The 2025 Clean Fuels Conference is underway in San Diego bringing together industry leaders in the biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel markets with the theme “Accelerate.” Clean Fuels Alliance America CEO Donnell Rehagen says the meeting theme refers to the rapid growth and transformative progress of the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel industries. “We’re now a …
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 …
Farewell to USDA Secretary Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack leaves a job this week that he has held for 12 of the past 16 years, and as he goes, he says it has been both an honor and a privilege to serve. “Only one other person in the history of the country has had this job longer than I have and only five other …
Cotton Industry Facing Big Challenges
At the start of 2025, the U.S. cotton industry is facing some tough times right now, according to National Cotton Council president and CEO Gary Adams. “It’s tough from an economic standpoint for producers,” said Adams this week at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. “We have seen costs that have increased substantially over the last several years. In …
Sec. Vilsack Bids Farewell with Climate-Smart Agriculture Rule
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held his last official press conference of his tenure at USDA on Wednesday, announcing the publication of an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks. The interim rule establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops …
Cotton Consultants Focused on Regulatory Issues
Adapting to regulations is a constant theme in the life of cotton consultants, but this year more than ever the Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference wanted to stress how new regulations will be impacting the industry. “We set up a central theme this year of regulatory issues, primarily focused around the marriage of EPA with Fish and Wildlife with some of …
USDA Completes Reform of Packers & Stockyards Rule
In one of his last official acts in the waning days of the Biden administration, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the third installment in a series of regulatory reforms under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Along with other finalized updates, this completes a major regulatory reform intended to “level the playing field for farmers who raise chicken, turkeys, hogs, …
Regev Hybrid Fungicide Receives California Registration
Summit Agro has announced the use of Regev hybrid fungicide has been approved by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, giving California growers a unique new tool in their battle against many fungal and bacterial diseases. Regev is the first hybrid fungicide in that it unites the disease fighting power of botanical and conventional chemistries. Specifically, the product combines Tea …
2025 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Preview
The National Cotton Council is ready to welcome all to the 2025 Beltwide Cotton Conferences next week, January 14-16, at the New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, LA. Three days of individual reports, panel discussions, hands on workshops and seminars are designed to provide attendees with information they need to help producers make key cotton production/marketing-related decisions. Conferences coordinator Lauren Krogman …
ZimmCast 739 – Happy New Year ZimmCast
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. Welcome to another year of agriblogging and farm podcasting. It’s hard to believe that we’re coming close to 21 years since we started ZimmComm in 2004. Cindy and I have worked together in the ag marcom field for about 21 years before that. Now we’re doing some thinking and planning for 2025. I sense …