As a general rule guns and alcohol don’t mix well. But when it comes to the colorful and often entertaining world wide web simplicity and entertainment value can help you hit the bullseye, especially with the rapidly expanding audience for social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
A perfect example of this approach and the power of Social Media for agriculture is the wild backlash experienced by Australian winemaker Yellow Tail after they made a donation of $100,000 to the Human Society of the United States. HSUS says they are saving puppies and kitties, while their tax return shows they are really spending millions on lobbying for animal rights and legislation that tells farmers how to do their business. Less than 5% of their budget goes to animal shelters.
After being bombarded with emails, twitter messages and Facebook page posts from farmers and ranchers pointing out HSUS’s disingenuous fund raising practices Yellow Tail did the virtual equivalent of saying “Uncle.”
They apologized on Facebook and then took down their Facebook page to minimize the damage. In a statement to ABC News this week, John Casella, the managing director of Casella Wines which owns Yellow Tail, says the company will look to non-political groups in the future.
“Yellow Tail is committed to the plight of animals in need and as a result, we can confirm that through any future activity, we will be looking to other non-profit organizations without lobbying interests that best deliver on our intended outcome of saving animals,” their statement said.
There are several valuable lessons to be learned from this on-line firestorm. 1. Scattered independent farmers can join their voices for a cause and magnify their influence via Social Media. 2. Others outside of agriculture now recognize HSUS as a political entity, not a charitable organizations (IRS are you paying attention). 3. Hard working farmers have a sense of humor and that humor can be used to good effect to educate businesses and the public online.
Examples abound to document point 3. A rancher from South Dakota has posted an online video of himself pouring the wine onto the snow in front of his cattle and urging others to do the same. And a Nebraska video showing a person (ok, it’s a Corn Grower) using Yellow Tail wine for target practice got picked up by the popular magazine Field and Stream.
In response, the HSUS says the partnership with Yellow Tail is about celebrating animals and the money will support the organization’s rescue team, which saves animals from natural disasters or cruelty. The evidence shows this will happen when pigs fly.
Kellogg’s is stepping up the fight against fake flakes.
The company’s UK division has announced the development of “a hi-tech method to stamp out imitation cereals – by branding Corn Flakes with the company logo.”
According to a press release, Kellogg’s plans to do a trial run of the branded flakes, presumably in Europe, to test the system.
Bosses will then consider inserting a proportion of branded flakes into each box to guarantee the cereal’s origins and protect against imitation products. If the system is successful it could be used on Kellogg’s other best-loved brands including Frosties, Special K, Crunchy Nut and Bran Flakes.
The laser uses a concentrated beam of light which focuses the energy within the beam, down to a very small spot on the Corn Flake.
Mirror galvanometers are then used to steer the beam creating multiple vectors that reflect the laser from different angles and ultimately make up the image. The energy density within the laser spot diameter is sufficient enough to give the surface of the flake a darker, toasted appearance without changing the taste.
Kellogg’s embarked on the project to reinforce that they don’t make cereals for any other companies and to fire a shot across the bows of makers of ‘fake flakes’.
Apparently, fake flakes are only a big problem in other countries, as the domestic corporate headquarters for Kellogg’s has not announced plans to brand individual flakes, probably because it would make it more expensive.
Fall is the time when people go crazy for corn mazes, which get bigger and more elaborate every year.
This year, the media has taken a liking to the “Family Guy” TV show corn maze created by Massachusetts farmer Bob Connors, who reportedly received permission from the Fox network to use the characters from the program. He has invited Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the “Family Guy” series to visit the corn maze and as a result has generated quite a bit of publicity for the project.
Mazes date back at least 4000 years to the time of Greek myths. In Roman times, mazes and labyrinths were found in artwork, in the design of floors in homes, public buildings and in the pavement of streets. Somewhere around the 15th century, the idea of growing shrubbery into a pattern of a maze became a popular way to entertain European nobility.
In the 1970’s, some pumpkin farms and fall festivals began developing small, simple mazes from hay bales or corn to entertain families, but the current maze craze of huge, elaborate designs in corn fields is only about 15 years old. More than 600 corn mazes can be found from coast to coast, according to the Corn Maze Directory, many with different themes each year. The complexity varies but some can take hours to navigate with cell phone help available to those who get lost.
