Here’s a fun little Christmas greeting for your viewing pleasure (you weren’t really working now anyway, right?). It’s a heaping helping of farm and ranch life imagery, sprinkled with a few of our own family snapshots.
So, from our family to yours, we wish you all the joy this season can bring, and a happy and prosperous New Year. We’ll see in 2012!
- Scott and Shawn
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Farmers are on the harvest home stretch, which is always good cause for celebration. All the beans in Minnesota were in over a week ago, and as of Monday (11/8) almost all of the U.S. soybean crop was reported in (92%). Corn growers were really haulin’ it in last week, and as of Monday, the U.S. corn crop was 87% in. With the good weather we’ve had, I’m sure the last standing corn I saw on my drive from here to Fargo last week is now in the bin. So to celebrate and say, “Congratulations!,” we created this little photo-video montage. Sit back and enjoy. We’ll worry about the yield reports and markets tomorrow.
(C) 2011 AgriLife Studios.
Posted in Prime Cuts | Tagged agriculture, corn, farming, harvest, Minnesota, photography, soybeans, video | 9 Comments »
On our way home after a recent shoot in central Iowa for our friends at Pfizer Animal Health, Shawn and I dove off the interstate, looking for something to shoot. Shawn was crankin’ the tunes as we cruised the gravel roads singing at the top of our lungs (to the amusement of the rare passerby) with John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Good times.
We caught some great farmscapes, chased a few windmills and stumbled on a pasture full of what looked like White Park cattle. I’m not sure what they were, but they made for some interesting shooting. There was just one wire between Shawn and that bull.
I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as we did capturing them. It might help if you open your office window, crank up your favorite country song and hum along.
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Wow, it’s HOT. I know for those of you living further south (say, Iowa), this 110+ heat index stuff is just called “summer,” but to those of us living Up Nort’ it’s just bloomin’ miserable. But these hot humid days seem to be pretty good for growing corn!
Speaking of corn, we were down in St. Louis a few weeks ago shooting for our friends at Wyffels Hybrids and had a chance to get out of the city and run through the countryside. We shot some fun stills and video at a Wyffels test plot (check out their hot new hybrids!), then hit the back roads looking for some cool scenes to shoot. We hit a few flooded out roads (man, those folks are having a tough time with high water), but found some beautiful fields of tall corn and ripe wheat.
Enjoy these shots, and stay tuned for more. I hope to do a better job of keeping this blog more current!
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Congratulations to the big winners in last night’s Best of NAMA! RISE and Fleishman-Hillard take home the prize for Best in Show – PR, for their “Debug the Myths – What’s bugging you?” campaign. Winfield Solutions and Colle+McVoy claimed Best of Show – Advertising for the “Answer Plot video direct mail” piece. The new “Producers’ Choice” award went to Unverferth and McCormick (I think this is a great category).
The “Take No Crap” Challenge went unanswered last night. A couple of people asked if the hidden cow pie had been found, but if someone found it nobody would admit it.
So the challenge stands! The missing patty will be hidden once again during the Connection Point breaks. Anyone brave enough to call it in gets a FREE stock image from AgriLife Studios!
See you at the Opening Session (but omelettes first!).
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I’m excited to be here at NAMA 2011 in KC, and looking forward to seeing some great work recognized at the Best of NAMA awards program tonight.
I have a new challenge for my fellow agri-marketers:
Find the hidden cow pie at the Connection Point reception tonight, take a photo with your phone camera, text or mail it to me (with evidence of the location) and I will give you a FREE stock photo from AgriLife Studios. Hint: my phone number and email address is on the card underneath).
No hints on location (yet). But you can FOLLOW my Twitter posts @agrilifewhitman to receive updates and hints on location.
Good luck! And take no crap!
Remember to check out the NAMA 2011 “Say no to crappy images” web site for more chances to win:
http://www.agrilifestudios.com/nocrappyimages/NoCrap.html
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Smell that?
The enemy — crappy images — still lurks out there.
We’ve renewed our offensive offensive against the scurge of bad images in agri-marketing. Call it a Surge.
We’re raising the battle cry, “no more crappy images!” and we need your help.
What’s in it for you? How about a full year’s use of a (decidedly non-crappy)
stock image from the AgriLife Studios library — FREE .
It’s just our way of saying ‘thanks’ for taking a stand for all that’s right and good and just in this world.
Well, maybe that’s a little strong… let’s just say we appreciate you playing along.
Check out the site, and register your vote:
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March in Minnesota means poor skiing and river flooding. The ice houses are off the lake, and the snow sleds are in storage — sure signs that the season is turning. A warm surge last week melted most of the season’s accumulated snow-pack, but apparently we have another fresh 4-6 inches on the way tonight. Ugh.
But spring is coming. I know it’s really true because the new crop of kids (of the goat variety) has finally arrived.
This past week, the Nielsen family began welcoming the first of their 2011 kids. I believe as of yesterday, they had at least five on the ground. The Nielsen girls and their mom handle most of the goat herd management duties, but Shawn manages to be helpful (organic waste management specialist). In exchange for his labor, Shawn enjoys the benefit of getting first shot at some fresh young models for the AgriLife Studios stock library.
Nothing brings a greater sense of anticipation and hope than new life on the farm. Enjoy.
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It’s the time of year we reflect. Draw close. Say thanks. Look ahead. We go dashing through the snow, over the river and through the woods, roast chestnus (whatever those are) and rock around the Christmas tree. And while someone is bringing the figgy puding, we pause and pray, for Joy to the World.
Thanks, friends, for a wonderful 2010. Shawn and I wish you a very merry Christmas and a most blessed and prosperous new year.
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The “Say no to crappy images” campaign took a rather disturbing, yet seasonally iconic turn in this latest submission from our new friend, Jill Loehr, Marketing Communications Manager at Wyffels Hybrids (see photo at lower left below). 
This image raises a question: “Just how naughty do you have to be?” A lump of coal is one thing, but a smelly cowpie in the sock would surely leave marks on any child’s fragile psyche. Jill’s nasty little gift promises a very Grinchy Christmas for the lucky person on her Secret Santa list!
Of course, we appreciate and honor Jill’s sense of humor. It was apparent she easily adopted the spirit of the project. Here’s an excerpt from the email she sent with her photo:
The crap caused some stink around the office. I had numerous people stop by my office and say “Is that what I think that is?” The crap even made its way into a conference room for some training. I have no idea what he (Director of Marketing, Jeff Hartz) used it for, but I thought “Can I borrow your crap?” was a fun statement.
In an earlier email, Jill says the crap even captured the interest of the Big Cheese. She reported: “Bill Wyffels just stopped by my desk and said, ‘Is that a big cookie or is it what I think it is?’ He thought it looked very realistic.”
Indeed! There’s nothing that says, “I really, really need a break for Christmas” than having your boss tell you “what’s that crap on your desk?!”
Thanks, again Jill. Well done. And a very, merry holiday to you, too!
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