prominently displayed HSUS image in the Gaylord Opryland promotional video playing on screens all over the place. After tweeting about it and posting to FB the NCBA team jumped in to action and “explained” things to the hotel management who immediately apologized and removed the offensive video. We applaud them for that action!

Chuck also conducted a workshop on the use of smartphones and mobile apps as communications tools at the first ever NCBA Communications Workshop. It has been a busy week for the team.

ZimmComm sponsored the NCBA Excellence in Communications Awards again this year. The awards recognize communications professionals from NCBA state affiliate organizations and cattle breed associations, as well as an agricultural journalist. The recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Communications and Public Relations for a state affiliate is Carmen Fenton, director of public affairs for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) and for a breed affiliate is Angie Stump Denton, director of communications for the American Hereford Association (AHA).

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question, “Do you agree with President Obama’s call for more clean (renewable) energy?” Overwhelmingly, the answer was Yes at 74%, however, there were 24% saying no. Feel free to comment on the reason for your choice.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What do you think about the proposed Egg Products Inspection legislation?” Let us know what you think. You can find the currently proposed House Bill here.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:

• Phil Hardee, NCBA PAC Chairman
• J.D. Alexander, NCBA President-Elect, general session remarks
• NAMA Producer Panel thoughts on social media
• Wesley Grau, CBB Chairman, general session remarks
• Bill Donald, NCBA President, opening remarks
• Polly Ruhland, CBB CEO, preview of convention

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team was out and about this week with Chuck covering the International Poultry Expo (photos) and Cindy doing duty at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit (photos). They hit the road again next week for Nashville and the Cattle Industry Convention.

We haven’t mentioned our AgNewsWire service recently but thought we’d bring it back to your attention. We started this service as Talking News Releases almost eight years ago and it’s still going strong. Our idea then was to include sound bites with your releases for the broadcasters or web casters who wanted them but sometimes had difficulty reaching your representatives or were on quick deadline. Our database of agricultural editors has continued to grow and develop with additions from client agencies and our own efforts to keep it current and updated. We keep it real simple. Send us your release and we send it out for a very fair price. If you want to include multimedia files like audio sound bites we can record them for you and include links to them within the release. We’re simple and quick and offer package discounts if you order more than one. Just email Chuck or Cindy with questions or just send your release and send date and consider it done!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked a very timely question since it’s on a topic that is the subject of a cover story on USA Today. We asked, “How will proposed changes to child labor in agriculture regulations affect farms?” Seventy percent said Negatively, seventeen percent said No Effect and only thirteen percent said Positively.

You may know that last fall the Department of Labor proposed changes that many believe could have major impacts on family farms and farm life (proposed rule – pdf). This is just another example of unnecessary government intrusion in private business and lives in my opinion. We don’t need it but . . . as if the government knows better. Riiight. You can find out more from this DOL early news release.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you agree with President Obama’s call for more clean (renewable) energy?” Let us know what you think. He definitely issued a call during his State of the Union speech last night. Here’s an excerpt:

We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.

Here are some interviews that you may have missed this week:
• Gene Gregory, President/CEO, United Egg Producers, on HSUS agreement and proposed legislation
• Scott Carter, Novus International, on IPE Week activities
• Brad Albin, REG, President of Iowa RFA, on their 6th Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
• Joe Jobe, CEO, National Biodiesel Board, on RFS2
• Iowa Governor Terry Branstad addresses Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

Next up on the agriblogging highway for the ZimmComm team is the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and International Poultry Expo. Follow along on AgWired and Domestic Fuel!

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question, “Do you think there is currently an “Ag Bubble?” It looks like most think so since 66% said Yes and 34% said No. That’s kind of a pessimistic outlook don’t you think? If you think we’re in a bubble please feel free to comment on why. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “How will proposed changes to child labor in agriculture regulations affect farms?” Last fall the Department of Labor proposed changes that many believe could have major impacts on family farms and farm life. At best it seems like there are some good intentions without careful consideration of the consequences and then there’s always that “how does the Dept. of Labor interpret the rules thing.” A public comment period ended on December 1, 2011.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:

• Lyn Cacella, Farm Credit, talks Florida NAMA
• Amy Bradford, GROWMARK, talks about International Year of Cooperatives

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

Have you considered sponsoring the ZimmComm team at your 2012 event or sponsoring our coverage of an industry event? It’s a good time to get on our calendar since things are booking fast. Think of it like a local radio remote broadcast where the announcer is broadcasting live from a local business and doing interviews with people there. Only in our case we do it on the web and include photos and even video! You get professional photography done in news style along with interviews that are posted on one of our news websites or yours. Lots of ag media utilize the content we produce which just adds value to your sponsorship too.

Some events we are seeking sponsors for include the National Biodesel Conference, National Ethanol Conference, Agri-Marketing Conference, NAFB Washington Watch, Fuel Ethanol Workshop, Ag Media Summit, NAMA Bootcamp, IFAJ Congress, Husker Harvest Days, Farm Progress Show, World Dairy Expo, Sunbelt Ag Expo, NAFB Convention and Ag Retailers Convention.

To get a quote or learn more about our sponsorships please contact Chuck or Dave.