The American Maze Company takes credit for bringing the art of the maze to America and to the cornfield. According to their website, they created and produced the first ever cornfield maze for private or public entertainment in 1993 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. The Maize claims to be the World’s Largest Cornfield Maze Company in the world, which provides information on how to create your own maze.
It appears that the current trend coincides nicely with the use of GPS for planters and harvesters to map the designs in the field. The largest official corn maze (at more than 40 acres) is in Dixon, Calif., but a Nebraska farmer is looking to break that Guinness Book record this year with his 54-acre maze.
Summer is rapidly coming to an end and with the return of school those useful and amusing temporary employees called interns are also heading back to college.
If you want to educate yourself about corn, or in some cases just laugh at their spin on all things corn, you can enjoy some of the fruits of their summer labor by going to the following links highlighted here.
In Nebraska The Cob Squad has hit again by adding four new videos to the Nebraska Corn Board’s Channel on YouTube. There is a series of three, which together forms a full news broadcast and a bonus commercial.
Part 1 discusses sustainability in agriculture; Part 2 addresses some of the issues like California’s Prop 2; Part 3 investigates efficient water use and Part 4 is a commercial about new corn products.
In the heart of the Corn Belt Illinois’ film crew created several videos explaining the difference between field corn and sweet corn; and offers up a second installment on what happens to all of the field corn produced in Illinois, which they say is enough to fill railroad box cars stretching all the way from Illinois to Hong Kong.
And if you need a dose of twisted corn history you won’t want to miss the tale of Lewis & Clark’s lesser know mission of discovery, funding provided of course by the unemployed history major’s association.
Now, it’s time for us full-time slackers to get back to work.
This morning Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced the August 16th release of the Samsung Reclaim™. Speaking with the media from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City where the Nature Conservancy’s Design for a Living World exhibit is on display, Hesse introduced the new device – a messaging phone that offers environmentally conscious consumers a perfect blend of responsibility without sacrificing speed, style or must-have features.
The Reclaim is constructed from bio-plastic material (40 percent of the Reclaim’s outer casing is derived from corn). It’s RoHS compliant and free of potentially hazardous materials like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR).
With a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, One Click access to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, Sprint Navigation, 2 megapixel camera/camcorder, and more all at a rockin’ price of $49.99 after rebates and with a two-year service agreement, this is a great phone. Add the Reclaim’s green attributes, and what you’ve got is the most feature-rich, eco-friendly phone available in the U.S.
It comes with an ENERGY STAR-approved charger that uses 12 times less power than the standard for standby power consumption. The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced by a virtual user manual. The packaging is 100% recyclable material, made with a high percentage of post-consumer waste content, and printed using soy inks.
Here’s a profession you won’t find too many people doing – cutting corn mazes. NJ.com has a great story about a man who now travels around the country in season making great looking mazes.
March 20 is the first day of Spring and National Agriculture Day – but the next day is even more important. March 21 is “National Corndog Day.”
I kid you not. According to a press release, “National Corndog Day is held on the first Saturday of March Madness each year and marks the start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.”
From its humble roots in Corvallis, Ore. by two college students, NCD has grown to include legions of loyal fans from the U.S. and abroad, 360 official parties, an event Web site (www.corndogday.com), blog and 340-member official Facebook group. Enthusiasm for the holiday has also spawned more than 20 independent Facebook groups.
Seriously, they even have a Corndog Day song! Catchy little tune, it is – listen to it here.
National Corndog Day has been sponsored by Foster Farms, which naturally makes corndogs, for the past ten years. Foster Farms, which claims to be “the nation’s best selling Corn Dog producer, made enough corndogs in the past year that if you were to line up the sticks, you’d cover 59,331 miles — enough to circle Earth almost two and a half times!”
So – whether you are celebrating spring, agriculture, or basketball this weekend – add corndogs and make it a party!
The fall-out from Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps’ marijuana use is resulting in a windfall of corn flakes for food banks in California.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a local food bank recently received two tons of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes with Phelps on the box after the cereal company decided not to renew the champion swimmer’s endorsement contract. Kellogg’s distanced itself from the gold medal winner after a British newspaper published photos of him allegedly smoking pot at a fraternity party, saying that “Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg. His contract expires at the end of February and we have made a decision not to extend his contract.”
