Blog Archives
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Web Meetings: Work Smarter Not Harder
By Mark Frank - Thursday September 6, 2012
TODAY'S AGENDA Meeting with John Doe in Waterloo to go over grain contracts Meeting with Bob Doe in Valley to go over 2012 grain programs Board meeting in Main Office to discuss new storage facility All company safety meeting at Duncan location Present 2013 Budget to General Manager in Main Office Does this type of schedule look familiar to you? It’s hard to get much done in a day when you are running all over the country. Today, you can become more efficient if you utilize the new communication technologies that provide web meeting services. A Web meeting will work great to conduct your meeting with John Doe, discuss his existing grain contracts by sharing the screen on your computer with him or let him take... -
Organize Your Online Life
By Mark Frank - Thursday August 9, 2012
Today agricultural professionals spend more time than ever before on the computer reading email, searching the internet, working with software applications and entertaining themselves. Keeping your digital life organized continues to be a challenge with emails you want to keep, web pages you want to save and documents that need filed. EVERNOTE is a software application that has made its way to the top of the digital organization industry. EVERNOTE can be installed on your smart phone, tablet, laptop and desktop. Once installed you have access to all the digital information you have organized in one convenient place no matter what device you are using. So when you get to work in the morning and you receive an email with a detailed... -
Proudly Serving You
By Arlette Sambs - Thursday August 2, 2012
Last month I attended the 2012 IDEAg Interconnectivity Conference in Altoona, IA. The conference brought together the entire interconnected agriculture sector — including large grain and livestock producers — for three days of cutting-edge education, exhibits and networking. The opening presentation featured Kip Tom, managing member of Tom Farms LLC, based in Leesburg, IN. Tom Farms is a global production, sales and service operation, specializing in corn and soybeans, that operates over 16,000 acres in Indiana and another 4,000 acres in Argentina. Kip began by sharing a little about his family's farming background. Then he brought up an important concern he admitted to thinking about almost daily: the task of feeding 9.3... -
Summer 2012 = Climate Change Proof?
By Elise Schafer - Tuesday July 17, 2012
As I write this post at 8 in the morning in Southern Wisconsin, the mercury has already hit 85 degrees. Nearly all of Indiana, Iowa and Illinois along with the lower halves of Wisconsin and Michigan are under heat advisories and at least ¾ of the country has a hazardous weather outlook, according to the National Weather Service . By now, many Midwesterners have grown tired of the chatter about the drought and the heat wave. We’ve almost become accustomed to the conditions, as you might imagine we would like the folks living in Arizona or Florida have. But we all know relief will come eventually — if only in the form of fall — and surely next summer will be cooler. But what if this outrageous weather pattern becomes the rule... -
Drop the Complexity of Document Management with Dropbox
By Mark Frank - Thursday July 5, 2012
Have you ever found yourself needing access to a particular document you had stored on a jump drive or work computer? If you use multiple computers and mobile devices such as phones or tablets there is no doubt this has happened to you. Dropbox is brilliant technology that gives you secure access to all your work documents such as client invoices, grain contracts, pictures, marketing pieces and any other documents. These files can be accessed by any computer or mobile device and can be setup to automatically synchronize whenever an internet connection is detected. Sharing files with employees or customers is as simple as sending an email invitation to the individual. Once the invitation is accepted they have access to only the file... -
Organic Valley: A Social Experiment
By Jackie Roembke - Tuesday July 3, 2012
Production and animal agriculture producers may or may not be shocked to discover that its organic brethren is also frequently subjected to the wrath of critics — and, often, based on similar accusations. Agvocates of all sorts can learn a thing or two from the crisis communications strategies of Organic Valley (OV). Two marketing representatives from the La Farge, WI-based organic farm cooperative discussed their proactive approach to social media and engagement management at a Social Media Breakfast event held in Madison, WI. While Leslie Kruempel, OV’s social media specialist, focused on the creative business-to-consumer programs it uses Facebook and Twitter to promote, the frank discussion of the cooperative’s struggle... -
Corn Roles
By Elise Schafer - Friday June 22, 2012
As I delve into research for my next Focus on Biofuels article, which will analyze the impact of the EPA’s decision to approve the sale of higher ethanol/gasoline blends, I’m confronted with the fact I’m quite torn on the issue of using corn for fuel. Evidence both in support of and against the widespread adoption of ethanol is mounting. The positives, as pointed out by groups like the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) , as well as the U.S. government include: Reduced dependency on foreign oil imports Rural American jobs creation Creation of the beef, dairy and swine feed option, DDGS Reduced gas prices As the economy continues to flounder and the news on jobs... -
New Mediums Shape the Media
By Jackie Roembke - Monday June 4, 2012
Last year Feed & Grain 's parent company, Cygnus Business Media, adopted the tagline: “Because the world is changing very fast.” Fitting for a publishing company considering the last decade has delivered the most extraordinary changes in information consumption and delivery for print media since the advent of the printing press. OK, maybe the widespread adoption of the the PC draws a better comparison — but, regardless, everything has changed. Game changer #1: The smart phones, for example, has not only changes the way we receive news, it’s altered the way we communicate with the world. I’m not just talking about the nonsense abbreviations (LOL, BRB, OMG), I mean texting, social media access — even the inclination to drop... -
Technology Takeover
By Arlette Sambs - Thursday May 17, 2012
I recently attended my daughter’s FFA awards banquet at a local high school where she teaches agriculture. Like most kids, everyone of the students had their cell phones in their hands, typing away. After a failed attempt to get the kids to practice one more time before the event started, the teachers confiscated all of the phones from the kids on stage — and it was like taking one of their arms away to give them up. The awards ceremony went off without any interruptions, at least no one could be seen texting anyway. The reason I bring up this anecdote is because you see it happening everywhere. Everyone is always on their smart phone — from texting to talking with someone to browsing the Internet for “stuff” — what did we... -
Agribusiness Stresses Safety in Ag Classes
By Arlette Sambs - Tuesday May 1, 2012I recently read an article in the Janesville Gazette where a high school ag instructor was conducting a FFA farm safety class for her ag students. She had the local firefighters and EMTs, a local grain and feed elevator along with a helicopter company to demonstrate and train for farm accident rescues such as a grain bin extraction, auger entrapment an anhydrous ammonia leak and a tractor rollover. What a great idea — farm safety in the classroom! As I read the article, I also found it interesting that the FFA President was the son of the local grain company. This young man plans on majoring in agriculture management and business law at UW-Madison, and will eventually work in the family business. He has a special appreciation for...
