Think we’ll get a new farm bill this year? Sorry, had to ask. We’ve been following along as the soap opera unfolds and it looks like a lot more drama to come.

This week Chuck is getting his first look at a Livestock Marketing Association convention in Montgomery, AL. In addition to the convention he’s also a judge for the 50th World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. You can follow his coverage on AgWired and see photos in his ever growing photo album.

Chuck was also in RTP, NC this week for the U.S. celebration of Bayer’s 150th Anniversary. While there he interviewed several leaders of the company and of course took plenty of photos.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked, “How good was your first cutting of hay?” Many of you felt your hay crop was better than last year. Hopefully this is a good sign for this season.

Our poll results: Thirty-five percent said Better Than Last Year, twenty-five percent said Same as Last Year, twenty-five percent said Worse Than Last Year, and fifteen percent said Other. The “Other” responses claimed it is too wet to cut hay. All this moisture is a cure for the drought but seems to have delayed hay season in parts of the country.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is your opinion of Senate immigration bill?” With a Senate vote of 82-15 to allow further debate on legalizing the nation’s 11 million unauthorized immigrants, update the hiring process and make legalization a breeze. President Obama claims it is “the best chance we’ve had in years”. How do you feel? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

Jesse McCoy, Water Quality division manager, Ivesco Technical Services, on pig vaccinator
Doran Herritt, New Holland, Brand Marketing Manager, less than 60 HP Tractors, on compact tractors
Roger Bentley, Alabama Governor, welcomes LMA convention attendees
Tim Starks, LMA President, opening remarks
Phil Blake, President, Bayer USA, talks about company 150 year anniversary
Jim Blome, President/CEO, Bayer CropScience, also talks about company milestone
Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK, government relations, on Capitol Hill issues

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

The ZimmComm team has had a lot of fun working with our sponsors and friends at events in South Dakota – Raven Innovation Summit, Iowa – World Pork Expo and Pennsylvania – New Holland Construction Equipment Media Event. We’re sharing more photos and interviews than you’ll see anywhere else and you are welcome to listen in, view and share. Team members Chuck, Cindy, Jamie and Joanna have plenty more to post as soon as they get back to the office too.

New Holland introduced a new tractor this week with a legacy name – the Genesis T8 Series. Chuck was there to see it in action and got some great photos and an interview. Check it out here.

ZimmComm summer intern, Maggie Seiler, writes about her first agriblogging experience at the Alltech International Symposium and says, “In addition to making some great connections, I had the opportunity to really jump in and get my hands dirty as far as writing and reporting goes. I had a lot of chances to conduct interviews, take pictures and tweet about the sessions at the symposium. Probably my favorite part of reporting was getting to listen to the sessions on the future of nutrition, marketing and scientific development that will shape agriculture in 2020.” You’ll see Maggie back out in the field next at the American Seed Trade Association convention in Nashville.

Before we get to our new Zimmpoll let’s look at the results of our latest one which asked the question, “What is MOST important when buying a tractor?” It looks like price, horsepower, and versatility win this battle.

Our poll results: Twenty-two percent said Price and Horsepower, seventeen percent said versatility, fifteen percent said Customer Service, nine percent said Accessories, six percent said Warranty and Comfort, four percent said Color, and two percent said Size. The bells and whistles don’t seem to be a huge impact on purchasing decisions.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How good was your first cutting of hay?” Weather hasn’t exactly been predictable this spring. With a cold and wet spring season across much of the country how did it affect your hay crop? Has it bounced back from last year’s drought? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

Matt Burkhart, VP/GM, Raven Industries, Viper 4 product launch presentation
Jeffrey Escobar, Novus international, on improving digestibility
Gary Wojcik, New Holland, on new Genesis T8 Series Tractor
Mark Hooper, Dir. Mktg., New Holland, on Agriculture/Construction Equipment integration
Mike Steilen, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, on new “Easy” campaign
David Coker, President, Fisher House Foundation, on mission and NH donation
Randy Spronk, NPPC President, opens World Pork Expo

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Agriblogging kicks into high gear starting next week. It’s a summer on the run for the ZimmComm team. Cindy will take off on Tuesday for Des Moines and the World Pork Expo thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim and Novus International. At the same time Chuck will be headed to New Holland, PA to see some brand new equipment at New Holland headquarter offices. And also at the same time, Jamie will be in Sioux Falls, SD attending the Raven Innovation Summit. The action doesn’t slow down until near the end of the month too! So expect to see and hear what we see and hear!

Before we get to our new ZimmPoll let’s look at the results of our latest one which asked the question, ” Is agriculture doing a bad job of marketing?”

Our poll results: Sixty-five percent said Yes, Consumers Losing Trust, twenty-one percent said Yes, Industry Thinks It’s Not Needed, twelve percent said No, Consumers Trust Food Supply, and three percent said No, Industry Is Doing A Great Job.

Wow. That’s a huge percentage thinking we’re doing a bad job of marketing. Do you agree with these results? If so, why? What is wrong with the way marketing is being done in the ag sector? Do you think that some sensationalized stories in the media are contributing to a feeling that we are doing a bad job of marketing? If we are doing a really bad job of marketing is it hurting any farmer or company bottom line?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is MOST important when buying a tractor?” Today, it seems like tractors come with as many options as a new car or truck. Many of these options are for comfort and flexibility. When you are shopping for a new tractor are you just looking for the basics or do you want and need all the new bells & whistles? Let us know.

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

We’re wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and want to thank all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country in the military.

This week ZimmComm summer intern Maggie Seiler, KSU, went on-location to start agriblogging the Alltech International Symposium. Maggie is off to an impressive start! She’ll be working with Cindy next at the American Seed Trade Association Annual Convention in Nashville. You can find Chuck and Maggie’s Alltech photos here.

During the Alltech Symposium Chuck had his first photo upload of the week interrupted by the Flickr changeover to their new design. We’re curious what you think about the new look. It has bigger thumbnails and now allows us to upload photos at full resolution. This means when you choose to download the original version of any of our photos you’ll be getting the “master” of the .jpg file! We get lots of requests for photo masters and now you can easily download them direct from our Flickr sets. BTW. We’ve got almost 92,000 photos in there with almost 4.4 million views to date! We love taking and sharing photos!

