The Future of Energy

Jamie Johansen

Onalytica, who specialises in providing Influencer Relationship Management software and supporting professional services to help brands, has identified the Top 100 Influencers, Brands & Publications in Energy.

Our team was excited to see Energy.AgWired.com made the list of influencing publications. Formally, Domestic Fuel, Energy.AgWired has been bringing you the news in renewable fuels since September 2005. We have just wrapped up coverage of the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference and will be heading to the 2018 National Ethanol Conference next week. The Ethanol Report and Driving Ethanol podcasts are other great ways to stay-up-to-date on the industry.

Thanks for the recognition Onalytica!

Agribusiness, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Ethanol

Study Shows U.S. Lags Behind in Developing Ag Exports

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest analysis of foreign export promotion program investment shows that several competing countries and the European Union outspent the United States in publicly-funded agricultural export promotion by a margin of four to one in 2016, according to a release from the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports and the Agribusiness Coalition for Foreign Market Development.

The other countries spent close to $1 billion, an increase of 70 percent in real competitive public spending since 2011, while U.S. public funding for the two largest agricultural export promotion programs is about $235 million per year and its real value has declined by 12 percent since 20111.

“An Analysis of EU and Other Selected Foreign Export Promotion Programs,” was commissioned by Wine Institute and other agricultural associations and conducted by Informa Economics, IEG, with Market Access Program funding. With a focus on EU export development investment, Informa Economics also reviewed agricultural export promotion investment by major competitors from Australia, Chile, China, New Zealand and others.

“The total public investment alone from just the EU and four European countries are expected to exceed $550 million in 2019, which is more than twice what the U.S. government authorizes for agricultural export development under the farm bill,” said Mark Powers, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council and chairman of the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports.

The study showed the EU is investing about $300 million per year on wine export promotion alone. Canada and Italy doubled their total annual spending, and Brazil and China tripled their total annual export promotion budgets according to the study.

“Other governments are investing more in global food and agricultural markets while inflation, sequestration and administrative costs are chipping away at U.S. funding,” said Tom Sleight, CEO of U.S. Grains Council, which is a member of the Agribusiness Coalition for Foreign Market Development. “That also cuts into the ability of American family farmers, livestock and dairy producers, fishermen and small agri-food businesses to compete in growing export markets.”

The executive summary of the Informa Economics competitive study, and more in-depth information about MAP and FMD programs and their outcomes, are posted online at www.AgExportsCount.org.

Ag Groups, Exports, Trade

Newest John Deere Gator Model on Display at #CattleCon18

Chuck Zimmerman

During the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show John Deere showed off its latest top of the line Gator, the XUV835R model. It was the subject of my first video using my new DJI Osmo. Like my ZimmDrone, it takes a little bit of practice to get the fine touch with the controls. But I think this came out okay. Thank you to Eric Hodson for the photo.

On the floor to walk me through the features of this Gator was Tracy Geltz. This 2018 model features extra wide seating, allowing for three people to fit. Controls have been moved from the floor to the dash providing much more leg/foot room. It has heat/air and just a whole lot more to offer. Watch Tracy go over the key new features that make this a serious tool for the ranch or farm.


2018 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show Photo Album

Cattle Industry Conference, John Deere, Video

Senators Speak Out to Approve Northey Nomination

Cindy Zimmerman

After nearly four months of having the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey to the U.S. Department of Agriculture held up by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) brought it up on the floor Wednesday and called on other colleagues to back him up.

Northey was nominated to be USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in September and quickly confirmed by the Agriculture Committee, but Sen. Cruz put a hold on the nomination in October over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and has refused to budge unless all stakeholders can meet together to agree on a “win-win” situation for both refiners and ethanol producers that would lower prices for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs).

Listen to good friends Sens. Grassley and Cruz disagree with one another on this issue.
Sens. Cruz and Grassley comments

Listen to Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) support Bill Northey.
Sens. Stabenow, Ernst and Klobuchar comments

Audio, Biofuels, Ethanol

ZimmCast 573 – Cattle Convention and Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

While at the Cattle Industry Convention last week in Phoenix, Jamie decided to hijack the ZimmCast and chat with her sister and business partner Joanna Wilkinson, who is also the creative director for ZimmComm. Jamie introduces us to Joanna and talks about the convention and the customized virtual newsroom that we built for that event.

I proceeded to hijack the podcast right back again to preview the upcoming Commodity Classic from the perspective of the oldest and the newest organization partners of the big show, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). We hear from AEM senior vice president of Ag services Curt Blades, NCGA CEO Chris Novak, and one of the co-chairs for this year’s event, Paul Taylor of Illinois.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 573 - Cattle and Classic

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

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
AEM, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Commodity Classic, NCGA, ZimmCast

Third Class of CIRB Emerging Leaders

Cindy Zimmerman

CIRB ELP class: Chad Groen, Farmers Mutual Hail; Heather Horne, RCIS; Dan Potts, Crop Risk Services; Joshua Bright, ARMtech; Justin Newman, ADM; Shelia Backer, Farmers Mutual Hail; and Brad Clow, Country Financial

The third class of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau’s (CIRB) Emerging Leaders Program is the biggest yet, bringing the total number of program alumni and participants now to 17.

