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ZimmCast

Weekly interviews with agribusiness industry leaders about what's new with a focus on agricultural marketing.
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Now displaying: 2018
Dec 3, 2018

Once again ZimmComm worked with ARA to produce a virtual ag newsroom via our AgNewsWire service and you can find it on AgNewsWire.com.

So, in this week’s program I want to share a couple of interviews I hope you’ll enjoy. The first one is with Melisa Augusto, ARA’s Director of Communications and Marketing.

One of the key sponsors of the ARA conference and expo is FMC. The company sponsored the charging station for all our mobile devices with a place to sit down and relax. I met several FMC representatives which included Christina Coen, FMC’s North America Marketing Director. We talked about what she is doing and a major marketing project she oversees.

 

Nov 13, 2018

This week’s program is dedicated to discussions with the leadership of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. NAFB just held its 75th annual convention in Kansas City. Cindy and I attended and obtained some great content which you’ll find in our virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com as well as story posts on AgWired.

First up in the program is the just past-president of NAFB, Tom Cassidy, Ag Radio Network.

The next person I talked with about NAFB is Tom Brand, NAFB Executive Director. Tom worked with me once upon a time a long time ago in Jefferson City, Missouri with the Brownfield Network.

The new NAFB President-Elect is Rita Frazier, RFD Radio Network. One of her jobs this next year is working with the staff to coordinate the 2019 convention. She is very open to ideas and suggestions.

Finally in this week’s program let me introduce you to the new NAFB President, Lorrie Boyer, KSIR and Northeast Colorado Broadcasting.

So there you have it. An NAFB ZimmCast with old and new leadership. From what I heard I think it’s safe to say farm broadcasting will continue to provide a valuable service even as technology continues to change.

Nov 2, 2018

In this week's program I share a conversation with farm broadcasting legend Everett Griner who just announced his retirement after 70 years in the broadcast business! Ev was also a mentor for me and Gary Cooper when I worked with him many years ago. Ev continued working for Gary and Southeast AgNet until this week.

Next in the program I have an interview with Kelly Davis, Renewable Fuels Association, about their co-partnership with the Export Exchange conference that brings together international grain buyers with U.S. grain trade representatives. In RFA's case, they value the promotion of an ethanol production co-product called DDGs.

Finally, I have an interview conducted by Jamie Johansen, Honey Creek Media, with Pat Crowley, Alltech who talks about mycotoxin myths.

Oct 23, 2018

In this week's program you'll get to hear from these FMC representatives who did presentations in the field for agricultural retailers.

Ryan Osborn, Southeast Region Business Manager, FMC
David Wheeler, Technical Service Manager, FMC
Matthew Wiggins, Technical Services Manager, FMC
Craig Heim, Senior Technical Service Manager, FMC
Jake Franklin, FMC Research Station Manger
Del Brandenberg Retail Marketing Manager, FMC

FMC has acquired a number of products to round out their portfolio of tools for customers, including some that will be available in the near future.

Oct 15, 2018

In this week’s program we’ll hear several John Deere representatives talk about the company’s newest forage harvester, the self-propelled 9,000 Series. I spoke to these folks on the morning the product was launched at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Each of the guys I talked with provide a different perspective which I thought would be interesting.

First up is: John Thomassen, Global Director – Hay & Forage Harvest.

Next I spoke with: Dan Paschke, Director of Marketing – Hay & Forage.

Next in the program is:Jarrod McGinnis, Dairy & Livestock Production System Manager.

Finally in this week’s program I visit with: Matt Hatcher, Territory Sales Manager.

You can find more about the new John Deere 9000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters on AgWired.com. Just click on the John Deere category and you’ll see some other interviews I’ve already published from the product launch.

Oct 5, 2018

BASF is in high cotton since the acquisition of Stoneville and Fiber Max as a result of the Bayer-Monsanto deal, as well as soybean varieties such as Credenz and Liberty Link. This is a new field for BASF but along with the brands came many specialists from Bayer who know the products well.

Over the past month, Chuck has been to several field days and events spotlighting the BASF cotton and soybean brands so we are featuring some of the interviews he has done in this ZimmCast.

The person who has been in charge of these events is Rachel Walters, Cottonseed Marketing Manager for BASF.

The first field day he attended was in Louisiana, where he talked with Jerry Ford, regional seed lead for the South Delta region.

At that same field day, regional agronomist Kyle Fontenot (fon-ten-no) talked about some of the hot cotton and soybean varieties BASF is excited about.  

The annual Celebrate Cotton Texas Tech football game, which has been an annual event for years to spotlight FiberMax and Stoneville cotton, helped to introduce the new owners of the brands to a larger audience. Monty Christian, Head of Global Cottonseed for BASF, was previously with Bayer and has always looked forward to the celebrate cotton event.

