ZimmCast 752 – Farm Journal Ad Insights
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode you’ll learn all about Farm Journal’s new Ad Insight tool which is new to the agrimarketing industry. It’s a first for a digital advertising analytics solution. Talking with me is Prescott Shibles, Farm Journal CEO.
Farm Journal has launched a new ad insights tool, which is the agriculture industry’s first universal digital advertising analytics solution designed specifically for agrimarketers who want to measure, optimize and prove the impact of every digital dollar.
As digital budgets grow and audience attention fragments across channels, agrimarketers need more than siloed reports. They need a single view of what is working and what is not working. Farm Journal’s ad insights tool delivers that clarity, providing a unified, real-time analytics resource that connects all major platforms and ad formats in one place.
“In today’s digital landscape, agrimarketers need more than just data, they need insight, context and confidence,” said Prescott Shibles, Farm Journal CEO. “This ad insights tool delivers measurable value, transparency and performance benchmarks in ways the industry has never had before.”
Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 752 - Farm Journal Ad Insights (12:25)
That’s the ZimmCast for now. If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world, feel free to contact me for the next episode. Just email Chuck at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
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Battle Over Beef
There’s been a lot of back and forth about beef this week between the Trump administration and the U.S. beef cattle industry after President Trump suggested importing beef from Argentina to address high prices. “We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down,” Trump said to reporters on Sunday.
“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and its members cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “If President Trump is truly an ally of America’s cattle producers, we call on him to abandon this effort to manipulate markets and focus instead on the promised New World Screwworm facilities in Texas; making additional investments that protect the domestic cattle herd from foreign animal diseases such as FMD; and addressing regulatory burdens, such as delisting of the gray wolf and addressing the scourge of black vultures.”
In response, the Trump administration released a plan to strengthen the American beef industry. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced a suite of actions, including increased grazing access, cutting inspection costs, and growing markets.
“USDA will immediately expedite deregulatory reforms, boost processing capacity, including getting more locally raised beef into schools, and working across the government to fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers like outdated grazing restrictions,” said Rollins.
The plan also includes enforcement of the voluntary ‘Product of USA’ rule that goes into effect next year ensuring that only products that have been born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States will be eligible to make U.S.-origin labeling claims.
The plan was released in the wake of remarks President Trump made on Truth Social Wednesday. “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil… If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”
In a Fox Business interview on Thursday, Rollins discussed the plan, stressed President Trump’s love and respect for farmers and ranchers, and downplayed the significance of the Argentina beef deal, which expands Argentina’s low-tariff beef import quota to 80,000 metric tons annually from the previous limit of 20,000 metric tons.
“Currently, Americans consume 12 million metric tons of beef, 10 million we produce in this country, 2 million we import,” said Rollins. “The Argentinian piece is only about currently 20,000 under a tariff quota… out of 12 million, that would be 20,000 every quarter. This is not a massive influx in the millions of tons, I think, that some have thought of beef from Argentina.”
Listen to Rollins’ comments on Fox here:
Rollins remarks on Fox Business 10/23/25 4:12
Precision Ag News 10/22
MyLand and Texas A&M Expand Soil Health Research
Soil health innovator MyLand and Texas A&M AgriLife Research are expanding their collaboration designed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable soil practices across Texas and beyond. The new phase will focus research in Texas on microalgae’s impact on nutrient density, water efficiency, citrus greening, and sustainable farming practices
This milestone builds on the success of the collaboration, which began in 2023. Over the past two years, MyLand and AgriLife Research have expanded soil research and data collection across 12,000 acres in Texas, representing multiple soil types, crops, and regions. Building on this momentum, the program’s microalgae expansion will add 10,000 more acres, deepen collaborative research, and explore new applications of MyLand’s microalgae-based Soil as a Service™ to drive agricultural success and sustainability. This expansion underscores the growing value of public-private collaboration in advancing economically resilient agriculture.
The expanded research program includes studies such as nutrient density of food, water use efficiency, soil salinity, improving groves impacted by citrus greening, and studying microalgae’s impact on reduced water and inputs while maintaining turf quality for sports fields and golf courses.
“Our collaboration with MyLand brings research out of the lab and into farmers’ fields, where results truly matter” said Dr. G. Cliff Lamb, Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “It’s partnerships like this that show how soil health isn’t just about crops – it’s about people, communities, and the future of Texas agriculture.”
