ZimmCast: Recent Episodes
Chuck Zimmerman
Each week Chuck or Cindy interviews leaders in the agrimarketing world and talk with them about what they're doing that's new and different.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I'm going to share some comments and a question with an IFAJ Webinar. The topic was "Artificial Intelligence's Impact on R&D for Agriculture." Moderating was Steve Werblow, IFAJ President and Martin Clough, Syngenta Crop Protection's R&D Head of Digital Collaboration and Sustainability and Andre Piza, Syngenta's Group's Global Head of Digital AgTech.
My question was, are there concerns about the cost of data centers and including issues like the climate and sustainability.
Each of them will provide their comments and then the answer of my questions.
If you are not a member of IFAJ consider joining your local agricultural journalist guild. Find out more on the IFAJ website.
That's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank for listening.
A new study from S&P Global and commissioned by U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA), "Fueling Agriculture: Biofuels as the Catalyst," finds that biofuels have the potential to restore long-term profitability to American farms and drive investment in rural communities; unlock demand for sustainable feedstocks, creating a market that rewards farmers for pioneering modern farm practices; and strengthen food, economic and energy security on a global scale. It could also help motivate the U.S. Senate to pass legislation allowing year-round, nationwide sales of E15 (15% ethanol-blended fuel).
In this episode of the ZimmCast, hear from USFRA CEO Kevin Burkum; USFRA vice chairman and Maryland farmer Chip Bowling; Kevin Lindemer, S&P Global Energy; Kelsey Barnes, USDA Senior Advisor for Rural Development and Biofuels; Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tina Smith (D-MN).
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I have a very special guest. I haven't talked to him recently but we did quite a bit in the early days of AgWired. He's Harry Siemens and some of you may have heard or read his Siemens Says. He just received a very well deserved award and we'll talk about that too.
The award was initiated by U.S. farm broadcasters Lynn Ketelsen of the Linder Farm Network, the late Orion Samuelson, and Max Armstrong, longtime voices in agricultural broadcasting and fellow members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB). Together, they sought to recognize Siemens' lifetime of contributions to agricultural journalism and his efforts to strengthen relationships between Canadian and American farmers.
Throughout his career, Siemens has covered crop production, livestock, trade, transportation, weather, farm policy and rural life, earning the respect of farmers, agricultural leaders and fellow broadcasters across North America.
That's the ZimmCast for now.
If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world, feel free to contact me for the next episode. Just email at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I'm sharing my preview interview for the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting with President/CEO, Brent Kemp. Additionally I've got a few comments regarding AI, or Artificial Intelligence, for those of you who haven't heard of it. But really, AI, is moving fast and besides it is a topic for the AgGateway meeting.
I'm slow in producing a ZimmCast episode for several reasons. One is that I haven't been traveling for work. But additionally, I've done a little research about how AI has affected things like agricultural marketing and communications.
Additionally, I did a post on AgWired titled "Safeguard the Human Person in Time of AI." I hope you enjoy it and feel free to comment. I focused on the encyclical letter published by Pope Leo. It's not just about AI but really is about people.
With some AI research, as in ChatGPT, I looked in to the changes in using news releases. This is very important to ZimmComm since we have the oldest completely ag news release service, AgNewsWire. The information I found relates to all industries. Basically, we're seeing a change in how important news releases are with various other channels to reach customers. One point is the cost to send news releases which can be from $800 to $1,200 or more. Again, with AgNewsWire, we have a very clean list of contacts to send news releases and we still only charge $525. Additionally, we post the release on the AgNewsWire website, onto our AgWired website, social media channels and also our bi-weekly e-newsletters. Our open rate is significant and very high by industries standards.
If you have any questions and comments or just want to chat, I'm always open and appreciate it.
So, that's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode the tables have been turned. We thought it would be fun for Laura McNamara, one of our very early freelancers, to interview Cindy and me about the how, what and why we created ZimmComm and all its elements. We've had people ask about this over the years, but as you will hear, from the start it has continued to develop and pivot when needed.
So, listen in and let us know what you think.
As many know, Cindy and I took a big step to stop traveling this year. We're really happy to be working with Laura as some of the events we've worked on for years still want to use good photography and interviews to make content with a target audience of ag journalists. So, this step toward retirement for most people is as easy as just walking away and going fishing. But when you've built a business over 20-plus years it's a little more difficult. We're still working at the ZimmComm World Headquarters so stay tuned.
That's the ZimmCast for now. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode of the podcast I'm going to share some audio from the National Ethanol Conference. While Laura McNamara worked with Syngenta Seeds at Commodity Classic, which overlapped with the NEC, yours truly drove to Orlando and took photos, interviews and session audio in a custom virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com.
To start out with, Patrice Banks, Founder of Girls Auto Clinic, who spoke at the NEC Women's Leadership Breakfast, also spoke at one of the sessions. Hers was titled, Cultivating a New Crop of Ethanol Advocates.
Renewable Fuels Association staff member, Kendra Coulson, Marketing and Membership Manager, helps with educating new audiences and she has worked with Patrice and her audience.
On a different topic RFA has scholarships given out at the NEC. I thought you might like to hear how one winner of the Young Professionals Network scholarship is Verena Hopkins.
If you would like to hear more about what is going on in the renewable fuels world and specifically, ethanol, check out our virtual newsroom. We've got plenty more and besides the newsroom you can see stories from it on Energy.AgWired.com and the latest episode of The Ethanol Report.
That's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. i'm Chuck Zimmerman.
The beginning of February was a very busy time. Although Cindy and I are not traveling to conferences and shows for work we've had some great talent on site while we gather their photos and interviews to create virtual newsrooms. These were 2026 CattleCon (Steven Orr, Paramount Broadcasting (All Ag All Day) and the 2026 CIRB Annual Meeting (Laura McNamara). You can find these virtual ag newsrooms on AgNewsWire.com. These posts are available to all ag media who want or need an image or an interview. There is more to come.
We're using photos and interviews and other audio as individual posts on AgWired.com. If you subscribe or just search you can find plenty of information online too.
So, let's turn to the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau for an interview on AI in Agriculture. Laura interviewed Willie Vogt, Ag Technology Observer (and good friend), about his topic and presentation.
Speaking about AI, there is a lot of information showing how fast AI is developing and what it may change how communications and marketing are managed. These includes agriculture and all industries. I've spent most of my career learning and using the latest gadgets and internet based programs. After over 40 years I don't know how much I will need to know for AI. How about you?
Well that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
Part of December into January was a little rough for the ZimmComm Team. Between some bugs going around to two short trips to see family. But now all's well and it's time for a new episode.
In December we posted some "Oh the places we've been!" details. We started in the new year by curtailing our business travel after over 20 years and nearly 900 events around the world. Interestingly, of all the states and countries we traveled to the state with the most events has been Missouri at 112.
Now here in January we actually are able to continue doing photos and interviews and virtual newsrooms for several of our long time clients. How you say? We're retaining the services of others to do the on-site work while we do the posting and distribution at ZimmComm World Headquarters.
We're really happy to announced that two of the first events in 2026 will be handled for us on-site by Laura McNamara, one of our very first freelancers back in 2007-2008. She graduated from Mizzou and covered many events for us at that time. She's been around the world and has evolved as a top-notch photographer.
The first event of 2026 that Laura worked with for us was the Beltwide Cotton Conferences which were held in San Antonio. This young lady did interviews at a technical conference on cotton like she's been a farm broadcaster her whole life! Coming up next will be the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting in Indian Wells, CA in early February.
So, in this ZimmCast I'm going to share a couple of the interviews Laura did.
First is an interview with Marjory Walker, National Cotton Council on Seizing Opportunities for U.S. Cotton.
Following up is an interview with Hank Jones, a Louisiana conference coordinator, with a Consultants Conference recap of the presentations.
So, what do you think? That's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
We'll have a final ZimmCast podcast at the end of the year. But in the meantime…
I'm sharing an interview with Josh Turney, founder of Rooster and Roadrunner. I did ask if he'll be starting another bird name company soon. You'll have to listen to hear his answer.
Roadrunner just recently went live in mid November and Josh describes why. "In operating Rooster since 2017, we've seen several companies waver in the space between hiring staff, hiring freelancers and hiring an agency," says Josh Turney, founder of Rooster and Roadrunner. "Roadrunner is developed to be the middle ground, bringing smart, efficient solutions and access to more experts when and if needed."
As we get closer to the Christmas and New Year holidays Cindy and I hope you have a wonderful time. I'm sure you'll hear from us soon.
That's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you like it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I'm going to share an interview with Matt Weeks, AgIntel Lead at AdFarm. We discuss the inaugural AgIntel Index Report. This will be a yearly report that dives into the trends and insights dominating the conversation in agriculture. This is information that matters to agri-marketers and ag leaders.
In addition, I'm adding a wrap up interview with Brent Kemp, President/CEO, AgGateway, about the organization's annual conference, my last on-location work of the year. You can find the AgNewsWire virtual ag newsroom with lots of photos and interviews and more.
Cindy and I decided to retire from on-location work after 20 plus years. This doesn't mean we won't be working though with news release distribution and podcasts. We'll be updating you as we work toward the end of this year.
So that's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode you'll learn all about Farm Journal's new Ad Insights tool which is new to the agrimarketing industry. It's a first for a digital advertising analytics solution. Talking with me is Prescott Shibles, Farm Journal CEO. So, let's get started with some questions.
You can find more online at the Farm Journal website.
So that's the ZimmCast for now. If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world feel free to contact me for the next episode.
Thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode we’re going to get an in-depth preview of the new NAMA NEXUS event that will be taking place in Milwaukee, WI, October 14-16. I spoke with committee chair Kasie Garcia.
We’ll start with what the NAMA NEXUS means as well as the Economies of Ag. From there it’s on to the agenda and how it is different from NAMA Fall Conference of the past.
You can still register on the NAMA website.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
It has been a busy time for the the ZimmComm Team in the past few weeks. After the Tech Hub Live conference it was on the way to the Southern Peanut Growers Conference, Ag Media Summit, ACE Annual Meeting and the Farm Progress Show. I’m on my way home from the 2025 FPS and thought I’d share some interviews.
Besides an interview with Rob Shaffer, Illinois farmer, about the John Deere announcement about B30 biodiesel compatibility across all of their engine portfolio, I’m sharing an interview with Andy Heggenstaller, Global Oilseeds and Cereals Portfolio Strategy Head, Syngenta, who talks about Syngenta and M.S. Technologies and the next generation in soybean herbicide tolerance, and then Craig Abell, National Executive Agronomist, Syngenta, who talks about a new soil-applied insecticide product soon to come to market.
There are lots of other interviews and audio, besides photos, in our AgNewsWire virtual ag newsroom from this year’s Farm Progress Show.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Lets us get a preview of the 2025 Agricultural Media Summit with Shelia Grobosky, BioZyme, and AMS Steering Committee Chair and LPC President.
It's all about meetings, keynote and general sessions, breakouts, InfoExpo, awards, ACT student members, sponsors and more.
That’s the ZimmCast now now. I hope you enjoy it thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this program we’re going to get a preview of the 2025 IFAJ Congress which will be held in Kenya. After our preview I’m going to add a most recent example of how you can make your news release talk. More at the end.
So, let’s get started. I have Steve Werblow, IFAJ President and Aghan Daniel, MESHA, the coordinating organization. First up is Steve followed by Daniel.
The give us details about the Congress and the location it will be held as well as who can register and attend the Congress.
Daniel and his organization will certainly have a variety of interesting places to see and of course, talk to ag journalists from around the world. If you haven’t attended an IFAJ Congress I can’t recommend it enough.
So, before I close I include an interview with Performance Nutrition. The company had us distribute a news release for them and we worked with them on an interview to add a voice to their message. We’re getting more requests for this. Their interview is included and you can find the full release on AgNewsWire.com.
It’s easy to include an interview with your release on AgNewsWire by sending us an interview audio file or have us conduct the interview for a small fee. And if you have question just contact me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
The ZimmComm Team are enjoying some time in paradise right near the Gulf of America. The weather has been great and we’ve had enough rain so that everything is green and growing.
In this episode Cindy and I discuss the changes we’re making to ZimmComm. We recently announced that we are going to retire from business travel starting Jan. 1, 2026. That has been a very big part of the work we pioneered along with the use of social media in agricultural marketing.
But we’ve got plenty to do as we continue to distribute news releases with our AgNewsWire service. In fact, we started out with the idea of including audio files in news releases for our clients. We called them Talking News Releases and because of our background in farm radio we knew the frustration of not being able to get an interview or sound bite. When you want to have an audio interview included in your news release we will produce it and publish it with no extra cost. We’ll work with you on the interview and can also add your own audio file if you would like, including logos, photos or other images. Here is an example of our latest news release for AgTech PR for their client, PowerPollen, that includes an interview.
To have us distribute your release to our contact list all you have to do is use your credit card on the AgNewsWire form here and then just email your release and any multi-media content to include.
In addition to news releases we will continue produce podcast like this one, The ZimmCast, as well as The Ethanol Report and the Daugherty Water For Food Podcast. If you would like to start a podcast just give us a call.
We’ve still got several trips planned this year including these in July. Tech Hub Live in Des Moines, IA, Southern Peanut Growers Conference in Panama City, FL and Ag Media Summit in Rogers, AK.
So, keep ZimmComm’s in your plans. And that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I’m going to share a couple of interviews from the NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference. One is with Gardner Hatch, Executive Director, NAFB and Debbie Boyle, Vice President, Kynetic. They talk about a new NAFB listener survey. Then I have an interview with Melanie Rice, Brownfield Ag News, about becoming the new President of NAMA.
Before I do this I’m going to talk about a ZimmComm announcement Cindy and I published last week. Basically, we are retiring from business travel starting at the end of 2025. Besides our 21 years with ZimmComm we traveled a lot for many years before we started ZimmComm.