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question, “What do you think of the LightSquared broadband internet proposal?” This controversial issue has pitted GPS services and hardware manufacturers against those who want better broadband internet service in their area and agriculture is only one of the industries that could be impacted. Interestingly, our poll results were mostly against the proposal until one afternoon when almost all of the “positive” results were posted. That suggests that there was a concerted effort to impact the results. So here they are. We had 73% say that the proposal would be Good for ag/rural America and 23% say it would be Bad for ag/rural America. What do you think about that?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Do you think there’s currently an “Ag Bubble”?” Let us know what you think.

Some interviews you might have missed this week:
• Interview with Beth Burgy, Broadhead and President, NAMA
• AFBF President, Bob Stallman, on policy direction
• Preparing for 2012 cotton season with Gerald Simmons, FMC
• Ag Secretary Vilsack at Pearl Harbor on biodiesel

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team is back on the agriblogging highway this week. Chuck just returned from the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in Orlando. He’s got quite a few more stories and interviews to post. Cindy will be heading off to the American Farm Bureau Federation convention this weekend.

Wild weather was the winner for the biggest ag story of 2011 according to our latest ZimmPoll. We asked the question, “What do you think is biggest ag story of 2011?” Wild weather got 40% or the response followed by Record farm land value – 17%; New free trade agreements – 16%; High commodity prices – 16%; Super committee “no”- farm bill – 11% and Record U.S. farm exports at a big fat 0%. Weather, it’s always on the top of a farmer’s mind and with good reason.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What do you think of the LightSquared broadband internet proposal?” This is certainly a hotly debated topic with GPS companies and users very concerned over the implications. If you need more information about it you can find lots of resources online here, here and here.

Here are some interviews from this week that you might have missed:
• Stu Throop, FMC, talks about cotton products
• Berrye Worsham, Cotton Inc., discusses Cotton Life Cycle Inventory & Assessment
• Bob Dinneen, RFA, on top ethanol stories in 2012

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

Cindy was thinking to herself one day, “I wish there was a calendar that had all the ag events for the year on it.” We’ve never seen such a thing, so she decided to make one.

It was not an easy task, taking her about a month to get it the way she wanted it, including photos from events throughout this past year and getting as many dates for the major ag events included. Not sure how it would actually look in person, we ordered a limited quantity to give as Christmas gifts to some of our clients. We think they actually came out pretty sweet and now we are wondering if there is any interest among ZimmComm/AgWired fans to get their very own copy. The cost is $20 each plus $2 shipping/handling.

If you’d like to purchase your copy please visit this link: Purchase 2012 ZimmComm Ag Events Calendar

Gadgets – 28%, are tops on the Christmas gift list according to our latest ZimmPoll, followed closely by Paying Bills – 25%. Those choices were followed by Clothes, 19%; Other, 14%; Farm Equipment, 9% and Tools, 5%. It’s very interesting that no one chose Food! Wow. Food makes a great gift don’t you think? Maybe we’re all so well fed that our focus has turned to other things? What do you think?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” There’s a huge amount of on-going rhetoric about this subject and it seems to be a very divisive issue within the ag community. Let’s put it this way, the most heated arguments/debates We’ve heard or participated in this year were on this subject! What do you think?

Here are some interviews from this week that you might have missed:

• First AgChat Foundation Exec. Dir. Emily Zweber and President Darin Grimm
• Patrick Westhoff, FAPRI, on farm markets outlook
• Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA, on receiving St. Louis Agribusiness Leader of Year Award
• Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK govt. affairs director, on farm bill
• Chris Waram, BASF Service Tech, on working with custom applicators in North Dakota

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

As you may be noticing, the ZimmComm team has been back on the agriblogging highway. We’re getting a break at the end of the year but things will heat up fast after the first. Which prompts us to ask if you’ve got the team scheduled for your event or locked in your sponsorship of our coverage of an industry event. You’ll get professional photographers and farm podcasters who will provide you with significant “content” you can use in a variety of ways – newsletters, websites, posters, brochures, magazines, broadcasts and just about anything you can imagine. And that doesn’t include online exposure on some of the most search engine optimized websites in agriculture starting with our flagship, AgWired.com! How about getting on our calendar. It is already filling up pretty fast. Some industry events we don’t have on our schedule yet include Beltwide Cotton Conference, World Ag Expo and the Agricultural Relations Council annual mtg. Please contact Chuck or Dave Larson for a proposal.

Speaking of the agriblogging highway, Cindy just returned from the National Agricultural Aviation Association Convention in Las Vegas courtesy of BASF and Chuck returned the end of last week from the Boehringer Ingelheim 2011 PRRS ARC&E Seminar in Chicago. You can full coverage from them including photos on AgWired.

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question, “With net farm income up this year, how is your income?” The idea for the question came from the recent USDA Economic Research Service Net Farm Income Forecast that showed a 28% increase over 2010. The responses to our question were Higher – 34.4%; Lower – 31.2% and Same – 34.4%.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What’s tops on your Christmas gift list?” If your income is the same or higher than last year perhaps you have a little more in the disposable category for holiday shopping. What categories are tops for you this year?

Here are some interviews from this week that you might have missed:
• NAAA/BASF Scholarship Winner Jordan Loewen
• NAAA/BASF Scholarship Winner Brad Taylor
• NAAA President Rick Richter
• PRRS North-Central Illinois control project update from Dr. Joel Garbes

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.