Hello ZimmComm Fans:
The ZimmComm Team enjoyed seeing lots of friends on the road this week. Chuck attended the quarterly NAMA Executive Committee Mtg in Austin, TX and got to spend an extra day courtesy of the ice storm in Atlanta. Cindy was in Atlanta at the IPPE show but didn’t have any troubles as the show went on. Meanwhile, Joanna was attending the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and then the Iowa Power Farming Show in Des Moines, IA. We’ve got lots of stories across the ZimmComm News Network from these events for your reading, listening and viewing pleasure.
Of course the big news was the Farm Bill which looks destined to become law as soon as the Senate signs off on it which is expected. This is important to all agrimarketers in all commodity group areas since it will at least bring some more certainty to the marketplace.
We had an very large turnout of voters for this week’s controversial ZimmPoll question – “What’s your opinion of state HSUS Ag Councils?” The majority of voters agree that if the HSUS label is present in anything, then it can’t be trusted. However, many are eager to work with the group. It will be interesting to see how productive these HSUS Ag Councils are for the organization as it continues to seek to influence legislation and regulations.
Our poll results:
? Can’t trust HSUS – 55%
? Should work with HSUS – 32%
? Waste of time – 7%
? Don’t know – 2%
? Other – 4%
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Could drones (UAV’s) serve a purpose on your operation?”
Precision technology in the agricultural industry is a booming business. We have been seeing a lot of talk about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) or better known as drones. The use of drones to fly over crops and livestock to maximize profits is one of the hottest topics entering the agriculture sector. The sky seems to be the limit when it comes to the possibilities with this new technology, but advancements won’t be seen at all until approval is given from the FAA. The price tag might seem high to some, but others may see only see the benefits. We did a similar ZimmPoll on this topic last year asking, “What use would you have for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?” Could you see yourself utilizing these unmanned aircrafts to increase profitability on your operation?
Here are some interviews and audio from this week you might have missed:
Steve Olson, North American Meat Assocation, on specialty pork cuts
Jeff Klopfenstein, Novus, on 30 yr. anniversary of ALIMET
Mike Olson, Ag Leader Technology, on what 2014 will bring
Scott Long, GROWMARK, on propane shortage/prices
Young Scientists attending National Biodiesel Conference talk about their research
Bob Dinneen, at Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
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