President Says USMCA is Victory for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

Out with NAFTA and in with USMCA, the initials for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement. “This new deal is an especially great victory for our farmers,” said President Donald Trump as he announced the agreement this morning. “The deal includes a substantial increase in our farmers’ opportunities to export American wheat, poultry, eggs and dairy – including milk, butter, cheese, yogurt …

AFBF, AgWired Animal, Audio, Dairy, International, Trade

ASTA Responds to EU Ruling on Gene Editing

Cindy Zimmerman

The European Union Court of Justice ruled this week that gene edited crops should be treated the same genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The court ruled that “organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs within the meaning of the GMO Directive,” however it does not apply to gene-editing techniques which “have conventionally been used and have a long safety record.” The American …

AgWired Precision, ASTA, International, Plant Breeding, Seed

Looking Ahead to IFAJ Congress/Ag Media Summit 2019

Chuck Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress 2018 may have concluded for this group of members from the United States but now we can look ahead to 2019. Guess where it’s going to be? The USA! The IFAJ Congress will overlap with Ag Media Summit in Minneapolis/Bloomington, MN at the end of July. The theme is “Global Connections in America’s …

ACN, IFAJ, International, LPC, Media

IFAJ Congress 2018 Begins

Chuck Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists kicked off their 2018 Congress today in the Netherlands. The theme is Dutch Roots, Small Country Big Solutions. We have a group of U.S. ag journalists participating as always. Wish I was with them. But next year the Congress will be back in the USA! Thank you to Josephine van Gelder for this photo …

IFAJ, International, Media

ZimmCast 587 – IFAJ Congress 2018

Chuck Zimmerman

In this week’s program we’ll get a preview of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists annual Congress which will take place in the Netherlands this year. I spoke via Skype with one of the organizers of the Congress, Jacqueline Wijbenga, Adjunct-uitgever, Eisma Businessmedia. We discussed the program and the theme of this year’s Congress. Here is some more information. The …

Audio, IFAJ, International, Media, ZimmCast

Cousin Elected to Heifer International Board of Directors

Cindy Zimmerman

Ertharin Cousin, former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, has been elected to the Heifer International Board of Directors, joining other members with diverse backgrounds in the business, agriculture, academic, faith-based and private sectors. Cousin will serve on the board as an at-large delegate for a three-year term. With more than 30 years of national and international …

AgWired Animal, Audio, Food, International

Turkish Guild Hosts IFAJ Middle East Forum For New Network

Chuck Zimmerman

The image shows participants in the IFAJ Middle East Forum, hosted by the Turkey Guild of Agricultural Journalists and the Food Safety Congress at the Grand Cevahir Hotel in Istanbul on May 2, 2018. This forum is a serious attempt to create a new agricultural journalists network in a region sorely in need of an entity that promotes independent agricultural …

IFAJ, International, Media

Japan to Allow Use of U.S. Ethanol for Oxygenate

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol market development organizations cheered the news out of Japan today that the government’s new biofuel policy will allow imports of the oxygenate ETBE made from U.S. corn-based ethanol. A release from the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Growth Energy says Japan will now allow U.S. ethanol to meet up to 44 percent of a …

Biofuels, Corn, Ethanol, International, RFA, USGC

2018 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Announced

Cindy Zimmerman

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has announced the recipients of the 2018 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award. This year’s program, sponsored by Alltech, honors 10 young agricultural journalists and communicators who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in reporting as well as excellent potential as leaders of the industry in the years to come. The honorees were chosen …

Alltech, IFAJ, International

ZimmCast on International Travel and #NAMA18

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s Agri-Marketing Conference Week and the ZimmComm Team will be on location. This week’s episode features a preview from the Chair of this year’s conference, Jenna Oesch, Global Marketing Lead & Customer Experience Council Lead, Monsanto Company, Vegetable Seeds Division. The program starts out with Jamie talking about her trip around the world. That would be to Ireland with Alltech …

Alltech, Audio, International, USSEC, ZimmCast