We founded the company in 2004 as the first social media-based agricultural communications company and pioneered “event blogging” for farm and biofuels conferences, capturing the sights and sounds in photos and interviews. Nearly 225,000 photos and countless interviews and miles later, we have decided to hang up our traveling bags and spend more time at home. A lot of people look to retire to travel the world. We’ve been blessed to see all the places we ever wanted and more!
We plan to continue our AgNewsWire news release service as well as AgWired.com, Energy.AgWired.com and our podcasting and other audio production services. We’re just giving up the travel portion of our work.
So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
The first day of spring started the day after the annual Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Summit and National Ag Day Activities. We have published virtual newsrooms on our AgNewsWire website and story posts on AgWired. So, in this episode I'd like to share a few of the interviews and audio from the events.
I'll start out with Agri-Pulse. You can listen to the opening remarks from Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason. Next will be Jim Sutter, CEO, USSEC and then Jane Franch, Sr. Director, Climate Impact, Pivot Bio.
I'll move to the National Ag Day Activities with a student panel discussion. The students are Taylor Rogers, National Grange Youth Ambassador; Lance Williams, AFA advisor; Caroline Groth, FFA Eastern Region Vice President; and Matias Habib, National 4H. Moderated by Miles Chiotti, Manager, Public & Industry Relations - Agriculture & Turf Division at John Deere.
It is Cindy’s time to be in Washington, DC this week for the ACE Fly-in. After that the next event coming up soon is the 2025 Agri-Marketing Conference. If you haven't registered, you can still do so. I'll see you there.
If you have any ideas for a future ZimmCast podcast just let me know.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank for listening.
In this episode I’m going to share some Commodity Classic which was almost at the highest attendance ever. We were in the Mile High city of Denver, CO. The weather was mostly perfect but we did have some wind, rain and snow at the end. Next year the event will take place in San Antonio.
Once again Syngenta made my trip to Classic possible. So, in the program I have with me the following:
Eric Boeck, Regional Director of North America Seeds, Syngenta
Jeff Cecil, Crop Protection Marketing Head, Syngenta North America
Steve Sterchi, Product and Commercial Strategy Lead, Syngenta North America
Kramer Farney, GHX Marketing, Golden Harvest
Justin Welch, Head of Decision Agronomy, Golden Harvest
Coming up next for me on the agriblogging highway is the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit in Washington, DC followed with the National Ag Day Activites. Then it’s Cindy turn to go to DC for the ACE Fly-in. Things start to settle down but I’ll be in KC, MO for the Agri-Marketing Conference in April.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
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 is 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.
And that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
While Cindy was home during the major snow storm in Florida I was attending the Clean Fuels Conference in San Diego, CA. The weather was delightful for the conference. However, in the Pensacola, FL area there was eight to ten inches of snow, something that hasn’t happened in over 150 years! But it has all melted and we’re mostly back to normal.
So, let’s talk about clean fuels. We created a virtual ag newsroom once again for the conference that used to be named the National Biodiesel Conference. It was the first one we created many years ago. You can find that newsroom with photos, interviews and session audio right here.
In this episode I’m going to share some of the interviews I did. So, let’s get started. First up I interviewed Kent Engelbrecht, ADM, serving as Chairman of the Clean Fuels Alliance America. Following him is Kurt Kovarik, VP of Government Affairs, Clean Fuels; then Tom Verry, Director of Outreach and Development; and to close things up I interviewed Donnell Rehagen, CEO, Clean Fuels.
In addition to the virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire we also posted content onto the Clean Fuels Conference Blog which you can find here.
Now that I’ve been catching up I’m getting ready for the CattleCon 2025 working with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. At the same time Cindy will be at the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau annual meeting. It’s just that busy time of the year.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
ZimmComm is now entering its 21st year. Who would have thought?
We officially announced our company at the 2004 National Agri-Marketing Conference. We had our first booth at the conference in 2005 which means we’ve exhibited for twenty of them! I thought you might like to hear the first audio podcast I recorded in January of 2005. We were just starting to figure out what we could do with our AgWired blog. It’s a short episode. I’m going to share some other audio after this.
So, that was the start and it has sure changed over the years. So, let’s look at this year. I was working at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans and thought I’d focus on the outlook for cotton. I would not be surprised if there are some changes after the presidential inauguration. But I’m going to start with Gary Adams, CEO of the National Cotton Council. He talks about the cotton industry outlook and then moves onto the farm bill.
Following Gary is Daren Abney, Executive Director, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. He talks about the last year of the program and an outlook of what’s next.
You can find a lot of photos as well as interviews and session audio on the AgNewsWire virtual ag newsroom here.
I’m heading out next to San Diego for the Clean Fuels Conference and hoping the weather doesn’t cause too many travel problems. It’s looking like I’ll miss the mess though.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman along with Cindy Zimmerman.
Welcome to another year of agriblogging and farm podcasting. It’s hard to believe that we’re coming close to 21 years since we started ZimmComm in 2004. Cindy and I have worked together in the ag marcom field for about 21 years before that. Now we’re doing some thinking and planning for 2025. I sense that this year will be a big one for us
We’ve already got plans made for the same conferences during the upcoming months. We traveled to work at 20 different events last year. So, we’ll see how things go as time moves on.
We started taking photos at events 20 years ago when Flickr started. Since then we’ve uploaded 222,000 photos and they have collectively received 38 million views. In 2024 we uploaded 6,611 photos from the events and they have been viewed 1.1 million views.
On the audio side of things we started using Libsyn as our audio/podcast server platform in 2017. In that time, and just looking at our ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio podcast, we’ve received 2.8 million downloads of those files, with 137,000 in 2024.
Our AgNewsWire service had a banner year in 2024 with the distribution of over 80 news releases for our clients. And speaking of news releases we’re offering a 2025 discount for existing or new customers. If you sign up for an advance purchase of 4 news releases you will receive a 10 Percent discount. Regular price is $525 but your discounted price will be $472.50/each! Feel free to contact me about how AgNewsWire works and we’ll help you reach our comprehensive list of ag media.
AgWired and Energy. AgWired have also really kept us busy. Besides Cindy and me we’ve had 40 editors work for us and that includes interns, many of who are in high level jobs in ag media and agencies, and freelancers who have started their own companies. We can’t say how thankful and proud for all of them
So, that’s what’s on our minds as we contemplate the how/when/what and why of another year on the agriblogging highway.
So, that’s the ZimmCast. We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I’m going to share some interviews from the NAFB Trade Talk about reactions from the recent presidential election.
I’m going to include Mary Kay Thatcher, Syngenta Sr. Manager, Federal Government and Industry Relations; Brian Jennings, ACE CEO; Geoff Cooper, RFA CEO and Ethan Lane, NCBA, VP of Government Affairs.
Adding to these interviews, Cindy recently interviewed Kip Tom, Indiana farmer and served as the Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture during President Trump’s previous term. You can listen to his reactions here.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode we’ll get a preview of the AgGateway Annual Conference that will be starting November 11th in Austin. I talked with Brent Kemp, President and CEO, about what AgGateway works to accomplish and what the schedule looks like. I’ll be there to take photos and collect some good interviews and session audio. I’ll be going straight from there to Kansas City for a day of the NAFB Convention before heading back to ZimmComm World Headquarters.
Looking over the last years that I’ve attended AgGateway meetings it seems to just continue to growing and refining the work they do.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I am going to share some audio from the recent Syngenta Media Summit 2024 that was held in the new crop protection facility in Greensboro, NC. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with a group of agricultural journalists and have personal time with Syngenta leadership. You’ll hear more about the new facility.
I have created a virtual newsroom on AgNewsWire that contains photos as well as interviews and other audio for ag media to use. I’ve picked out the welcome we had from Jeff Cecil, Head of North America Crop Protection Marketing, in the form of a one on one interview about advancing innovation for the US grower. After that you’ll hear closing comments from Vern Hawkins, Regional Director, North America President. He focused on advancing American agriculture.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. Please let me know if you have ideas for a future podcast. Just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
It’s time for the 2024 NAMA Fall Conference which will be held in Minneapolis, MN, October 14-16. The theme is “Fall Back” and you’ll hear why in my interview with Laura Rustmann, Director of Marketing and Sales, J.L. Farmakis, Inc. and Chair of the committee that is organizing the conference.
Cindy and I have enjoyed a few weeks without travel since the Farm Progress Show but things will get started again the beginning of October. I will not be able to attend the NAMA Fall Conference this year due to a conflict but we’re going to get a preview from Laura.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. Please let me know if you have ideas for a future podcast. Just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
I’ve lost count of how many Farm Progress Shows I have attended but it’s a lot. This year in Boone, IA we had great weather and that’s not always the case. But it was also an opportunity to see friends as well as clients. I was only on site for Tuesday and half of Wednesday but I recorded 26 interviews that you can find on AgNewsWire in our virtual newsroom for the event.
So, speaking of clients and the fact that we’re always interested in what’s new in the world of agribusiness I’m going to share interviews with several companies. They include: Scott Nelson, Make Hay; Thad England, Groundwork Bioag; Craig Dick, Phospholutions; Scott Trbovich, Taranis and Steve Nicholson, Rabo AgriFinance. They’ll go in that order.
We post the ZimmCast on AgWired as the official podcast. We also post stories using other interviews as we have time so keep your eye out for them too.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Although Cindy and I got a little break from the agriblogging highway things got busy again. In this episode I’m going to share a few interviews that have a focus on a new Farm Bill. What do you think? Is it still possible this year or will it be sometime in 2025? You will hear different thoughts from Ted McKinney, NASDA, Sonny Perdue, University of Georgia Chancellor, Representative Austin Scott, (R-GA) and Representative Frank Lucas, (R-OK).
After these interviews I’ll provide you with a preview of this year’s Ag Media Summit which will start August 3 through the 6th. This is the 25th AMS and it will be held in Kansas City, Missouri. I’ll be taking lots of photos so keep your eye out for them throughout the event and feel free to download and share.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
I’m getting a break from the agriblogging highway after last week’s AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting in Altoona, IA. Cindy and I have worked on our calendar through the end of the year and there are quite a few more places to be around the USA.
In this episode I have a conversation with Gardner Hatch, the new Executive Director of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. We have known Gardner for a long time and he is a card carrying member of the ZimmComm Golden Mic Club. And was the recipient of one of the first Golden Mic Awards at the Agri-Marketing Conference. So, let’s get started.
Gardner talks about why he chose to make this career move and the NAFB 10 year strategic plans and priorities.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Cindy and I celebrated our 20th anniversary of ZimmComm at the Agri-Marketing Conference in KC, MO. We got to see and talk to many of our friends and clients and talk about the “old” days and what we think is on the horizon. We’ve needed to make changes, go in different directions and learn new skills as so much has changed, most especially just before and through the pandemic years. We’re looking ahead to the future discussing some new ideas and making some changes once again.
In the meantime, I’ll be on my annual retreat the end of the week and right on to Washington, DC for The Future of Food & Farming: The Modern Celebration of Ag on the National Mall, working with AEM. After that I’ll be on the road to the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting in Des Moines, IA.
So, let’s dive in to this episode with Karl Harker, AWIS and Scot Benson, Nitrogen Pulse. These companies are cooperating on tools for farmers to better manage their nitrogen use, tied into weather data. You can learn more about it in our discussion.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
It’s almost time for the 2024 Agri-Marketing Conference that is put on by the National Agri-Marketing Association. ZimmComm will be there to celebrate our 20th anniversary in our Connection Point booth. We’ve got more to come on this when we get to the conference later this month.
In this episode I’m talking with Lori Kruger, Signal Theory, and Chair for the Agri-Marketing Conference committee. We’ll do a preview of what you’ll find. In case you haven’t registered it’s easy to go to the NAMA website and get it done.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
I started in a career of agricultural communications back in 1983 and in all these years it is amazing how much has changed. Technology has played a major role and that includes the ability today to easily communicate about agriculture everywhere in the world. Having said this I’m going to have a conversation with Dr. Owen Roberts. He is a good friend and we first met being involved at events of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.
Owen Roberts, Ed.D.
Lecturer and Director, Dr. Jim Evans Agricultural Communications Initiative; Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program; College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
He is also involved with a new initiative at the University of Illinois’s College of Agriculture. And that’s the subject of this podcast episode.
Plans have been made for a global center for food and agricultural communications and it is named after another good friend, Dr. James Evans.
The James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Once again I learned all about what’s new in the world of agribusiness for Syngenta during the Commodity Classic which was just held in Houston, TX. So this episode will feature interviews I did in the Syngenta booth.
Between Cindy and myself this was our 7th conference of the year. You can find virtual newsrooms from them all on AgNewsWire.com. In there are photos and lots of interviews.
So, these are some interview I picked out to provide a good selection of topics from Syngenta: Eric Boeck, Regional Director North America Seeds at Syngenta; Liz Hunt, Sustainable & Responsible Business Head, Syngenta; Jim Shertzer, Head of Branded Marketing, Syngenta North America Seeds; Matt Dolch and Jared Benson, NK corn and soybean product managers; Kramer Farney, Golden Harvest head of marketing
Next on the AgriBlogging Highway Cindy will be at the ACE DC Fly-in. I will be at the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit and National Ag Day activities. Then we will both be at the Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, MO with a booth in the Connection Point. We launched ZimmComm publicly at the 2004 Agri-Marketing Conference.
We are already celebrating 20 years since we created ZimmComm and “What a long, strange trip it's been.” BTW. I did see Grateful Dead live and in concert many, many years ago.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
The last two weeks have been hectic for the ZimmComm Team. I was in Orlando for CattleCon and I’m going to share some interviews from there in this episode. Then I was off to Ft. Worth for the Clean Fuels Conference while Cindy went to Scottsdale for the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting. You can find virtual newsrooms for all of them on AgNewsWire.com. They contain links to the photo albums, interviews and selected session audio. We’ve got a break this week but a lot more on the schedule in the next couple months.
So, let’s get on with CattleCon. I’m going to share interviews with Todd Wilkinson, Past NCBA President; Mark Eisele, NCBA President; Buck Wehrbein, NCBA President-Elect and Colin Woodall, CEO, NCBA.
