Communicating Positives In A Crisis

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Audio

Dairy farmers need to know about crisis communications just as much as any other business. Those attending the Alltech Global 500 Peter Kerr, KerrComm, address this topic and provide meaningful ideas for how to cope with it. Peter is a communications consultant and he presented a very positive message about turning a negative situation into an opportunity.

He discussed how the critics of agriculture who often present very misleading or inaccurate information are successful by having very well crafted messages. Farmers need to be equally prepared so they can use opportunities to teach and present truthful information. I like his idea of also being prepared to use new communications channels like social media as vehicles to deliver that positive and truthful message. He also suggests that farmer consider consulting with a communications professional. On a final note he made a point of being truthful even if the negative publicity you may be dealing with is because of a problem on your operation. Be prepared to tell your story and what you’re doing to change things. Good advice!

You can listen to my interview with Peter here: Interview with Peter Kerr

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Tellman and Johnson Honored

News EditorDairy Checkoff

Congratulations to two of North Dakota’s most distinguished leaders: Allen Tellman and Virgil Johnson. The two were honored at the 44th Annual North Dakota Dairy Convention with the Merit Award and Milky Way Award, respectively. Tellman is a fourth generation dairy producer from New Salem, and Virgil Johnson is a Mandan cheese maker with a rich history.

Tellman farms with his wife, Debra and son, Shane, and his family. Their 200-cow dairy includes production of small grains, corn, soybeans, sunflowers and specialty crops. His activities in the industry include leadership in the Milk Producers Association, N.D. Beef Commission, N.D. Dairy Coalition, Land O’Lakes, and the Lions, Development Committee and church community in New Salem. He is also a past director for the New Salem Farmers Union Oil Company.

Johnson has been making cheese for 62 years, 48 of them in North Dakota, and retired after the closing of Dakota Country Cheese in Mandan last June. His career began in southern Wisconsin in 1948, followed by a move to Five Star Cheese in Selfridge, N.D., in 1961. He started up Timber Lake Cheese and a plant in Wishek in 1967, and then built a whey processing plant in Mandan in 1974. His later ventures included producing barrel cheese in Dickinson and starting Dakota Country Cheese. He also ran a trucking company to haul cheese from 1967 to 2003.

The awards are sponsored by the Milk Producers Association of North Dakota.

Source: Milk Producers Association of North Dakota

CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted 11 requests from Dairy Farmers of America and three requests from Darigold for assistance in selling a total of 4,631 metric tons (10.2 million pounds) of Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in the Middle East, Asia, and Central America. The product will be delivered October 2010 through April 2011.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program in March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 28,255 metric tons (62.3 million pounds) to 23 countries on four continents. In addition, sales of butter and anhydrous milkfat totaling 14,968 metric tons (33.0 million pounds) have been made to nine countries on three continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term and in the long-term by helping member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

Source: Cooperatives Working Together (CWT)

Social Media Driving Dairy Business

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Dairy Business, Ice Cream, Promotion, Social Media

At the beginning of the Alltech Global 500 I participated in a presentation on social media and I’ve been overhearing farmers talking about how to use it for their farm. During a discussion dinner last night I met a dairy farmer who has been using it to drive business on his farm. He’s a great example for all farmers. He’s Carl Chaney (left in photo) and you can find his farm online at Chaney’s Dairy Barn.

Carl has a great story which I recorded this morning. Basically, his family operation decided to take control of their own destiny and diversify into processing their own milk, making their own ice cream and creating an agri-tourism component of their farm. So over the last couple years they have been using a website and now Facebook and Twitter to promote their business and Carl says they have direct evidence of how it has helped. This use of social media has helped them stay in the dairy business after they were considering getting out.

Besides driving business Carl says they are also helping educate consumers about where their food comes from. Sounds like he could be on the board of the AgChat Foundation! The farm conducts tours with a growing number of area schools. You’ll hear the pride in his voice when he sees kids marvel over a new calf or seeing a milking parlor in action.

You can listen to my interview with Carl here: Interview with Carl Chaney

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Alltech Dinners Stimulate Discussion

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Animal Health, Audio, International

One of the features of the Alltech Global 500 are a series of discussion dinners. Attendees can choose a topic of they are most interested in. During the dinners a moderator will stimulate conversation with everyone providing input. It’s a great opportunity to interact with other dairy and beef producers from around the world and hear their perspectives on these topics.

