Michael Schaal is with the Energy Information Administration which is part of the U. S. Dept. of Energy. He spoke early on the program at the Farm Foundation conference about the global outlook for energy. He says they were actually looking at trends through 2030. He says that developing countries will be significantly increasing their fuel consumption which will increase …
Global Trade & Policy Issues and Biofuels
Wally Tyner is an energy economist with the Dept. of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. He’s one of the first speakers on the Farm Foundation, Transition To A Bio Economy Conference: Global Trade and Policy Issues. I was able to speak with him before the program kicks off this afternoon here in Washington, DC. Wally says Farm Foundation decided to …
What Farm Policy Is Looking Like
Since the new staff at USDA is finally filling out and we’ve now had a couple months of a new administration in Washington, DC I thought it might be a good time to learn about what’s going with farm policy these days. So I went to the expert, Keith Good, Farm Policy. Keith and I chatted via Skype today and …
Deere Landscapes
I’ll bet you didn’t know John Deere is into landscaping did you? I didn’t until I was out on a Drive Green Utility Tractor Show stop. It’s called John Deere Landscapes. John Deere Landscapes approaches the Industry from a whole new vantage point. Like you, we face the future with a healthy respect for the past. Our heritage is one …
NE Pork Talking About Ag Day
The latest edition of the Pork Industry Report from the Nebraska Pork Producers Association is all about National Agriculture Day. You can listen to Dee explain things in this week’s program here: ne-pork-03-20-09.mp3
Census Bureau Profile of Houston Stock Show
The U. S. Census Bureau puts out some interesting stats each day like these about the Houston Stock Show in an audio report called “Profile America” (mp3). The largest show of its kind will wind up this weekend. Before it’s over, the 77th annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is expected to have drawn nearly 2 million people to Reliant …
Secretary Vilsack Agriculture Week PSA
Our Secretary of Agriculture has recorded a public service message to highlight National Agriculture Week. You can listen to it here: vilsack-agweek-psa.mp3 The picture is Secretary Vilsack with Cookie Monster and Broccoli at the National WIC Association and Sesame Workshop Partnership conference. I like it.
Agriculture Week According To The Chairman
Welcome to Ag Week and the ZimmCast. This week we’re all about celebrating American agriculture and thanking our farmers and ranchers who feed and fuel the world. In this week’s program I spoke with Greg Webb, ADM, who is currently Chairman of the Agriculture Council of America. He says the purpose of this week and National Agriculture Day on March …
Update on IFAJ and Ag Media Summit
In this week’s program we’ll get an update on the IFAJ and Ag Media Summit program from Joann Alumbaugh, Farms.com. Joann is co-chair of the program committee this year. Our planning committee for the conference met after Commodity Classic in the Worthington Hotel, Ft. Worth, which is where we’ll be at the end of July and first of August. To …
Food Price Drivers Unchanged
Farm Foundation has issued an update of a report last year on “What’s Driving Food Prices?” and found the same factors affecting commodities. “In July 2008, crude oil prices were at record levels, as were most agricultural commodity prices. Low supplies generated fears of food shortages. The rhetoric of the food-versus-fuel debate rose along with food prices. Today, despite remarkable …