Besides these CattleCon interviews there are many more that are separated as officers, staff, trade show and other interviews. Besides looking them up online you can also easily get them by subscribing to the ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast with your favorite platform.
That is the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This week we’re going to get a preview of the new CattleCon. I love that name. It is new and perfect for the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. In fact, CattleCon is the official new name.
To learn all about what’s new and different with CattleCon I talked with Kristin Torres, Executive Director of Meetings and Events, NCBA.
CattleCon is where the beef industry meets! We’re Onward to Orlando from January 31 to February 2, 2024. At CattleCon, you'll discover a unique and comprehensive experience that brings together education, networking, business opportunities, advocacy, and fun for the whole family, all under one roof. Join us at CattleCon, the ultimate destination where the beef industry meets to learn, connect, grow, and enjoy. Registration for CattleCon24 is now open. Click here to register for the largest event in the cattle industry.
Thanks Kristin for walking us through the newly named event and some of the changes that attendees will find.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
As we come to the end of 2023, we already have dates on the calendar going into the new year for about the same events we did this year, most of which we have been doing for about 15 years. From Beltwide Cotton Conferences right after new years to the American Seed Trade association Field Crops seed convention, we stayed busy all year. Here is a compilation of interviews from 2023.
And that will wrap it up for 2023 – see you somewhere on the agriblogging highway in 2024.
And that’s the ZimmCast. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
During this year’s NAFB Trade Talk I interviewed a lot of company representatives and am taking this opportunity to share some of them. These folks had a lot more than just the Golden ZimmComm Microphone in their face! But they are now members of the Golden Mic Club. Here’s who you can listen to in this order: Mike DiPaola,Taranis and Ethan Noll, Ag Partners Co-op; Mark Foster, AMVAC; Aaron Robinson, Benson Hill; Aaron Eddy, Azotic and Brian Neineke, Phospholutions.
I know that was a lot of information on different products and companies but I hope you enjoyed it.
Cindy and I will be on the agriblogging and podcasting trail for the American Seed Trade Association’s newly named Field Crop Seed Conference. It is being held in Orlando, FL for the first time. The Golden ZimmComm Microphone will get a workout once again before we start the new year in Ft. Worth at the Beltwide Cotton Conference.
That’s the ZimmCast for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I’m going to share a timely interview. You’ll hear my conversation with Karl Harker with the Agricultural Weather Information Service. AWIS is advertising on AgNewsWire to reach new prospects for their services. That’s what we’ll be talking about as we approach winter which is a very important one for all types of farmers and those who provide them with weather information.
The ZimmComm Team has been very busy this fall so far but we’ve still got a lot on the calendar still before the end of the year. If you enjoy the ZimmCast let me know if you would like to sponsor the program or have ideas of topics or interviews you’d like to hear.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode we’re going to learn about special sale of agriculture focused website domains being sold by Dave Larson of Larson Ent. LLC. There are a number of categories and I’ll let him tell you about what is available.
After that I’m going to share my wrap-up interview of the 2023 NAMA Fall Conference with John Rozum, AEM and current President of NAMA. It was a well attended and successful conference.
I’ll be in the woods starting this weekend for a few days for my annual deer hunt and I’m looking forward to getting some more venison in the freezer. Can’t wait.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
It is time to get a preview of what to expect at this year's NAMA Fall Conference. I spoke with Trista Thompson, Wyffels, Chair for the conference and Laura Rustmann, J.L. Farmakis, Vice Chair. In our discussion we'll talk about the ag tour the day before the official start of the conference; keynote speakers; breakout sessions, professional development awards and lots of opportunity for networking. You can still register and we hope to see you there.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Last week the Ag Innovation Campus held its grand opening in Crookston, MN. You can see lots of photos and interviews in the virtual newsroom I published on AgNewsWire.com. I’m going to share some of those interviews in the episode.
Before getting to the AIC facility I met a group of farmers and other ag leaders in Fargo, ND to tour the Northern Crops Institute. This is a collaborative effort among Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota to support the promotion and market development of crops grown in this four-state region and it is situated on the campus of North Dakota State University, in Fargo. I’ll share my interview with Mark Jirik, Director, who will describe the unique work they do there.
After that we got on a bus and traveled to the Riverview Waukon Dairy where I met David Yost who will provide an overview of the large and very impressive facility they have built.
Then we moved on to Crookston, MN to the Ag Innovation Campus. We had presentations from a variety of people who have played a part in the success of reaching phase one of the facility and a ribbon cutting. I talked with several leaders about the work that the AIC will do to deliver crops and processing technologies from bench top to commercialization. Think of the term, crush facility, and you’ll hear more about this staring with Tom Slunecka, Acting AIC CEO. Next we’ll hear from Mike Skaug, AIC Board Member. Finally in this episode you can hear from the AIC Plant Manger, Kent Meyers.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Interviews with Kramer Farney, Golden Harvest head of marketing; NASCAR Driver Sammy Smith; Mary Kay Thatcher, senior lead for federal government relations at Syngenta; Eric Boeck, Regional Director North America for Syngenta Seeds; Sustainable Oils President Mike Karst; Matt Dolch, NK Corn Product Manager, and Jared Benson, NK Soybean Product Manager
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
I’m going to start with an excerpt of the brand new podcast, The Heart of Rural America, hosted by Amanda Radke. She’s a South Dakota cattle rancher, wife, mama, author, and motivational speaker. Amanda also wrote for AgWired back in 2010! I highly recommend you subscribe to and listen to her new podcast. We are very proud of Amanda and have enjoyed watching her family and career grow over the years.
Next in the program are interviews with the new presidents of the Agricultural Communicators Network and the Livestock Publications Council. The gavel was passed for both organizations during the Ag Media Summit. First up is Martha Mintz, Corral Creek Communications.
Next, you can listen to my interview with Katrina Huffstutler, Grant Company LLC.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoyed it.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman
After getting a break from the agriblogging highway the ZimmComm Team has used the time for some needed work on headquarters. Fortunately it has been indoors as the temperatures are high and a lot of rain has fallen until the last couple days. So now it’s time to look ahead to some events we will be attending.
The first one is the 2023 Tech Hub Live with a preview from Scott Cogdill, Proagrica. This is the third annual event and will have over 88 speakers, 19 tech talks, 19 fireside chats, 17 roundtable discussion groups and 10 breakout sessions. You can see who is exhibiting here.
Following Tech Hub Live I will be at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference in Destin, FL. I’ll be creating content for the conference blog and there will be lots of photos and interviews.
Then it’s on to the 2023 Ag Media Summit in Palm Springs, CA, and the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel. I haven’t been able to attend them all but most of them. The AMS started in 1999.
To get a preview of this year’s event I spoke with Shelia Grobosky, Public Relations Coordinator at BioZyme Inc. who is the AMS Steering Committee Chair and a member of the Livestock Publications Council. She says there are a number of things that have been changed in the schedule but the basics all all there. It’s not too late to register. You can do that here.
Hope you are staying cool if you are in an area with significant heat but, hey, it is summer. So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this episode I will be sharing a couple of interviews from the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting.
One of those is with Andres Ferrerya, Data Asset Manager for Syngenta Digital. The kind of work that he does and the work of AgGateway can get pretty technical but he describes it in a clear way to understand, in my opinion. Then you can hear Jeremy Wilson, AgGateway’s Executive VP/COO, as he talks about the various working groups in AgGateway and what they are doing.
The work that AgGateway is doing is really vital for farmers, retailers and other companies that are seeking standards of various kinds to make the process of digital information quicker, simpler and more useful.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
It is going to be a very active June into July for ZimmComm, with a variety of on-location events. One of those is the annual IFAJ World Congress which is being held this year in Alberta, Canada. I will be there and I believe this will be my 10th IFAJ Congress. These events are very well planned and packed with business, professional development and farm tours.
To get a preview of the activities I spoke with Jessika Guse, co-chair of the planning committee.
I’ll be taking a lot of photos throughout the Congress and hope to have time and internet to get them up asap. I’ll be doing the same immediately after the Congress when I stay in Calgary for the Alltech ONE World Tour stop.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Cindy Zimmerman
This episode comes to you from the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference, which was held May 8-11 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This was the 10th Water for Food Conference but the first time it’s been held since 2019, thanks to COVID.
The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska works to address the global challenge of achieving food security with less stress on water resources through water management in agricultural and food systems and the conference brings together experts and thought leaders from around the world to help find solutions to water and food security challenges.
In this episode, you will hear from DWFI executive director Peter McCornick, DWFI board member Felicia Marcus, Colorado farmer and LRE Water consultant Dick Wolfe, Nebraska farmer Debbie Borg, and Louise Mabulo, founder of The Cacao Project.
We hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
The 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference is approaching fast. You can still register right here. And in this episode you can hear a comprehensive preview of the conference from Vice Chair, Lori Kruger, Signal Theory.
In 2004 Cindy and I announced the start of ZimmComm at the conference which means we’re starting our 20th year!! It was one of the best decisions we have made and we will be exhibiting once again in the Connection Point. I’ll be easy to find and hope you will stop by. I’ll have the Golden ZimmComm Microphone ready to conduct interviews. I’d like you to tell me a little about your what you do, your company and your products/services. Simple. No wrong answers.
You can also enter our booth drawing which is a Supernote A6 X bundle that includes pen and folio. It is a dedicated digital note taking device!
I want to thank Lori and all the committee members and staff for putting together a fantastic looking conference agenda. I hope to see you there.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this episode we’re going to continue learning about newer options for insurance programs for farmers. And in the program we’re going to learn about a relatively new way for farmers, ag processors and cooperatives to have more control over their own risk protection. In particular, the subject will be Captive Insurance Programs.
I had a conversation with John Capasso, founder and current President & Chief Executive Officer of Captive Planning Associates, LLC. John has over 20 years of insurance experience. He walks us through the definition of captive programs and answers questions farmers have about creating them and making the best use of this risk tool.
So, listen in as John provides us with the “Captivating Possibilities” of Captive Insurance Programs.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. ZimmComm is celebrating 19 years in business this month!
In this episode you'll hear about some new products, because that's what Classic is all about. I want to say a special thank you to Syngenta and Phospholutions for making my attendance possible.
First you’ll hear my conversation with Hunter Swisher, CEO/Founder, Phospholutions. This was the companies public announcement of their product RhizoSorb, an entirely new phosphate fertilizer technology. Hunter will explain.
Moving over to Syngenta, a key announcement was a new way to buy seed. They call it Seed Simplified and it is starting with their GHX by Golden Harvest brand to farmers in Iowa and Illinois. Golden Harvest’s Morgan Dugan explains it.
That’s all for the ZimmCast this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
I’m going to focus on a couple of different conferences in this episode. First I’m going to share an interview Cindy did with Erik Huschitt, Badger State Ethanol, who is the Chair for the Renewable Fuels Association. This was during the National Ethanol Conference last week. We’ve been working on the annual conference since 2007. Besides Erik’s interview we have lots of content on our AgNewsWire.com virtual ag newsroom. It might be the most we’ve ever produced at this conference. In Cindy’s interview you’ll hear Erik talk about what a great conference it was this year.
Next I’m going to let you hear what Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse, says about the upcoming Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit, which is will place in The National Press Club in Washington, DC.
With spring almost here it is time for National Ag Day with activities in Washington, DC the day following the Agri-Pulse event. National Agriculture Day is celebrating 50 years. Amy Bradford, GROWMARK, is chair of the event this year with is hosted by the Agriculture Council of America. Amy talks us through the planned activities.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This week’s program will start with cattle and end with CIRB. By that I mean a couple of my interviews from the Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show and then from the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting.
First up is Colin Woodall, CEO, NCBA, who provides an overview of the organization and how the 2023 convention and trade show has performed. Following Colin is Kent Bacus, Executive Director, Government Affairs, for NCBA who talks about export markets.
Moving on to the CIRB Annual Meeting you will hear from Jim Wiesemeyer, Farm Journal policy analyst, who provided his annual political update. And then Michael Torrey, Executive Director, CIRB, provides a wrap-up on this year’s event.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In the middle of the winter meetings I’m going to take a break share a conversation with JJ Rivet, Can-Am. Can-Am provided the members of the Crystal Pig Hunt Club to try out an HD-10 Unlimited model during the early part of the deer hunting season in Georgia, which was very successful. I just talk with JJ a few weeks ago and asked him to talk about the product we worked with. It was a closed cab with heat and air and we filled up feeders, dropped people off at their stands and brought our harvest back to the camp.
In our conversation you'll hear about the specifications of this model and a little bit about its history. The cab is a game changer and you'll hear about various add-ons and options to fit your woods, farm and work needs
We hope to work with Can-Am again in the future because it sure helped us be more productinve in the field.
That's the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
I’m a little behind on this latest episode. The holidays and early conferences have kept Cindy and I very busy. This includes traveling to see family and that includes a beautiful wedding for one of our nieces. We are very blessed to be able to see so many of our family members. We’re scattered all over the place so it’s not easy. But worth it.
So, I’m going to include a few of the interviews I conducted in the last two weeks.
Let’s start with the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. These interviews are from the Cotton Sustainability Conference. First up will be Dr. Gary Adams, President and CEO, National Cotton Council, talking about the U. S. Cotton Trust Protocol. Following Gary will be Dr. Jesse Daystar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Cotton Incorporated, talking about Climate Smart Cotton.
There are a quite a few more interviews and other audio in the Beltwide Cotton Conferences virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com. That includes regulatory updates, cotton policy updates and a world cotton outlook.
Now let’s move to this week’s VISION Conference conducted by Meister Media and held in Glendale, AZ. It is the 6th year for this conference.
First up is Joe Monahan, President and COO of Meister Media. He talks about the conference theme of Harnessing the Power of Agriculture 4.0. Then you’ll hear Rob Dongoski, Global Food & Agribusiness Leader, Ernst & Young. He has some great information about how technology will enable the future food system from producers to consumers.
Coming up next on the ZimmComm schedule is the Clean Fuels Conference followed by the annual meeting of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau. I’m looking forward to them!