The program is designed for professionals in the crop insurance industry that seek to increase their knowledge and hands-on experience with key issues with the goal of building the next generation of crop insurance leaders.

I got to interview six of the seven in this year’s ELP class, only Justin Newman with ADM Crop Risk Services managed to escape the Golden ZimmComm Microphone. Listen to the others and get to know some of the emerging leaders in the crop insurance industry.

Interview with Shelia Backer and Chad Groen, Farmers Mutual Hail

Interview with CIRB ELP member Brad Clow, COUNTRY Financial

Interview with CIRB ELP member Heather Horne, RCIS

Interview with CIRB ELP Josh Bright, ARMtech

Interview with CIRB ELP member Dan Potts, Crop Risk Services

2018 CIRB Meeting photo album

Audio, CIRB, Crop Insurance

NCBA Recognizes Arizona Ranch for Environmental Stewardship

Carrie Muehling

A third generation Arizona rancher is working hard to leave his ranch land better than he found it for the next generation. The Jim O’Haco Cattle Company is this year’s winner of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association National Environmental Stewardship Award, presented during this year’s Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix. O’Haco owns two ranches totaling nearly 90,000 acres.

“We have improved profitability, our bottom line, our calves are heavier, and we also have helped the environment and natural resources. We have increased wildlife on our ranch, as far as elk, antelope and other species. So it’s worked for both, for the range, the land and my business,” said O’Haco.

O’Haco said getting water to the cattle and wildlife on the ranch has been a top priority. In addition to running pipeline throughout the land, smaller changes have helped to maintain and increase wildlife populations on the ranch.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jim O’Haco here: Jim O'Haco, NCBA National Environmental Stewardship Award Winner

2018 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show Photo Album

Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Cattle Industry Conference, Environment, NCBA, Sustainability

Perdue Discusses State of Rural Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue briefed members of the House Agriculture Committee Tuesday on the current state of the rural economy and USDA’s farm bill priorities.

“We’re in a very different situation than when you last contemplated a farm bill,” said Perdue in his opening remarks. “The state of the rural economy is fragile.”

Secretary Perdue was asked about a number of issues impacting different areas of the nation, including sorghum, nutrition programs, dairy, specialty crops, trade, FMD vaccine, getting undersecretaries approved by Congress, labor and immigration, broadband access, precision ag, citrus greening, renewable fuels, cotton, and lots more.

Listen to part of the hearing here: Sec. Perdue State of Rural Economy

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, USDA

Precision Ag Bytes 2/7

Carrie Muehling

  • The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has announced the appointment of the newly formed Agricultural Aerial Remote Sensing Council to serve on a steering committee and as brand ambassadors who will help develop the Trusted Operator Program for remote pilots and unmanned aircraft systems training organizations that serve the agriculture community.
  • Billi Hunt has been named the Executive Director of the Cultivation Corridor. Hunt brings 20 years of experience working for one of the leading agriculture companies in the state. Hunt joins the Cultivation Corridor after working as the Government Affairs Manager — U.S. Central Region for DuPont.
  • Case IH and The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, have announced a new partnership that will extend and develop a portfolio of data sharing capabilities to help farmers with real-time agronomic visualization and decision-making solutions. Case IH will provide customers two-way data connectivity between the AFS Connect™ precision farming platform and The Climate Corporation’s industry-leading Climate FieldView™ digital agriculture platform.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts swore in First Vice President Tim Palmer as the next president-elect at the member organization’s 72nd Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet in Nashville, Tenn. The NACD Board of Directors elected Palmer to serve as the organization’s next president-elect where he will serve a one-year term alongside President Brent Van Dyke.
  • AgGateway’s ADAPT Framework, which is designed to make it easy for various hardware and software systems that growers use in their businesses to “talk to each other”, now has a new tool to help developers: the ADAPT ISO Plugin. AgGateway has released Version 2 of the ADAPT ISO Plugin, making it easier for Farm Management Information Systems to read and write data to/from displays and terminals that use the ISOXML specification.
  • Vinduino and eVineyard will announce two new products at the World Ag Expo 2018 in Tulare, Calif. The new eOrchard grove management application optimizes the use of scarce resources, saving time and cost. The Vinduino wireless irrigation valve controller is optimized for working with the eVineyard and eOrchard applications, and accurately and securely controls irrigation for optimal water use and achieving the desired crop targets.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Scouting With Aerial Precision Imagery

Carrie Muehling

Jeff Buyck and Mark Grout, Jr.

While many farmers have embraced the technology available to scout fields with unmanned aerial vehicles, Jeff Buyck with C&B Operations has taken things a bit further. The John Deere dealer from South Dakota uses manned aircraft to scout fields and help area farmers identify problem spots more quickly.

“It’s really being able to detect an issue before you can see it,” said Buyck. “By the time you see it, it’s too late. Farming is very visual. You drive down the road, my crop looks good, it doesn’t look good. I see an issue here. When we fly over with near infrared optics, it’s what the naked eye can’t see.”

Buyck said a manned aircraft can also get from field to field much more quickly than scouts traveling over the road. The dealership partners with Aerial Precision Imagery out of St. Paul, Minnesota, which provides the high resolution photography. After the data is processed, it can be uploaded to the John Deere Operations Center.

You can here Chuck’s interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Buyck, C&B Operations

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

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture