Breedr Is New AgTech With Launch of Full Circle Beef ™
The CattleCon 2025 Industry News Center was sponsored by Breedr, the Austin-based global leader in precision livestock technology. I interviewed Founder and CEO, Ian Wheal. He talks about how and why he got the company started.
Here’s the company’s mantra: “In God we trust; everyone else…bring data,” Full Circle Beef™ connects independent producers across the entire beef supply chain-from cow-calf producers and seedstock ranchers to feed yards and packers-giving powerful real-time feedback, verified performance, and premium Watch how Breedr works prices.”
In addition to talking about Breedr’s Full Circle Beef™ model we also discussed the Future of Beef Show podcast. “The Future of Beef Show is THE place to connect with the people and ideas shaping the future of the cattle industry.
Hey, folks! I’m Jim Johnson from the Brands and Barbed wire podcast, and I’m inviting you to join Ian Wheal, Jess Sperber, and I for The Future of Beef Show. Produced in partnership with American Cattlemen and Breedr.
Together with an inspiring lineup of guests, we’ll share stories from the forefront of modern beef production – and show you how technology and data can make all the difference – while staying true to the values that define our industry.”
Listen in to my interview with Ian:
Interview with Ian Wheal (5:50)
Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Agriculture Secretary
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 a degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Congratulations are coming from all sectors of the agriculture industry:
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA)- “Brooke is a proven leader who understands the challenges facing farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”
National Cattleman’s Beef Association – “We know Secretary Rollins will prioritize passing a Farm Bill, protecting America’s cattle herd from the threat of foreign animal disease, and ensuring USDA is focused on supporting America’s cattle farmers and ranchers instead of covering them in red tape.”
American Seed Trade Association – “Secretary Rollins’ strong agricultural upbringing and policy expertise will serve her well as she oversees the programs and agencies that farmers and growers rely on to fill grocery shelves and help Americans put food on the table.”
National Pork Producers Council – “America’s pork producers are eager to work with Secretary Rollins to fix the multitude of problems caused by California Proposition 12.”
International Fresh Produce Association – “Under Secretary Rollins’ leadership, USDA can ensure a strong, competitive, and sustainable fresh produce supply chain for both growers and consumers.”
National Association of Wheat Growers “..appreciate Mrs. Rollins committing to getting the much-needed economic assistance for wheat producers rolled out during her confirmation hearing, as well as her interest in getting a long-term, meaningful farm bill signed into law this year that strengthens the farm safety net.”
International Dairy Foods Association – “looks forward to working with Secretary Rollins at USDA to strengthen Americans’ dietary health, support farmers and the entire dairy supply chain in the production of wholesome food, and build a regulatory environment that promotes innovation, growth and food safety.”
Renewable Fuels Association – “We look forward to working with Secretary Rollins to help ensure that lower-cost, cleaner-burning ethanol remains a vital part of our liquid fuel mix into the future, supporting energy independence and the rural economy.”
Rollins was expected to be sworn in today and get to work at USDA as soon as possible. Also confirmed today was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Agri-Pulse Summit to Focus on Taxes, Trade and Technology
Agri-Pulse Founder Sara Wyant at 2024 Summit
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 and Publisher Sara Wyant says this year the Summit is more important than ever for the agribusiness industry.
“The theme this year is really focused on what are going to be some of the key issues that you’re going to see coming out of the Trump administration,” said Wyant. “President Trump has made no secret that he wants to have the Tax Cuts and JOBS Act not only renewed but also expanded to include provisions like no taxes on tips and Social Security, so taxes will be a big part of the discussion, not only for personal and income and business taxes, but also looking at tax incentives that a lot of farmers have been thinking about in terms of sustainable aviation fuel.”
“Trade is another big part because as we all know, President Trump’s one of his favorite words is tariffs…So we’ll be talking about what’s the trade front look like and also taking a look at technology because there are so many technological advances in agriculture right now and in food processing that we can accomplish a lot of the things that President Trump has laid out in terms of generating more business in the United States,” Wyant added.
The Summit will be held at the National Press Club, offering in-person and virtual attendance options. Registration is now open and you can take advantage of early bird registration rates through February 17.
Learn more about what’s in store at the 2025 Ag & Food Policy Summit in this interview.
Agri-Pulse Policy Summit preview - Sara Wyant (12:24)
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 to break 8,500 attending. Additionally, he talks about the top issues the organization is working on.
Next I have Kevin Good, VP Industry Relations, CattleFax. Kevin gave a full presentation on the stage during the CattleFax session. Afterward I interviewed him to hear his outlook for cattle and beef and what factors are impacting them.
Now, I turned to CIRB. Cindy interviewed Tara Smith, Deputy Executive Vice President, CIRB. Tara talks about the need for educating new people working in the new administration and Congress about the importance of crop insurance.
Finally, I have Cindy’s interview with Lindsey Rinkenberger, CIRB Chairwoman, COUNTRY Financial. Lindsey started CIRB participating the Emerging Leaders program. She talks about how CIRB works with the crop insurance coalition in Washington, DC.
You can find the virtual newsrooms for both these events here: CattleCon 2025 and CIRB Annual Meeting
So, there you have it. Skipping in to next week, Cindy will be heading to Nashville for the 30th National Ethanol Conference, where it will be our 20th year with the Renewable Fuels Association. As a bonus, she gets to see our middle daughter and youngest grand child!