With continued collaboration, MyLand and AgriLife Research are cultivating a future where healthy soils mean healthier farms, stronger food systems, and more resilient ecosystems.
Traction Ag Appoints Chief Operating Officer
Cloud-based farm accounting software company Traction Ag has appointed Hannah Parsons as Chief Operating Officer.
Parsons is an experienced operator known for building structure around innovation and aligning vision, people, and process to deliver results. At Barn Owl Technologies, she established the systems, teams, and culture that enabled the company’s evolution from an early-stage e-commerce startup to a respected name in agricultural technology through product development and government-backed research initiatives.
As COO, Parsons will lead Traction Ag’s day-to-day operations, ensuring the company’s systems, teams, and customer experience scale in step with its growth. Her focus will be on translating strategic goals into clear execution across growth, customer success and operations. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment as more farms seek integrated financial platforms to manage increasingly complex operations and data-driven decisions.
Animal Ag News 10/20
Students Selected For 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers Program
AgGateway’s Gateway to Ag Careers program, sponsored by the AgCIO Roundtable, with additional support from Syngenta, has selected six students to participate in the program this year.
“We’re excited to be hosting these exceptional students at the 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference,” says Brent Kemp, AgGateway President and CEO. “Interest in the program has continued to grow over the years, and participants bring a wide range of interests and disciplines to the program.”
The selected students will attend the annual meeting November 3-5 and be able to engage with attendees, sit in on educational sessions, and learn more about the many career opportunities that agriculture has to offer.
The following students will be participating in the 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers program:
· Omar Abdelmawgoud, Arizona State University
· Tristan Cravens, Illinois State University
· Jenna Kirkland, Arizona State University
· Emma Koger, Mississippi State University
· William Leiva-Mercaod, Iowa State University
· Patton Simbeck, Mississippi State University
“The AgCIO Roundtable is pleased to sponsor the Gateway to Ag Careers program annually to give exceptional students the opportunity to engage with agriculture professionals and learn about the many possible careers in our industry,” says Jeroen Hoogendoorn, AgCIO Roundtable Chairperson. “We look forward to welcoming them to this year’s conference and to making it a beneficial experience.”
Registration is open for the upcoming AgGateway annual conference. Learn more about what is happening this year in this interview with President and CEO Brent Kemp:
Interview with Brent Kemp, President/CEO, AgGateway
Agtonomy Accelerates Global Expansion
Agriculture software and services company Agtonomy, today announced its expansion in the United States with new deployments in the Southeast and its first international commercial operation in Australia.
Agtonomy’s latest expansion marks a pivotal moment for agricultural automation, with the company making its commercial debut in Australia. This initiative introduces an advanced physical AI platform to Australian growers, empowering them to meet growing labor and productivity challenges with scalable, autonomous solutions tailor-made for specialty and permanent crops. Simultaneously, Agtonomy’s rollout in the southeastern U.S. broadens access to Agtonomy-enabled equipment across key specialty crop and green space sectors, providing producers and land managers on both coasts with practical, field-proven automation.
Former GM executive Michael Abbott joins Agtonomy’s Board of Directors
Abbott most recently served as GM’s Executive Vice President of Software and Services, overseeing key programs for Software-Defined Vehicles, OnStar, and autonomous driving. His prior experience includes leading Apple’s Cloud Services and holding senior roles at Twitter, Palm, and Microsoft. Abbott’s deep cloud infrastructure and enterprise platform expertise complement Agtonomy’s vision for scaling physical AI across agricultural and land management markets.
“At Agtonomy, we know firsthand that practical experience in both farming and automation gives us a real edge,” said Tim Bucher, founder and CEO of Agtonomy. “We’ve thoughtfully built an executive team with the experience and focus to take us from innovation to real-world impact. Our team brings field-proven know-how from Silicon Valley, global ag OEMs, and specialty crop production. The result isn’t another flashy demo—it’s automation that growers can trust, use, and depend on, right now. Plus, Michael’s addition to our board further strengthens our ability to navigate the road ahead.”
For more information about Agtonomy’s leadership team and mission, visit www.agtonomy.com.
Industry Ag News 10/17