With all the farm bill activity in Congress this past week, our latest ZimmPoll asked “What’s your opinion of committee farm bill?” From the results, most think it’s better than nothing.

Our poll results: 18% said Better Than Nothing and Other, 14% said Hits Nutrition Too Hard and Bad For Everyone, nine percent said Senate Better Than House, Bad For Farmers, Will Help Conservation and Great For Everyone, and nobody said House Better Than Senate. Poll results are all over the charts this week with mixed reviews and disagreement with particular sections of the farm bill.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Is agriculture doing a bad job of marketing?” Marketing is key to a successful business or industry. The public often gets a bad taste for agriculture after “issues” hit the media. Do we cover our tracks and market the good along with the benefits to agriculture, not to mention the must haves of it? Let us know.

Here are some interviews and other audio files you might have missed this week:

Dr. Patrick Wall, University College Dublin, on the New Reality
Rebecca Timmons, Alltech, on the Algae Opportunity
AMI statement on USDA COOL decision
Carl Chaney, Chaney’s Dairy Barn, on marketing their products
Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech, on his vision of 2020
Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech, wraps up 2013 Alltech Symposium

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

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.

NCGA Chairman, Garry Niemeyer, on WRDA passage in Senate
AgChat Foundation Executive Director, Emily Zweber, on 2013 Agvocacy 2.0 Training Conference
Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow on farm bill
House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas on farm bill
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, on farm bill and other issues
John Simpson, Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, taking on activists in the courtroom
Bob Dinneen, RFA, on farm bill and RFS
Colin Woodall, NCBA, on farm bill
Mike Hergert, Red River Farm Network/Andy Vance, Feedstuffs, on NAFB Washington Watch

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

This week Chuck attended Farm Credit’s 2013 Idea Share where he participated in a panel discussion titled, “Meet the New Media.” He’s got more to share from the conference today on AgWired. There were a number of good tidbits you’ll find from the session like this tweet from Emily Zweber, Executive Director, AgChat Foundation, who was on the panel, “Social media is one more tool in the toolbox of risk management strategies for your farm.” @ezweber. The conference Twitter hashtag is: #IdeaShare2013. Yes, social media is the new media of today and that makes us all, “media!!”

We are so pleased with the response to our new agri-blogging internship program. It was tough to choose just one for the summer semester, but we finally decided on Maggie Seiler – a sophomore at Kansas State University dual majoring in agricultural communications and journalism and animal sciences and industry.

We are not wasting any time getting Maggie on the agri-blogging highway. She will be joining Chuck next week for the 2013 Alltech Symposium in Lexington, Kentucky and you can expect to meet her at other events this summer.

Welcome, Maggie! And thank you to all the students who have applied. We’ll be selecting fall interns in July.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many generations are you removed from the farm?”

Our poll results: Thirty percent say they are “One Generation, My Parents are Farmers,” 23% are “Two, My Grandparents Were Farmers,” 22% say “None, I’m a Farmer,” nine percent are not farmers but work in the ag industry, seven percent have “No Direct Farm Connection,” and three percent say “Three, My Great-Grandparents Were Farmers,” “More Than Three,” or “Other.” It is safe to say that most of our followers are not far removed from the farm, if at all!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Are so-called “ag gag” bills fair?” In the wake of undercover videos at animal agriculture operations that have shown abuse, and especially those that were compiled over a period of time, edited and then released to the public without doing anything to stop the abuse or take it to the proper authorities, several states have passed legislation making that illegal. Most of the laws simply require mandatory reporting of animal cruelty when it happens but opponents have labeled them “ag gag” laws that would suppress efforts to document and publicize animal abuse. Those in favor prefer to call them “See Something, Say Something” bills. Do you feel that the so-called “ag gag” bills are prohibitive? Will these laws hamper efforts to stop animal cruelty? Does this impede our efforts for transparency in the food systems? Let us know.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:

Janet Thompson, farm girl, economist, wife, mom, on farm privacy
Regina Gill, Farm Credit Funding Corporation, on state of Farm Credit System
Janet Riley, American Meat Institute, on new animal handling videos
Ethanol Report with Bob Dinneen, RFA, on current events

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

This week our Jamie Johansen has been to the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit courtesy of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council. Her coverage is appearing on AgWired.com. After having a break from the agriblogging highway things will kick into high gear next week when Chuck heads to New Orleans to participate in a panel for the Farm Credit Idea Share 2013. We’ll continue to see you out and about! BTW. If you don’t have us on your schedule please let Chuck or Dave know.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question “Does celebrity media attention sway your purchasing/listening/watching decisions? (e.g. Carrie Underwood supporting HSUS)”

Our poll results: Sixty-four percent said No, sixteen percent said Yes, eleven percent said Carrie Underwood Who, seven percent said Depends on the Celebrity, and two percent said Other. It looks like our audience doesn’t make decisions based on what media coverage of so called “celebrities.” How about you? Do you think differently? Let us know.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question,How many generations are you removed from the farm? With fewer and larger farms in the United States, not as many people are involved in production agriculture as 40 years ago. What is your family connection to farming? Let us know.

Here are some audio files from this week you might have missed. Don’t forget to check out AgNewsWire for more each week.

Tyler Hackstadt, Monsanto, on Warrant herbicide
USDA/EPA Honey Bee Report presser
John Grandin, GROWMARK, on nutrient management with late planting
Steve Hershberger, ComBlu, on most important word in social media

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Last week we announced our new Agri-Blogging Internship Program during the 2012 Agri-Marketing Conference and we’ve already received applications from 30 students at universities from coast to coast! We are making this program open for sponsorship in order to be able to offer our interns the best possible experience. If your company or organization would be interested in becoming a sponsor of the first ever Agri-Blogging Internship program please contact Dave or Chuck for the details. We will be selecting one student for this summer and two for this fall.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What is the #1 thing you look for on a food label?”

