Time For An International AgChat Foundation?

Chuck Zimmerman

The emcee for the Global Farmer to Farmer Roundtable conducted by Truth About Trade & Technology was Bob Thomson once again. He says the participating farmers were looking at what it’s going to take to thrive in the next several years. High on their list is modern technology. He says they realize that to feed the projected population equivalent of …

Ag Groups, Audio, Biotech, International, Sustainability, Technology

Simultaneous Livestock and Ethanol Production

Chuck Zimmerman

One of the places visited by the TATT Global Farmer to Farmer Roundtable was Couser Cattle Company. Our host was Bill Couser. Bill conducted a fascinating presentation about his marriage of row crop farming (corn/soybeans), livestock production and ethanol production! You can see a portion of his explanation in the video below. He used a long table to display all …

Ag Groups, Audio, Beef, Corn, Ethanol, Farming, International, Sustainability, Technology, Video

Biodiversity World Tour Panelists

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s our panel at the Biodiversity World Tour town hall mtg. with Sec. of Ag Vilsack (right). It has been a very interesting discussion with lots of questions about organic vs. traditional agriculture and sustainability. I believe you’ll be able to watch a recording of the session on the BWT website. The participants include: Rajesh Kumar, Vegetable Farmer from Tamil …

Ag Groups, International, Sustainability

Opening Biodiversity World Tour

Chuck Zimmerman

U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was an opening speaker at the Biodiversity World Tour stop on the campus of Iowa State University. It is being webcast live right now and I believe a recorded version will be available later. If you’d like to hear the Secretary’s comments I have them posted below. The theme of the town hall …

Ag Groups, Audio, Biotech, International, Sustainability

Touring Conservation In Action

Chuck Zimmerman

I am going to find out how agriculture protects water quality and improves soil health at this year’s Conservation Technology Information Center, Conservation In Action Tour. The tour will take place in the Virginia/Maryland area and looks like it is at capacity. Yesterday was the last day to get registered but you can probably still get in if you call …

Ag Groups, Conservation, CTIC, Sustainability

BASF and One Hungry Planet

Cindy Zimmerman

Sustainability was the focus of the 2010 BASF Agricultural Solutions media summit held last week in Chicago and as part of that event BASF released a new survey on attitudes toward farmland stewardship, and a new YouTube video highlighting how farmers are feeding a hungry planet. I talked to Paul Rea, VP of BASF U.S. Crop Operations, about the survey …

Audio, BASF, Sustainability, Video, ZimmCast

Panelists Share Sustainability Insights at BASF Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

“Holistic” and “durable” were two definitions for sustainable that were set forth by representatives of the food value chain, from farmers to food companies, who took part in a panel discussion at the BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit on Sustainability last week in Chicago. Nevin McDougall, BASF senior vice president for crop protection in North America, was part of the …

Audio, BASF, Corn, Ethanol, Sustainability

Why BASF Cares About Sustainability

Cindy Zimmerman

Defining and improving sustainability is important for all of production agriculture around the globe, which is why BASF has taken a keen interest in the subject. Markus Heldt is president of crop protection for BASF global, located in Germany, a position he took last year after serving for many years as head of crop protection for the company in North …

Audio, BASF, Sustainability, Uncategorized

BASF Introduces Sustainability Analysis Tool

Cindy Zimmerman

Sustainability has become a challenge to the agriculture industry because everyone seems to have a different definition of the word and ways to objectively measure sustainability are seriously lacking. BASF announced an Eco-Efficiency Analysis tool during the 2010 Ag Media Summit in Chicago today that examines the entire lifecycle of a crop to measure and manage sustainability. “When we look …

Audio, BASF, Sustainability, Uncategorized

BASF to Host Sustainability Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

Sustainability is the buzz word for agriculture these days, but what it really means on the ground is a matter of perspective. That’s why BASF Crop Protection is bringing agricultural thought leaders and media together in Chicago June 8-10 to discuss a grounded approach to agricultural sustainability. Participants will focus on collaboration between producers and industry stakeholders to improve agricultural …

BASF, Sustainability