I attended a dinner with the topic of milk quality. I met Travis from Texas and Charles from New Zealand. We spoke after the dinner and you’ll hear them say that the ability to meet with and talk with other dairy farmers is one of the most important things they get out of the conference. They also realize how similar their challenges are regardless of what country they live in.

You can listen to my interview with Travis and Charles here: Discussion Dinner Interview

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Dairy Farm Sustainability

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, sustainability, Video

I’m borrowing from the Alltech blog, Innovations, here. They produced a short video to answer a question very important to dairy farmers. How would you answer the question?

What is the most important thing for a dairy farmer to consider with regard to economic sustainability?

Sustainability means many things to many people. Geoff Frank is CEO of Improcrop, an Alltech Regional Sales Manager and a dairy farmer. I asked Geoff to describe the most important issue for dairy farmers as the industry strives for economic sustainability.

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Meeting People From Around The World With Alltech

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Animal Health, Audio, International

I think the comment I’ve heard most often at the Alltech Global 500 is how important and rewarding the interaction with other dairy and beef producers from around the world is. We’ve got 29 countries represented here. One of our international visitors that I met today was George Strang, Scotland.

George is a dairy farmer with 250 cows and it’s a family run farm. He actually won an Alltech competition and the prize was this trip. He’s loving his first visit to the USA. He admits that he hasn’t embraced technology as much as he should so he’s planning on getting a Facebook account to help keep in touch with other farmers he’s met here. He says he has found that farmers face the same kinds of challenges regardless of what country they are from. However, he says his country is one of the few that doesn’t grow corn so he’s hoping some varieties will be created that can be grown in Scotland.

You can listen to my interview with George here: Interview With George Strang

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Novus' Green Acres is the Place to Be

Cindy ZimmermanNovus International, Research

novus green acresNovus International’s Green Acres Farm is the place to be this Saturday when they hold a ribbon cutting at the facility in Montgomery City, Missouri. The ceremony will be followed by a Fall Festival with food, entertainment and fun activities for the whole family.

The research farm, located about an hour or so from Novus global headquarters in St. Charles, has been under development for over a year. Novus purchased and renovated the 15 acre farm to serve as a multi-functional facility that will allow for research on swine, poultry, ruminants and equine. During a tour of the facility in April, Novus’ manager of product research Skip Hampton said the goal of the farm is to do real world research. “We’re trying to mimic things that are done in industry so it’s comparing apples to apples, to make sure that what’s relevant here is relevant in the industry.”

The Ribbon Cutting and Fall Festival will be held this Saturday from noon to 4 pm.

Precision Feeding

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Animal Health, Audio, Feed, Forage

At the Alltech Global 500 feeding efficiency was the subject of a presentation by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois. He says that to survive we’re going to have to become more feed efficient and since feed can make up half the cost of producing milk it’s very important. He says that with corn getting to $6/bushel we’re going to have to look at more forage in the diet. That means a closer look at the nutrition plan to control variation. He uses a term, “precision feeding” which he says is “everyday delivering the same ration, if it’s higher in forages it means you have to take that variation out based on variety selections and types of forages you’re feeding.”

You can listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview With Mike Hutjens

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album

Social Media Vital To Industry

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Animal Health, Audio, Beef

This year’s Alltech Global 500 includes a full program for beef producers. As we’ve said many times before, if you’re in the dairy business, you’re in the beef business. So, I spoke with one of the beef farmers here, Charles Miller. He’s a Kentucky cattleman so he didn’t have as far to go as many who are here from 29 different countries.

Charles says he’s an Alltech customer and he’s glad to see the company placing a greater emphasis on beef lately and here at this conference. He sees the interaction with international farmers as a great opportunity. He says that one of the most interesting things he has seen and learned so far is the importance and perspective on social media. He said, “As we go forward as an industry, if we fail to utilize that tool to our best advantage we’re going to be left behind.”

You can listen to my interview with Charles here: Interview With Charles Miller

Alltech Global 500 Photo Album