Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack held an informal town hall-style meeting with members of the American Farm Bureau on the floor of the IDEAg trade show Sunday in San Diego. On a circular stage with AFBF president Bob Stallman, Vilsack took questions from members on a variety of topics, including the proposed Waters of the US rule, transportation, trade, and biofuels. …
Rea Named Senior VP of BASF Crop Protection
BASF announces that Paul Rea has been appointed Senior Vice President, Crop Protection, North America. Rea joined BASF Australia in 2001, moving to the U.S. in 2004. Rea has held a number of positions with BASF in the U.S., including Director of the professional and specialty solutions division, and Vice President, U.S. Crop Operations. Most recently, Rea was Senior Vice …
Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Awards
The American Farm Bureau Federation recognized Don Borgman and Dr. Temple Grandin for their distinguished service to agriculture during the organization’s 96th annual convention Sunday in San Diego. Both farmer and industry executive, Don Borgman has been a strong advocate for agriculture for over 40 years. A third-generation corn and soybean farmer from Missouri, Borgman continued to manage his farm …
Farm Bureau Proud and Optimistic
The 96th annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation is underway in San Diego, kicked off by president Bob Stallman Sunday morning telling the membership that agriculture must push harder for important policy reforms in 2015. “We cannot ignore the extremes of the left and right, but we must speak to the center: the legislators in both parties who …
Contamination Prevention at Beltwide Cotton
Earlier this week the 2015 Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference took place in San Antonio, TX. One of the hot topics discussed during the event was contamination prevention. Dale W. Thompson, National Cotton Council, spoke to the group in attendance about the potentially growing problem. Dale said this is no new problem for cotton growers and has a huge impact on …
Zimfo Bytes
Dr. Jodi Scheffler, a geneticist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service who has compiled an impressive record of outstanding service in basic genetic research, is the recipient of the 2014 Cotton Genetics Research Award. Early bird registration for the 20th Commodity Classic is approaching ends Thursday, Jan. 15, for the event, which will be held in Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 26-28. The …
‘My American Farm’ Reaches 1.5 million Youth
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has announced that it has reached more than 1.5 million school-age youths through its educational “My American Farm” program. In 2015, the web-based resource will have a new look to improve the user experience thanks to continued support from DuPont Pioneer. “Over the past four years, we have reached more than a million …
Farm Podcaster Tool
I don’t have one but think I’ll get one. I like Samson USB mics and travel with a Go Mic. This looks like a nice desktop/travel mic to add to the bag though. Might even replace my Blue Microphones Yeti. I’ll test it out and let you know what I think. Samson’s Meteorite is the universal solution for capturing high-quality …
What’s Your Opinion on US Ag Coalition for Cuba?
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What do you think were the biggest ag stories of 2014?” We were not limited on the number of important ag stories in 2014. It looks like RFS and the drought in the West topped this poll. Immigration and agriculture documentaries were a few others people added to the list. 2015 has already started …
Lawmakers Back Cuba Ag Trade Coalition
Lawmakers of both parties from across the country lined up to back the launch of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) on Thursday. Democrat Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri made a special point to be in Washington for the event to represent all agriculture states. “This is an extremely bi-partisan issue,” said Nixon. “We have been presented with an …