New ZimmCast Episode – The Elephant in the Corn Field

The latest ZimmCast episode features a cornfield, an elephant and DTN’s Chris Clayton. With the title, “The Elephant in the Cornfield,” Chris Clayton’s first book draws you in just to find out what it’s all about says ZimmCast host Chuck Zimmerman.  Chris is the policy editor for DTN/The Progressive Farmer and an issue near and dear to his heart is …

#NAFB15 Growing our Future to Harvest

The 72nd National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention is officially underway, back in Kansas City. This year’s theme is Growing our Future to Harvest of Success. The first big event was the awarding of the NAFB Foundation Scholarship winners. The scholarships were presented during the NAFB Foundation Scholarship luncheon sponsored by the CME Group. Another big event- Trade …

ARF Releases Candidate Midterm Report Card

America’s Renewable Future (ARF) released a 2016 Presidential Candidate midterm report card today during a press call putting candidates into three categories: good, needs work and bad. Scores were based on the candidates’ support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and ethanol in particular. Candidates who received good grades included Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump (who is visiting an ethanol plant …

Poll: African Americans Back Climate Action, Clean Energy

According to a new poll released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and GREEN FOR ALL, two-thirds of African Americans believe global warming is a serious problem and want more action to curb its effects. This group also supports the Clean Power Plan (CPP), finalized in August, as a tool to address the climate crisis while 83 percent …

WOTUS in the Senate

The controversial Clean Water rule known as Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) was the subject of two bills in the Senate on Tuesday and hours of debate on both sides, despite one bill failing to invoke cloture. The bill that failed was sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and would have instructed EPA to craft a WOTUS rule that “takes …

DuPont REFORMS Energy with Cellulosic Biorefinery

RE. FORM. ENERGY. This is what DuPont says they have done with their cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Nevada, Iowa. When at full capacity, the plant will produce 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year – the largest producing biorefinery of its kind in the U.S. The company held an event to mark the plant’s official commissioning that featured several …

#Thankful4Ag Campaign Focus of New ZimmCast

Bayer CropScience has smashed another goal for their annual #Thankful4Ag campaign. In this week’s program, Chuck Zimmerman talks with Jeff Donald about the program and its progress. Jeff says that last year the program had a goal of donating 200,000 meals to hungry people via Feeding America. That goal was broken and this year it is 330,000 by tomorrow October …

Developing with Deere Conference

The Develop with Deere conference kicked off in Kansas City this week where John Deere has brought together developers to learn and discuss opportunities with their open API system. The event kicked off with the major announcement that John Deere has acquired Precision Planting from the Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto. Also included in the announcement is an exclusive …

RFA CEO Comments on Ethanol News

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen comments on ethanol industry news this week. In this interview, Dinneen comments on the DuPont cellulosic plant opening, how USDA and Protec Fuel are helping to increase higher ethanol blend pumps, attacks on the RFS by the oil industry and the new Fuels America campaign to fight back, and Dr. Ben …

USDA Secretary Addresses Dairy and Meat Issues

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to the joint meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) in Orlando this week, highlighting the positives in the face of lower milk prices and discussing the opportunities for the industry to move forward in the future. In an …

#AmplifyFFA at the 88th National FFA Convention

The 88th National FFA Convention & Expo is in full swing and the streets of Louisville, KY are flooded with corduroy jackets. The theme this year is #Amplify and that is exactly what the FFA members and conference attendees are doing this week from October 27-31st. Several event highlights included the opening breakfast where former FFA members shared how FFA …

Fuels America Launches New Ad Campaign

Fuels America is launching a new seven-figure TV and digital ad campaign today urging President Obama to make a choice between the oils industry and renewable fuels for the future. The campaign depicts President Obama’s choice of who to listen to when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard: his own experts who have repeatedly shown that ethanol and renewable …

USDA and Protec Fuel Partner for More Biofuel Pumps

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was at a Citgo station in Kissimmee, Florida Wednesday to announce a USDA partnership to increase fueling pumps for biofuels in 21 states through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP). The investment will nearly double the number of fueling pumps nationwide that supply renewable fuels to American motorists. Vilsack was joined by Protec Fuel VP of Operations …

USFRA Press Call on Subway Antibiotics Announcement

This morning the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance held a conference call with media to discuss recent Subway antibiotics announcement. The call features Thomas Titus, an Illinois swine and crop farmer from Elkhart, Illinois. Titus will discuss his concerns and the potential impact on farmers and ranchers nationwide with the recent announcement by the Subway franchise food chain, which confirmed …

Long-Term Contracts Boost US Wind Energy Capacity

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has released the Third Quarter 2015 U.S. Wind Industry Market Report. The report includes the latest market data including the most up-to-date numbers for installed wind capacity, under construction activity, power purchase agreements, and more. Speakers during the press call discussed the importance of transmission in bringing wind energy to new parts of the …