All blog posts
Pro communicators, learn a bit of software
I’ve recently been taking a Web design class to refresh my Dreamweaver and HTML skills, and I’m learning a little more about how to integrate Fireworks, Flash, CSS, PHP and MySQL into Web projects. Here’s the thing: even after the four-month class, I’ll still know only the very basics. I’ll probably never do any... »
My take: Junta42 100 Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2010
Content marketing authority Joe Pulizzi just released his compilation of 2010 predictions from a variety of experts representing the “best and the brightest in marketing, content marketing, custom publishing and social media.” Here are my favorite takeaways from the article: Video and mobile will keep getting bigger. More companies will outsource content to expert publishers. “Quality... »
Top ag blogs and tips for you
Brief, informal thoughts on some agricultural industry blogs that I like and some food for further thought. Have some additional opinions on the subject? Leave a comment below, or let me know by e-mail. Best use of a variety of new media tools Ag Wired. An interesting hybrid journalism/PR/paid content blog that’s skewed towards white-collar marketing... »
Interest in ag becomes more mainstream
A good bit of my writing and communications work has involved the agriculture industry. I started in this line of work about a decade ago, but it’s only been recently that anyone at social gatherings seemed to be even remotely interested in what I did for a living. I’m not sure to what degree this... »
Why Google Voice could be a great tool for journalists
So you may have seen a few of my twitter posts on the new Google Voice service. A couple of weeks after my request, I received my invitation to set up my Google Voice number. After playing with it for an hour, I saw that it could have a number of benefits for journalists... »
Expansion of topics
As promised, I’ve been reformatting the blog and Web site for a few weeks now. I’ve been pretty much absent from the blogging world for the last two years. I did a stint in public relations, working at agencies for crop protection companies such as Syngenta and BASF. I was never prohibited from blogging,... »
Taco back in Africa
Another excellent blog from my friend Taco Tuinstra at Tobacco Reporter magazine. This time, Taco is back in Africa, following a shipment of Malawi burley tobacco as it makes it way from the Lilongwe auction floors to the port of Beira in Mozambique. Entertaining in itself, but also an interesting look at how a raw... »
Checkbiotech makes changes
One of my favorite sources for agricultural biotech information, Checkbiotech, has changed the appearance of its Web site and added new coverage to include news coverage of biofuels, alternative energy, life sciences (in Switzerland only, it appears) and orphan. While I like the look of the site, I hope that they continue their outstanding newsgathering... »
Monsanto passing DuPont in corn?
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the surge in corn demand, Monsanto has raised its annual profit forecast after second-quarter earnings rose 23 percent. Increased planting caused Monsanto to sell out of its “triple-stack” seeds. But, more surprisingly, is that Monsanto’s gain, the largest one-year gain ever, may allow the seed maker to pull even or pass DuPont’s... »
Two acquisitions advance Bayer CropScience´s U.S. cotton platform
Bayer CropScience announced Friday the completion of two acquisitions that advance the company’s strategy in expanding its cotton seed business. In separate transactions, Bayer CropScience purchased the assets of California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors, Bakersfield, Calif., and the assets of Reliance Genetics LLC, Harlingen, Texas. The combined price for the related transactions amounts... »
