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Ag News Roundup – 1/6

January 6th, 2012 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

Neighbors Up North: Ted McMeekin, the newly appointed minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs for Canada, recently spoke about the important connection between agriculture and social media at the recent Southwest Agricultural Conference in Canada.

Online Dairy Advocacy: Check out this webinar from Dairy Management Inc. and myDairytoolkit about utilizing social media in agriculture and presenting your farming operation in a positive light.

New Editor’s Blog: The editor of Progressive Forage Grower recently started a new blog, and she’s looking for help with a name! Follow along to interact with her on forage news, and submit your idea for a name by Jan. 14.

Cream of the CropProgressive Farmer Magazine recently announced its “2012 Best Young Farmers and Ranchers” awards, and Monsanto was proud to claim four out of the five winners on the list as their customers.

Ag News Roundup – 12/23

December 23rd, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Day Job, Farm Job:  #AgChat recently discussed ways to stay true to your ag roots while working a day job that might not relate to ag, adjusting to leaving a farm job for a day job or vice versa, and incorporating family members who may have a day job into farm life.

Social Networking Lessons from 2011: Entrepreneur Magazine gives four lessons on social networking from 2011 – applying to businesses and organizations across many sectors including ag.

Social Media to Reach China: The USDA is using social media to build relationships with Chinese consumers to increase confidence in U.S. biotechnology, particularly corn.

Wheat and Technology: Monsanto’s latest blog post tackles the need for more technological investments to ensure the long-term sustainability of wheat.

Ag News Roundup – 12/9

December 9th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Youth in Agriculture: This week’s #AgChat covered 4H and FFA programs, teaching youth to be agvocates, employment for youth in the ag industry and educating America’s youth on the importance of agriculture.

The Future of Social Media: Thirty-eight social media experts weighed-in on what ag professionals can expect in 2012, including increased usage, on-the-go commerce and personalized consumer content.

Barn Media: Brian Allmer, member of The National Association of Farm Broadcasters, released a podcast discussing how farmers use social media to have conversations with consumers and why that is so important for the agriculture industry.

Thankful for Farmers: In 2010, the hashtag #foodthanks generated over 2,000 posts thanking those responsible for our food. Once again, agvocates took to Twitter to show their appreciation for ag this past Thanksgiving.

Ag News Roundup – 10/14

October 14th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Open Floor: Harvest, modern dairy production practices, ag industry policies and more were covered in this week’s #AgChat on Twitter. Participate in the live chat every Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. EDT.

Ag Legislation: The Animal Ag Alliance recently released an interactive map on their website that tracks the status of all livestock related federal and state laws.

Where the Dairy Industry Meets: Check out the #WDE11 hashtag on Twitter to see how the 68,006  attendees from 90 different countries experienced the 2011 World Dairy Expo last week.

Socialize with Social Media in Ohio: Ohio residents can learn how social media is impacting all facets of the ag industry by participating in the Northwest Ohio Ag-Business Breakfast Forum on Thurs., Oct. 20.

Ag News Roundup – 9/2

September 2nd, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Natural Disasters: #AgChat’s discussion this week centered around preparation and recovery techniques for droughts, floods, tornados and hurricanes. The online conversation was filled with tips about emergency disaster plans, insurance policies, animal safety and business continuity procedures.

Corn Commentary: The National Corn Grower’s Association (NCGA) blog features posts about crop conditions, biofuels, corn yields and commodity prices. Visit their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter to keep up with the latest posts.

Ag BeatAgri-Pulse offers weekly reports on agriculture and rural policy news – covering all sides of the food, fiber, fuel and feed industries and how new policy decisions will affect farmers and producers. Don’t miss a beat! Connect with Agri-Pulse on Twitter or Facebook.

Daily Dose of Dairy: The DairyLine daily broadcast features segments on futures reports, feed costs, harvest data and national crop news. Recently, the daily radio program also incorporated a “reproductive moment” series including heifer breeding advice, best practices and potential reproductive problems.

Ag News Roundup – 7/22/11

July 22nd, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Open Floor: A wide variety of topics were covered in last week’s #AgChat, spanning tips to keep livestock cool, the newest equipment technology, the accuracy of USDA reports and the most influential ag mentors. If you are interested in joining in on these weekly conversations, follow @AgChat on Twitter. Remember, anyone can submit topic ideas and new agvocates are always welcome.

Northeast Beginning Farmers Project: This project is funded by the USDA’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program and is packed with useful information for the next generation of the agriculture industry. Even though they target beginning farmers, this website has tools even the most experienced farming operations can benefit from. On their website you can see their guidebook to farming covering everything from zoning laws to taxes, watch mentors tell their stories on the “Voices of Experience” video, sign up for Cornell Cooperative Extension online courses and search for farming opportunities. Check out their website to take advantage of everything it has to offer.

