Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Registration is now open for ASTA’s CSS 2015 & Seed Expo, held December 7-11 in Chicago, IL! Starting with the April 2015 issue, Badger Common’Tater, morphed into a more engaging and entertaining experience by offering an online magazine format, identical in content to their print format, but offering all the bells and whistles of the digital world. A new study …

Zimfo Bytes

Food Dialogues – Minneapolis

Chuck Zimmerman

It is time to talk about food again. So let’s have a dialogue in Minneapolis on “Farm to Consumer: Bridging the Gap between Consumer Concerns and Food Production and Sourcing Decisions.” Thanks to USFRA, we’ll will be there tomorrow to watch, learn, interview, tweet. From environmental sustainability to GMO safety and animal welfare, consumers increasingly want to know if the …

Ag Groups, Food, USFRA

Ding Wins National Potato Council Scholarship

Kelly Marshall

The National Potato Council (NPC) is pleased to announce the winner of the 2015-15  $10,000 academic scholarship. Shunping Ding, a PhD. student in Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a graduate student who earned the award for her interest in research benefiting the potato industry. Ding is an enthusiastic researcher and dedicated student, who has proven to be a leader both …

Ag Groups, Education, Potato, Research

Candidates at Iowa State Fair

Cindy Zimmerman

The Republican candidates may not have addressed any agricultural issues during the debates last week, but they might during appearances at the Iowa State Fair which begins this week. A majority of the presidential candidates from both parties have confirmed they will speak at The Des Moines Register’s Soapbox during the fair. A total of 14 Republicans and four Democrats …

politics

Join the Biodiesel & Bioheat Forum

Chuck Zimmerman

Next week I’ll be attending the Biodiesel and Bioheat Forum, sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Want to join me? Get registered now. Home heating oil and biodiesel leaders will discuss a biodiesel blend with significant environmental and economic benefits and the role Minnesota soybean farmers can play in meeting the demand of this market. “The Midwest …

Ag Groups, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Energy, Soybean

“Ahead of the Curve” Theme for @GROWMARK Annual

Cindy Zimmerman

As one of the nation’s largest, oldest, most profitable and most respected farmer cooperatives, GROWMARK has always been ahead of the curve, so it is an appropriate theme for this year’s annual meeting, coming up August 27-28 at the Hilton Chicago. “We do think that GROWMARK and the FS System are ahead of the curve,” says GROWMARK Corporate Relations Manager …

Audio, Cooperatives, GROWMARK

Cheminova Products Add to FMC Portfolio

Cindy Zimmerman

FMC Corporation just completed its acquisition of Cheminova earlier this year and at the Ag Media Summit we talked with FMC business solutions manager David Wheeler about what new crop protection solutions that adds to the FMC portfolio for growers. “The Cheminova acquisition has really rounded out our portfolio,” said Wheeler. “For instance, we were lacking in fungicides in our …

Ag Media Summit, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC

BrightFarms Builds Farm of the Future

Kelly Marshall

BrightFarms has broken ground on a new Chicagoland Greenhouse in Rochelle, IL.  The start-up company is changing the face of local produce with the first ever nation brand.  Working together with Roundy’s Supermarkets, and the greenhouses will supply the grocery chain with produce, hopefully in 2016. A model for the future of local, low-impact farming, the BrightFarms Chicagoland Greenhouse will be …

Agribusiness, Energy, Produce

Farm Financial Standards Councils Elects Neiffer

Kelly Marshall

The Farm Financial Standards Council has elected Paul Neiffer (center) serve as president for 2015-16. Neiffer is a principal with ClifftonLarsonAllen, LLP, in Kennewick. Neiffer is flanked to his right by Stephen Severe, CFO of Padlock Ranch, Ranchester, WY, who will serve as the organization’s vice president. The secretary/treasurer of the Council is Janice P. Bitter, vice president of Farm …

Ag Groups

Tiemann Elected Chairman of U.S. Grains Council

John Davis

A Nebraska corn farmer and state Corn Board member is the new chairman of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). Alan Tiemann from Seward, Nebraska, was elected at the organization’s 55th annual board of delegates meeting in Montreal, Canada, after serving as USGC vice-chairman over the previous year. “I have enjoyed addressing issues and helping open markets for the Grains Council …

Ag Groups, Grains, USGC