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June 28, 2013  
Hello ZimmComm Fans:

The ZimmComm team got a break from the agriblogging highway this week.  It has been catch up time as we get all our stories and interviews posted from events like the LMA Annual Convention, IFAMA World Forum, ASTA Annual Convention and more.  You might have noticed that the House couldn't pass a farm bill last week and the Senate passed an immigration bill this week which will probably go no where.  Just more of the same in Washington, DC.  In the meantime it is creating a lot of uncertainty out in the countryside with farmers and agribusinesses.  Farm policy does affect marketing decisions.  Hope they get their act together soon!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, "How concerned are you about the government having your private data?" Our poll results read loud and clear this week. Over half of you are now more worried that the government sees private data.

Our poll results: Sixty-nine percent said More Worried, twenty-four percent said Not Concerned, four percent said Other and two percent said Less Worried. Many agriculturalists have converted to digital data systems in order to become more efficient. Knowing the government is actively collecting private data is causing concerns in all sectors of business and that includes farming.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, "Do you listen to satellite radio?" Satellite radio has become more and more popular over the years. Not only is it included in many new vehicles but you can even access it over your smartphone. So do you subscribe? Has it changed your listening habits? Will this affect "regular" farm radio? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed. You can always find more on AgNewsWire.com as well.


Now for some news from the ZimmComm News Network:

 AgWired  AgWired     

John Block Reports

One of my all time favorite U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture is John Block. Here he is speaking on a panel at last fall's NAFB convention. John is currently Senior Policy Advisor in the law firm of Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz PC and serves on numerous boards. MORE
 

Podcast 


Concerns About Ag Provisions in Immigration Bill 

As the Senate prepares to vote on comprehensive immigration reform today, Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) took to the floor Wednesday evening to detail some of his concerns about the farm worker provisions in the bill and amendments that he wanted to see added.  MORE

Podcast

Rural Radio Dream Realized 

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week's program we'll learn more about the newly announced Rural Radio channel on Sirius XM. MORE

ZimmCast

DomesticFuel  Domestic Fuel 

Open Fuel Standard Introduced in House

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) this week introduced the Open Fuel Standard Act (H.R. 2493) in the House, legislation which would require 30 percent of new automobiles in 2016, 50 percent in 2017, and 50 percent in each subsequent year, to operate on non-petroleum fuels in addition to or instead of petroleum-based fuels. MORE

Podcast  

Groups React to FAO Biofuels Study 


Emotions are mixed regarding the findings in a recent report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that was released in Rome during a meeting with ambassadors. The report found that biofuel from crops has a significant and direct impact on food prices and food availability. In response, ActionAid said the report shows how Europe's biofuel targets are driving up food prices and increasing hunger among the world's poorest people. 
MORE

Groups Boo Obama's Climate Plan 

Not everyone is happy with President Obama's new Climate Change Action Plan. The plan did many things including showed support for more renewable energy such as biofuels; tighter regulations on power plants, mandates to increase vehicle mileage; and increased subsidies for solar and wind projects on federal lands. MORE 
 
 
 Precision Pays

GE Wheat in Oregon Could be Sabotage 

Monsanto officials held a press call on Friday regarding "suspicious" evidence in the investigation of genetically engineered wheat plants found in an Oregon field last month that suggests it was possibly intentionally planted. MORE

Podcast  

Conservation in Action Tour Coming Up

The 2013 Conservation in Action Tour will be held July 9-10 in Livingston, Illinois and for those who are interested there are still a few seats left. A pre-tour seminar on July 9 has also been added. Learn more about the tour in the video below.  MORE 


FarmLogs Sponsor ISOBlue Project

In an effort to free farmers from vendor-controlled data, Purdue University has launched ISOBlue, an open-source project that aims to provide farmers, via smartphone, with easy access to agricultural data gathered by the industry-standard ISOBUS port located on tractors, harvesters and equipment. MORE
       

NCGA Testimony on Trade Negotiations

During a House Committee on Small Business hearing this week in Washington, National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson provided policy recommendations for the U.S. Trade Representative on growing export opportunities, particularly the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). MORE

Podcast
  
New Consumer Opinion Poll on Gas & Renewable Fuel

Summer driving season is in full swing and with it comes grumbling over fluctuating gas prices. A new poll commissioned by Fuels America asked consumers their thoughts on gas prices and renewable fuels. The survey, conducted by Research Now, identifies specific budget items families give up when they are faced with high gas prices, and their attitudes around oil, renewable fuel and the impacts both have on the economy and environment. MORE

Podcast
 New Effort To Repeal Death Tax

On June 19, Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) re-introduced legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, better known as the death tax. MORE

Podcast




WDDMark 
 World Dairy Diary  

   

  

Dairy and Food Stamps Kill Farm Bill 

 

Republican amendments to the dairy program and giving states the option to require able-bodied food stamp recipients to seek employment were the straws that broke the camel's back when it came to getting a farm bill passed in the House last week. The dairy measure was the Goodlatte-Scott amendment, which effectively killed the Dairy Security Act included in the bill, and the food stamps amendment was sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL). MORE 

 

Podcast 

 


Precision Dairy Show

 

This week, the first ever U.S. Precision Dairy Conference and Expo was held in Rochester, Minnesota featuring experts in the field of precision dairy management, as well as producer panels on the topics of robotic milking, automated calf feeders and sensor technology; and various latest precision dairy research abstracts from the US and around the world. MORE  

India Company to Make Butter and Cheese in N.Y. 

  

A dairy products manufacturer based in Gujarat, in western India, has announced that it will begin producing Indian cheese (paneer) and butter (ghee) at an existing New York state plant owned by New Jersey-based NRI Piyush Patel.  MORE 
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