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2017 Year in Review ZimmCast

Cindy Zimmerman

As 2017 comes to a close, we are so grateful for the many wonderful people in our lives. ZimmComm is still just a little “mom and pop” operation doing this new media thing with the help of some very talented people. We are especially proud of our Jamie Johansen, who has been with us now since 2012. We are lucky to have her as our gold star talent! Her sister Joanna started working with her and us this year, so we are doubly blessed!

Before we head down state to have Christmas in south Florida, here is our year in review featuring some of our top stories of the year and where the Golden ZimmComm Microphone has been in 2017.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 569 on 2017 Year in Review

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

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Ethanol Report on 2017

Cindy Zimmerman

All in all, 2017 was a pretty good year for the ethanol industry with a new advocate in the White House and record production.

Among the highlights of the year, increased exports despite Brazil taking a protectionist stance against ethanol imports, EPA releasing new RVO numbers on time, and ethanol champions rally to protect the RFS and win.

In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen talks about all that and more.

Listen to it here: Ethanol Report 12-27-17

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Audio, Ethanol, Podcasts, RFA

New Utility Vehicles From Textron Off Road

Carrie Muehling

Textron Off Road 4-Passenger Prowler EV

Two new utility vehicles from Textron Off Road are now available for purchase from local dealers. Textron Off Road is the new name for Bad Boy Off Road, which recently acquired Arctic Cat products. Public Relations and Partnership Relations Manager Ben White shared details about the new Prowler EV.

“With any electric technology, people’s major concern and biggest hesitation is range anxiety,” said White. “We don’t specify exactly the mileage you get out of a unit just because it varies so much. But you can expect anywhere between 25 and 30 miles on a charge.”

White said the Prowler EV is very easy to use and requires very little maintenance. The company has also just released its new Havoc sport utility crossover, which is designed with a utility use in mind but also offers features for recreational use. The gas-powered vehicle has 24 cubic feet of storage and features a 600 lb. dump bed. Both vehicles are available now – locate a Textron Offroad dealer for more information.

Learn more in Chuck’s interview: Interview with Ben White, Textron Off Road

Audio, Hunting

Biofuels and Butterflies Blend in Iowa

Cindy Zimmerman

Monte Shaw, Kevin Reynolds, and Eric Hakmiller at Lincolnway Energy’s Monarch Fueling Station

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has launched the Monarch Fueling Station Project to help ethanol and biodiesel producers across the state establish monarch butterfly habitats on green spaces surrounding their plants.

“Because of their migratory patterns, monarchs need small patches of habitat throughout the state,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants are scattered across Iowa and also tend to have a lot of green space on their properties – making them excellent partners for this effort.”

Kevin Reynolds, who has over 30 years of experience in environmental conservation, will serve as the project’s Habitat Establishment Coordinator and assist biofuels producers in the best practices to convert grassy areas into monarch fueling stations that contain vital milkweed plants and other wildflowers that support the monarch population.

Lincolnway Energy in Nevada is the first IRFA member to establish a monarch fueling station. In recent weeks, the first steps were taken on a two-acre plot to prepare the fueling station for seeding in the spring. “It’s exciting to be the first ethanol plant in Iowa to launch a project like this,” said Eric Hakmiller, CEO of Lincolnway Energy. “Pollinators like the monarch butterfly are an important part of Iowa’s agriculture landscape. Anything we can do to protect their population is worth our time and effort.”

As part of the project, IRFA has joined the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, an organization that is implementing a statewide strategy to protect the monarch butterfly in Iowa.

Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol, pollinators

Precision Ag Bytes 12/27

Carrie Muehling

    • NRGene, the worldwide leader in genomic assembly and analysis, is working with a team of researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands and leading commercial partners to create multi-genome mapping of commercial food potatoes. The potato genome is complex. It’s an auto-tetraploid, which means that each potato cell contains four nearly identical copies of each chromosome and gene, making the assembly and phasing of the four copies extremely difficult for traditional technologies. NRGene has completed the phased assembly of three commercial potato varieties.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

2017 Deer Hunt – Can-Am Defender – Episode 2

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome from the Crystal Pig Hunt Club (CPHC). It’s time for another episode of hunting with a Can-Am Defender.