Our poll results: Nineteen percent said other, sixteen percent said Low Sodium, fourteen percent Don’t Read Labels, thirteen percent said Reduced Fat, ten percent said Saturated Fat Content, and we had a tie at nine percent saying Non-GMO and Organic. Three percent said Heart-check Mark, Fat Free, and No Synthetic Hormones and one percent said All Natural. The majority of our viewers chose Other. Based on responses, “other” constituted calories, carbohydrates, and ingredients. Evidently our viewing audience has a different outlook than the audience being interviewed by media about the “big debates” such as antibiotics, hormones, and non-GMO foods.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Does celebrity media attention sway your purchasing/listening/watching decisions? (e.g. Carrie Underwood supporting HSUS)?” Recently in Tennessee, Carrie Underwood has been a big voice for HSUS by publicly pressuring the Governor to veto a bill that would possibly end undercover investigations of animal abuse in the state. Carrie has used Twitter to its fullest, tweeting “@BillHaslam It’s not all about big business. Please look out for the little guys! Show TN that you have a heart…#NoAgGag”. She goes on to explain to questioners and agvocates that she is not against agriculture just against animal abuse. Would you not purchase a ticket to a Carrie Underwood concert based on her recent rant? Let us know.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:
Charlie Hale, Becker Underwood, on seed treatments
John Glisson, Director of Research Pgms., US Poultry & Egg Association, on chicken flock modernization
NAMA President Paul Redhage, FMC, wrapping up 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference
Melissa’s Grandpa explains what farming used to be like from AgWalk
USDA/Dairy Energy MOU press call
Damian Mason, Agriculture’s Professional Funny Man, ag outlook
USDA Preview of G-8 International Conf. on Open Data press conference

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

The 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference is in the books and it was an impressive one. We had a near record attendance that was the highest since 2000. Twenty nine student NAMA chapters competed in their marketing competition with the University of Minnesota winning first place. Best of NAMA awards were awesome as usual. You can find the full list of winners in the latest digital issue of AgriMarketing Magazine. ZimmComm had a wonderful time talking with so many friends and clients, especially at our booth in the Connection Point. You can find almost 400 photos from this year’s conference online to view and share now. Chuck and Cindy have a number of interviews still to post from the conference when they get back home to ZimmComm World Headquarters. If you made it to the Brownfield party then you can find photos here. We’ve still got more to add later today. And yes, lots of fun was had by all.

Now it’s time to look forward to 2014 when we go to Jacksonville, FL!

This week ZimmComm announced an ongoing educational opportunity for students – the Agri-Blogging Internship. We’ve had many students already apply. Please feel free to direct any you know to our online application form.

Also this week ZimmComm announced some major changes to AgNewsWire.com. For all you ag media out there, this is your online ag news media service. Ag media will find all our media content posted there including news conferences, interviews, photos, videos and more. We publish a lot of media content and the ag media can utilize it at no charge. So you farm broadcasters will find lots of audio to cut up for programming, web editors will find audio/photos/video for use and publication editors will find the same and can request masters of any photos we publish online for publication purposes with no strings attached.

For you agrimarketers, AgNewsWire is now much more than just a news release distribution service, which we still do. You can now have us record your press conference and publish in this searchable online database of ag media news! So contact Chuck or Dave for more information on pricing and long term packages for discounts to get your news in this newly re-birthed online ag news service.

This week Jamie Johansen attended the 2013 Chicken Media Summit. The National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has once again brought together media from across the country to share their dedication to providing a wholesome product.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Have you started spring planting”

Our poll results: Sixty-two percent said No, I’ve Been Delayed More Than One Week, twenty-three percent said Yes, I’m In the Field Right Now, and fifteen percent said No, I’ve Been Delayed by One Week. The late winter storms and heavy rain showers seem to have put a damper on the majority of farmer’s spring planting plans.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is the #1 thing you look for on a food label?” Reading food labels has become more popular with media attention about health risks. What are some of the things you look for in the grocery store? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

Bill Wheldon, VP, Global Outreach & Development, Elanco Animal Health on animal source foods
Thad Simons, Novus International, remarks upon receiving NAMA Agribusiness Leader of Year Award
Steve Vandeberg, Merial Limited, remarks upon receiving NAMA Marketer of the Year Award
Mick Sibbel, remarks upon being honored for 20 yrs. service to Agri-Business Education Foundation

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

The opportunities will include all-expense paid trips to one or more industry events where students will assist in the compiling of photos, audio and video and posting of activities on pertinent websites. Interns will learn and develop the use of tools, techniques and technology to gather and distribute information through various social media channels. Per-diem and college credits may also be available.

YES! I’m interested in learning how to do some agri-blogging. Apply Below.
[contact-form]

The opportunities will include all-expense paid trips to one or more industry events where students will assist in the compiling of photos, audio and video and posting of activities on pertinent websites. Interns will learn and develop the use of tools, techniques and technology to gather and distribute information through various social media channels. Per-diem and college credits may also be available.

The events may include, but not be limited to:

2013
• World Pork Expo – Des Moines – June
• InfoAg Expo – Springfield – June
• Farm Progress Show – Decatur – August
2014
• Cattle Industry Convention
• National Biodiesel Conference
• National Ethanol Conference
• National Farm Machinery Show
• Commodity Classic

Students would be required to have some working knowledge of news gathering equipment and technology (i.e., camera, audio recorder, photo and audio editing software, etc.) as well as experience with social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Some pre-event training will be provided, but most of it will be “on the job” experience.

“We generate so much content on our agricultural and renewable energy websites that we decided to create one place for all of it to make it easier for people in the industry to locate and utilize,” said ZimmComm New Media president Chuck Zimmerman. “Last year we covered nearly 70 different industry events, posted more than 1200 audio files and placed nearly 20,000 high resolution photos in Flickr albums. All of that content is available for anyone to download and use free of charge.”

AgNewsWire.com will now have links to all the audio, photos and video that ZimmComm compiles at events, for podcasts, news conferences and more. In addition, AgNewsWire will also continue to be an agricultural news release distribution service as it has been since it was introduced in 2006.

To make it easier for reporters and others in the industry to stay updated on the latest content, subscribing to the RSS feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/agnewswire/EISk) will provide immediate notification via email whenever new content is posted.

“As media ourselves, we know how difficult it is to make it to all of the industry events that are held each year, so we hope this will help other reporters access content for events that they might have otherwise missed,” Zimmerman added.

AgNewsWire will also include long form audio of industry press conferences and interviews on current agricultural issues.

Happy week before the national Agri-Marketing Conference! Next week Chuck & Cindy will be in Kansas City attending the conference with a ZimmComm exhibit in the Connection Point. We will see you from there and you can also follow coverage on AgWired.com.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How do you combat social media overload?” We live in a new media world where we can communicate instantly with one person or the whole world. Does it ever bother you? Do you have to take a break from it all?

