It's time to look ahead to the 2012 Agri-Marketing Conference, "Acres of Innovation." ZimmComm will be taking up a very small portion of that acreage with a booth in the Connection Point once again. We hope you'll stop by. The conference is April 18-20 in Kansas City. Get yourself registered!
We are looking for the right person (or people) to become a ZimmComm producer. The right person would be very self-motivated and passionate about agriculture, as well as having most or all of the following skills (listed in order of importance):
1. Computer savvy - Mac or PC
2. Flexible work schedule for on-site assignments
3. Digital photography - composing, shooting, editing
4. Audio production - conducting interviews, editing
5. Short format writing skills
6. Social Networking experience - Blog, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
7. Video production (web style) - shooting, editing
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, "Is maintaining the Renewable Fuel Standard more important to agriculture than the farm bill?" The statement was made during a recent meeting I attended that the Renewable Fuel Standard was more important to agriculture than the Farm Bill. In a show of how important it is 38% each of respondents said Yes and Both are important. Only 24% said No. What do you think? Many people seem to think the RFS only benefits corn/soybean growers but they don't take into account that all farmers receive benefit from lower fuel costs just like the general public.
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, "Is "Organic" food healthier than "Conventional" food?" During Tuesday's AgChat this topic received a fair amount of discussion. Even though there is a USDA Certified Organic Program it appears that the term is not widely understood. We haven't seen any evidence that the public in general really cares that much either and are pretty sure that most would not want to pay more for food that has to conform to the certified standards. What do you think? We've already received feedback asking for definitions and saying that these aren't simple terms to ask a yes/no answer of. Sorry but that's the way it is. We believe one of the problems with this whole issue is a lack of common definitions that are accepted by everyone. We want the poll to come from individual perceptions. Should be interesting!
Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:
During Commodity Classic Pioneer Hi-Bred was talking about farmers getting FITŪ. At first I thought this was a new exercise program but it is actually the Pioneer FITŪ Harvest Mapping System. I got the full explanation from John Chism, Pioneer Senior Marketing Manager. He says FIT stands for Field Information Tool. MORE
When it comes to pathogens in swine, one plus one amounts to more than just two, according to Dr. Tom Painter, Director of Veterinary Health Services for Cargill Pork. MORE
Once upon a time, commercial hog diets consisted mainly of corn and soybeans, but the menu has greatly expanded out of necessity since commodity prices increased a few years ago. MORE
E85 sales in Iowa reached an all-time high in 2011 exceeding more than 10.7 million gallons, representing a 15 percent increase over 2010 sales, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue. The increase occurred despite third and fourth quarter sales being down compared to the year prior.MORE
As work on the Transportation Bill progressed in the Senate Tuesday, two amendments that would have extended tax incentives for renewable energy sources were defeated. MORE
DuPont Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) is hoping to start construction on a 27.5 million gallon cellulosic plant later this year, according to DDCE Global Business Director Steve Mirshak. MORE
The annual commemoration of the importance of agriculture is traditionally celebrated on the first day of spring to recognize the start of planting season, but the event in the nation's capitol is held a little earlier in the month when Congress is in session so lawmakers can attend. This year the date was March 8 and the day in DC was packed full of activities, supported by agricultural organizations and attended by many. MORE
Ag Leader Technology is offering current Case-IH AFS and New Holland PFS desktop software users the opportunity to convert to Ag Leader SMS desktop software. CNH AFS/PFS users that choose to convert will be assured continued SMS software updates and industry leading support directly from Ag Leader. Ag Leader and SMS will continue to support the CNH file formats and changes that occur with new display firmware releases. MORE
World Dairy Expo's Board of Directors approved five new members at their annual meeting. The board is composed of a variety of dairy business professionals from the United States and Canada. The new directors include: Buster Goff, Callum McKinven, Paula Bovre, Jim Crowley, Jr. and Kate VandenBosch. MORE
Sixty students from six western universities and one Canadian university competed in the seventh annual Western Regional Dairy Challenge March 1-3, 2012 in Visalia, Calif. MORE
AgWired 
