Hello ZimmComm Fans:
2015 was a great year and 2016 promises to be even better! In 2015, the ZimmComm team covered over 70 events in 18 states and four countries, including Australia and New Zealand. We uploaded almost 16,200 photos and 65 videos and did over 5,000 posts on our own five websites and several others. Our Flickr photo albums now have almost 14.7 million views! Thanks to our wonderful clients and friends who make our work a joy!
The ZimmComm Team gets on the agriblogging highway for the first time in 2016 this weekend. Cindy will be heading to Orlando, FL for the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting and Chuck will be off to Las Vegas for his first Potato Expo, courtesy of Nufarm. From there the team will have stops in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Tampa and San Diego before the end of January.
Do you use the News app on your iOS devices? It is another way to get your daily dose of AgWired! Just open the News app, search for AgWired and add it to your favorites.
Here's some audio from this week you might have missed: Now for some news from the ZimmComm News Network:
|
|
 AgWired Hot Dog & Sausage King
His real title is President of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. He's Eric Mittenthal. But we need a much better title for him and perhaps you could suggest one. Eric is taking over the position from the "Queen of Wien" herself, Janet Riley. Both also work for the North American Meat Institute which oversees the NHDSC. Riley will continue to be the official Queen of Wein for the Council. Eric will also continue his position of VP of Public Affairs for NAMI. MOREZimmCast
|
EPA Assessment Raises Honeybee Concerns
The EPA announced a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which, according to the assessment, is a threat to some pollinators. EPA's assessment, prepared in collaboration with California's Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators. MORE |
American Harvest Debuts on CarbonTV.com
Just received this notice and thought I'd share with you. I have not watched this program but plan to check it out. Have you watched it? Your thoughts? MORE |
 Domestic Fuel
Vaisala Partners to Assess Growth of Wind Energy
Vaisala is partnering with several groups to assess the potential of growth for wind energy. Southeastern Wind Coalition (SWEC) members Southern Company and Santee Cooper will be working with Vaisala on a wind feasibility study to assist the utilities in identifying the potential for utility-scale wind development. Currently, the region has very little wind energy production. MORE
|
Ethanol Industry Responds to API's State of Energy
Yesterday American Petroleum Institute's (API) Jack Gerard delivered the 2016 State of American Energy Address. During the presentation he made remarks about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), federal energy legislation that API has been a vocal opponent of since it's inception in 2007. MORE
|
IU Researchers Create Hydrogen Biofuels
Indiana University researchers have developed a highly efficient biomaterial that catalyzes the formation of hydrogen by splitting H2O and creating hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting fuel can be used to power vehicles that essentially run on water. According to the research team, a modified enzyme gains strength from being protected within the protein shell - or "capsid" - of a bacterial virus. This new material, called hydrogenase, is 150 times more efficient than the unaltered form of the enzyme. The process of creating the material was recently reported in "Self-assembling biomolecular catalysts for hydrogen production," in the journal Nature Chemistry. MORE
|
Precision
BioAg Alliance Showcases Microbial Research Results
The BioAg Alliance, a collaboration between Novozymes and Monsanto to improve crop harvests through naturally-occurring microbes, announced results from its 2015 field trial program. Those results included a corn inoculant product, which increased yields by an average of 4 bushels per acre in U.S. field tests. The product is based on a fungus found in soil and researchers from the two companies have found a way to coat the microbes on corn seeds without harming the microbes' performance or longevity. The Alliance plans to launch the new solution in the United States in 2017. MORE
|
|
Wheat Genome Sequencing Gets Major Boost
The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) has announced the production of a whole genome assembly of bread wheat. Based on Illumina short sequence reads assembled with NRGene's DeNovoMAGICTM software, the project goal was to produce a whole genome assembly of the bread wheat variety Chinese Spring. The most widely grown cereal in the world, IWGSC says the project will help accelerate global research into crop improvement. MORE
|
|
Bayer Introduces Three New Cotton Varieties
Bayer CropScience is providing growers with three new varieties of cotton to choose from for the 2016 growing season. Their new line up consists of one FiberMax and two Stoneville plants, each with the proprietary Bayer traits of GlyTol, LibertyLink and TwinLink technologies. MORE
|
USFRA Announces New Foundation
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has launched a new foundation with a mission of furthering agricultural education and understanding of agriculture among America's consumers including young people and millennials. MORE
|
US Beef Approved for Export to Columbia
This week's audio report from the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) discusses an important policy change occurring in the South American country of Colombia, and what this change means for U.S. beef producers. Following Colombia's recent decision to remove restrictions related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on certain bone-in cuts of beef, the U.S. beef industry has officially gained full access to the country for the first time since 2003. MORE
Podcast
|
iCropTrak Introducing Potato Farming Template
Long time AgWired supporter, iCropTrak, will be showcasing a "Potato Farming Template" during this year's Potato Expo in Las Vegas. I interviewed Aaron Hutchinson to learn what a PFT is. MORE
Podcast
|
Dietary Guidelines Reaffirm the Health of Lean Beef
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They have reaffirmed the role of lean beef in a healthy diet and confirm that Americans are, on average, consuming lean meat in daily amounts that are consistent with the recommendations for protein foods, according the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). MOREPodcast
|
AMHA To Honor Members At Super Convention
The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Awards Committee has announced the following individuals will be recognized at The Super Convention, which will be held February 9-13 in Boston. MORE
|
MetaFarms Web-based Assessment Tracking for Swine
MetaFarms, Inc., launches of Assurance - a new component to web-based platform designed specifically for livestock production audit and assessment tracking. MORE
|
|
|
|
|
|