I’d also like to remind you that you can subscribe, not only to the ZimmCast, but the ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast. That podcast contains all interviews or other audio files that we publish. You can find it in all the major podcast directories. Just search for ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
As you know, our theme here on AgWired has always been, “What’s new in the world of agribusiness.” And in this program we’re going to learn about a relatively new way for farmers, ag processors and cooperatives to have more control over their own risk protection. There is more to the story in my interview with Dennis Daggett, a partner with AgriCap Group, LLC out of Minnesota. We had a great conversation during the recent AgGateway Annual Meeting.
Our team has cultivated relationships with top insurance companies to develop unique and cost-effective insurance solutions. By bringing together top re-insurers, captive insurance managers, and service providers we help farmers, ag processors and cooperatives retain the investment and tax advantages being lost to commercial insurance companies.
We are experienced professionals with a ‘hands-on’ approach to Ag Risk Management and Protection. Our reinsurers have earned an ‘Excellent’ rating from A.M. Best for over 50 years. This rating proves that they have the financial strength to pay your claims and give you peace of mind when you need it most.
So, listen in as Dennis tells us all about AgriCap and how farmers and their ag partners can find out more.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
During the 2022 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo I met one of the international attendees yesterday who lives in Kenya and is Head of Seed Research & Systems Development for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). She has a great story and I think you’ll enjoy learning about farming challenges in the eleven country area that the organization works in.
I think it is always fascinating to learn more about agriculture in other countries. That’s why I’ve supported the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. They have an annual meeting in a different member country each year. By attending many of them I have been able to travel in Japan, New Zealand, Argentina, Canada, Switzerland and many others. You can learn more about IFAJ at IFAJ.org.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
In this episode I’m going to share some interview with Syngenta leadership from the company’s crop protection media summit. So, let’s learn what’s new with Syngenta Crop Protection. First I’ll share my conversation with Vern Hawkins, President, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, followed by Jeff Cecil, Head of North America Crop Protection Marketing. Vern will discuss a “View from the Top.”
Next we have Jeff who will discuss “Syngenta CP Innovation and Economics of Agronomics.”
For more interviews from the Syngenta Media Summit go to AgNewsWire.com and click on the virtual newsroom where you will also find lots of photos from the event in Louisiana.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
We’re reached another milestone. This is episode 700 of the podcast that started back at the beginning of 2005. You can find them all on AgWired.com by searching the category link for the ZimmCast.
This week I’m going to share a few interviews from my week last week in Minneapolis. First was the NAMA Fall Conference followed by the Export Exchange. First we’ll hear from Matt Coniglio, Farm Progress, and chair of the NAMA Foundation. Next up is Brian Torrey, John Deere, who is the chair for the 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference which will take place in St. Louis next April. He provides a little look ahead for that.
After the NAMA Fall Conference I changed hotels for the Export Exchange which is an opportunity for foreign grain buyers to come visit with farmers, agribusiness companies and the U.S. Grains Council, Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy, who partner to put the even on. First up is Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains Council President/CEO. Next Ann Lewis of the RFA provides current numbers for the exports of U.S. ethanol and dried distillers grains.
It was a busy week in Minneapolis but later this week I’ll be in the Georgia woods hunting deer. Looking forward to a little R&R.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week’s program will be a preview interview on the NAMA Fall Conference coming up very soon in Minneapolis. To get the details I talked with GROWMARK’s Chris Grogan who is the vice chair of the NAMA committee that has worked with staff to plan this year’s event. We’ll talk about the program and speakers, registration, the hotel and more.
The conference will be held at the Loews in Minneapolis on October 10-12. You can find the link to register on the NAMA website if you haven’t already done so.
In this episode I’m going to share interviews with Syngenta/Golden Harvest representatives who were on location at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA. Thank you Syngenta for making my attendance possible this year. There is a lot of content in the virtual newsroom on AgNewWire that includes lots of photos and interviews. Just go to AgNewsWire.com to check it out and feel free to download and use.
So, in this program you will hear what’s new from the company from:
Rex Gray, Golden Harvest corn product manager
David Schlake, Golden Harvest agronomy manager - west
Andy Ackley, Ph.D., Golden Harvest corn portfolio manager
Ron Beyer, Golden Harvest agronomist
Logan Romines, Syngenta fungicide product lead
And that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it.
In this episode I’m going to share interviews with Syngenta/Golden Harvest representatives who were on location at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA. Thank you Syngenta for making my attendance possible this year. There is a lot of content in the virtual newsroom on AgNewWire that includes lots of photos and interviews. Just go to AgNewsWire.com to check it out and feel free to download and use.
So, in this program you will hear what’s new from the company from:
Rex Gray, Golden Harvest corn product manager
David Schlake, Golden Harvest agronomy manager - west
Andy Ackley, Ph.D., Golden Harvest corn portfolio manager
Ron Beyer, Golden Harvest agronomist
Logan Romines, Syngenta fungicide product lead
And that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman. This is the 697th episode. Almost to 700!
I’m sharing two of the interviews I conducted during the Bayer Crop Science Field Technology Showcase last week. We had multiple in-field demonstration plots and presenters. I was most interested in one about small stature corn which you’ll hear is the core of Bayer’s Smart Corn strategy. Then on the soybean side of things you’ll hear about new technologies coming to help farmers with weed control and also a description of their investment in CoverCress which is planted in the fall and harvested just ahead of spring planting. The product works as a good cover crop and has additional opportunities for farmers to obtain additional income from the harvested crop. Bayer recently purchased a majority stake in CoverCress, Inc.
First up is my interview with Kelly Gillespie, VP Digital Ecosystems Services, Bayer Crop Science. Then there is my interview with Jennifer Ralston, Global Soybean Seed & Traits Portfolio Manager, Bayer Crop Science.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Interview with Oliver Peoples, President and CEO
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company that is using its differentiated trait gene discovery platform, the “Trait Factory”, to develop improved Camelina varieties for the production of biofuel feedstock oils, PHA bioplastics and omega-3 (DHA+EPA) oils and to license our yield traits to major seed companies for commercialization in major row crops, including corn, soybean and canola. Yield10 is headquartered in Woburn, MA and has an Oilseeds Center of Excellence in Saskatoon, Canada.
This will be episode 695 of the ZimmCast. I’d love any feedback you want to give. Do you like the format? What would change? What topics or speakers would you like to hear? Message me and I really appreciate it.
In just over a week the annual Ag Media Summit will take place in Raleigh, NC. If you have not registered, you can do so on site if you need to. But you can also follow on social media with the hashtag #AgMediaSummit2022 and I’ll be posting lots of photos and interviews when I can.
In this week’s program you can hear a preview of the event from Kenna Rathai, Broadhead, who is Chair of the Steering Committee for the Ag Media Summit this year.
It is easy to find more information about the Ag Media Summit and to register. Just go to AgMediaSummit.com.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This week I got on the agriblogging and podcasting highway to Altoona, Iowa for the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting. This is the organization’s “roll up your sleeves, working meeting.” There are many topic work groups and discussions. All of which will lead to the agenda for the Annual Meeting later this year.
So, for this episode I’m going to share some of the interviews I conducted. You can find all of them and photos in the virtual newsroom on AgNewsWire.com. Let’s get started.
First up is Brent Kemp, President/CEO, AgGateway.
Next, let’s listen in to Doug Farrington, BASF, who is Chair of AgGateway.
Now we’ll learn about what AgGateway means to Andres Ferreyra, Syngenta.
I had a great conversation with Dennis Daggett, Enterprise Ag Strategies.
Finally, I’m sharing my conversation with Jacob Crow, GROWMARK, who serves on the board of AgGateway.
As you have heard during the program, AgGateway has organized itself to be a more global organization and I think we’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about them in the future. I’ll be on a short break from the road but will be attending the Ag Media Summit next.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this week’s podcast I’m going to share a couple of speakers who have just been added to the AgNewsWire virtual newsroom for the Alltech ONE Conference. I thought you might be interested in their topics.
Let’s start out with Amy Bell-Elmohammed, Quality Manager for Alltech. Amy managed the Stay Curious Track for the conference. She will explain what that means.
Next we'll turn to a topic area many of you are involved in which is crop science. Learn what Alltech is doing in this area from Steve Borst, Vice President of Alltech Crop Science.
So, if you liked these topics you can find more if you register for the Alltech ONE Conference and look through all the virtual content.
And, that’s the ZimmComm for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This week I was in Lexington, KY for the Alltech ONE Conference. It has been 3 years since Alltech created one of the very first virtual conferences in 2020. So you can imagine the excitement and joy of being with customers and friends from all over the world. That includes agricultural media who had a great press room to work out of as usual.
So, for this week’s ZimmCast I’m going to share two interviews. First will be the 2021 Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award Winner, Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, Shipwheel Cattle Feeders, Alberta. Next will be the 2022 Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award winner, Jillian Byers, Blue Ridge Farms, Alberta.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
Before getting to our featured guest I did a little look into the way back machine of AgWired. I found a ZimmCast I did with an interview with PrecisonEarth, owned by Cogent3D, Inc, and that’s where I met Aaron Hutchison. We were at the InfoAg Conference in 2011 where the company was showcasing a new iPad soil collect and display app called PrecisionEarth. At the time that was still early use of iOS devices for precision ag. The company then moved on to a product called CropTrak.
Now look forward to today and I just interviewed Aaron, President and Co-Founder, about CropTrak, a cloud technology solutions company that helps multinational food, beverage, agriculture, and protein customers increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of their supply chain management processes and systems. CropTrak just released a platform update that expands its capabilities to provide multi-stakeholders complete visibility of the financial transactions across their ingredient supply chain. For the first time, food and beverage companies managing grower contracts and settlements can do so in one seamless platform optimized for collaboration and insights. Aaron says “Our goal is to continue to lead the food industry with ongoing innovation and process improvements to help assure food is safe, affordable, and sustainable, while making paper contracts a thing of the past.”
Sounds like a lofty goal and it is as CropTrak is working with companies like Del Monte, Bolthouse Farms, Corteva, Pivot Bio, Benson Hill and more.
That's the ZimmCast. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
The topic of this episode is the 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference which took place last week. Besides exhibiting in the Connection Point I was also taking photos for NAMA, over 500 of them which you can find in our online album. Just click on the Flickr icon on AgWired.com or AgNewsWire.com to find them.
During the conference I recorded remarks from our industry award winners as well as interviewing the new president of NAMA, Deron Johnson, Curious Plot. The Golden ZimmComm Microphone was active in our Connection Point booth and I conducted interviews with a number of attendees and other exhibitors. You can find them all on the virtual newsroom on AgNewsWire.com.
I’m going to share a number of these remarks and interviews with you in this week’s program.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Trips on the agriblogging highway continue with the Agri-Marketing Conference coming up next week. After that conference it will be on to Lexington, KY for the Alltech ONE Conference in May.
ZimmComm will be exhibiting in the Connection Point at the Agri-Marketing Conference once again, in booth 201. The ZimmComm Golden Mic will be there to conduct interviews with attendees. All you have to do is stop by and we can chat about what is new in the world of agribusiness with you. You can also stop by to enter a drawing for a blue Apple HomePod mini while you’re at it.
To get a preview of this year’s NAMA conference I’m sharing a conversation with Tom Posta, Bader Rutter, who is Chair of this year’s event.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week's program we'll get a preview of National Ag Day activities in Washington, DC from Amy Bradford, GROWMARK, and Chair of the Agriculture Council of America.
March 22 is the offical Ag Day but there will be activities on the 21st and 22nd. These include on Monday, a Celebration of Ag with company and association exhibits on the National Mall, the annual Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit, a joint reception at the National Press Club and then on Tuesday the exhibits are open again, Sec. of Ag Tom Vilsack will sign a declaration for Ag Day and there will be a virtual event with several speakers including the Outstanding Young Farmers and the Ag Day Essay Contest Winners. You can go to AgDay.org to register now.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman
Before getting to this week’s interview I thought I’d summarize a little bit of our activities. Last week Cindy and I tagged teamed the National Ethanol Conference where we created a customized virtual newsroom for the Renewable Fuels Association. There is a lot of content in there including 2 different event photo albums and lots of interviews and other audio. That was in New Orleans.
Which is where I will be back to next week for the Commodity Classic and working with several companies and organizations.
Like most people I know, we are deeply concerned about the war taking place in Ukraine. We have friends there from time spent during IFAJ Congresses and we have heard that they are okay right now. We are praying for an end to this conflict. There are lots of parties that can share the blame on it but what is most important are the lives of people, including children, who are dying or have already become homeless.
So, let’s move on to one of the things we always like to talk about and that’s what is new in the world of agribusiness. Last week we distributed a news release for Verdant Robotics that announced its first multi-action autonomous farm robot for specialty crops. I talked with company co-founder and CEO, Gabe Sibley.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Our friends at Agri-Pulse have launched a national news show called Agri-Pulse Newsmakers. The inaugural show was published this past Friday and you can find it on the Agri-Pulse website. The program designed for a broader audience and to engage lawmakers and key influencers on the hottest political topics.
I talked with Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse Founder and Editor about the new program and that’s the topic for this week’s ZimmCast.
To sign up for updates from the new weekly Newsmakers program and daily newsletters just go to the Agri-Pulse website.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Last week I traveled to Houston for the annual Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. We produced a customized virtual newsroom for NCBA on AgNewsWire.com. It is loaded with content including photos, interviews and session audio that is all available all media.
In this week’s episode I’m going to feature some of my interviews. Included are now-past president Jerry Bohn and new president Don Schiefelbein. They each bring their perspective to the last year and the year ahead.
Also in this week’s program you’ll hear from NCBA staff members CEO Colin Woodall and VP of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane.
A very well attended each year is the Cattlefax Outlook. Afterward I spoke with Cattlefax VP of Industry Relations and Analysis to get a summary of what the outlook is for the cattle industry.
Finally, I thought you might enjoy hearing Markie Hageman who received the Beef Advocacy Program Advocate of the Year.