Our poll results: Twenty-five percent said Focus On 1 or 2 Social Networks, twenty-three percent said Physically Talk To People, thirteen percent Turn Devices Off For a While, ten percent Don’t Get Overloaded, eight percent Do Farm Chores and said Overload, What Overload?, five percent Set Time Limits, Read a Book, and Other. Based on poll results, focusing on one or two social media networks rather than all of them helps most people keep the chaos at ease.

Our new ZimPoll is now live and asks the question, “Have you started spring planting?” The weather has been less than predictable over the last month, this time last year many of you were already in the fields. Has it delayed your spring planting date? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

• Elanco investment in China Animal Health Care press conference
• Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF, on Farm Bill plan
• Dan Misener, Misener Family Harvesters, on Great American Wheat Harvest
• Growth Energy Washington, DC press conference

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Earlier this week we told you about World Backup Day on AgWired. Hopefully, you’re heeding the good advice about backing up your computers and mobile devices. Don’t be one of the people who decides they better start after losing everything! You’ll find advice as well as some ideas and solutions in that post.

To date we’ve produced 389 episodes of our weekly ZimmCast, the AgWired podcast. Hard to believe we’ve been producing it for that long! Please let us know if you’ve got topic ideas and people you’d love to hear us interview for it.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Has winter weather affected drought conditions in your area?”

Our poll results: Fifty percent said Yes, thirty-two percent said No, and eighteen percent said it’s Too Early To Tell. Seems the drought of 2012 may not be over.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How do you combat social media overload?” With the weekly AgChat Twitter Conversation turning 4 years old it is obvious that something is working when it comes to farmers and industry using social media to advocate for their industry. But even if you are not actively agvocating you’re probably using some form of social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and there are many more. So our question comes out of this week’s AgChat. For many it is easy to get so engrossed by the online conversation, especially with mobile devices like smart phones and tablets, that they start feeling overwhelmed by it all. Let us know … Are you on social media overload?

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:

• Gavin Gibbons, National Fisheries Institute, on repeal of catfish inspection program
• Dr. Howard Brown, GROWMARK, on the MOM approach

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

We wish everyone a very blessed and happy Easter weekend. We’ll be taking time off for this solemn and joyful celebration starting on Good Friday.

Come visit ZimmComm at booth 402 in the 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference Connection Point. We’ll be announcing a fantastic booth giveaway drawing and of course there will be a new ZimmComm announcement at the show. Hope to see you there.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do you support continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)?”

Our poll results: Fifty-seven percent say Yes, It’s Working, Twenty-nine percent say No, It’s Not Working, twelve percent ask What is the RFS?, and a small portion at two percent say Other. Over half of you support the continuation of the Renewable Fuel Standard. For those who ask what is the RFS? The Renewable Fuel Standard regulations were developed by EPA in collaboration with refiners, renewable fuel producers, and many other stakeholders. The RFS program requires 36 billion gallons of renewable-fuel to be blended into gasoline by 2022.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Has winter weather affected drought conditions in your area?”Drought conditions coupled with below average snowfall are resulting in low topsoil moisture. Do you think this will impact the 2013 growing season? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:
• Lisa Safarian, Monsanto, on new licensing agreement with Dupont Pioneer
• Dr. Terry Kastens, farmer, on smart machine technology ROI
• AJ Woodyard, BASF, on comprehensive pest management
• Mark Dehner, GROWMARK, on spring fuel quality management

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Happy Ag Day Week and the start of spring. Sorry so many of you still have cold and winter weather. Must be that global cooling thing!

This week Chuck went to National Ag Day activities in Washington, DC, courtesy of the American Seed Trade Association and BCS Communications. He got some great photos and still has more story posts to share on AgWired. The ZimmComm team gets a break from the agriblogging highway until the annual Agri-Marketing Conference which will be in Kansas City, MO this year. We’ll have some news to share there and hope to see many of you.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Have you recently purchased a gun?”

Our poll results: Thirty-three percent said Yes, Already Own Guns while twenty-nine percent said No, Don’t Own Any. Nineteen percent said No, Have Enough, Eleven percent said Planning To, five percent said Yes, First Gun Purchase, and three percent said Other. Looks like most of you have one or more guns. Let’s hope that ammo for those guns becomes available again soon! Right now it’s very difficult to find any and we all know that to be proficient in using a gun, it takes practice/practice/practice.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you support continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)?” The Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, program, was first created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and established the first renewable fuel volume mandate in the United States. It was expanded in 2007 and increased the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into transportation fuel from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The program includes ethanol, biodiesel and advanced biofuels with the goal of helping America become less dependent on foreign petroleum.

The RFS continues to be challenged by the oil industry, some livestock and poultry interests and food retailers for various reasons but the biofuels industry contends the program is working as intended and has resulted in lower imports of foreign oil. What do you think?

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week on our websites:
• Dr. Gary Fellows on performance of BASF Crop Protection Priaxor
• Whitney Bowman, Ag Day written essay contest winner reads her essay
• Leigh Ann Cleaver & Kelly Schwalbe talk about Ag Day and BCS Communications
• Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Ag Day remarks
• Congressman Frank Lucas talks about Ag Day and farm bill
• USFRA Ag Day Educational Session on New Language of Food & Modern Agriculture
• AgFanatics – Listen and learn
• Agri-Pulse Farm to Fork Politics Ag Day Session

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Great American Wheat Harvest Sponsor Need: You know we’re sponsoring “The Great American Wheat Harvest” documentary that is in production now. Conrad Weaver, the film’s director, is in need of a couple of items for the film crew. Those include a truck like a Ford F-150 (American made) four wheel drive with crew cab and towing package for RV trailer. They also need an RV trailer which could sleep 6-8 people in which the crew would stay as they travel the country following custom harvesters this year. The trailer will also be where they would do in field post production editing. Sponsorships are available for these items that include media alerts, website listing and film credits as well as logo wraps for the film and sponsor on the truck and logo on the trailer as well. Please contact Conrad ASAP if you would like to provide this support at 301-606-7794.

It’s almost spring and that means it is almost Ag Day. Chuck will in Washington, DC, next week for National Ag Day activities. Follow along on AgWired starting next Tuesday!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Will the sequester monster impact you personally?”

