Brownfield

All a-twitter

Twitter, FaceBook, blogging, podcasting, texting and a whole lot of other topics were part of a discussion at National AgriMarketing Conference in Atlanta, Georgia Friday morning. 

David Brazeal, General Manager of Learfield InterAction (part of the Brownfield team) was a panelist during a very insightful session Friday morning at NAMA.  Despite the fact that most people stayed up WAY too late at the Brownfield party the night before, there was not an empty seat in the room and the conversation was engaging. 

Ag marketers rock out with Brownfield

Wow.  What a fun evening the Brownfield advertising sales team along with President and COO Roger Gardner; Chairman of the Board and Founder Clyde Lear; President of Learfield News Stan Koenigsfeld; and I, Cyndi Young, Brownfield Farm Director; had hosting our agrimarketing partners at the annual NAMA Brownfield party!  We had a full house at the Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe.  The band, Party Nation, entertained us and we enjoyed the company.

Save lives: give blood

Did you know that you can save three lives by donating blood?  The American Red Cross was "in the house" at Learfield Communications Jefferson City, Missouri headquarters today for the Learfield Blood Drive.  John Perkins and Kari McKinney from Brownfield Ag News believe in the cause and gave blood to save lives today.

Hanging out at C-SPAN

Julie Harker stayed in Washington, D.C. for a couple of extra days after covering the National Farmers Union Meeting last week.  While there, she met with former Missourinet reporter Cynthia Reuter who introduced Julie and her husband Bob to Brian Lamb, founder of C-SPAN.

Best office memo of the year

We have a really great Director of Human Resources at Learfield Communications.  Jeff Martin is a great guy with a big heart who manages to keep the "human" in human resources.  He sent this email message this morning to all of us who work in the Jefferon City, Missouri building. 

Jessica Machetta (Missourinet reporter) did a story on the statewide tornado drill scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30.  While I don’t think it’s necessary to all file downstairs and crouch against the wall, I do think it warrants mention of what we should do in a tornado.  Basically, we should do the OPPOSITE of what we did last year during the tornado warning, which was stand in front of the plate-glass window in the reception area upstairs gazing outside for a funnel cloud.  Instead, go downstairs and find a place near the front of the building.

-Jeff Martin

Sister network

During our recent trip to Iowa for Farm Progress Show, Tom Steever, Julie Harker and I stopped by Radio Iowa headquarters in Des Moines where we visited with Dar Danielson and Pat Curtis.   

If I want to know the news in Iowa, I tune in to a Radio Iowa affiliate radio station or check the Radio Iowa website.  The Brownfield team and the Radio Iowa team frequently work together to cover ag and rural stories. 

Lunch with our founder

The Brownfield team has gathered in Jefferson City, Missouri for the Annual Retreat.  We take this time together to retool, bond, learn some new skills - and eat.  Today, Clyde Lear hosted a lunch for our team at the Jefferson City Country Club.  We posed for a quick picture before heading back to Learfield World Headquarters for our afternoon sessions.

Clyde started this company 35 years ago.  One of the group's favorite parts of the annual get-together is the opportunity to spend time with Clyde.

Pictured left to right:  Dave Russell, Kari McKinney, Tom Steever, Mike Cady, John Perkins, Bob Meyer, Jerry Passer, Julie Harker, Cyndi Young and Clyde Lear.

35 years and going strong

It was 35 years ago today that Clyde Lear and Derry Brownfield offered this company's first broadcast to affiliate radio stations.  Clyde wrote about that first broadcast on his blog this morning. 

The Brownfield Ag News team has grown, but the mission has not changed as much as one might think.  We continue to provide relevant information to grassroots agricultural and rural communities.

Thanks Clyde and Derry for giving the rest of the us the opportunity!

Helpdesk

As a subscriber to Brownfield's Agriculture Today e-newsletter, viewer of the Brownfield Ag News website, or listener to Brownfield's radio network, you know that Brownfield ag news specialists Tom Steever, Julie Harker, Bob Meyer, Peter Shinn, Jerry Passer, John Perkins, Andrew McCrea, Dave Russell and I, Cyndi Young, spend time on the road, covering stories and events relevant to agriculture.  Reporting from the field requires a different type of equipment and a bit more technology than it once did.  Eric Ambrosius, a PC support specialist from our company Information Technology Department recently installed upgraded programs on our laptop computers making our remote broadcast not only sound better, but easier to produce.  Eric is part of "Helpdesk" - one of those behind-the-scenes elements of our news product that readers, viewers and listeners rarely see.

Eric gave Julie and Tom a "how-to" demonstration with the new programs. 

Triple crown winning town

While Tom Steever and Taryn Dameron have been busy covering youth activities held prior to the Illinois State Fair and Jerry Passer has been keeping us up to date on happenings at Iowa State Fair, Bob Meyer has been covering Wisconsin State Fair activities and Dave Russell has been covering activities at Indiana State Fair.  Julie Harker, Taryn and I are all off to Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair tomorrow.  Despite all of the really great stories that have been and will be generated during these major events, my favorite so far comes from Bob Meyer:

The southwestern Wisconsin community of Mineral Point may try to wrestle the “Titletown” moniker away from Green Bay.  The   town of 2,400 is home to the Grand Champion steer, barrow and market lamb at the Wisconsin State Fair this year.  The steer was exhibited by Brock May, the barrow by Jordan Tibbits and the lamb by Jacob Johnson.  Tibbits also had the champion Yorkshire breed barrow.

I wonder if that has ever happened before?