It was a great conference. Like in Florida, there were no mask requirements or other ones. Over 6,000 people had a great time and that is the way I’d like to see all conferences from now on. No good reason not to.
This week I’ll be back on the agriblogging highway to the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau annual meeting near Palm Springs, CA. See you from there.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you like it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
Recently retired farm broadcaster Mike Adams was honored by the biodiesel industry last week at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. Adams was presented with the Biodiesel Impact Award.
“As I look back, I remember those soy diesel days,” said Adams. “It made so much sense to me I couldn’t understand why anyone would ever be against either ethanol or biodiesel.”
During the conference I sat down with Mike to talk about his career and the award.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This episode will be about wrap-ups and previews.
2022 got off to a fast start with our virtual newsroom production for the National Cotton Council and the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. You can find the interviews and photos on AgNewsWire.com which has a link to the custom page we created for this project. I’m going to share my wrap-up interview of the conferences with Gary Adams, President/CEO, National Cotton Council.
Next week both Cindy and I will be on the agriblogging highway to separate locations. Cindy will be in Glendale, Arizona for the PrecisionAg Vision Conference while I will be in Las Vegas for the National Biodiesel Conference. So, to preview these conferences I have my preview interview with Meister Media’s Eric Davis and Richard Jones. And then Cindy’s interview with Brad Shimmens, National Biodiesel Board.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I'm going to share stories from Syngenta since they were at all of the events I attended in the last few weeks. We really appreciate Syngenta's support which helps make what we do at ZimmComm possible. So let's get started.
At the NAFB Trade Talk we heard about Syngenta's sustainability efforts from Caydee Savinelli and Steven Wall.
Next, it was on to the Farm Journal MILK Business Conference where Enogen was in the spotlight to help dairy producers. Describing this are Todd Lunde, Ted Koehler, Liz Novotny, Katie Edmunds and from Penn State, Dr. Alexander Hristov.
Last but not least, Syngenta was a major sponsor at the ASTA CSS & Seed Trade Expo where I spoke with Eric Boeck and Mary Kay Thatcher.
Want to sponsor the ZimmCast? Just let me know and we can talk through ideas for your company. I’m AgriBlogger on Twitter or just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
This week's episode is sponsored by IDA-ORE ZEOLITE. Zeolite is a miracle mineral that is rapidly taking over the agricultural, turf, and water filtration industries. Visit www.ida-ore.com or call 208-515-6966 to get a quote for bulk orders.
Mention discount code "CHUCK" for savings!
In this week's program I have a conversation with Matt Lott, Sales Manager, Ida-Ore. The topic is Zeolite and we're going to learn all about it. Matt will provide us with background on the company and then focus on their products. Zeolite is used in a variety of industries like turf, soil amendment, animal feed additive, water filtration and waste and more. One that I found interesting was the use of Zeolite in pet products that include bedding and cat litter. It has enormous odor eliminating properties. Home Depot is a large retailer of their products.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
After missing it for a few years I was able to attend the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) Annual Meeting which took place in Richmond, VA. We had a good turnout with some great sessions. I interviewed several of the attendees. More on that in a moment.
The Golden ARC Awards, which were started in 1990 as the pre-eminent ag public relations awards, had many entries and awards were announced during the meeting. The awards themselves did not get to the hotel on time so they will be sent to the winners. You can find a list of all the winners on the ARC website.
So, let’s get started a conversation I had with Lynn Henderson, AgriMarketing, who was inducted into the ARC Public Relations Hall of Fame.
Next up, I spoke with Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse, who participated in an editor panel which had the job of talking about reaching editors with news and information.
Also participating on the editor panel was Jessica Johnson, NewsWise.
There was an ag panel discussion on the “Beneficial Swamp Dwellers.” I spoke with Bethany Shively, ASTA, who talked about the value of those fighting the good public relations fight for ag and food in Washington, DC. She also gets in a plug for the upcoming ASTA CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago in December.
I also spoke with Erin Nash, NAFB. NAFB was a sponsor at the ARC Annual Meeting. Erin talks about services NAFB offers to ag public relations professionals.
Lastly in the program for this week, I spoke with conference attendee, Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Animal Ag Alliance. This was her first ARC Annual Meeting. Hannah also provides a plug for the organizations annual Stakeholders meeting.
I’m really glad I was able to go to the ARC meeting this year and spend some face to face time with so many friends in the industry. Next on my schedule is the NAFB annual meeting in Kansas City. I’ll be there all day for Trade Talk, so maybe I’ll see you then.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this program we're going to get a preview of the 2021 Agricultural Relations Council Annual Meeting. Providing the details is Kristy Mach, Corner Window Communications and Executive Director of ARC.
Kristy walks us through the program and speakers as well as the annual business meeting and awards program. The second day will be tour day to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Colonial Williamsburg. There will be lots of networking opportunities as well.
The meeting if for agricultural public relations professionals of all kinds and levels of experience.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this program we’re going to learn all about the 2021 NAMA Fall Conference from the head of the conference committee, Michele Tibodeau, CHS, Inc. Michele walks us through a preview of the program which includes the presentation of the annual Professional Development Awards of Excellence, network opportunities like on and off-site receptions and great speakers and sessions.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. Last week I attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, working primarily in the Buffalo Chip Campground with the Renewable Fuels Association. This is the 8th out of the last ten years I’ve had this opportunity. I get to work with a group of great people, creating content during the various sponsorship activities. It is both an educational as well as promotional effort.
The focus is on helping motorcycle riders understand the value and safety of using an E10 blend of ethanol and gas in their machines. All motorcycle manufacturers warranty this fuel.
Robert White, VP of Industry Relations for RFA, spearheads this project and has done so for all of the 13 years the organization has been involved with the Sturgis Rally. I talked to him about how things went this year as we were wrapping up the activities.
The Free Fuel Happy Hours on the Buffalo Chip property is the major component of RFA’s activities as bikers line up to fill their bikes with E10, 93 octane, fuel. It provides a great opportunity to talk one on one with bikers about ethanol and answer questions they may have. I spoke with several of the folks who came through and thought I’d share what they had to say.
RFA pumped more than 3,000 gallons of fuel during the four days of Free Fuel Happy Hours for three hours per day.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. Thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I’m sharing a conversation with Matt Crisp, CEO of Benson Hill, a food technology company that is unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants for the plant-based food revolution. It is some very new technology they are employing and Matt will walk us through it. There are some terms like Cloud Biology, nutrition security and the company’s CropOS platform that I think you’ll find them very interesting. So, let’s learn more about what is new with Benson Hill.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. If you are into numbers this is episode # 674. Downloads of the ZimmCast have increased on a regular basis this year. If you’d like to be a ZimmCast sponsor, just let me know.
Cindy and I have been making travel plans for work. That’s something pretty rare since early last year. So we’ve got flights scheduled, hotel reservations and conference registered. I guess it’s kind of like riding a bike. Pretty simple list of things that are needed so it has been just like we missed a long beat is all.
So, speaking of travel for work this week’s episode will provide previews of two events that take us out on the agriblogging highway. The first is the Meister Media inaugural Tech Hub Live conference in Des Moines. Also included is the Souther Peanut Grower Conference where we create content for the conference blog, something we’ve done since 2008.
We will have virtual ag newsrooms from these events on AgNewsWire.com which provide free content for publications, websites, social media, newsletters and more. And we’ll also be sharing individual stories on AgWired.com.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. This is episode 673 since starting the podcast back in 2005. We’ve come a long way baby!
When I started the podcast and AgWired.com my target audience was the membership of the National Agri-Marketing Association. This program will focus on NAMA and specifically the annual Agri-Marketing Conference coming up in just over a month.
With me in this program is Greg Lammert, Corteva Agriscience who is chair of this year’s conference. Last year we had a virtual conference and this year we’re back to in-person. We start out the preview with the theme of this year’s conference, “Breaking New Ground.” From there we cover the keynote sessions, breakouts, Best of NAMA Awards, Connection Point and other networking opportunities.
If you have not registered the just click on this link to do so.
BTW. I will be attending and ZimmComm has a booth in the Connection Point. So, stop by and say hi. And while you are there please bid high on the NAMA Foundation silent auction. We’ve donated an Apple HomePod mini (grey) for your podcast listening pleasure.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. Look us up on your favorites podcast platform. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
Carbon seems to be the big (C) buzzword lately. In the last couple weeks I’ve lost count of how many announcements I’ve received on this subject in my inbox. One of those was from Farmers Edge that announced the company’s new Smart Carbon program. You can find the announcement and more about this program on their website. This week’s program features a discussion with Wade Barnes, founder/CEO, Farmers Edge.
I asked Wade where things stand on the subject of carbon in farming today and how this new program will help customers become more profitable. For starters, the availability of the new program is in Canada and California. But that will change as farmers start generating high-quality carbon credits and buyers become more available to purchase carbon offsets as part of their strategy to become carbon neutral. Other factors come into play too, like carbon taxes. Wade sees a bright future for their Smart Carbon program.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
ARISE USA The Resurrection Tour is an educational non-profit tour seeking to unite all Americans regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. It is a national conversation and civics dialog tour.
Trent Loos describes what it is all about as he is about to embark on this national tour to jump start a local dialogue. It could be the longest running (111 days) civics class in modern history. The ultimate objective is the restoration of integrity to all institutions: local, state, and national.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week’s episode we’re going to hear about the upcoming Alltech ONE Ideas Conference which will be virtual again in 2021. Dr. Mark Lyons, President/CEO of Alltech, says the company has developed its own platform to run the event and all its activities, including a trade show. We’ll get a preview of the trade show portion on May 19, prior to the start of the event itself, which is scheduled for May 25-27. Mark says they have created the Lexington Convention Center into the virtual experience. That ought to be interesting! He also says there will be new opportunities to interact with other participants.
Alltech was the first major agricultural business to hold a virtual conference in 2020 and set the bar for how to manage a large and diverse array of topics, speakers and sessions. The event continued throughout the year with new virtual content on different topic areas being published monthly.
Registration is open with two levels. Essential: $95 per year and Premium: $195 per year.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
Happy Earth Day. This episode is being produced on the 2021 Earth Day and I’ve lost count of all the messages in my inbox or social media feeds as ag and food companies use the opportunity to bring focus to their efforts on caring for our environment. Agriculture has a lot to offer in the discussion on climate which has ramped up to a fever pitch under the new administration in Washington, DC.
So, let’s move on to this week’s program in which I have a conversation with Cameron Camfield, founder and CEO of Stratovation Group. Cam has lots of energy as you’ll hear in our discussion and he’s got it focused on working for his clients.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. In case you didn’t know it you can find more podcast we produce in all your favorite podcast apps. That includes the Golden ZimmComm Mic Podcast, the Ethanol Report and the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast.
I hope you enjoy them and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this week’s program we’re going to talk about business success and food fear. How do those things fit together? We’re going to find out.
In fact, we’re going to find out in my conversation with a businessman, agriculturalist, speaker, podcaster, author and consultant who has been on the ZimmCast before - Damian Mason.
Damian has a new book out called Food Fear and he'll talk about what he wanted to accomplish with the book. Additionally, Damian will also discuss a product that's an outshoot of his consultancy work called The Business of Ag Success Group.
If you like what you hear in the ZimmCast please subscribe in any of the major platforms. And you can also search for theZ immComm Golden Mic Podcast too, which includes all the audio we produce.
And, if you would like to advertise in the ZimmCast or become an on-going sponsor please let me know and we’ll work out a plan just for you.
So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
Since it is Ag Week I want to say thank you to farmers and everyone in the food and agribusiness industries for helping feed the world.
Ag Week emphasizes the importance of agriculture and in this program I’m sharing a conversation about a new impact study of the food industry to the U.S. economy. It’s titled, “2021 Food and Agriculture Industries Economic Impact Study.” To learn more about it I visited with Connor McKoy, Communications Director for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. The study is impressive and there is a whole website dedicated to it and making the information simple to navigate.
After that discussion I move on to how farms and rural households can enhance and extend their wifi coverage with new products from Ayrstone Productivity. Bill Moffitt, President, talks about their newest Ayrmesh products.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
If you like what you hear in the ZimmCast please subscribe in any of the major platforms. And you can also search for the ZimmComm Golden Mic Podcast too, which includes all the audio we produce.
If you would like to advertise in the ZimmCast or become an on-going sponsor please let me know and we’ll work out a plan just for you.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This week I’m going to talk with a fellow farm podcaster. He’s Matt Brechwald, producer of the Off Farm Income Podcast and a lot more. Matt produces a lot of podcasts and when I learned about what he’s doing I wanted to talk with him about it since he really jumped into farm podcasting in a big way. So, listen in to our conversation and at the end we let you know the best way to find either of us.
I’m going to keep in touch with Matt and hope you’ll subscribe to his podcasts.
So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week's program we're going to learn a lot about AgWiki from CEO, Randy Krotz. AgWiki is a community of farmers, researchers, nutritionists, and consultants seeking to discover solutions to sustainability and world hunger…socially.
Randy will talk about the startup venture and what the mission is as well as how you can get involved and even help with the development of AgWiki through participation on the platform and through investment.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, I’m Chuck Zimmerman.
In this week’s program we’ll hear interviews from the Beltwide and Biodiesel conferences that took place virtually this month.
So, let’s get a taste of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo and I’ll start with Dr. Gary Adams, National Cotton Council President and CEO, as Cindy talks with him about how the virtual Beltwide event went.
Next up I talk with Chad Stone, Renewable Energy Group VP and Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, a podcast started in 2004 to focus on agricultural marketing and what is new in the world of agribusiness. I’m Chuck Zimmerman saying Happy New Year to y’all.
Here at ZimmComm we’ve been living in the virtual world of communications for almost 17 years. We started out distributing news releases with pre-recorded sound bites and interviews before jumping into blogging and podcasting and then starting social media channels in YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and so many more. We’ve seen many of these platforms come and go too.
It looks like we’ll continuing using these and other new apps like Zoom, Meetings and Skype as travel bans and the inability for large gathering to happen, continue into the foreseeable future.