Although Kellogg is not commenting, it is apparent that someone was dumping unwanted stock – and helping those in need at the same time. The 3,800 pounds of cereal reportedly “flew off the shelves” although the food bank kept a few as “souvenirs.”
Ethanol is making a fashion statement with these jeans, available from Sam’s Club, according to a post on Domestic Fuel.
These “blue jeans gone green” are allegedly “made from cotton grown with less pesticides and sold in recycled packaging.” The jeans are branded “ethanol” with “e” buttons sporting and an ethanol patch on the back. But possibly the best feature is the bag of corn that comes with each pair, according to post author Joanna Schroeder.
I have to admit that when Joanna told me about these jeans at Commodity Classic, I didn’t believe they existed because I really could not find much about them on line, and in my world – if it’s not on-line, it doesn’t exist. But Joanna went out and found an actual pair at Sam’s Club and bought them to do a post on Domestic Fuel.
She says there is a label on the jeans which promotes www.allianceforclimateprotection.com and says, “A portion of proceeds from the sale of the jeans goes to campaigns to help support environmental programs,” but she has been unable to find out any information on the site about the clothing line or the programs that are supported through the purchase of the jeans.
Still, they are apparently for sale at a couple of sites on-line (try here and here) and at Sam’s Club – at least the one in Omaha.
Post update: Added the photo of the corn packet attached to the jeans. Photo credit goes to Robyn Slunecka (the wife of Tom Slunecka, former NCGA staffer and EPIC executive director who currently works for Phibro) who actually bought the jeans and served as Joanna’s photographer.
The National Corn Growers Association has introduced “The CORNer Store” - a one-stop shop for all things corn.
The store is a virtual cornucopia of corny gifts, apparel and promotional items – from bibs and buttons to bears and beer steins. All kinds of fun stuff with various national and state corn grower group logos.
One of my favorite items is the doggie t-shirts, which come in a variety of logos. There are also wall hangings, calendars, stickers, magnets, hats and more.
But wait, there’s more!
You can also order PLA (plastic made from corn) materials from Brenmar Corp, or choose from more than 600 products available through the Corn Products Guide.
Great idea! Hope they will be adding more items in the future. One request would be items with the logos from previous Commodity Classics with the corn and soybean and wheat guys. The popular cartoon-like characters have been “discontinued” and will not be appearing on tee-shirts and signs at the 2009 Classic.
As a general rule guns and alcohol don’t mix well. But when it comes to the colorful and often entertaining world wide web simplicity and entertainment value can help you hit the bullseye, especially with the rapidly expanding audience for social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
The 
This year, the media has taken a liking to the “Family Guy” TV show corn maze created by Massachusetts farmer Bob Connors, who reportedly received permission from the Fox network to use the characters from the program. He has invited Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the “Family Guy” series to visit the corn maze and as a result has generated quite a bit of publicity for the project.
This morning Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced the August 16th release of the Samsung Reclaim™. Speaking with the media from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City where the Nature Conservancy’s 
March 20 is the first day of Spring and National Agriculture Day – but the next day is even more important. March 21 is “
From its humble roots in Corvallis, Ore. by two college students, NCD has grown to include legions of loyal fans from the U.S. and abroad, 360 official parties, an event Web site (www.corndogday.com), blog and 340-member official Facebook group. Enthusiasm for the holiday has also spawned more than 20 independent Facebook groups. 
The fall-out from Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps’ marijuana use is resulting in a windfall of corn flakes for food banks in California.
These “blue jeans gone green” are allegedly “made from cotton grown with less pesticides and sold in recycled packaging.” The jeans are branded “ethanol” with “e” buttons sporting and an ethanol patch on the back. But possibly the best feature is the bag of corn that comes with each pair, according to post author Joanna Schroeder. 
I have to admit that when Joanna told me about these jeans at Commodity Classic, I didn’t believe they existed because I really could not find much about them on line, and in my world – if it’s not on-line, it doesn’t exist. But Joanna went out and found an actual pair at Sam’s Club and bought them to do a post on Domestic Fuel.
The store is a virtual cornucopia of corny gifts, apparel and promotional items – from bibs and buttons to bears and beer steins. All kinds of fun stuff with various national and state corn grower group logos.