ZimmCast 572 – Biodiesel and More

Cindy Zimmerman

This week has been about all things biodiesel in Ft. Worth at the National Biodiesel Conference. It marks the 13th year we have produced the biodiesel conference blog and the 25th anniversary of the National Biodiesel Board, so our ZimmCast this week celebrates all things biodiesel. We start with an interview on biodiesel with Willie Nelson in 2006, and also includes interviews from this week with USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky, National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen, and former NBB CEO Kenlon Johannes.

We also hear from Chuck at the John Deere Developers conference this week and the Soil Health Summit last week.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 572 on Biodiesel and More

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

The ZimmCast

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Biodiesel, John Deere, Soil Health Partnership, ZimmCast

Ethanol Powers Crappie Masters Tourney Again

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is back on as a co-title sponsor of the Crappie Masters Tournament for the second consecutive year. The first of 18 tournaments for the 2018 trail begins Friday, Jan. 26 in Deland, Fla., between Daytona and Orlando, at St. Johns River.

“We look forward to the continued education of the tournament Anglers, along with the general public, with an aggressive approach utilizing national television, social media, print, and grassroots face-to-face conversations,” said Crappie Masters President Mike Vallentine. “E10 is safe to use in outboards, as highlighted that in the past three years, every Crappie Masters tournament winning team has safely used E10 fuel with no reported engine issues.”

Listen to an interview with Mike from one of last year’s tournaments to learn more about his support of ethanol and farmers. Interview with Mike Vallentine, Crappie Masters

RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says last year’s sponsorship really helped boost public awareness of ethanol use in marine engines. “For nearly 30 years, 10 percent ethanol has been used in all types of marine engines and the fuel blend is approved for use by all major marine engine manufacturers, helping to clean the air and water,” he said. Additional funding for the sponsorship came from the National Corn Growers Association.

Crappie Masters Television will also highlight each tournament on a weekly show that can be viewed on the Pursuit Channel, which is on DIRECTV 604, Dish Network 393, Verizon, CenturyLink and Roku. The next Crappie Masters Tournament Trail event is Feb. 2-3 at Lake Talquin in Gadsden County, Fla.

The 2018 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail season runs through Oct. 20.

Audio, Ethanol, RFA

Missouri Farmer Conserving for the Next Generation

Carrie Muehling

Giving the next generation a chance is part of the reason Missouri farmer Tim Gottman enrolled in the Soil Health Partnership. He urges other farmers to join him in thinking about the future.

“If you’re a little unsure, just think about the future generations that are going to be coming into agriculture, and what’s the soil going to be like for them?” asked Gottman, who farms in northeastern Missouri. “If we keep having the erosion that we have, you’re diminishing their chances at being able to succeed in agriculture. So, if for no other reason, for that reason.”

Gottman and his brother farm in an area with clay pan soil, which is prone to drought and erosion. They are in the first year of a five-year program where they plan to gather data on soil health, nutrient health and yield to learn more about how to conserve the soil while still increasing yields.

Hear more with Tim Gottman in Chuck’s interview: Tim Gottman, Missouri farmer

2018 Soil Health Summit Day One Photo Album

2018 Soil Health Summit Day Two Photo Album

Audio, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

Opening Session & Awards at Develop with Deere

Jamie Johansen

Dealers and connected software providers gathered for opening remarks at Develop with Deere. If you missed it LIVE, don’t worry, watch it here. John Deere’s Lane Arthur, Director, Digital Solutions and Deanna Kovar, Director, Production & Precision Ag Marketing, outlined stragtic messages as to how they help growers increase yeilds, bring down costs and create partnerships.

Awards were also presented for contribution to the John Deere Operations Center. Outstanding Utilization of John Deere APIs was presented to Precision Terrain Solutions. Dupont Pioneer went home with Outstanding Customer Value and Dealer Choice went to Farmshots.


Agribusiness, data, John Deere, Video

Censky Receives Biodiesel Pioneer Award

Cindy Zimmerman

LtoR: NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen, Steve Censky, Kurt Kovarik and Doug Whitehead of NBB

USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky was presented with the Eye on Biodiesel Pioneer award at the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference Wednesday.

As the long-time CEO of the American Soybean Association, Censky was instrumental in the growth and advancement of biodiesel over the years. ASA’s primary focus as an organization is policy development and implementation of soybean farmer issues, including biodiesel. The organization, under Censky’s guidance as CEO from 1996 to 2017, played a critical role in passing the biodiesel tax incentive in 2005, and the inclusion of biodiesel in the revised Renewable Fuel Standard through their national network of farmer leaders and extensive grassroots advocacy power. As USDA Deputy Secretary, Censky continues to provide critical leadership on agricultural policies as he has done throughout his career. He has also served at USDA in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, including as administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Listen to Censky’s remarks here – Steve Censky award remarks

Steve had time for a few questions from reporters – Steve Censky press remarks

2018 National Biodiesel Conference

Audio, Biodiesel, Soybean, USDA

Reinke’s Partnership with NCTA in Curtis

Jamie Johansen

A skilled labor shortage is being addressed by providing student scholarships for workforce training for the manufacturing industry. And that is how Reinke Manufacturing’s partnership with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) in Curtis comes into play.

Reinke Manufacturing has teamed with NCTA to offer an Irrigation Technician Area of Concentration. This 34-credit, hands-on program helps students obtain knowledge in electricity and mechanized irrigation systems. Reinke Manufacturing’s partnership offers access to the Reinke PLUS Certification program.