But that’s where our virtual newsroom and virtual coverage of various events comes into play and we’ve already got quite a few on our calendar. Please give me a call or send an email if you would like to discuss how we can do this for you to enhance your communications efforts, especially reaching out to the media.
So, let’s move on in this first ZimmCast episode of 2021 with a conversation with AWIS Weather Services and one of the founders, Karl Harker. IDK about you but I definitely open my mobile weather apps more often than any other. But I’ve always been fascinated by the weather and when it comes to farming, getting reliable forecasting is critical in decision making. AWIS specializes in custom forecasting and consultation. Let’s learn about what they’re doing.
I want to thank AWIS for letting us help promote their services to the agribusiness sector.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. Thank you for listening.
Interviews with Dan Basse, AgResource; John Latham, ASTA Chair; Pam Johnson, Iowa farmer, Andy LaVigne, ASTA CEO
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
The Agricultural Retailers Association annual 2020 ARA Conference & Expo went virtual this year Dec. 1-2. Ag professionals from across the country went “All In For Ag Retail” with interactive workshops, engaging networking opportunities, and a 3D Expo Hall. During the event the ZimmComm Team collected relevant screenshots, conducted interviews with speakers, award winners and staff.
Providing us with a wrap-up of the conference is ARA Chairman, Rod Well, GROWMARK. He summarizes the activities and talks about future priorities for the organization.
So, that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week's program Cindy and I share excerpts from interviews we recorded for the NAFB Trade Talk session. Some of these were before the convention or during the session. Included are now past-President, Rita Frazer, RFD Radio; Liz Hunt, Syngenta; Andy Lavigne, ASTA; Geoff Cooper, RFA and Norm Davy, Heliae.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Cindy talked with Frances Hayes, Communications Specialist for the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, about how they have adapted their communications strategy this year to reach a diverse group of stakeholders around the world in the middle of a pandemic.
We also have an interview about a company called C-Lock, which developed technology to help improve animal management, profits, and sustainability in their livestock systems and awarded Research Equipment Grants to find new ways to use their tools.
The founder of C-Lock is Dr. Patrick Zimmerman – so since we shared a surname I thought I would give him a call and find out
So, what’s this week’s episode about? It’s about agriculture’s economic impact on a very urban region, specifically St. Louis. The St. Louis Agribusiness Club just announced the results of their Agricultural Economic Impact Study on the St. Louis Region. This study has been conducted every five years since the first one was conducted in 2004. And guess what. ZimmComm produced that first study and you can still see those results on the organization’s website.
To talk about the study I’m going to share conversations with Matt Amick, Missouri Soybean Association and President of the St. Louis Agribusiness Club. Then you’ll hear Alan Spell, University of Missouri Extension, who actually researched and prepared this year’s study.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This is an exciting time for deer hunters. The season is about to get started for those of us who hunt in Georgia. So, preparations are being made for a great opening day at the Crystal Pig Hunt Club.
My preparation includes getting to test drive a new John Deere Gator XUV855M S4. This crossover utility vehicle will take us out into the woods over some tough terrain and hopefully to include transporting some of our harvest. I'll be documenting our experience but thought I'd kick start things with an interview with Mark Davey, John Deere Marketing Manager.
There are many features on these new Gators that make them ideal for hunting. Some of those include easier shifting and instant engagement of 4-wheel drive, better power steering and a digital display panel to see important indicators. In this week's program Mark and I talk about the new Gator models and what the key updates are.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This week I had the opportunity to fly for the first time in over 5 1/2 months to put the Golden ZimmComm Microphone to work at a farm event. Thank you Farm Journal for having me help with your Farm Journal Field Days event which included on-farm activities as well as a significant virtual experience.
In this program I’m going to share an interview with the Iowa farm owner and field day host, Ben Riensche, Blue Diamond Farming Company.
After my conversation with Ben I’m going to include the newest podcast we’re producing with the first episode that just published. It is the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast.
In the first session, you’ll hear from award-winning chef, entrepreneur, and agriculture advocate, Louise Mabulo, as she discusses youth and sustainable solutions to food security.
Looking ahead I don’t know when I’ll need to get back on the agriblogging highway. That doesn’t mean the ZimmComm Team isn’t still working on various projects which include assisting companies and organizations with virtual events and content. Let us know if we can help you out too.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, featuring weekly interviews with agribusiness industry leaders and all about what’s new, with a focus on agricultural marketing.
The #NAMA20 is a wrap and it was a great show. If you are registered you can still go back and watch presentations. You can also still visit the Connection Point and say hi to those of us with a booth. You can also visit our virtual newsroom on AgNewsWire to see some images from the conference and hear from NAMA Sustaining Sponsors.
In this week’s program we’re feature some more of the sustaining partners of the National Agri-Marketing Association. You’ll hear from David Lazarenko, Think Shift; Dustin Johansen, OBP and Marty Wolske, Meredith Agrimedia. They will talk about their organizations and why they support the work of NAMA.
So, that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, featuring weekly interviews with agribusiness industry leaders and all about what’s new, with a focus on agricultural marketing.
It is 2020 Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference week and this week's program will feature some more of the sustaining partners of the National Agri-Marketing Association. You'll hear from Scott McClure, Brighton; Matt Herman, DTN/The Progress Farmer and Tom Brand, NAFB. They will talk about their organizations and why they support the work of NAMA. I'll have a virtual newsroom available on AgNewsWire.com with all the interviews and more starting tomorrow morning.
Stop and see ZimmComm in the Connection Point in the virtual conference. We'd love to see you.
This week also includes some virtual work we're doing for the Renewable Fuels Association for their annual educational/promotional sponsorship at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Buffalo Chip Campground. Bikers will have Free Fuel Happy Hours once again. Keep an eye on AgWired and AgNewsWire for more from there.
So, that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week's program you'll hear from Marvin Kokes, Senior VP of Corporate Relations, NCBA. We talk about this week's Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting and the virtual ag newsroom we created on AgNewsWire.
From there I share a few more of my conversations with sustaining partners of the National Agri-Marketing Association. You'll hear from Curt Blades, Senior VP, Agricultural Services, Association of Equipment Manufacturers; Laurie Fleck, President/CEO, FLM/Harvest and Laurel Caes, Public Relations Manager, North America, John Deere. I'll have more to come in future episodes.
BTW. If you haven't registered for the Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference you can still do so at NAMA.org.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This week's program provides a preview of the Virtual Agri-Marketing Conference which will be held August 11-13. Conference Chair Rebecca Ivey, Case IH, gives us a preview of the program.
Following that I'm sharing conversations with several of the NAMA Sustaining Partners starting with Susan Rhode, Farm Journal, followed by Doug Reynolds, Corteva Agriscience and then Amy Bradford, GROWMARK. They talk about their companies, how they've dealt with the effects of the pandemic and why they support NAMA. I will be featuring more of these in future episodes of the ZimmCast.
So, that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this week's episode I talk with Chris Clayton, Ag Policy Editor, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, who is the Steering Committee Chair for Ag Media Summit. The event was postponed to November 14-18 in Kansas City. The conference hotel is the Loews Kansas City Hotel which is brand new and looks fabulous.
Chris says the program is coming together and companies that would like to be a sponsor and have a booth in the InfoExpo trade show can find more details on that on the website. He's encouraging people to register. In fact, here's an excerpt from a column he just wrote about that.
"On Friday, though, I placed a bet for four months out. I registered for the Ag Media Summit, now slated for Nov. 14-18 in Kansas City. I'm making a bet that we're going to get this thing figured out, much like the businesses that have reopened, the colleges bringing in students, like my son, and the schools that are reopening, like the one my daughter attends and the one where my wife is a librarian.
I am looking forward to having a drink with Chuck or Mike. I am looking forward to recharging my writing neutral network through a tip or insight from a writing coach. I'm going to make it a point to meet and thank everyone who sponsors AMS. And I'm looking forward to congratulating and thanking the professionals who are working with us to make AMS a success regardless of any challenges we face."
You can register now right here.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, featuring weekly interviews with agribusiness industry leaders and all about what's new, with a focus on agricultural marketing.
This week we’re going to hear from someone whose goal is to bridge rural and urban America. You probably have heard of him. Maybe you haven’t. But in this week's program I'm sharing a conversation with Trent Loos, Loos Tales, Rural Route and more.
We also ramble around on some other topics like Impossible Foods and virtual events. So, that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week's program I'm sharing a conversation with Gil Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor for Successful Farming magazine/Agriculture.com. We talk about the 100 year celebration of the AAEA, The Agricultural Communicators Network. We also talk about this year's Ag Media Summit which has been moved to November. Let's all hope that we're closer to "normal" by that time. If not, I hope to help create virtual content for AAEA to help with our milestone celebration. That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
This week's program provides a wrap-up of the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience. This virtual experience took place throughout the week with daily keynote speakers and focus sessions and more. All of this was available on-demand and still is. In fact, you can still register and new content will be made available each month until the 2021 event.
In the program I talk with Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech President/CEO, who provides a summary of how the event unfolded and some key takeaways. I also share my interview with event keynoter, Dr. Frank Mitloehner, UC-Davis, who spoke on Clearing the Air: Debunking the Myths of Agriculture.
The Alltech ONE Virtual Experience provides a template for how engaging and entertaining a virtual conference can be. Please feel free to check it out.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This week I’m sharing a conversation with Erika Osmundson, Director of Marketing and Communications, AgCareers.com. Erika and I talk about how the pandemic situation has affected job seekers and ag companies looking for employees. I really appreciate her time and outlook for people who would like to work in the ag industry and the companies looking for people right now.
Here’s to a near term future when things do get back to normal!
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
This week’s program is part two of a series featuring conversations with the leadership of agricultural media and marketing associations. This week I’m sharing conversations with Samantha Kilgore, AAEA, The Agricultural Communicators Network, Lindsay Graber Runft, Livestock Publications Council and Kristy Mach/John Blue, Agricultural Relations Council.
Each of these organizations has had to cancel or postpone important annual events and the staff has had to deal with that as well as looking at alternative communications methods and what plans look like going forward. Learn how they've handles things and hear some good ideas and suggestions as well.
How has your company or organization has been affected and what are you learning during this trying time? Let me know.
This week's program is part one of at least two that feature conversations with the leadership of agricultural media and marketing associations. This week I'm sharing conversations with the National Agri-Marketing Association and Jenny Pickett, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and Tom Brand and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists/Canadian Farm Writers with Hugh Maynard.
Each of these organizations has had to cancel or postpone important annual events and the staff has had to deal with that as well as looking at alternative communications methods and what plans look like going forward.
Feel free to let me know how your company or organization has been affected and what you're learning during this trying time.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.
In this week's program we're going to learn about Calyxt, a plant science company, doing some very interesting work with new technology. I spoke with Calyxt CEO, Jim Blome, about the work they are doing. He focuses on the future of food and how the types of technology being developed at the company is creating new products to give farmers more options to meet today's consumer demands.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I'm featuring a conversation with John Demerly, CEO, CommoditAg, about the new app they launched during Commodity Classic. That was the last on location meeting either of us attended and it seems like a lot longer ago than it really is!
John says the app provides the opportunity for agricultural producers and farmers to research and order products anytime, anywhere with their mobile devices. He says they have a growing line-up of products available and just announced a "free shipping" program for the first time for customers.
To download the app, go to the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. To learn more about CommoditAg, visit commoditag.com.
In this week's program I'm sharing a conversation with Aidan Connelly, CEO, Cainthus. It has been quite some time since we've had this opportunity. We set a convenient time for each of us since he was in Ireland and I am here in the U.S.
During my conversation with Aidan we talk about the work Cainthus does and he provides his thoughts on the current COVID-19 problem. We also talk about the value of podcasts, especially in light of the difficulty for travel right now.
I'm also going to share the first episode of a new podcast series we're producing - Field Notes from Koch Agronomic Services. It debuted Wednesday and will be produced monthly moving ahead. The topic of the first show is Understanding Nitrogen and includes experts, Tim Laatsch, technical agronomy manager, and Michael Berry, director of brand expansion.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this crazy pandemic panicked world I think we need a dose of normalcy. Don't you? Well, listening to a good podcast fits the bill IMO.
First though, I just want to say that ZimmComm is committed to be ready, willing and able to find creative solutions for your agricultural marketing and communications needs.
It’s a challenging time to make marketing decisions due to the uncertainties with the global virus situation. Cindy and I are working with clients on "virtual" content projects like podcasts, releases and more. These are channels that don’t require travel! And these are services and skills we’ve honed since starting this company 16 years ago and an additional over 20 years of experience working in agricultural communications, mostly farm radio.
We know how tight budgets are, so these services are priced to work within yours. I’m available at your convenience to discuss how we can help you maximize your marketing dollars. Feel free to call or email.
So, back to this week's program feature. I'm sharing a conversation I just had with Mark Stock, co-founder of BigIron Realty. He's a farmer, auctioneer and investor and has a keen awareness as to the farmer’s perspective. Mark discusses the best strategies for buying, selling or using farmland to raise capital.
Some of the topic we cover include, strategies and what buyers need to know when purchasing farmland and property tax rules to explore and other ways farmers can use their land to generate revenue. These can included selling hunting rights, leasing land to other farmers and strategies for retiring farmers who want to profit from their land.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week's program features a roundtable discussion I had during Commodity Classic in San Antonio, TX. I sat down with the CEO's of several Farm Credit associations: Aaron Johnson, Farm Credit Illinois, Bill Johnson, Farm Credit Mid America and Mark Jensen, Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) and Frontier Farm Credit.
Our topic was Volatility and how it is reshaping risk and financial management. We talked about how farmers are doing now in light of the volatility of the last year which includes weather extremes, disease and political uncertainty.
You'll hear these leaders talk about the short-term outlook and then looking ahead long-term with ideas about critical strategies for the future and what services Farm Credit can offer.
