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May 17, 2013  

Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm agriblogging calendar has been filling up fast again this year.  Chuck just got back from the NAFB Washington Watch program.  What a great time to be in DC as both the Senate and House marked up and passed out Farm Bill versions.  You can find lots of his interviews and recorded presentations here.  Thank you to GROWMARK for making his trip possible. 

This coming week Chuck will be on the road with Maggie Seiler, our summer intern, at the Alltech Symposium.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, "Are so-called "ag gag" bills fair?"

 

Our poll results: Fifty-two percent said No, forty-one percent said Yes and seven percent said I Don't Know. So most of you feel that ag gag bills are not fair. Do you think answers would be different if we called them "See Something, Say Something" laws?

 

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, "What's your opinion of committee farm bills?" The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 15-5 to approve their version of a 2013 farm bill. And according to House Ag Committee Chairman, Frank D. Lucas, "The work of the Agriculture Committee, including reauthorizing the Farm Bill, affects every American; ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to produce an abundant and affordable food and fiber supply is as important to our country as national defense." Let us know what you think.

 

Here are some audio files from this week you might have missed.  Find many more on AgNewsWire.com.


Now for some news from the ZimmComm News Network:


 AgWired  AgWired     

2013 Agvocaccy 2.0 Conference Application Deadline

The deadline is approaching fast for applications to the 2013 Agvocacy 2.0 Training Conference. It's going to be in Charlotte, NC, August 22-23. MORE
 

Podcast 


Social Connections to GROWMARK  

GROWMARK and FS are excited to make it easier than ever to make connections on social media. MORE

Podcast

Farm Bill Now? 

Last year the rallying cry of agricultural organizations for a "Farm Bill Now" fell on deaf ears in Congress, but this week's actions by both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to pass a bill is leading to new hope that it might finally happen. MORE
DomesticFuel  Domestic Fuel 

Keeping RFS Still Top Concern for Ethanol Industry

Progress on a new farm bill is all well and good but defending the Renewable Fuel Standard remains the top priority for the ethanol industry. MORE

Podcast  

Visalia Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Surpasses 1,000 Hours 


The demonstration cellulosic ethanol plant owned by Edeniq and located in Visalia, California has exceeded 1,000 hours of continuous operation. The corn-to-cellulosic migration plant uses the company's proprietary technology to process more than one metric ton of feedstock per day into cellulosic ethanol. According to the company, this achievement exceeded the plant's initial target. The project, funded in part by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant, is being used to demonstrate the viability of producing ethanol in a cost-effective manner from non-food sources including corn stover, switchgrass and woodchips.  MORE

Biodiesel Ups Bean Prices Without Raising Food Prices 

Soybean growers are getting more for their beans because of biodiesel, but consumers aren't being pinched by higher food prices at the grocery stores. According to the United Soybean Board, a new study done for soybean checkoffs in Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas show that biodiesel production has pushed U.S. soy oil prices higher than they were before the green fuel, increasing soy-oil revenues by $15 billion between 2006 and 2012 while pushing up the price of a bushel of soybeans by $0.74 a bushel.  MORE 
 
 
 Precision Pays

House Farm Bill Passes Committee 

Following on the heels of the Senate Agriculture Committee's action on Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee passed the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) of 2013 by a vote of 36 to 10 Wednesday after more than ten hours of farm bill markup considering 100 amendments. MORE 

Farmers Field Test Monsanto FieldScripts

We first told you about Monsanto's FieldScripts last fall at Farm Progress Show. Now we will be hearing much more from farmers using it on a trial basis in the field. MORE

Northern Plains Nitrogen to Build New Facility

Northern Plains Nitrogen (NPN) officials have announced to build and operate a $1.5 billion nitrogen fertilizer production facility near Grand Forks, N.D. The world-scale production facility will include a 2,200 ton per day ammonia plant plus urea and Urea-Ammonium-Nitrate (UAN) production facilities. MORE  

 

       

Interview with National Corn Grower Chairman

Garry Niemeyer of Aurora, Illinois is chairman of the National Corn Growers Association. In this interview, he comments on Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the farm bills out of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and finally making some corn planting progress in the Midwest. MORE
  
NAFB Washington Watch - Audio

The annual Washington Watch is for members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. It's a time to meet with agricultural organization representatives, USDA officials and members of Congress. We'll share lots of audio and photos from the event here during this week as the program unfolds. MORE
 
 Syngenta Builds on Garst Seed Legacy

Even as the Syngenta-owned Garst and Golden Harvest� brands are being launched under the revised Golden Harvest brand, Syngenta intends to uphold the quality, reliability and legacy that have become synonymous with the Garst brand and the Garst Seed Advisor.  MORE


WDDMark 
 World Dairy Diary  

   

  

House Ag Committee Supports DSA Farm Bill 


The House Agriculture Committee came out in support of the Dairy Security Act (DSA) on Wednesday, voting to reject an amendment by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA) to remove the supply management mechanism of the act.
MORE

Podcast  

Ag Secretary Sees Dairy as Challenge in Farm Bill

 

The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 15-5 today to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, which includes the Dairy Security Act. MORE

Podcast 

Refocus on Calf & Heifer Association 

  

The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) has announced a strategically refocus of the association's priorities and industry role.  MORE 
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