“If you learn hands-on, this is an awesome program for you,” said Collin Overmann, NCTA student in Curtis. “There’s always different companies calling our program expressing their need for technicians, so [job] placement is pretty good.”

“Reinke is honored to support students focused on technical skills especially with the shortage of skilled labor,” said Reinke President Chris Roth.

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Education, Irrigation

Precision Ag Bytes 1/24

Carrie Muehling

  • The 2018 NC Ag Biotech Summit will focus on the importance of soil health, highlighting challenges being faced and the responsibility needed to provide a sustainable future. The event is scheduled for February 20-21 at the UNC Friday Center.
  • AgGateway has announced its 2018 leadership, including the directors of its Strategic Board and Operational Management Board, and leaders of its councils and committees. A summary can be found in the 2017 Annual Report on the AgGateway website.
  • Only a few days remain to take advantage of standard registration fees for the 2018 Commodity Classic to be held Feb. 27-March 1, in Anaheim, California. The last day regular registration fees are in effect is Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. Late registration fees will apply after that date.
  • Agrible, Inc. has announced that Chris Harbourt will step down as its Chief Executive Officer. Chris is one of 8 co-founders of Agrible and has been with the company since its formation. Agrible’s Morning Farm Report currently has over 12 thousand users and over 8 million acres enrolled on it for tracking and predicting productivity, sustainability, nutrient availability, pest potential, and other field-specific features. Dennis E. Beard, a current board member, will serve as Interim CEO of Agrible.
  • Hortau, a provider of precision irrigation management systems and services for agriculture, today was named to the THRIVE AgTech Top 50 list of companies shaping the future of agriculture for 2018. Hortau was recognized on the Top 50 list in the “Connected Devices” category, along with five other companies.
  • Aerospace giant Airbus will host a webinar on January 31, entitled: Supporting the Growth of Your Crops from Space. Sky Rubin, North America Ag Solutions Manager at Airbus Defence and Space, will be joined by his guest Mark Davis, Pacific Northwest Regional Manager for Simplot SmartFarm, of major US-based agribusiness the J.R. Simplot Company. The webinar will also give the industry a first look at the upcoming Airbus FieldMaps API, ahead of its launch later this year.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Bayer Focusing Future Research, Innovation on Soil

Carrie Muehling

The keynote speaker at this year’s Soil Health Summit told participants they need to get involved and understand how the global economy affects innovation and the regulatory environment regarding agriculture. Sustainability is a key factor globally, and many of those efforts are tied to the soil.

“We have a lot of very emergent technologies, disruptive technologies we’re working on, and they’re all based in the soil,” said Dr. Robert Graney, who is in charge of regulatory science for Bayer North America, including regulatory affairs outreach and product safety from an environmental and human health perspective. “I think in the future, there’s much more emphasis on what’s happening in the soil from an overall plant health perspective as opposed to what’s happening above ground. So we’re definitely investing in that area.”

Graney said other challenges include trade flow and regulation at a local or state versus federal level.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Robert Graney here: Dr. Robert Graney, Bayer

2018 Soil Health Summit Day One Photo Album

2018 Soil Health Summit Day Two Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

2018 #DevelopWithDeere Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

The Develop with Deere conference, Growing Solutions Together, is taking place much earlier this year in Kansas City, MO. The event is getting underway this afternoon with registration and a reception.

I sat down with Randy Kasparbauer, B2B Software Product Manager, John Deere, to get a preview of this year’s event. It looks like a big crowd and John Deere has invited in dealers from across the country this year as well as several other countries. In addition to dealers there are representatives from many companies that are working on integrations with John Deere and especially into the John Deere Operations Center. I like to think of this as an AgNerd’s Paradise.

I’d also like to congratulate Randy for serving as Vice Chair of the Operational Management Board for AgGateway which was just announced today.

You can listen to my interview with Randy here: Interview with Randy Kasparbauer, John Deere

You can find conference photos here: 2018 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album

Apps, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

Welcome to #NBB18

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo opened today at the Fort Worth Convention Center with the theme of “Driven” to celebrate to 25th anniversary of the National Biodiesel Board.

“For the visionaries who launched what would become the National Biodiesel Board in 1992, we want to say ‘thank you,’” said NBB CEO Donnell Rehagan. “We look forward to taking this opportunity to reflect on those first 25 years, but we are also excited to launch into the next era of growth for America’s Advanced Biofuel.”

Following a University of Missouri study that demonstrated biodiesel had potential as a diesel fuel replacement, the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council created the National SoyDiesel Development Board in 1992. Sensing the opportunity to utilize the vast surplus of soybean oil collected each year, while also expanding energy security and environmental benefits, other state soybean associations quickly joined the effort. The new association changed its name to the National Biodiesel Board in 1994 to reflect the diversity of fats and oils that can be made into biodiesel.

“Biodiesel is an American success story,” said Rehagen. “We have overcome countless challenges, and we will undoubtedly face many more as we continue to grow the industry. But for everyone who has pulled together for the past 25 years to make our success a reality, this conference is a great time to celebrate.”

Rehagen took to the Mainstage at Conference Central to welcome attendees and kick off the conference by talking about Biodiesel’s Bright Lights and Big Opportunities.

Listen here: NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen opens #NBB18

2018 National Biodiesel Conference


Audio, Biodiesel, National Biodiesel Conference, Soybean