That's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I'm sharing an interview Cindy did with RFA Senior Advisor, Bob Dinneen, who reflects on the 25 years of the National Ethanol Conference. I'm also sharing an interview I did at the conference with Kenny Hauk, Hauk Designs. Kenny built a custom Jeep Wrangler that runs on E85. It is a monster machine and will be touring the country with RFA. You can watch Kenny's show, Hauk Machines, on Amazon Prime to see the project in 2019 episodes.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I talk about the whole concept of being an industry influencer on social media before sharing an interview with Trent Johnson, Owner, Greeley Hat Works. I met Trent in the NCBA Trade Show and learned a lot about hats.
There is a difference between western and cowboy hats and Trent explains why. He talks about the value of custom fitting a hat and how to take care of them. He also shares some stories of his experiences over the years making hats for movies and even for the military. He even took my measurements for a hat that might just work for this agriblogging photographer that has a big old flash on top of his camera!
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program you'll hear Cindy share news and information from the National Biodiesel Conference and some of the interviews and audio we produced which was used on the Biodiesel Conference Blog.
Then I provide some examples of how well content we produce for virtual newsrooms performs on our AgNewsWire website. This would include audio downloads, ad impressions, social media engagement and impressions and of course, our photos.
Please contact me if you would like to learn more or receive a custom quote for how we can work with your company or organization to create meaningful content to amplify your communications & marketing efforts.
This week's program includes several interviews I did at the inaugural Heart of American Agricultural Hemp Classic in Independence, MO. The event was organized by the Missouri Hemp Association.
Farmers have a lot of questions about hemp and in the interviews you will hear from presenters and farmers who have some answers. You can find a lot more in our virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire too.
So, in this episode you'll hear from: Joe Zahner, Counsel, Missouri Hemp Association; James Bennett, Yeoman; Luke Poindexter, MoCan Extracts and Bill Cook, Executive Director, Missouri Hemp Association.
At the end of the program I take a look ahead at the National Biodiesel Conference taking place this week in Tampa, FL. Cindy and will be there for the 15th year producing content for the Biodiesel Conference Blog!
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week's program my poor laryngitis recovering voice takes a look back at 2019 with a list of the top posts on AgWired and some statistics about photos, audio and video.
I also share an excerpt of an interview that was produced in October of 2019 and had the highest number of downloads. It was an interview I did with Geoff Cooper, Renewable Fuels Association. Next I shared an end of the year interview Cindy did at the last event we attended, the 2019 ASTA CSS and Seed Trade Expo. Cindy interviewed ASTA President/CEO, Andy Lavigne, about the event.
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the ZimmCast, want to suggest a topic, need help producing a podcast, then please let me know. I’m AgriBlogger on Twitter or just email chuck@zimmcomm.biz.
That’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I spoke with the leadership of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA).
In the program you'll hear from past Chair, Troy Johnson, Wilbur-Ellis, as he talks about his term leading the board. Then next up will be Rod Wells, GROWMARK, new Chair for ARA, as he talks about his outlook and plans for the coming two years. Then finally, I talked with Daren Coppock, ARA CEO, about how this year's conference went.
You can find a lot more interviews, audio and photos from the conference in our AgNewsWire virtual ag newsroom.
In this week's program you can hear Cindy talk with Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds and Chairman of the American Seed Trade Association. I then talk with Bill Cook, Executive Director of the Missouri Hemp Association about their inaugural Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic.
Wayne talks about hemp because it is a topic many members of ASTA have been asking about. Cindy and I will be attending the annual ASTA CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago this month.
Then I will be attending the Heart of America Agricultural Hemp Classic in January.
There is a lot of information being published suggesting that growing hemp will provide new revenue streams for farmers but at the same time I've seen stories saying we have a glut of hemp on the market and farmers need to be very careful of their decisions. So what is right? I don't know yet. This new crop, which is an old crop, has a lot of potential and the rules, regulations and infrastructure to support it is in the start up phase.
Learn some more about it in this week's program and feel free to contact me if you have questions. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I talk with Rita Frazer, RFD Radio Network, now President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and Lorrie Boyer, KSIR, now past-President of NAFB.
Both farm broadcasters talk about the convention that just took place in KC, MO but also talk about their year as president, past and future.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week I attended the inaugural Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Expo in Orlando. Hemp has become a hot topic in agriculture today since so many states have created legislation allowing it to be grown and more are in the process. That includes my home state of Florida.
I asked all the people I spoke with or interviewed during the Conference how USDA’s announced interim final rule on the Domestic Hemp Production Program would affect the budding industry and their company or organization. It appears that Florida and USDA are taking big steps to create some certainty frameworks for farmers to grow a product that can be made into thousands and thousands of products.
Includes in the program are: Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, Director of Cannabis, Holly Bell; Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Jerry Frankhauser; Geoff Whaling, Chairman of the National Hemp Association and Coordinator of the Florida Industrial Hemp Conference, Gene Jones.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I have a conversation with Sharlet Teigen, CEO, Demeter Communications. Sharlet talks about the start of the company and the challenges she and the team had to overcome. For her it began with a major move from Chicago to rural Montana.
Cindy and I have known Sharlet for many years so we also do some reminiscing about how we did agricultural marketing and communications work "way back when."
Sharlet asks me questions during the conversation, one of which includes the origin of the name Demeter. I won't spoil it if you don't know it but it's toward the end of the program.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the ZimmCast and thank you for listening.
BTW. Feel free to contact me if you have ideas or suggestions for a future program. I'm always open to what would be of interest.
In this week's program you will hear Jeremiah Karpowicz, Executive Editor of Commercial UAV News, talk about this year's Commercial UAV Expo Americas. This trade show and conference focuses on commercial drone integration and operation in a variety of industries, including agriculture.
Here's some more information about the conference.
In the Conference Program, UAV industry experts share key insights into the issues asset owners face when implementing unmanned aerial systems, including systems selection and integration; developing enterprise workflows, guidelines and policies; data management and integration; and legal, safety and regulatory considerations. Plenary sessions and panels cover topics of interest to all end-users regardless of industry, while breakout sessions focus on UAV technology, applications and opportunities in the vertical markets listed above.
The international Exhibition includes drone airframe manufacturers, component and sensor manufacturers, software developers and service companies. Commercial UAV Expo Americas has more exhibitors than any other commercial drone show.
AgWired is a supporter of the conference again this year and I hope we'll be able to bring you some news from the event even though I can't attend.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program let's meet Lindsay Graber Runft, Executive Director, Livestock Publications Council, pictured on the right with the LPC Board at the 2019 Ag Media Summit. Lindsay started with LPC in July this year and I met her at the AMS.
Lindsay has a solid background in livestock production and association management. As an example, she served as director of marketing and communications of the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) from 2013 to 2018. She has been principal of Prairie Public Relations since 2018.
“I am incredibly excited, and honored, to accept the role of Executive Director for Livestock Publications Council,” Runft said. “It will be a privilege to further LPC’s purpose of serving the livestock communications industry through collaborative work with Board leadership and membership service.”
You can learn more about Lindsay in the program. I'm looking forward to working with her in the future as she takes over the helm from retired long time friend and director of the LPC, Diane Johnson.
In this week's program we'll get a preview of the 2019 National Agri-Marketing Association Fall Conference. Conference committee chair, Brittany Phillips, Brighton Agency, talks us through the program and activities.
Registration is available on the NAMA website with the early registration deadline of September 16. The hotel is the Ritz Carlton in St. Louis.
The program starts on Monday with a tour organized by the Gateway NAMA Chapter, which I am a past-president of. I'm sure they'll do an awesome job. After a welcome reception that night the sessions get underway on Tuesday and the program ends mid day Wednesday.
I hope to see you there. Thank you for listening.
In this edition of the ZimmCast, you will hear from some of the many voices at #FPS19, including Show Manager Matt Jungmann, BASF External Communications Manager Casey Allen, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, President Donald J. Trump, National Corn Growers Association 1st VP Kevin Ross, and National Hemp Association executive director Erica Stark.
In this week's program you will hear from the new president of the AAEA The AgComm Network, Gil Gullickson; the new president of the Livestock Publications Council, Jennifer Carrico; the new conference manger for the Ag Media Summit, Tina Bowling and the presenters of the session, "So You Have a Podcast, Now What," Sara Steever, president of Paulsen Marketing and Kelsey Litchfield, digital media consultant.
In this week's program I speak with Quentin Rund, PAQ Interactive and Lara Moody, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI).
Quentin has been involved with organizing and running the InfoAg Conference since it started in 1995. He talks about this year's conference which is doing very well on attendance in spite of the challenging planting season the midwest has had.
Lara talks about how TFI has acquired the InfoAg Conference and what the organization is doing to expand and grow it. During this conference she says they've been conducting some focus groups to learn what they would like to see happen. A lot of the work that TFI does, like their 4R Nutrient program, fits right in with the technology represented at the InfoAg Conference.
You can learn more in the program. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This program will be a preview of the 2019 Ag Media Summit and International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress. The two programs are being held together like they were in 2009. The IFAJ Congress moves to a different country each year.
To help me preview the events I spoke with Carey Brown, Kentucky Cattlemen's Association and co-chair of the coordinating committee for the events.
For this week's program I visited Timber Creek Distillery near Crestview, FL. The owners are Camden Ford and Aaron Barnes, two exceptional entrepreneurs who are building a new distillery on some beautiful property. I had the opportunity to meet them when they did some taste testing in Pensacola and found their story to be fascinating.
The new distillery building, which is near completion, is a massive 13,000 square feet with 40 foot high ceilings and includes outdoor seating areas. They have built their own power supply using solar panels, propane, batteries and backup generators. All of this has been done by just these two guys. To see it you would assume a construction crew had been busy for months. It's really amazing how much they have done with their own skills and ingenuity.
They have been producing products like Florida whiskies, rum, vodka and gin for over three years and source as much of their ingredients like corn, rye, wheat and more from local sources including farmers. In the program you'll hear more about this and their hopes and plans for the future. Timber Creek Distillery products are being sold commercially in 200 plus stores and have already won over 40 spirit competitions.
Listen in to our conversation. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you for listening.
In this week's program you will hear from industry attendees to President Trump's visit to Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) in Council Bluffs, IA.
Included in the program are:
Mike Jerke, CEO, SIRE
Craig Floss, President/CEO, Iowa Corn Growers
Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Kevin Ross, farmer and 1st VP, NCGA
Monte Shaw, Executive Director, IRFA
Geoff Cooper, President/CEO, RFA
Geoff provides a wrap-up of the program since I was able to talk with him after the President had toured the facility and given his speech.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week we're going to learn all about a new book from Damian Mason titled "Do Business Better." Here's an excerpt from the book description to get us started.
After speaking to companies such as Merck, Land O'Lakes, and Cargill, and 2,000 audiences across the world, Damian Mason, successful businessman, agriculturalist, podcaster, and writer, wants to help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals and live a better life. While other business books claim to tell you how to reach success, they fall short because they don't address the fact that success is different for each of us. Do Business Better helps you define success on your terms, then shows you how to achieve it.
Damian and I not only talk about his new book but some other subjects like how farmers are doing on social media his thoughts on the current farm economy.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week we're going to learn about the Farmer Veteran Coalition with founder/director, Michael O'Gorman.
The Mission of Farmer Veteran Coalition is Mobilizing Veterans to Feed America We cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders, and develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. We believe that veterans possess the unique skills and character needed to strengthen rural communities and create sustainable food systems. We believe that agriculture offers purpose, opportunity, and physical and psychological benefits.
Michael talks about what motivated him to start the organization and how it has developed. He has examples of individuals who have developed successful farming operations with support from the Coalition. Many farm organizations and agribusinesses are providing assistance and there is room for more.
I think you'll find Michael very well-spoken and you might want to consider him for your next conference as a speaker.
I'm going to share a few interviews from the conference that I hope you'll enjoy. First up will be Amanda Radke, BEEF daily blogger, BEEF Magazine. Amanda was an early intern for us who wrote for AgWired when she was in her final year at South Dakota State University. I'm proud of the career she is having and to have been a part of it in our little way.
Next up you'll hear Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Extension Specialist, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis. He spoke about "Beef's Carbon Footprint: Setting the Record Straight." And he certainly does that. I hope you'll follow him on Twitter. We need more like him.
Then you can hear my Farm Babe 2.0 interview. I spoke with Michele Miller last year at the conference and we did it again this year at the end of the conference. If you're not following The Farm Babe then get started.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week's program features interviews from the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference. Here is the list of who you will hear:
Overview interview of the conference with Peter McCornick, Executive Director, Water for Food Institute
Interview with Mark Edge, Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer
Interview with the Irrigation Association: Deborah Hamlin, CEO, Irrigation Association; Brent Mecham, Industry Development Director, Irrigation Association; Aric Olson, President, Jain Irrigation
Interview with Conference attendee Grace Mukarusagara, Rwanda
Interview with Conference attendee Elisa Zancanaro Zanella, Brazil
This week's program features interviews that Cindy and I did during the 2019 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City. The Golden ZimmComm Microphone got a workout!
At the beginning of this episode you can hear from Sheri Seger, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, outgoing NAMA President and Scott McClure, Brighton, incoming NAMA President. After that I'm sharing the other interviews we did in our Connection Point booth.
We offered free Golden Mic Interviews to whoever stopped by and had quite a few take us up on the offer. You may know some of them and if not, you'll get to meet them now.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I visit with Susan Hunyor, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, who is the Chair of the Agri-Marketing Conference Committee. This is the annual conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA). Susan walks us through a preview of the program for this year's conference.
ZimmComm is celebrating 15 years and will be having fun in the Connection Point, Booth 312. The Golden ZimmComm Microphones will be set up to conduct interviews with attendees. It's an opportunity to tell us about your company or organization and we'll publish them into the virtual ag newsroom for the conference on AgNewsWire.com.
When you visit us you can enter to win a flex Portable, Universal Keyboard & Detachable Stand. We have donated a special Beats Pill+ to the NAMA Foundation Silent Auction too. The winning bidder will be able to select colors for the bluetooth speaker and we'll order it to be delivered direct to them.
