Brooke Rollins of Texas was confirmed as the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture Thursday by a vote of 72-28. Rollins served in Trump’s previous administration as acting director of the Domestic Policy Council and oversaw the White House Office of American Innovation. She since co-founded and served as president and chief executive officer of the America First Policy Institute. She has …
Agri-Pulse Summit to Focus on Taxes, Trade and Technology
“Navigating Taxes, Trade and Technology: What’s Ahead for Food & Agriculture?” is the theme for the annual Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit coming up next month on St. Patrick’s Day in Washington, D.C. This must-attend annual event will feature keynote speakers and panelists focused on these topics as well as provide time for networking with industry leaders. Agri-Pulse Founder …
ZimmCast 742 – Cattle and Crop Insurance
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this episode I’m going to share some interviews with last week’s CattleCon 2025 and CIRB Annual Mtg. I was in San Antonio while Cindy was in Bonita Springs, FL. This is definitely the busy time! So, let’s get started with CattleCon. I talked with Colin Woodall, CEO, NCBA who says they were going …
CattleCon 2025 Preview
It’s time for the 2025 CattleCon. To get a preview of this year’s event I spoke with Kristin Torres, Executive Director of Meetings and Event, NCBA. She covers all the activities and if you’re interested you can also just link to the schedule here. CattleCon is where the beef industry meets! We’re headed to San Antonio February 4-6, 2025! At …
ZimmCast 741 – Clean Fuels in 2025
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. While Cindy was home during the major snow storm in Florida I was attending the Clean Fuels Conference in San Diego, CA. The weather was delightful for the conference. However, in the Pensacola, FL area there was eight to ten inches of snow, something that hasn’t happened in over 150 years! But it has …
ZimmCast 740 – Outlook for U.S. Cotton
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. ZimmComm is now entering its 21st year. Who would have thought? We officially announced our company at the 2004 National Agri-Marketing Conference. We had our first booth at the conference in 2005 which means we’ve exhibited for twenty of them! I thought you might like to hear the first audio podcast I recorded in …
American Agri-Women Honors Amanda Radke
American Agri-Women (AAW) recently honored South Dakota rancher and agriculture advocate Amanda Radke with its prestigious Veritas Award during its 2024 National Convention in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The Veritas Award, one of AAW’s highest honors, is given to individuals who have demonstrated public witness to the “pursuit of truth.” Amanda Radke, a fifth-generation rancher from Mitchell, South Dakota, was …
ZimmCast 738 – Reaction to Elections
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this episode I’m going to share some interviews from the NAFB Trade Talk about reactions from the recent presidential election. I’m going to include Mary Kay Thatcher, Syngenta Sr. Manager, Federal Government and Industry Relations; Brian Jennings, ACE CEO; Geoff Cooper, RFA CEO and Ethan Lane, NCBA, VP of Government Affairs. Adding to …
Peanut Industry Honors Bob Parker
At the end of 2023, Bob Parker retired as President and CEO of the National Peanut Board after serving in that capacity for a decade. For his tenure and leadership, he was presented with the annual Valor Award by Valent at the 2024 Southern Peanut Growers Conference. “I tell people if you cut my arm, instead of blood, peanut butter …
Chancellor Perdue Seeks Grower Input
The former Governor of Georgia and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture came before the Southern Peanut Growers Conference Thursday in his newest role as University System of Georgia Chancellor. Sonny Perdue was named UGA Chancellor in 2022, a role which provides leadership in higher education, extension, and research priorities within the state university system, so he wanted to hear what …