Our poll results: Fifty-two percent said No it will not impact you. Twenty-one percent said Yes, Major Impact, seventeen percent said Yes, Minor Impact, and ten percent said I Don’t Know. So most of you do not expect to be affected by the sequester monster. Wonder what all the fuss was about.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Have you recently purchased a gun?” The Second Amendment states that you have the “right to keep and bear arms.” Do you practice that right? Has all the talk about new gun laws stimulated you to go out an purchase that gun you’ve been wanting? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:
• Jay Kriss, Director of Harvesting The High Plains film documentary
• Caren Schmidt, Technical Market Manager in corn fungicides for BASF
• Dupont Pioneer Field360 press conference
• USFRA announces Next Generation Farmers Documentary press conference
• AJ Woodyard, BASF Personality Profile
• Paul Welbig, Raven Precision, on XL Solutions
• Custom Harvesters Tracy Zeorian & Kent Braathen on Great American Wheat Harvest Documentary
• Kathy Michael, John Deere, on JD Link and “seeing” your machine in the field
• Brad Rouse, Trimble, on connecting regardless of color

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

After a wild couple of weeks the ZimmComm team gets a break in the action. You’ll see Chuck next in Washington, DC for National Ag Day activities courtesy of the American Seed Trade Association. We’re also starting preparations for the April Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, MO. Plan to visit us in the Connection Point to learn what’s new with this little new media company. We will have some “what’s new” to share with you there!

This week we shared some interesting information about Twitter users with you that comes from a Pew Research Center study. One of the key findings is that the reaction to major events, especially political, often differs from public opinion. A big reason why are the demographics of Twitter users who tend to be younger and more likely to be Democrats. Interesting stuff which you read more on here.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What are your spring planting intentions for corn?”

Our poll results: Forty-four percent said More Than 50% and twenty-five percent said 50% Corn. Tying for 3rd, thirteen percent said less than 25% and Other. Six percent said 25% Corn. Even with the extreme drought conditions our poll shows that the majority of you are going to continue planting a lot of corn!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Will the sequester monster impact you personally?” U.S. sequestration ordered by President Obama officially began Friday March 1st. Will sequestration impact you? Let us know.

Here are some interviews you might have missed from this week:
• Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey on the state being the 4th largest producer of corn in world
• Michelle Vigna, Monsanto, on new Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System
• Sheldon Gerspacher, New Holland, on new P2000 Series Disk Drills
• Andy Lavigne, ASTA, on new Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship
• Dr. Dale Polson, BIVI, on vertical transmission of PRRS
• ASA Press Conference from Commodity Classic
• Pam Johnson, NCGA President, on corn grower priorities
• Ashley Fischer, Beck’s Hybrids, positive outlook for 2013
• Mark Leitman, PERC, on role of propane on the farm

And you’ll find a lot more on our websites. Remember that you click on the links above to listen to or download .mp3 files!

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

It is another big week for the ZimmComm team. Chuck started the week at The Meat Conference in Nashville and from there he met up with Cindy at the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum preceding Commodity Classic. Then Cindy attended the BASF Behind the Science event and on to Commodity Classic thanks to BASF and New Holland. While Commodity Classic is finishing up Chuck is working with Jamie Johansen and Cindy has flown cross country to San Diego for a swine vet conference courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim. We just might be ready for a short break!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Does warranty influence your decision to purchase new equipment?”

Our poll results: Almost all of you at eighty-seven percent said Yes, while thirteen percent said No. This poll certainly shows that warranty is a major consideration when shopping for new equipment!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What are your spring planting intentions for corn?” The severe drought of 2012 may influence farmers to try something different this planting season. Will it affect how many acres of corn you plant for the 2013 crop? Let us know.

Here are some interviews you might have missed this week:

• Richard Petty talks meat and ethanol at Meat Conference
• Melvin & Patricia Cripe, Michigan, winners of New Holland Boomer 20 Tractor
• Patrick Delaney, ASA, talks about record breaking Commodity Classic
• Paul Rea, BASF, R&D for the future
• Mike Cornman, New Holland, on new big balers
• Eric Peters, Bayer CropScience & Lauren August, MS Technologies on Balance GT

You will find many more interviews to enjoy and share on AgWired so please check it out.

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

The ZimmComm team got a break from the agriblogging highway this week. That has given us time to get a lot of interviews posted from recent events like the National Biodiesel Conference, National Ethanol Conference, Cattle Industry Convention, International Poultry Expo, AG CONNECT Expo and National Farm Machinery Show. Now it’s time for the team to get on the road again. Chuck heads out tomorrow for The Meat Conference in Nashville and then on to Kissimmee for Commodity Classic. He’ll be joined there by Cindy and Jamie. Then Cindy heads from there to San Diego for a Boehringer Ingelheim event. Whew.

Here’s a reminder to our ag media friends. Please feel free to use any interviews, speeches or photos you find on our websites. You’ll now find much more of this content on AgNewsWire.com! Yes, we’re working on some changes to this service which is what we started out with nine years ago. More to come on that when we get to the Agri-Marketing Conference in April.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What grade would you give Ag Sec. Vilsack during his first term?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at twenty-nine percent gave Vilsack an A. Twenty-two percent said D; eighteen percent said B; seventeen percent said C; and fourteen percent said F. Since the poll grades were similar across the board we decided to calculate his overall average. On his first term paper Vilsack scored a C+.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Does warranty influence your decision to purchase new equipment?” When shopping for new equipment there are many factors to consider that may make or break a purchase decision. Is warranty one of the top considerations? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:
• Barry Nelson, John Deere, Ag Council of America Chair, on National Ag Day
• Ray Bingley, JCB, on new telescopic wheel loader
• Barry Newton, New Holland, new skid steer
• Chris Reat, Monsanto, cleaning field before planting
• Tracy Mack, GROWMARK, on river barge traffic
• Rip Rippetoe, President/CEO, Kentucky Fair Board, on National Farm Machinery Show
• Jim Bannerman, Alltech, on animal nutrition solutions
• John Urbanchuk, economist, on ethanol job creation
• Adam Walters, Ag Leader Technology, on SMS software

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

It’s National Farm Machinery Show week and Chuck is on location there doing story posts onto both AgWired and Precision Pays. Then the team gets a break before this year’s Commodity Classic in Orlando. Speaking of Commodity Classic, do you have the app? Yep, there’s now an app for that.

