Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has released a list of USDA’s top achievements in 2015 in the areas of trade, food security, conservation, energy, research, rural development, and more. “Even with challenges in 2015, including an unprecedented animal disease outbreak and lower commodity prices, America’s rural communities have proven once again that we are a nation of makers, creators and innovators, …
USDA to Honor Bob Stallman
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning a special day of recognition for outgoing American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president Bob Stallman next month. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will proclaim January 6 as Bob Stallman Appreciation Day and present an official proclamation in recognition of Stallman’s commitment to strengthening rural American families and communities. …
Take Advantage of Year End Tax Savings
With the approval by Congress extending the $500,000 Section 179 capital assets depreciation limit and enhanced bonus depreciation, now is the time to take advantage of year end tax savings on farm equipment. The Section 179 tax deduction, which allows farmers and small businesses to immediately write off the full price of up to $500,000 in capital assets purchases instead …
ZimmCast on LibertyLink Campaign
If you have been listening to farm radio at all in the last couple of months you have probably heard the Real Yield radio spots that have been running featuring real farmers from around the soybean producing part of the country talking about their experience with the Bayer CropScience LibertyLink system. In this edition of the ZimmCast, we talk with …
What’s In and Out for Ag in Omnibus
The broad spending and tax legislation compromise unveiled by House Republicans Tuesday night includes some riders important to agriculture. Perhaps the most important, the bill repeals mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for meat to prevent more than $1 billion in trade sanctions from Mexico and Canada approved last week by the WTO. “I’m pleased American agriculture and businesses will escape these …
Merger Leads to Executive Changes at DuPont
DuPont has announced several executive leadership changes as a result of last week’s confirmed merger with Dow. James C. Collins, executive vice president, will lead the DuPont Agriculture business segment. Marc Doyle has been named executive vice president and will lead the Electronics & Communications, Industrial Biosciences, Nutrition & Health, Performance Materials and Safety & Protection business segments. Richard C. …
ZimmCast on AgVocating with Bayer CropScience
Welcome to ZimmCast number 495! Wow, just five more until we hit the big 5-00! This week’s ZimmCast is from last week’s American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2015 and Seed Expo and it’s about AgVocating, a word that has become a part of the agricultural dictionary in the past couple of years and has a pretty obvious meaning combining …
ASTA FuSE Blazing New Trails
The American Seed Trade Association’s Future Seed Executives (FuSE) subcommittee is blazing new trails for 2016. FuSE chair Sarah Neuharth with DuPont Pioneer says the goal of the committee is to educate and support seed industry professionals with fewer than seven years of seed industry experience. “I think a lot of people don’t understand or recognize that FuSE can be …
GAO Says EPA Violated Law with WOTUS
In a legal opinion released on Monday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “violated publicity or propaganda and anti-lobbying provisions contained in appropriations acts with its use of certain social media platforms in association with its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking.” According to the GAO: Specifically, EPA violated the publicity or propaganda …
Outstanding Career Award at #ASTACSS
A giant in the plant breeding and genetics world was honored by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders (NCCPB) during the CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago. Donn Cummings retired from Monsanto after 30 years as a corn plant breeder, spending the last eight years of his career developing …