Hello ZimmComm Fans:
Happy National Empanada Day. Empanada’s are a stuffed bread or pastry that is baked or fried. The name empanada comes from the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish verb em pandar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. So there you go foodies. Find some recipes here.
Now on to the cool stuff. ZimmComm and Nufarm at the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference. That’s where you’ll find the ZimmComm Team next week. We will have some announcements sure to amaze you but here’s a sneak peak at what’s going on in our Connection Point booth. You might remember that I worked with Nufarm’s Brian Rund earlier this year at the National Potato Expo We had Chip the Zebra there, gave away “zelfie” sticks and had a contest to win the right to take Chip home. Think of it as a wildlife rescue/home placement project. Chip says he’s real happy with his new home near Calgary, Canada.
We loved the project so much we’ve taken on another zebra for re-location. Stop by and meet Zimmie the Zebra. She needs a new home after becoming separated from her herd in Zambia. By the way, Zimmie is a rare pygmy zebra which makes her extra special.
Here’s how it will work. You stop by the ZimmComm booth during the Agri-Marketing Conference Connection Point trade show (booth 417-419). Use a Zelfie stick to take your picture with Zimmie and post that to #NAMA16 and #ZimmieZebra and @AgWired. After the end of the Connection Point all Zelfies will be judged for creativity and quality. One lucky person will take Zimmie home and provide her with a nice environment to live in.
Although zebras have been taking zelfies for a long time they were first introduced in the U.S. by Nufarm. When you take your own zelfie you will get to keep your zelfie stick as long as supplies last. This is one way you can do your part to preserve the NAMA wildlife.
I spoke with Zimmie by phone yesterday. Her voice was not very good because she’s been doing so many interviews as she travels to the United States to find a new place to live. I’m sure she’ll be in top form next week.
Zimmie is hoping that her new caretaker will have good hay (alfalfa mixed with timothy) and beer. She likes beer as you’ll hear in our interview. Hopefully she’ll be able to sample some Boulevard Brewing products during the conference.
J.L.Farmakis, Inc has just released a new research study conducted in February by Millennium Research that shows plans farmers are making this year in reaction to lower commodity prices.
Among the findings of the “Farmer Speaks Study” are:
* Half of the farmers surveyed are seeking off-farm employment
* 74% will switch to generics or change brands of crop protection products
* No new equipment purchases will be made by 37% of the farmers
* Reduced traits in seeds and changes in fertilizer practices were significant.
* Increased attention to marketing aims to raise revenue through better prices
Listen to my interview with Bill Farmakis about the study to learn more here.
Finally for this week, Cindy just published the latest episode of “I Am USFRA.” a podcast series featuring member representatives talking about their support for the organization.
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