March has us at Commodity Classic in Denver and two trips to DC for the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit and National Ag Day, and then for the American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in. Hope to see you down the agriblogging and farmpodcasting highway!
Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 742 - Cattle and Crop Insurance (20:36)
That’s the ZimmCast for now. Please let us know if you have ideas for a future podcast. Just email Chuck at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
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Meet the Tenth CIRB Emerging Leaders Program Class
Front row:Shay Foster, Ronnetta Rountree, Crystal Mulcahy, Sandy Johnson, Candy Magee, Carissa Lozier, Kyle Jore, Craig Fenster
Back Row: Tony Kubik, Billy Meade, Tanner Schroder, Mike Weber, Kasey Engel, Luke Aupperle, Brian Johnson, Jon Clarke
Now in the tenth year, the program offers extensive educational programming, valuable networking opportunities, and active engagement in Washington, D.C., to provide each class with a well-rounded experience to help them understand the entire crop insurance system. Participants are chosen each year from CIRB member companies and represent the diversity of people involved in the industry, from sales and claims, to data and IT. It also offers them an opportunity for a little media training with the ZimmComm Golden Microphone. This year, I managed to get 16 of the 19 participants and they are all excited about their experience so far.
Meet these 16 outstanding members of the 2024-25 Emerging Leaders Program class:
Anthony Kubik, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services
Crystal Mulcahy, American Farm Bureau Insurance Services
Tanner Schroder, AgriSompo North America
Shay Foster, AgriSompo North America
Craig Fenster, Aon
Carissa Lozier, COUNTRY Financial
Luke Aupperle, COUNTRY Financial
Kasey Engel, Farm Bureau Financial Services
Candy Magee, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa
Billy Meade, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa
Connor Scharfe, Gallagher Re
Brian Johnson, Great American Insurance Group
Sarah McEachern, Guy Carpenter
Mike Weber, Hudson Crop
Ronnetta Rountree, Hudson Crop
Landon Svennes, Precision Risk Management
Jon Clarke, Rural Community Insurance Services
Sandy Johnson, Rural Community Insurance Services
Kyle Jore, Watts and Associates
CDFA Extends Grant Program for Pest Control Advisers
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is offering California Pest Control Advisers (PCAs) a unique opportunity to earn $2,000 while contributing to the advancement of integrated pest management.
Through an updated grant program facilitated by the California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA), PCAs can participate in a one-season study by tracking pest management practices in a selected field of lettuce, alfalfa, grapes, almonds, pistachios, or tomatoes.
This initiative aims to integrate real-time data collection into the daily operations of PCAs, providing valuable insights into pest management practices across California’s agricultural landscape. Participants will utilize Crop Steward, an intuitive mobile app designed to simplify data entry, allowing them to record field observations, decision-making processes, and treatment recommendations seamlessly within their existing work schedule.To participate in the grant program, a PCA simply needs to create a free profile in Crop Steward (https://cropsteward.com/), and then to enroll one qualified farm block in this system.
In addition to field tracking, PCAs will collaborate with one of four CAPCA interns through at least one ride-along during the growing season. This mentorship component fosters knowledge sharing and strengthens professional development within the industry.
To learn more, visit CAPCA’s grant page (https://capca.com/grants).
Rabo AgriFinance Working to Support Cattle Producers
John Steeves, Head of Rural Business Economics, North America, Rabo AgriFinance, has moved into the U.S. from Canada to work more closely with producers for the company. He has already spent time meeting with cattle producers and feedlots in several regions of the country. So, spending time at CattleCon 2025 was a no-brainer. I met John in the media room during the conference and we sat down for an interview. He describes how the current higher prices for beef are positive but also create some challenges as well. Learn more from John below.
Interview with John Steeves:
Interview with John Steeves (7:15)
Ranchbot Launches Trough Direct at #CattleCon25
At CattleCon 2025 Ranchbot launched Trough Direct, a stand-alone trough monitor with direct satellite connectivity enabling near real-time water levels and consumption data through the MyRanchbot app. The Trough Direct operates independently and can be easily installed with a side or top mount to accommodate a wide variety of trough types.
To learn more about it I interviewed Andrew Coppin, CEO/Co-Founder, Ranchbot, in their booth in the trade show. He describes why he created Ranchbot because “farmers and ranchers spend a lot of time driving around checking water that 95% of the time doesn’t need checking.” Learn more about the company and its new product in the interview. Ranchbot was also the sponsor of the Environmental Stewardship Award again this year.
Interview with Andrew Coppin:
Interview with Andrew Coppin (8:10)
Advanced Agrilytics™ Names Illinois Regional Agronomy Lead
Advanced Agrilytics, a leading agricultural solutions provider, has announced that Chris Kallal is the new Illinois Regional Agronomy Lead for the company.
As a Regional Agronomy Lead at Advanced Agrilytics, Kallal plays a pivotal role in guiding and mentoring a team of Precision Agronomists to deliver advanced, data-driven agronomic solutions to farmers.
Prior to joining Advanced Agrilytics, Kallal spent 18 years with Asgrow/DEKALB where he served in a variety of roles, including technical agronomist. He has a Master of Science in Crop Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Technical Systems Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.
“Becoming part of the Advanced Agrilytics team is exactly the right opportunity at the right time for me,” says Kallal. “To help more growers transform their farming operations using Advanced Agrilytics’ technology and methodology is a tremendous opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with our team of Precision Agronomists to help more Illinois growers achieve better crop resilience and yield consistency across all of their acres.”