It's going to be a great conference and we hope to see you there.
Thank you for listening.
This week's program focuses on National Ag Day activities in our nation's Capitol.
In the program you'll hear from Senator Pat Roberts who made remarks during the Celebration of American Agriculture reception. I also interviewed Isabella Chism, American Farm Bureau Federation, who is the Chair for National Ag Day.
Next up is USDA Deputy Secretary, Steve Censky, who spoke prior to moderating a panel discussion, "Observations from the Next Generation of America's Agriculturists." After his remarks you can listen to National Ag Day Essay Contest winner Grace Brose, South Dakota.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
This week's program includes where in the world the ZimmComm Team has been as well as a couple of interviews.
We've been to Destin, FL for BASF Legacy Club events, then on to Orlando for the Commodity Classic and associated activities. At the same time Cindy was in Memphis for the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show.
In this week's program I'm sharing interview with Darren Wallis, Vice President, North America Communications at Bayer CropScience and Willie Vogt, Executive Director, Content and User Engagement, Penton Farm Progress Group. They talk about the Bayer AgVocacy Forum that took place prior to Commodity Classic.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program I talk about the crazy agriblogging highway schedule and the value of media rooms at conferences and conventions.
In addition to the above I am sharing some audio from the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show which includes Kentucky's Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles. Next up is FMC's Rick Ekins, Application and Innovations Platform Lead. He talks about "Investing in the Furrow." After that you can hear the presentation audio from the Case IH AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractor launch.
This week's program contains some audio from last week's Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show.
After looking at what's coming up on our calendar I share a couple of excerpts from the press conference with Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue and then from Terry Bradshaw's speech. Sonny talks trade and Terry talks cows. I had no idea he had cattle and horses.
After that you can listen to my wrap up interview with Kendall Frazier, CEO, NCBA. Kendall reviews the process NCBA goes through during the year for the business of the organization and talks about priorities for the coming year as well as how this year's convention wound up.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
In this week's program things get started with more analytics from ZimmComm media content. This time it's photos and videos. Think Flickr and YouTube.
But then we go back to last week and I share some interviews from the Develop with Deere Conference. First up is Kayla Reynolds, Digital Business Development Manager, John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group.
Following Kayla is Brandon West, Evangelism Leader, Americas, AWS, who gave a keynote speech during the conference.
The last interview is with Ryan Heiniger, Pheasants Forever, who talks about working with John Deere.
Besides some of the reach numbers from the AgWired channels and downloads of ZimmComm audio this week's program features Dr. Fred Moore, BASF, from their 2019 APT Summit and then Kevin Skunes, NCBA, talking about the 2019 Soil Health Summit.
Once again ZimmComm worked with ARA to produce a virtual ag newsroom via our AgNewsWire service and you can find it on AgNewsWire.com.
So, in this week’s program I want to share a couple of interviews I hope you’ll enjoy. The first one is with Melisa Augusto, ARA’s Director of Communications and Marketing.
One of the key sponsors of the ARA conference and expo is FMC. The company sponsored the charging station for all our mobile devices with a place to sit down and relax. I met several FMC representatives which included Christina Coen, FMC’s North America Marketing Director. We talked about what she is doing and a major marketing project she oversees.
This week’s program is dedicated to discussions with the leadership of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. NAFB just held its 75th annual convention in Kansas City. Cindy and I attended and obtained some great content which you’ll find in our virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com as well as story posts on AgWired.
First up in the program is the just past-president of NAFB, Tom Cassidy, Ag Radio Network.
The next person I talked with about NAFB is Tom Brand, NAFB Executive Director. Tom worked with me once upon a time a long time ago in Jefferson City, Missouri with the Brownfield Network.
The new NAFB President-Elect is Rita Frazier, RFD Radio Network. One of her jobs this next year is working with the staff to coordinate the 2019 convention. She is very open to ideas and suggestions.
Finally in this week’s program let me introduce you to the new NAFB President, Lorrie Boyer, KSIR and Northeast Colorado Broadcasting.
So there you have it. An NAFB ZimmCast with old and new leadership. From what I heard I think it’s safe to say farm broadcasting will continue to provide a valuable service even as technology continues to change.
In this week's program I share a conversation with farm broadcasting legend Everett Griner who just announced his retirement after 70 years in the broadcast business! Ev was also a mentor for me and Gary Cooper when I worked with him many years ago. Ev continued working for Gary and Southeast AgNet until this week.
Next in the program I have an interview with Kelly Davis, Renewable Fuels Association, about their co-partnership with the Export Exchange conference that brings together international grain buyers with U.S. grain trade representatives. In RFA's case, they value the promotion of an ethanol production co-product called DDGs.
Finally, I have an interview conducted by Jamie Johansen, Honey Creek Media, with Pat Crowley, Alltech who talks about mycotoxin myths.
In this week's program you'll get to hear from these FMC representatives who did presentations in the field for agricultural retailers.
Ryan Osborn, Southeast Region Business Manager, FMC
David Wheeler, Technical Service Manager, FMC
Matthew Wiggins, Technical Services Manager, FMC
Craig Heim, Senior Technical Service Manager, FMC
Jake Franklin, FMC Research Station Manger
Del Brandenberg Retail Marketing Manager, FMC
FMC has acquired a number of products to round out their portfolio of tools for customers, including some that will be available in the near future.
In this week’s program we’ll hear several John Deere representatives talk about the company’s newest forage harvester, the self-propelled 9,000 Series. I spoke to these folks on the morning the product was launched at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
Each of the guys I talked with provide a different perspective which I thought would be interesting.
First up is: John Thomassen, Global Director – Hay & Forage Harvest.
Next I spoke with: Dan Paschke, Director of Marketing – Hay & Forage.
Next in the program is:Jarrod McGinnis, Dairy & Livestock Production System Manager.
Finally in this week’s program I visit with: Matt Hatcher, Territory Sales Manager.
You can find more about the new John Deere 9000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters on AgWired.com. Just click on the John Deere category and you’ll see some other interviews I’ve already published from the product launch.
BASF is in high cotton since the acquisition of Stoneville and Fiber Max as a result of the Bayer-Monsanto deal, as well as soybean varieties such as Credenz and Liberty Link. This is a new field for BASF but along with the brands came many specialists from Bayer who know the products well.
Over the past month, Chuck has been to several field days and events spotlighting the BASF cotton and soybean brands so we are featuring some of the interviews he has done in this ZimmCast.
The person who has been in charge of these events is Rachel Walters, Cottonseed Marketing Manager for BASF.
The first field day he attended was in Louisiana, where he talked with Jerry Ford, regional seed lead for the South Delta region.
At that same field day, regional agronomist Kyle Fontenot (fon-ten-no) talked about some of the hot cotton and soybean varieties BASF is excited about.
The annual Celebrate Cotton Texas Tech football game, which has been an annual event for years to spotlight FiberMax and Stoneville cotton, helped to introduce the new owners of the brands to a larger audience. Monty Christian, Head of Global Cottonseed for BASF, was previously with Bayer and has always looked forward to the celebrate cotton event.
During a field day in Marion Arkansas, BASF regional seed lead Lance Rochelle talked about their commitment to the cotton industry.
BASF just held a big field day in Lubbock Texas with hundreds of growers and retailers. US Agronomic Services Manager Steve Nichols talks about the experience of the agronomic team that BASF has in place for their new portfolio.
In addition to talking with cotton farmers and retailers, the company is also getting acquainted with buyers who are looking for sustainability in the cotton they source for clothing. Chuck talked with Malin Westfall, U.S. Cotton Lead for BASF, during a field day in Lubbock Texas about the E3 initiative that came with the Bayer cotton business.
This week's program features interviews with Melanie Rice, Brownfield Ag News, who is the Chair of the NAMA Fall Conference committee; Jerry Gennaria, Brighton Agency, recipient of the PDA for Excellence in Marketing Communications; John Robinson, NCBA, recipient of the PDA for Excellence in Public Relations and Laurie Fleck, newly appointed President/CEO of FLM Harvest.
A Bayer Grower Panel during the Farm Progress Show focused on “Preparing for the next generation of ag – on and off the farm.”
I interviewed the panelists which included Bob Arndt, Wisconsin farmer, Jill Bramble, Senior Vp & Chief Resource Development Officer, National 4-H Council, Greg Nickrent, Senior Relationship Manager with BMO Harris, Serena Woodard, 4-H and Jeff Waller, Wisconsin farmer.
This week the ZimmCast, sponsored by GROWMARK, will feature interviews from the GROWMARK Annual Meeting.
Carrie Muehling interviewed GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin about the company’s new strategy, based on the acronym ‘GROW’ which is not just focused on getting bigger. It’s focused on getting better.
She also interviewed Illinois farmer Rick Nelson who has served on the GROWMARK board for 28 years and is retiring from it.
Ann Kafer, vice president of human resources and strategy officer talked with Carrie about the GROW acronym which stands for Good Relationships, Resources of Unmatched Value, Optimized Supply Chain, and Winning Innovations.
Finally, you'll hear from Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK director of corporate and government relations on watching farm policy and regulations.
Dr. Shefali Mehta has been tapped as the new executive director of the Soil Health Partnership, a long-term data project that measures and quantifies the impact of farm management practices known to promote healthy soils. Let's meet her in this episode.
Can-Am is introducing a new Defender Series Mossy Oak Hunting Edition HD10 model with improved features that includes an optional roof rack.
The 20th annual Ag Media Summit was held Aug 5-8, 2018 in Scottsdale, AZ. This year the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences joined the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee.
In this ZimmCast, we hear from outgoing AAEA president Julie Deering, FMC product development manager Brent Jacobson, Cyndee Smiley with John Deere, AMVAC director of portfolio management and marketing communications Neil DeStefano, and Tracy Mack, GROWMARK Director of Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics
This week's program previews two events coming up starting this weekend. Cindy will be attending the Ag Media Summit while I am working at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Buffalo Chip Campground.
To start things off I visit with Robert White, Renewable Fuels Association, who talks about what to expect at what has become an annual educational program of activities in Sturgis, South Dakota.
Then I talk with Suzanne Steele, Assistant Director, Communications, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Suzanne is currently the president of the Association of Communication Excellence. She will talk about ACE and their first time participation in the Ag Media Summit.
Blue Collar meets Green Acres. That's how Comedian, Tim the Dairy Farmer, describes the release of his first album through a production company owned by famed comics Larry "The Cable Guy” and Jeff Foxworthy. The 50-minute album is called 'Farm Raised' and will be released by Git-R-Done Records on July 20th. 'Farm Raised' will be available throughiTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora. To purchase an actual hard copy CD of the album 'Farm Raised' visit www.timthedairyfarmer.com. I talked with Tim who says the album naturally focuses a lot on farm life and his experiences as a dairy farmer. “There’s a lot of humor on the farm,” Tim said. “If you’ve ever been on a farm or even just driven by a farm, you’re gonna get it.” Tim, who is a third-generation farmer and maintains an ownership stake in a Florida dairy, has been performing standup comedy for over 16 years, including for numerous agriculture organizations and companies.
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening. And thank you to GROWMARK our long time sponsor.
I'm pretty sure that most of you have been involved with an activity centered around a tailgate. That's part of why a new tv show is named, From the Tailgate.
In this week's program you're going to learn all about it. The show is hosted by Jamie Johansen, Honey Creek Media. You know her. Our Jamie. Well, Jamie started her own company during the time she was doing work for us and with her sister, Joanna, they have acquired a growing number of projects, including this one. Cindy and I can't tell you how proud we are of them and the work they do. We're still keeping the door open to collaborate on projects when we can.
So, let's learn about Jamie's show. The program starting airing a week ago on KOLZ, Ch. 27 Springfield, MO, Nexstar Media Group.
In this week's program we talk about how the show came about, what kinds of topics Jamie is covering and some of her philosophy about the need for this kind of programming. Jamie is putting her farming background to good use in her agricultural communications career! She is still raising cattle with her husband Kevin and is now having more time to spend with her daughter Harper who this week is showing cattle and pigs which are a first for Jamie.
You can watch the show each Sunday at 5:30pm and it is repeated Saturday at 5:30am and 9:30pm. The show will also be available online very soon.
Happy Independence Day week. This episode of the ZimmCast will introduce you to some other farm podcasters you may not be familiar with. If you are not subscribing to podcasts then get started. There are many really good programs and quite a few that have started recently.
In the program you'll hear The Raven Precision Podcast, the latest information on Raven precision technology; Pork Pod, look at the hot topics in the pork industry; The Business of Agriculture Podcast, listen to Damian Mason's take on topics surrounding the business of food, fuel, and fiber, interviews with industry professionals, and other great original content.
In this week's program you'll hear mostly from Cindy and the people she interviewed recently. So, let's get started by thanking our sponsor, GROWMARK, Locally Owned, Globally Strong.
First up will be an interview Cindy did with American Egg Board Marketing Communications Manager Marc Dresner. They discuss the AEB's eggciting promotional sponsorship of Disney-Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” that has audiences scrambling for new “How Do You Like Your Eggs?” recipes reflecting each of the film’s character’s unique personality or super power. The film has made the Incredible Egg into a nutrition super hero!
Then you'll get to meet Erin Fitzgerald, the new CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. Fitzgerald previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Sustainability for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, a part of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).
In this week's program I'm going to cover a couple of different topics, although there are some common elements from an educational perspective.
First up is Joanna Guza, Digital Communications Manager, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and also volunteer with GMO Answers. We talk about social networking as a tool to reach people about topics like GMOs, especially during Dairy Month. Joanna has some great insight and advice for using the tools we have.
Next I talk with Paul Teutul, Jr., Paul JR Designs and Discovery's American Chopper. Paul built two motorcycles that run on E-85. One bike is for the Sturgis Buffalo Chip and the other for the Renewable Fuels Association. During the project Paul learned a lot about ethanol and shares some of what he learned. The whole project is part of an on-going educational effort by RFA and uses a lot of social networking.
This is why I love my podcast. I get to talk with some awesome people in all kinds of places and about all kinds of topics!