Today we’re announcing the Precision Pays iPad mini Giveaway Contest. There is a growing need for the coolest tablet device out there as farmers have so many mobile apps to choose from. So farmers just need to fill out the form to enter and hopefully like Precision Pays on Facebook and follow on Twitter!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What did you think of Ram Trucks Super Bowl ad?”

Our poll results: The majority at forty-eight percent said All of the Above; twenty-eight percent said Great Exposure for Ag; twelve percent said Very Well Done; six percent were Not Impressed; four percent Hope to See More Like It; and two percent said Other. The Ram Truck super bowl ad could have been controversial within the ag community, but from the looks of our poll, most of you can look past the fact that Paul Harvey, the voice of the commercial, was an animal activist and enjoy the message that he conveyed.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What grade would you give Ag Sec. Vilsack during his first term?” Vilsack has had an entire term under his belt, so how would you rate his performance as leader of the USDA? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

- Adam Prestegord, FMC, on insect management
- Barry Newton, New Holland Construction, on new excavators
- Colin Woodall, NCBA, on legislative successes in 2012
- Dan Brandt, MN Soybean grower, on biodiesel
- Corinne Fetter, Kentucky Fair Board, on this year’s National Farm Machinery Show
- Abe Hughes, New Holland, on new partnership with NCBA
- Meredith Corson, Sanding Ovations, sand sculpture at Cattle Industry Convention

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

This week was the “perfect storm” of industry events all happening at the same time to keep the ZimmComm team hopping. The National Ethanol Conference took place at the Wynn in Las Vegas at the same time the National Biodiesel Conference took place there at the Mirage. Chuck and Joanna focused on biodiesel while Cindy was our ethanol expert. Coverage from both events is still being posted to DomesticFuel.com and the Biodiesel Conference Blog. This was the 8th year we’ve been biodiesel blogging with the National Biodiesel Board! Chuck started his week in Las Vegas before joining Jamie in Tampa for the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention. You can find most of their coverage on AgWired.com as things wind down in the Sunshine State tomorrow. Oh, and btw, you will still find stories from AG CONNECT Expo being posted onto AgWired this week!

Looking ahead, you’ll find Chuck in Louisville, KY next week for the National Farm Machinery Show. Then it’s break time before Commodity Classic!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at sixty percent say Yes, thirty-three percent said No, four percent were Indifferent and four percent chose Other. Growing crops to use as biomass for producing fuel seems to be the best alternative to depleting our finite stocks of oil and they have the added benefit of being more friendly to our environment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What did you think of Ram Trucks Super Bowl ad?” The late conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech was the voice of the Ram Trucks Super Bowl 2013 commercial. Paul Harvey was a large voice for HSUS and an animal rights advocate. This may cause agriculturalists to have mixed feelings about Ram’s commercial. How do you feel about the commercial? Can you look past what he represented and smile about the message that he conveyed? Let us know.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:
- Lauren August, MS Technologies, talks about FG72 soybeans
- Andrew Cummings, Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, on AG CONNECT Expo
- Nick Shafer talks about John Deere FieldConnect
- National Beef Ambassadors at Cattle Industry Convention
- J.D. Alexander, President, NCBA, opening convention remarks
- National Ethanol Conference wrap-up with RFA’s Bob Dinneen
- Sec. of Ag Vilsack at Ethanol Conference and Biodiesel Conference
- Opening remarks at Biodiesel Conference from NBB’s Joe Jobe

There are a lot more interviews and presentations available. This gives you a sample though!

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Farm show season is in full gear and the ZimmComm team have ‘em covered. Chuck was in Kansas City for the AG CONNECT Expo while Cindy was in Des Moines for the Iowa Power Farming Show and Iowa RFA Summit. Jamie was in Atlanta for the International Poultry Expo. You can find their coverage using these links.

Next week is just as busy as Chuck, Cindy and Joanna will be in Las Vegas for the National Ethanol Conference and National Biodiesel Conference and then Chuck heads to Tampa with Jamie for the NCBA Convention.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many machines (tractors, etc.) does your farm own?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at thirty-five percent own 10+ machines and equipment. Twenty-five percent own 3-5, close behind was 6-9 at twenty-one percent, thirteen percent own 1-2, and six percent said other. As we suspected, every farm and farmer has a different way of doing things which means some need more machinery and some need less.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?” Biofuel production of corn produces several types of biofuels such as biodiesel, biogas and different bioalcohols. This high octane mixture can be used in most of today’s modern traditional types of vehicles. Is this the way of the future? Let us know what you think.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

Mike Olson, Ag Leader Technology, talks about what farmers are looking for in precision ag
Sara Truesdale Mooney, AG CONNECT Expo, sums up this year’s show
Barry Nelson, John Deere, describes new high tech exhibit
General Wesley Clark, Growth Energy, rallies the troops in Kansas City
Jamie Levine, Verenium, talks enzymes at Poultry Expo
USDA Undersecretary Dallas Tonsanger, optimistic about biofuels

Remember that you can find more interviews each week on AgWired.com; DomesticFuel.com; PrecisionPays.com and WorldDairyDiary.com.

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

It has been an interesting week as we’ve watched animal rights activists in action and showing their complete lack of civility and professionalism. We experienced it firsthand via comments on story posts and observed it during this week’s AgChat Twitter conversation on animal welfare. They probably think they can discourage farmers and those who support the people who are helping feed a hungry world but they would be wrong. We find continued inspiration from the stories and activities of today’s farmers like those recently selected as the Faces of Farming by the USFRA.

The coming week will be a busy one for the ZimmComm team. Chuck will be covering the AG CONNECT Expo while Cindy is in Iowa for the Iowa Power Farming Show courtesy of Ag Leader Technology and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. At the same time Jamie Johansen will be covering the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta courtesy of Novus International.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Should we sit down with HSUS in ‘common cause’?”

The results of this poll are skewed due to the hacking by HSUS. In the end, the poll read that eighty one percent voted Definitely, fifteen percent said Never, and four percent thought we Should in some cases. The attempt to affect our poll reflects the HSUS/PETA goal of an end to animal agriculture. They are working to get the livestock industry to make concessions that drastically change production methods. When that happens it becomes a very slippery slope very quickly. It will only be a short matter of time before allowing chickens more room in cages becomes allowing all animals the right to life. Treating animals humanely is not the same as treating them like they are humans – but many activists see no difference.