In this episode my brother Paul and I talk about our experience using the utility vehicle in the woods while deer hunting. You’ll hear nothing but praise for this well thought out vehicle which makes it very comfortable to get from camp to the stands and back. Popping in at the end is Paul’s son Joe who has been successfully hunting with us and also helped serve as videographer when called on.

You can see photos of the Can-Am in the wild here: 2017 Deer Hunt – Can-Am Defender Photo Album


Can-Am, Hunting, Video

Animal Ag Bites 12/26

Carrie Muehling

    • Novus International, Inc. has smashed its previous records and raised $252,987 for the United Way. Novus was able to support the United Way through a combination of employee donations, business partner sponsorships and company matching. As part of its effort to cultivate sustainable people, Novus matches causes and charities of significance for its employees dollar-for-dollar. This year, Novus employees across North America including its Missouri, Arkansas and Texas offices and field employees raised more than $125,000 which was matched with company funds. 
    • Registration is now open for the Animal Agriculture Alliance‘s 2018 Stakeholders Summit, themed Protect Your Roots. The event will be held May 3-4 at the Renaissance Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Va. Find registration details here.
    • Is the feeder cattle contract still viable and how can the market volatility be managed? These are the main questions in a new Feeder Cattle Basis report from the RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness group. The CME Index is comprised of 12 states, and the Rabobank analysts explore the need for regionalization for a more accurate picture of the Feeder Cattle Basis and Market.
    • The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board has named Scott Stuart of Colorado as the new chief executive officer, effective February 1, 2018. Stuart has an extensive background in the livestock industry, including board management and as a contractor to the beef board.  He currently serves as the President and CEO of the National Livestock Producers Association.
    • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of 27 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board. A list of board members is available on the AMS Cattlemen’s Beef Board webpage.
    • The 2018 AQHA Convention is March 2-5, 2018, in Jacksonville, Florida. Visit aqha.com/convention for more information.
    • Registration for the American Meat Science Association’s 71st RMC is now open. The event will be held in Kansas City June 24-27, 2018. More information regarding the technical program, schedule of events, registration fees, hotels and more is posted at meatscience.org/rmc.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

ARA Honors AGCO Operator of the Year

Carrie Muehling

The 2017 Operator of the Year, sponsored by AGCO Corporation, Andrew Myburgh of Aberdeen, South Dakota, was honored at the recent Agriculture Retailers Association (ARA) annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Originally from South Africa, Myburgh is a Certified Applicator at the Wheat Growers in Aberdeen, where he treats 40,000 acres of fields and is often requested by name. Now a permanent resident of the U.S., he lives on a small farm with two sons, where they care for a variety of animals. He is involved in the community by coaching a local soccer team and training other applicators in his trade.

Myburgh won a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for being chosen as this year’s winners out of more than 40 applicators who were nominated.

Listen to Andrew Myburgh accepting the award here: AGCO Operator of the Year Andrew Myburgh

2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

ARA, Audio

Ethanol Report on RFS2 10th Anniversary

Cindy Zimmerman

Ten years ago this month, just days before Christmas, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act which greatly expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to include up to 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022.

The expansion became known as RFS2, like the sequel to a big movie that had just been released two years before. But unlike most movie sequels, the RFS2 has proven to be even better than the original and a success by any measure, according to a new analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), “The RFS2: Then and Now.”

In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, we flashback to the promises of President Bush at the signing, and RFA CEO Bob Dinneen talks about how the 2007 Christmas gift has kept on giving for a decade.

Listen to it here: Ethanol Report 12-21-17

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Audio, Ethanol, Podcasts, RFA