During a field day in Marion Arkansas, BASF regional seed lead Lance Rochelle talked about their commitment to the cotton industry.

BASF just held a big field day in Lubbock Texas with hundreds of growers and retailers. US Agronomic Services Manager Steve Nichols talks about the experience of the agronomic team that BASF has in place for their new portfolio.

In addition to talking with cotton farmers and retailers, the company is also getting acquainted with buyers who are looking for sustainability in the cotton they source for clothing. Chuck talked with Malin Westfall, U.S. Cotton Lead for BASF, during a field day in Lubbock Texas about the E3 initiative that came with the Bayer cotton business.

Sep 21, 2018

This week's program features interviews with Melanie Rice, Brownfield Ag News, who is the Chair of the NAMA Fall Conference committee; Jerry Gennaria, Brighton Agency, recipient of the PDA for Excellence in Marketing Communications; John Robinson, NCBA, recipient of the PDA for Excellence in Public Relations and Laurie Fleck, newly appointed President/CEO of FLM Harvest.

Sep 12, 2018

A Bayer Grower Panel during the Farm Progress Show focused on “Preparing for the next generation of ag – on and off the farm.”

I interviewed the panelists which included Bob Arndt, Wisconsin farmer, Jill Bramble, Senior Vp & Chief Resource Development Officer, National 4-H Council, Greg Nickrent, Senior Relationship Manager with BMO Harris, Serena Woodard, 4-H and Jeff Waller, Wisconsin farmer.

Sep 6, 2018

This week the ZimmCast, sponsored by GROWMARK, will feature interviews from the GROWMARK Annual Meeting. 

Carrie Muehling interviewed GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin about the company’s new strategy, based on the acronym ‘GROW’ which is not just focused on getting bigger. It’s focused on getting better.

She also interviewed Illinois farmer Rick Nelson who has served on the GROWMARK board for 28 years and is retiring from it.

Ann Kafer, vice president of human resources and strategy officer talked with Carrie about the GROW acronym which stands for Good Relationships, Resources of Unmatched Value, Optimized Supply Chain, and Winning Innovations.

Finally, you'll hear from Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK director of corporate and government relations on watching farm policy and regulations.

 

 

Aug 23, 2018

Dr. Shefali Mehta has been tapped as the new executive director of the Soil Health Partnership, a long-term data project that measures and quantifies the impact of farm management practices known to promote healthy soils. Let's meet her in this episode.

Can-Am is introducing a new Defender Series Mossy Oak Hunting Edition HD10 model with improved features that includes an optional roof rack.

Aug 13, 2018

The 20th annual Ag Media Summit was held Aug 5-8, 2018 in Scottsdale, AZ. This year the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences joined the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. 

In this ZimmCast, we hear from outgoing AAEA president Julie Deering, FMC product development manager Brent Jacobson, Cyndee Smiley with John Deere, AMVAC director of portfolio management and marketing communications Neil DeStefano, and Tracy Mack, GROWMARK Director of Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics

Aug 2, 2018

This week's program previews two events coming up starting this weekend. Cindy will be attending the Ag Media Summit while I am working at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Buffalo Chip Campground.

To start things off I visit with Robert White, Renewable Fuels Association, who talks about what to expect at what has become an annual educational program of activities in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Then I talk with Suzanne Steele, Assistant Director, Communications, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Suzanne is currently the president of the Association of Communication Excellence. She will talk about ACE and their first time participation in the Ag Media Summit.

Jul 19, 2018

Blue Collar meets Green Acres. That's how Comedian, Tim the Dairy Farmer, describes the release of his first album through a production company owned by famed comics Larry "The Cable Guy” and Jeff Foxworthy.

The 50-minute album is called 'Farm Raised' and will be released by Git-R-Done Records on July 20th.  'Farm Raised' will be available throughiTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora.  To purchase an actual hard copy CD of the album 'Farm Raised' visit www.timthedairyfarmer.com.
 
 I talked with Tim who says the album naturally focuses a lot on farm life and his experiences as a dairy farmer. “There’s a lot of humor on the farm,” Tim said.  “If you’ve ever been on a farm or even just driven by a farm, you’re gonna get it.”
 
Tim, who is a third-generation farmer and maintains an ownership stake in a Florida dairy, has been performing standup comedy for over 16 years, including for numerous agriculture organizations and companies.

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening. And thank you to GROWMARK our long time sponsor.

Jul 12, 2018

I'm pretty sure that most of you have been involved with an activity centered around a tailgate. That's part of why a new tv show is named, From the Tailgate.

