America’s Renewable Future Talks to Trump

Cindy Zimmerman August 21, 2015

America’s Renewable Future (ARF) is less than one year old, but has already made an impact when it comes to educating presidential candidates about the importance of agriculture and renewable fuels.

Eric Branstad, son of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, was one of the main organizers of the coalition which just launched in January of this year. “Since then we’ve been building a large team, I like to call it an army, of supporters who are letting the candidates know how important the RFS and biofuels are to Iowa, to the Midwest and to the entire country,” said Branstad.

ARF has been very busy this past week at the Iowa State Fair talking to visiting candidates, including Republican front runner Donald Trump. “We had a 40 minute, one-on-one meeting with him,” said Branstad, who added that Trump’s knowledge about ethanol going into the meeting was negligible. By the end of the meeting, after getting a short course on the history and advancements of the industry, Branstad felt they had made an impression. “He said ‘I want to invest!’ so I guess that’s the best compliment we could get from Mr. Trump,” said Branstad.

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recognized ARF with the organization’s policy and legislative leadership award this year.

Listen to my interview with Eric Branstad here: Interview with Eric Branstad, America's Renewable Future

2015 ACE Annual Meeting Photos

ACE, Audio, Biofuels, Ethanol, politics

NORA Spurring Bioheat, Biodiesel Production

Joanna Schroeder August 21, 2015

John Huber is the President of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), the checkoff program for the oilheat industry. NORA has been helping spur the growth of Bioheat and ultimately biodiesel production.

This week Huber was in Mankato, Minnesota participating in the Biodiesel & Bioheat Forum. His organization does research and development to create new equipment and new products for the industry and educates consumers on how to save energy. One solution, especially for those living in the Northeast? Bioheat.

Huber says Bioheat, heating oil blended by 2-5 percent biodiesel, has been a educational priority for them because it enables consumers to being integrating renewable energy into their home or businesses. In the northeast in particular, many states have adopted an 80 percent carbon reduction by 2050 and Bioheat is a great solution to meet this goal.

To learn more about the benefits and growth opportunities for Bioheat, listen to Chuck Zimmerman’s interview with John Huber here: John Huber, NORA

Biodiesel/Bioheat Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Biodiesel, Soybean

New Products Coming From John Deere

Chuck Zimmerman August 21, 2015

Innovation-Driven Power & Performance is the theme for next week’s John Deere new products reveal. I will be there in Waterloo, IA.

It all kicks off on Monday after lunch as we get to see presentations on new products. We then conclude on Tuesday afternoon. I don’t know what we’re going to see but you can bet that I’ll be letting you know as soon as I do.

Judging from the media invite maybe there will be some Moscow Mules involved!

Agribusiness, John Deere

Grains Council Chair Stresses Excellence in Exports

Cindy Zimmerman August 21, 2015

Nebraska farmer Alan Tiemann was recently elected chairman of the U.S. Grains Council and he is excited about the work they are doing to expand exports of ethanol and the co-product Distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) used for livestock feed.

“For this coming year, my theme is ‘Excellence in Exports,'” said Tiemann during an interview after his address to the American Coalition for Ethanol conference this week in Omaha. “That’s what we’re going to focus on, excellence in exports – in ethanol, in distillers grains, in all the co-products, in sorghum and barley.”

During his address at ACE, Tiemann talked about the great success in exports of DDGS around the world and the potential for increasing ethanol exports to markets like Asia. “We look at Beijing and the smog issues they have there, the opportunities for a clean burning fuel like ethanol should be a no-brainer,” he said. Right now the largest export markets for U.S. ethanol are Canada and Brazil.

Listen to my interview with Tiemann here: Interview with Alan Tiemann, US Grains Council chairman

Listen to Tiemann’s full presentation at ACE here: USGC chair Alan Tiemann address to ACE

2015 ACE Annual Meeting Photos

ACE, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Exports, Feed, Grains, USGC

Science Moms Challenge Celeb Moms on GMOs

Cindy Zimmerman August 21, 2015

The granddaughter of the father of the Green Revolution has a bone to pick with the mother of Apple.

Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, joined eleven other “science and advocate” moms across the country in co-signing a letter to celebrity moms, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Michelle Gellar, regarding their opposition to agricultural biotechnology.

Paltrow and her celebrity mom Blythe Danner went to Capitol Hill earlier this month to lobby for mandatory, federal GMO labeling. She said she wasn’t there “as an expert” but as a mother.

But Borlaug and others like her are both moms and experts who have looked at the science and want the public to know GMOs are completely safe.

“Certain celebrities have misled thousands of parents into thinking that vaccines are harmful, and we see the same pattern of misinformation repeating itself here,” said Borlaug and her co-signers, including leading biotech researcher Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam and science activist Kavin Senapathy. “When GMOs are stigmatized, farmers and consumers aren’t able to benefit from much-needed advancements like plants with increased nutrients, or plants that can adapt to changing environmental stresses.”

The science-advocate moms ended their letter with an invitation to the celebrity moms to learn more about biotech farming. They wrote:

You have the opportunity to influence millions of people, so please use that influence responsibly, and ensure that your advocacy is supported by facts, not fear. Contact any or all of the undersigned, chat with farmers who grow biotech plants, or visit a college campus and talk with experts. We’re happy to discuss how this breeding method of genetic engineering could be used in harmony with many other approaches to help feed the world’s growing population, protect our environment, and preserve the Earth’s natural resources for all of our children.