The hacking we are referring to was having almost 400 poll responses to the Definitely answer come in during a few hours one night last week and none since. If you take them out, the answer Never would have been the highest result by far.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How many machines (tractors, etc.) does your farm own?” Some of the urban folk believe that if you own more than 1-2 pieces of machinery, that would classify you as a large farmer. We disagree with that. So let’s see how many pieces of equipment most farmers/ranchers own. Let us know!

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:

• DuPont Pioneer Press Conference on new T-Series Soybeans
• Jessica Robinson, National Biodiesel Board, gives conference preview
• Luke Bozeman, BASF, talks about weed resistance

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Winter farm meeting time is in high gear. Chuck attended the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Nashville, TN this week and you can find his photos and interviews on AgWired. At the same time Cindy was attending a BASF Crop Protection Innovation Symposium for farmers in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Next up on the schedule is the last week of this month and it includes the International Poultry Expo courtesy of Novus International; AG CONNECT Expo & Summit; Iowa Power Farming Show courtesy of Ag Leader Technology and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. We’ll see you from all those places.

It’s a lot of travel time away from ZimmComm World Headquarters but we get to spend time with the greatest folks in the world. We have made so many friends over the years and value the time we get to work side by side them “out in the field.” We hope to see you somewhere soon.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question,”What do you think is top story of 2012?”

Our poll results: It looks like the majority of you at fifty-seven percent felt like “The Drought” was the top story for 2012. “No Farm Bill” came in at fourteen percent and ten percent said “USDA Meatless Monday Uproar.”

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Should we sit down with HSUS in “common cause?” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s comments at the AFBF annual meeting this week about sitting down in common cause have attracted a number of comments on AgWired and on social networks. So we thought this week’s poll might produce some interesting feedback. Let us know what you think.

Here are some interviews from this week you might have missed:
• Brian McIntyre, VP of Broadband, DISH, talks about expanding dishNET offerings to rural America
• Zack Hunnicutt, Nebraska farmer, new Chair of the AFBF YF&R Committee
• Archie Manning, former NFL quarterback, talks family, faith and football
• Janice Person, Monsanto, on social media and farmers
• Paul Rea, BASF, talks about communicating with farmer customers
• Randy Childress, FMC, talks about Display results
• Sec. of Ag Vilsack speech to AFBF annual mtg.

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

The ZimmComm team is back on the agriblogging highway with stops in San Antonio, Key West and Nashville. That’s an interesting mix. Cindy attended the last Beltwide Cotton Conferences (in the format that included a trade show) while Chuck was working with the NAMA Exec. Comm. on organizational business. From there he travels to Nashville for the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting. You can expect to see his coverage of that meeting starting this weekend.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How do you feel about the fiscal cliff compromise?”

Our poll results: Forty-one percent said Sick of Congress; thirty-two percent said Disgusted; 15 percent said Disappointed; five percent said Pleased and Hopeful; and one percent said Thrilled. Looks like the majority of you are tired of hearing about Congress!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What do you think is top story of 2012?” 2012 was a wild year for farmers. What do you think the top story was? We’re listing the top ones we’ve seen here and on other farm news sites like AgriMarketing.com. There certainly are more stories. Feel free to add your ideas if they’re not on the list here in comments or in comments on the poll.

Here are some interviews from the last week that you might have missed:
• Mark Lange, National Cotton Council President, Washington update
• Rusty Mitchel, FMC, on new Display for cotton
• Chuck Coley, Chairman, National Cotton Council, optimistic about 2013
• Kenneth Hood, producer/cotton ginner, on Beltwide conference changes
• Allen Wilson, Harvest Masters, on new Mirus software

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

Welcome to the new year! It’s already off to a fast start for ZimmComm New Media. We’ve been taking a look at all the 2012 statistics. By that I mean website traffic, social media impressions, what stories got the most individual attention, etc. It’s very interesting. It also showcases very clearly how difficult it is to compile all this data into a meaningful report. There’s just so much of it. I guess we’re creating big data now!

Consider AgWired for a minute. In order to find out total impressions in a month you have to look up Google Analytics for “traditional” traffic to the website itself. Then you have to look up Flurry data to see how many devices have the AgWired App on them and how often users check AgWired on it (that number is 1.6 times/day on avg. btw). Then you have to look up impressions for all the websites that display the AgWired Widget via Widgetbox. We then look up social media impressions via Sprout Social for Twitter and Facebook. You also have to add in this weekly ZimmNews impressions via Constant Contact and the number of subscribers to AgWired’s RSS feed via Feedburner. Finally, we use Awstats to look up individual file downloads (audio interviews, etc). I’m out of breath just thinking about it! But suffice it to say that the audience (impressions) is significant and has grown tremendously since we started AgWired back in August of 2004. Over 8 years of agriblogging. Who’d have thought?

Speaking of the AgWired App. We’re seeking a new sponsor. There are currently over 6,500 devices with the app on it and it is being checked on average 1.6 times per day. There may actually be many more since we didn’t get good data capture set up when we first launched the app a couple of years ago. I could speculate but let’s just deal with the numbers we can see now. On the iOS platform over 80% of our users are heavy news/magazine readers and over 60% are very into technology/gadgets. Sound like anyone you know?

So, If you’re interested in becoming the next AgWired App sponsor please let Chuck or Dave Larson know. We would be happy to come up with some creative ideas for your sponsorship that would go beyond just posting your ads into the app itself. Very big thanks go out to Raven for being the inaugural sponsor of the AgWired App. It took a company as technically innovative as Raven to see the opportunity that our growing mobile audience would create!

We’ll be getting back on the agriblogging highway next week as Cindy heads to San Antonio for the Beltwide Cotton Conference courtesy of sponsor FMC. It’s the last time the conference will be held in the format that includes a trade show so it will be a historic event. Chuck will head to Key West for a NAMA executive committee mtg. before heading to Nashville for the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting. We’re off to the races.

We’d like to thank Rhea + Kaiser for being the inaugural sponsor of our ZimmPoll two years ago! We started a trend as we soon saw a number of other entities begin regular online polling!

