CFWF Senators Report

Chuck Zimmerman

A tradition at the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation Conference is the Senators Report. The senators are the past presidents of CFWF who are in attendance. They gather on the final afternoon of the conference to discuss important and worldly things that are then reported during the awards banquet. Giving the report this year was John Morriss, Farm Business Communications. I …

Audio, Media

Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation in Growth Mode

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week’s program we’re going to learn about the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation from the past President and the new President. First up is Tamara Leigh, Shiny Bird Communications, who passed the gavel of leadership during last week’s Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) Conference. Tamara not only does agricultural communications work but also …

Audio, Media

BASF Engages Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

Grower engagement on both the people and services level is important for BASF Crop Protection to ensure they are doing all they can to help farmers grow smarter, market smarter and live smarter. During one of the breakout sessions at the BASF Global Press conference in Germany this week, we heard from (left to right) Hannes Lutz – vice president …

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Farming, Technology

Support Young Agrarians

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s a group that you need to put on your radar. The Young Agrarians. I think you’ll hear more from them from my visit to Canada this week. But to get us started, Sara Dent spoke during our opening reception here at the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation Conference. She gave us an overview of this organization. Young Agrarians is a …

Ag Groups, Audio

Welcome to CFWF 2013

Chuck Zimmerman

Sharon Gaetz is the mayor of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. She welcomed the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation to Harrison Hot Springs last night. Sharon is the Chair of the Regional District. She says we’re going to love the area. From what I’ve seen so far I would have to agree. You can listen to Sharon’s welcome here: 2013 Canadian Farm …

Audio, Media

BASF Raises Sales Target for Crop Protection

Cindy Zimmerman

At a global press conference in Limburgerhof, Germany Wednesday, BASF announced an increase in the long-term sales target for its Crop Protection division. The Chemical Company’s important agricultural division is now forecast to achieve sales of more than $8 billion by 2015 and $10.8 billion by 2020 – that’s up about $2 billion from previous estimates. Markus Heldt, President of …

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Farming

BASF and John Deere are German Neighbors

Cindy Zimmerman

Global agribusiness giants John Deere and BASF are friendly neighbors in Germany, located just over a mile away from each other on opposite sides of the Rhine River. John Deere’s Christoph Wigger, pictured here on the right with BASF’s Markus Heldt, crossed the river to speak at the opening dinner of BASF’s global media event, a literal “United Nations” of …

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, International, John Deere

Monsanto Increases Corn Rootworm Research Dollars

Leah Guffey

Monsanto Company is ponying up an additional $3 million in corn rootworm academic research which will extend the program, started earlier in the year, to 2016.   Research projects that are rootworm-based will be able to receive up to $250,000 per year for three years. Areas of research include; economics of corn rootworm management, the development of predictive models, the …

Audio, Corn, Research

Visit to a German Vineyard

Cindy Zimmerman

As everyone in the United States was waking this morning to a political battle and a government shutdown, a few lucky U.S. agricultural journalists were enjoying a day in the countryside of central Germany topped by a fabulous luncheon and delicious wine that came from the vineyard we toured, courtesy of our friends with BASF Crop Protection. Our guide for …

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, specialty crops

FieldSync Your Data

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week’s program we’re going to learn about FieldSync from Jen Cochran. We visited yesterday to talk about their mobile, cloud-based, technology and applications for agriculture. FieldSync™ builds software solutions for businesses that want to “lower costs, improve efficiency, increase revenue, and gain valuable oversight and visibility to their operations.” One of the …

Agribusiness, Apps, Audio, Precision Agriculture, ZimmCast