Read the entire letter here.

Biotech, GMO

NAMA Boot Camp ZimmCast

Chuck Zimmerman August 20, 2015

This week the National Agri-Marketing Association’s annual Boot Camp is taking place in Kansas City, MO. The Chair for the conference this year is Michelle Jones, Iowa Soybean Association.

During the conference Jamie Johansen spoke with her about this year’s schedule and how the conference was going. So, I’m sharing that interview in my ZimmCast this week. In case you don’t know what Boot Camp is:

Join the National Agri-Marketing Association for the 12th annual NAMA Boot Camp, August 18-20 in Kansas City. Whether you’ve just entered the rough working world or one who’s been through the NAMA Boot Camp drill before, sign up for this program today to learn more about the agri-marketing industry. This year’s Boot Camp will take it to a new level expanding on marketing and agriculture basics.

Listen to Jamie’s conversation with Michelle in this week’s program: NAMA Boot Camp 2015

You can find more photos from the event here: NAMA Boot Camp Photos

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

sponsored by

Locally owned, globally strong.

Audio, NAMA

You Just Never Know …

Melissa Sandfort August 20, 2015

… what you will find when you live on the farm. This morning, I was downstairs working at my computer with the windows open when I heard an odd noise. I grabbed my phone and stepped out on the back deck.

This is what I saw.

What these two were doing in our yard, or how they got there, is beyond me! I’ve seen deer right beside our house, turkeys and a red fox. But this was a fun surprise!

So if ever the kids complain about living so far out of town, I will show them this picture and remind them how very lucky they are (even though they weren’t here to see them!).

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

More Internet on the Farm

Cindy Zimmerman August 20, 2015

A new USDA-NASS report shows that internet access on the farm continues to grow.

According to the Computer Usage and Ownership report, 70 percent of U.S. farms and ranches now have access to internet, up three percent from 2013.

DSL remains the most popular method for accessing internet, accounting for 30 percent of all farms and ranches with internet access. Despite remaining in the lead, however, the DSL access is down 5 percent, from the 35 percent of farms that used this method in 2013.

In contrast, wireless connection, which accounts for 29 percent, and satellite connection, which accounts for 21 percent of the U.S. total, showed significant growth in the past two years. Share of farms using these two methods went up 5 and 4 percent respectively.

According to the report, 43 percent of U.S. farms use computers for their business operations. Crop growers, at 47 percent, are more likely than livestock producers to use computers for business. In the livestock sector, 39 percent of producers use computers for business.

Some of the most popular internet uses on the farm include conducting business with a non-agricultural website and accessing federal government websites, 44% of respondents use it for both of those reasons. Farmers also report using the internet for purchasing agricultural inputs (19%) and marketing activities (16%).

Farming, Internet, USDA

Perry Says Americans Fed Up with DC

Joanna Schroeder August 20, 2015

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s main message on the Des Moines Register soapbox at the Iowa State Fair this week was about getting America back to a constitutional country. Citing the 10th amendment, he stressed that power and decision making needs to go back to the state and to the people, as intended by our founding fathers, and taken away from a corrupt Washington, D.C.

“I’m mad as hell and I’m going to do something to change it,” said Perry, who also wants to secure the border and strengthen the military. “People have belly full of decisions made 1,500 miles away instead of right here in this state,” he said. “I think it was Dwight D. Eisenhower who said It’s pretty easy to farm when your plow is a pencil and you’re 1,500 miles away from the farm. And that’s what we’re seeing today as we see this continual consolidation of power in Washington, D.C.,” added Perry.

Throughout his speech he said continually said he would bring the constitution back as a guide for the country – a place we got away from and need to go back to in order to bring back strength, prosperity and the American dream to the people. However, the former state agriculture commissioner for Texas did not take questions nor did he address energy or ag in any detail while on stage.

Listen to why former Texas Governor Rick Perry wants to be president: Rick Perry at the Iowa State Fair

Click here to read our coverage of the Des Moines Register Presidential Soapbox series at the Iowa State Fair.

Agribusiness, Audio, politics

Biodiesel 2015 and Beyond

Chuck Zimmerman August 19, 2015

The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council is conducting a first ever event today in Mankato, MN. The event, “Biodiesel 2015 & Beyond: A Biodiesel/Bioheat Forum,” brings together biodiesel industry market developers, researchers and a number of representatives of east coast oil heat and fuel companies. The open forum is providing an educational look at what’s going on in the biodiesel industry and the work being done to develop bioheat as a good heating fuel option for the northeast.

The program was divided into two sessions moderated by Tom DiBacco, broadhead. In the first session we heard from Paul Nazzaro, Nazzaro Group, NBB Petroleum Liaison, providing an overview of biodiesel markets. He is followed by John Wenzel, FC Stone, who talked on emerging markets. Next up was John Huber, National Oilheat Research Alliance and Michael Trunzo, New England Fuel Institute who spoke about Bioheat and the evolution of Oil Heat.

Although I plan to share personal interviews with each of these presenters I thought I’d go ahead and let you listen to the first session which ends with a question and answer session.

You can listen to the session here: Biodiesel/Bioheat Forum Session 1

You can find a lot of photos from the forum here: Biodiesel/Bioheat Forum Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Soybean

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