Now let’s welcome and say thanks to our new ZimmPoll sponsor, New Holland Agriculture. We’ll be working closely with New Holland to develop timely and industry pertinent questions throughout 2013. Please feel free to chime in with your ideas and participate when you can.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How would you rate 2012? 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent”

Our poll results: Thirty percent said 3; twenty six percent said 4; seventeen percent said 5; seventeen said 1; eleven percent said 2. By the looks of our poll most of you thought 2012 was a pretty good year. Hopefully, you will feel the same about 2013.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” How do you feel about the fiscal cliff compromise?” Most early industry comments we’ve seen express disappointment since we only have a temporary extension of the farm bill among other things. What do you think?

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.

We’re betting that many of you now have a new smartphone or tablet. So whether it’s an iPad of any version or an Android you can get your ZimmComm news on it most easily via the AgWired App! Within the app you’ll also find the news feeds from all of our ZimmComm News Network websites, AgWired.com; DomesticFuel.com; PrecisionPays.com and WorldDairyDiary.com. You’ll also find our main Twitter feeds and the feed from our YouTube and Flickr accounts.

Best of all it’s Free!

So click here to find out where you can get the AgWired App and have an Appy New Year.

January
Starting off the year looking for a house in Pensacola, Florida and did all of our travel for the month from the beach, going to -

Honolulu for the AFBF Annual Mtg.
Jacksonville for a NAMA Exec Comm mtg.
Orlando with FMC for the Beltwide Cotton Conferences
Des Moines – Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
Atlanta with Novus for International Poultry Expo
Nashville with Cattlemen’s Beef Board and NCBA for Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show

February
Returned to central Missouri after making an offer on a house just north of Pensacola and had a busy month of travel to -

Orlando for National Biodiesel Conference
Bettandorf, Iowa in Pursuit of Maximum Yields with FS GreenPlan Solutions
Collinsville, Illinois in Pursuit of Maximum Yields with FS GreenPlan Solutions
Louisville with AgLeader, Fastline, FMC and New Holland for National Farm Machinery Show
Orlando with Renewable Fuels Association for National Ethanol Conference
Nashville for Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum
Nashville for BASF Science Behind Future of Weed Control

March and April
Getting ready to re-locate world headquarters to the Florida panhandle in between trips to -

Nashville with New Holland, BASF and John Deere for Commodity Classic
Washington DC with ASTA and Agri-Pulse for National Ag Day
Denver for BIVI Swine Health Seminar
Charleston, SC for Ag Relations Council annual meeting
Various locations in Illinois on GROWMARK media tour
Kansas City for NAMA
New Holland, PA for New Holland Media Event

May and June
Getting unpacked, settled in and used to traveling through Atlanta to get anywhere -

Arlington, VA with NCBA and USB for Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Meeting
Lexington for Alltech International Symposium
Mississippi Delta with Agrotain for CTIC Conservation in Action Tour
Indianapolis with NCGA for National Corn Utilization Technology Conference
Chicago for BASF Ag Solutions Media Summit
Minneapolis for Fuel Ethanol Workshop
Des Moines with BIVI for World Pork Expo
Washington DC for ASTA annual meeting
Minneapolis for NAMA Exec. Comm. mtg.
Des Moines for John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit

July and August
May have been our busiest months ever -

Indian Creek Watershed Illinois with AGROTAIN for CTIC field tour
Vincent, Iowa for Wyffles Hybrids Corn Strategies
Ames, Iowa for FMC Anthem Field Plot Tours
Indianapolis with John Deere for International Precision Ag Conference
Panama City Beach for Southern Peanut Growers Conference
RTP, NC for Bayer CropScience Greenhouse 5 opening
Chicagoland Speedway with Illinois corn Growers for NASCAR race
Sioux Falls, SD for Raven Innovation Summit
Denver for Cattle Industry Summer conference
Ames, IA for visit to Ag Leader Technology Headquarters
Albuquerque with FMC for Ag Media Summit
Detroit for USB Biobased Stakeholders Summit
Little Rock, Ark for AgCareers HR Roundtable
Omaha for American Coalition for Ethanol 25th annual meeting
Wrightsville Beach, NC for BIVI Swine Health Seminar
Sweden for International Federation of Agricultural Journalists congress
Collinsville, IL for Bayer CropScience Respect the Rotation field day
Kansas City for NAMA Boot Camp and AgChat Agvocacy 2.0
Boone, IA with AgLeader, New Holland, Monsanto and John Deere for Farm Progress Show
Chicago for GROWMARK annual meeting

September through December
Quieter than the previous two months but still on the road quite a bit -

Chicagoland Speedway with Illinois Corn Growers for NASCAR
Minneapolis for NAMA Fall conference
Madison, WI with Charleston Orwig and New Holland for World Dairy Expo
New Orleans with RFA for Congress for Automotive Repair and Service
Des Moines with Elanco for World Food Prize
Tulare, CA for O.H. Kruse dealer appreciations
Minneapolis with RFA for Export Exchange
Indianapolis for Agronomics Conference and NSFMRA
Kansas City with BASF and FMC for NAFB
New York City with USFRA for Food Dialogues
Kansas City with BIVI for PRRS Seminar
Savannah, GA with BASF for NAAA annual convention
Chicago for ASTA CSS 2012 and Seed Expo

We hope everyone has had a very blessed and merry Christmas. We wish you a very happy New Year too!

The ZimmComm Team gets back on the agriblogging highway in just over a week as Chuck attends a NAMA Executive Committee mtg. before heading to Nashville for the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting while Cindy attends the Beltwide Cotton Conference. We’re looking forward to a great 2013 as we are out and about with friends and clients involved in the greatest industry there is!

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What kind of Christmas tree do you have?”

Our poll results: Fifty-one percent said artificial tree; thirty-three percent said real tree; eleven percent said none and four percent said other. These results surprised us but between people with allergies and the convenience and reusability of artificial maybe they shouldn’t have.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How would you rate 2012? 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent” There were a lot of big news items this year: the Olympics; Presidential election; Drought; Hurricane Sandy; the death of Whitney Houston; the new iPad and iPhone. But how did the headlines affect your year? Did it make it a stellar year or just a ho-hum kind of year? Let us know, and Happy New Year!

You can find the full e-Newsletter here and subscribe here.