The Mobile Farmer: This blog covers everything related to mobile technology. Blog post topics range from upgrading your mobile device to the best apps for farmers. You can check out all of their mobile device and app reviews as well as watch entertaining videos from their favorite guests, called AgNerds.

Indian Farmers Producing More, Conserving More and Improving Lives: In a recent blog post, Monsanto discussed the success of their project SHARE (Sustainable Harvest: Agriculture, Resources and Environment) developed through their partnership with the Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals. Project SHARE has advisory and extension services that work to communicate the importance of modern cultivation practices. The SHARE project’s main goal is to teach sustainability while increasing yields, ultimately increasing incomes for these farmers.

Ag News Roundup – 7/8/11

July 8th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Families: This week’s ag chat was centered around dealing with farm and ranch family relationships. Discussion ranged from handling difficult family conversations, managing the next generation, making working together as a family fun, and successful planning tools.

Watch Us Grow: To help consumers better understand family farms, Illinois Farm Families is providing an opportunity for moms to participate in their Family-to-Family Farm Tours. These tours will help the moms learn more about farming operations and how safe and healthy food is produced for their families. Check out their fully interactive website to sign up for the tours or to learn more about family farming.

Discover Your Social Web: The Ohio Farm Bureau has updated their social media guide, providing both beginners and advanced agvocates with the necessary tools to utilize social media to its full potential. Their short and user-friendly tutorials cover Facebook, Twitter and location-based social media.

Produce More, Conserve More: In their most recent blog post, Monsanto discussed the Gothenburg Learning Center – their 324-acre research farm located in Gothenburg, Neb. The learning center showcases how systems-based agriculture practices can work to improve conservation in all aspects of farming operations – including how farmers can improve their yields and reduce inputs while managing drought.

Ag News Roundup – 6/24/11

June 24th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat  – Moms Know Best: Led by four social media marketing moms, the latest ag chat included a diverse range of discussion regarding farmers markets, food labels, modern ag practices, animal welfare and more.

“Ag”tually…: NBC 12 news in Virginia interviewed Chris and Jennie Simms on how they and other agriculture agvocates are using social media to spread the positive message of agriculture. Their family blog contains ag news, pictures, recipes and videos.

Agriculture’s Future Starts Today: The CropLife Ambassador Network works to educate and excite the next generation about agriculture by bringing free speakers to 4th through 6th grade classrooms to talk about modern American farming. Their website is loaded with great educational resources for moms, teachers and industry professionals.

Farm-N-Wife: This Midwestern farm wife is not only using social media to be the voice for agriculture, she is also using her blog to help other ag professionals use social media. Her blog includes a “featured farmer,” tips for taking flattering farm photos, video editing and uploading tools, farm stories, fun contests and more.

Ag News Roundup – 6/10/11

June 10th, 2011 by Anna Agnew

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Blogging: Topics in this week’s ag chat included tips and tricks to running a successful blog. Discussion ranged from finding the time to blog, brainstorming interesting topics, how to effectively connect with readers, picking relevant keywords and designing the layout.

Virtual Dairy Farm: Attendees of the upcoming World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. this October will have the chance to visit eight dairy farms across the U.S. without ever leaving the building. These free 30-minute tours will cover general operation information, highlights of exceptional management practices and allow time for questions and discussion at the end.

Brush Up on the Basics: The National Corn Grower’s Association will feature a webinar on June 16 that will provide a social media and agriculture recap as well as review the basics of blog commenting, Facebook and Twitter. The webinar will cover best practices, case studies and some of the top ag social media sites.

The Future of Food: The Prince of Wales recently visited Washington D.C. to discuss the agriculture industry at the Future of Food conference. Monsanto’s recent blog post details the conversations and what the future holds for the agriculture and food industries.

Ag News Roundup – 5/27/11

May 27th, 2011 by Courtney Beck

What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.

#AgChat – Open Questions about Agriculture, Farming and Ranching: This week’s #AgChat was an open-ended discussion. Participants discussed a diverse list of topics including the pros and cons of land preservation policies, health insurance options for farms, trusted sources for information and how the current weather is affecting farming practices and decision-making.

Farmgate: Stu Ellis, formerly with the University of Illinois Extension, is the editor of the Farmgate blog, where he discusses a variety of farming and agriculture-related topics including crop and animal sciences, agricultural economics, agricultural engineering and agricultural policy.

The Kindness of Strangers: In the latest Monsanto blog post, the FFA chapter from Monmouth, Ill. was showcased for their extraordinary use of their $2,500 grant from Monsanto.

Turning a New Leaf: Halifax County Agriculture in Virginia is turning to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to connect with producers and consumers. Read why they decided to make this important step.