Agricultural interests have been trying for nearly five years to get Washington to act on three free trade agreements and finally in just over a week they have been sent to Congress and passed by significant majorities. The trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia were each voted on separately and passed in rapid succession Wednesday, first by the …
AFBF Elects Potts as Executive Vice President
Julie Anna Potts is the new executive vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. The AFBF board of directors elected Potts last week to succeeds Dick Newpher who retired after 19 years of service with AFBF, the last seven as executive vice president. Newpher previously worked 19 years with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau in various capacities. In her new …
Blue Jeans Make Insulation Green
Don’t throw out those old blue jeans – they could be used to insulate someone’s house. “Cotton. From Blue to Green®” is a Cotton Incorporated initiative started in 2006 that gives donated denim a second life by converting it into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation. To date, the program has received over half a million pieces of denim which has produced approximately …
Corn and Cattle at Odds Over Renewable Fuels Standard
Corn growers and cattle producers are at odds over new legislation introduced in the House that would change the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). The bill, sponsored by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Costa (D-CA), would allow Congress to reduce the RFS requirement for ethanol whenever corn stocks are tight. Speaking on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) …
Senator Pat Roberts Comments at John Deere Opening
You can always count on Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) to liven up any gathering and leave them laughing. At the John Deere Olathe opening last Friday, Sen. Roberts did just that. “Anyone know a good copyright lawyer?” the senator asked as he took the podium after speeches by Deere’s John Lagemann and Dave Everitt and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. “I’ve …
On Site Live at World Dairy Expo
The ZimmComm team is on site at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. This is the 7th year we have been here at WDX, but the first time the two of us have been here together. We were both here one year but switched off, so not together, and I have been here by myself or with daughter Carly for …
Trade Agreements Finally Moving for Real
After more than four years in limbo, trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama have finally been sent to Congress by the White House and could be voted on by next week. “The series of trade agreements I am submitting to Congress today will make it easier for American companies to sell their products in South Korea, Colombia, and …
John Deere Opens Olathe, Kansas Facility
John Deere officially opened a sparkling new LEED-certified sales and marketing center in Olathe, Kansas on Friday with the help of employees, government officials, and other special guests. “This 126,000 square foot facility has been laid out to enhance the work environment for employees and has the most up-to-date technology so we can communicate and train work groups around the …
NFocus Forum Connects Suppliers and Producers
NFocus Partners and Beck Ag recently partnered to hold the “NFocus Forum for Agribusiness” to allow ag suppliers from throughout the country to connect with some of the industry’s top producers. “Producers no longer have the luxury of time for multiple supplier meetings. Now more than ever, it’s critical for suppliers to understand the purchasing patterns and input decision making …
Isn’t Climate Change Inevitable?
“Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” – Benjamin Disraeli Let me say first off, I am not a climate change denier. There’s plenty of proof to satisfy me that the climate of the Earth can and does change over time. It has done so multiple times over the last four billion or so years of its existence – billions of …