In this week's program you're going to learn all about it. The show is hosted by Jamie Johansen, Honey Creek Media. You know her. Our Jamie. Well, Jamie started her own company during the time she was doing work for us and with her sister, Joanna, they have acquired a growing number of projects, including this one. Cindy and I can't tell you how proud we are of them and the work they do. We're still keeping the door open to collaborate on projects when we can.

So, let's learn about Jamie's show. The program starting airing a week ago on KOLZ, Ch. 27 Springfield, MO, Nexstar Media Group.

In this week's program we talk about how the show came about, what kinds of topics Jamie is covering and some of her philosophy about the need for this kind of programming. Jamie is putting her farming background to good use in her agricultural communications career! She is still raising cattle with her husband Kevin and is now having more time to spend with her daughter Harper who this week is showing cattle and pigs which are a first for Jamie.

You can watch the show each Sunday at 5:30pm and it is repeated Saturday at 5:30am and 9:30pm. The show will also be available online very soon.

 

Jul 5, 2018

Happy Independence Day week. This episode of the ZimmCast will introduce you to some other farm podcasters you may not be familiar with. If you are not subscribing to podcasts then get started. There are many really good programs and quite a few that have started recently.

In the program you'll hear The Raven Precision Podcast, the latest information on Raven precision technology; Pork Pod,  look at the hot topics in the pork industry; The Business of Agriculture Podcast, listen to Damian Mason's take on topics surrounding the business of food, fuel, and fiber, interviews with industry professionals, and other great original content.

Jun 28, 2018

In this week's program you'll hear mostly from Cindy and the people she interviewed recently. So, let's get started by thanking our sponsor, GROWMARK, Locally Owned, Globally Strong.

First up will be an interview Cindy did with American Egg Board Marketing Communications Manager Marc Dresner. They discuss the AEB's eggciting promotional sponsorship of Disney-Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” that has audiences scrambling for new “How Do You Like Your Eggs?” recipes reflecting each of the film’s character’s unique personality or super power. The film has made the Incredible Egg into a nutrition super hero!

Then you'll get to meet Erin Fitzgerald, the new CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. Fitzgerald previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Sustainability for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, a part of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).

Jun 19, 2018

In this week's program I'm going to cover a couple of different topics, although there are some common elements from an educational perspective.

First up is Joanna Guza, Digital Communications Manager, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and also volunteer with GMO Answers. We talk about social networking as a tool to reach people about topics like GMOs, especially during Dairy Month. Joanna has some great insight and advice for using the tools we have.

Next I talk with Paul Teutul, Jr., Paul JR Designs and Discovery's American Chopper. Paul built two motorcycles that run on E-85. One bike is for the Sturgis Buffalo Chip and the other for the Renewable Fuels Association. During the project Paul learned a lot about ethanol and shares some of what he learned. The whole project is part of an on-going educational effort by RFA and uses a lot of social networking.

This is why I love my podcast. I get to talk with some awesome people in all kinds of places and about all kinds of topics!

Jun 10, 2018

In this week's program we'll get a preview of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists annual Congress which will take place in the Netherlands this year. I spoke via Skype with one of the organizers of the Congress, Jacqueline Wijbenga, Adjunct-uitgever, Eisma Businessmedia. We discussed the program and the theme of this year's Congress.

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) annually organizes a world congress. Alternately, the congress takes place in Europe and on another continent. After previous editions in Germany (2016) and South Africa (2017) the conference will take place in the Netherlands in July 2018. The congress organization is appointed by the IFAJ at the request of the NVLJ, the Dutch Association for Agricultural and Horticultural Journalism. The conference will hook on to the centenary that Wageningen University & Research (WUR) celebrates in 2018. The congress organization is controlled by the independent foundation Dutch Roots, which is based on the voluntary commitment of NVLJ members and a conference manager who partly receives paid hours of work.

The Dutch Roots board has set Dutch Roots: small country big solutions as the denominator for the Dutch agricultural product chains. The starting point for the IFAJ2018 World Congress program and the route towards it, is that the foundation and its activities provide a platform for numerous journalistic productions for (agricultural) journalists worldwide.

Looking ahead, the IFAJ Congress in 2019 will be held in the United States in the Minneapolis, MN area. More information on that will be forthcoming.

Jun 4, 2018

The gavel has changed hands for the Cooperative Communicators Association.  Here's a picture of the new board with new President Chellie Phillips seated in the middle.

We are at the CCA Institute 2018 in Ft. Worth, TX and today and tomorrow there will be a variety of professional improvement sessions taking place with a closing banquet and night of honors and awards.

In this week's program I'm going to share interviews with Nickie Sabo, AMPI, now past president for CCA, Chellie Phillips, Coweta-Fayette EMC, new president of CCA and Matt Wettersten, GROWMARK, meter of CCA.

They will help you understand more about the purpose of the association and what it means to them in their careers and for their cooperative employers.

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

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