The ZimmComm team is back on the agriblogging highway this week. Chuck just returned from the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in Orlando. He's got quite a few more stories and interviews to post. Cindy will be heading off to the American Farm Bureau Federation convention this weekend.
Wild weather was the winner for the biggest ag story of 2011 according to our latest ZimmPoll. We asked the question, "What do you think is biggest ag story of 2011?" Wild weather got 40% or the response followed by Record farm land value - 17%; New free trade agreements - 16%; High commodity prices - 16%; Super committee "no"- farm bill - 11% and Record U.S. farm exports at a big fat 0%. Weather, it's always on the top of a farmer's mind and with good reason.
Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We're asking the question, "What do you think of the LightSquared broadband internet proposal?" This is certainly a hotly debated topic with GPS companies and users very concerned over the implications. If you need more information about it you can find lots of resources online here, here and here.
Here are some interviews from this week that you might have missed:
This image greets you as you take the escalator down to the meeting room and registration floor for the Beltwide Cotton Conferences at the Orlando World Center Marriott. MORE
The two Republican presidential candidates who topped the Iowa Caucus in a virtual dead heat Tuesday night are both considered to be supporters of renewable fuels. MORE
As prices for 85 percent ethanol fuel are rising in the wake of the expiration of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) on January 1, the Coalition for E85 is increasing its effort to have American-made 85-percent ethanol recognized as an alternative fuel along with natural gas, propane, and hydrogen alternatives. MORE
January 31, 2012 is the deadline to submit project pre-proposals for fiscal year 2012 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) from the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Pre-proposals support large-scale demonstration projects that test and prove original approaches to conserving America's private lands. MORE
MyWay RTK was launched in the Fall of 2010. It's a new RTK system engineered for the specific needs of agriculture - and designed so farmers can work with those most important in making their operation successful. In this Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology we take a closer look at a technology neutral solution to help farmers receive their RTK corrections over the internet. MORE
The beef checkoff has launched a super cool, clever and creative way to educate people about what cows eat. It's called "Cow Chow" (you have to love that!) and it's an online game and video series designed to answer common questions about cattle diets. MORE
Congratulations to Aaron Palmer, a new hire at Accelerated Genetics. Palmer will be a Sire Analyst, responsible for evaluating, creating and procuring the highest genomic quality young sires in Iowa, California and other Midwest and western states. He will also be representing Accelerated Genetics at major breed activities and industry functions in the U.S. and abroad. MORE
AgWired 
