AgWired

John Steeves, Head of Rural Business Economics, North America, Rabo AgriFinance, has moved into the U.S. from Canada to work more closely with producers for the company. He has already spent time meeting with cattle producers and feedlots in several regions of the country. So, spending time at CattleCon 2025 was a no-brainer. I met John in the media room ... Read More

At CattleCon 2025 Ranchbot launched Trough Direct, a stand-alone trough monitor with direct satellite connectivity enabling near real-time water levels and consumption data through the MyRanchbot app. The Trough Direct operates independently and can be easily installed with a side or top mount to accommodate a wide variety of trough types. To learn more about it I interviewed Andrew Coppin, ... Read More

During the CattleCon 2025 an open screening of the documentary, World Without Cows (Sponsored by Alltech), was on the big screen in the general session room. I was able to see the screening and highly recommend it. On the stage are Dr. Mark Lyons, CEO, Alltech and the filmmakers Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth. I talked with Dr. Lyons after ... Read More

With a new Congress and a new administration, there are lots of new people who need to be educated about the importance of crop insurance and CIRB has its work cut out for it this year. “Obviously we are hoping to get a farm bill again this year,” said Tara Smith, Deputy Executive Vice President of the Crop Insurance and ... Read More

This week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Executive Committee approved the organization’s policy priorities at CattleCon 2025. This year the focus will be on engaging with the Trump Administration and Congress to expand opportunities for producer profitability. “Right now it’s all about the first 100 days of a new administration. That’s really the focus of everything in Washington right ... Read More

Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein stepped into the role of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president during CattleCon 2025, held this week in San Antonio, Texas. As president, Wehrbein sees both challenges and opportunities ahead, but he’s confident that NCBA’s unifying presence will remain critical to addressing key issues facing farmers and ranchers. He is particularly passionate about fostering opportunity for ... Read More

Members of the Crop Insurance Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) are holding their annual meeting this week in Florida at a critical time for the industry. “This meeting is very important just with the current political landscape, the change changing of the guards, if you will for multiple agencies across the the government with the Risk Management Agency being one of them,” ... Read More

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) National winner is Downey Ranch in Wamego, Kansas. The award, which annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers, was presented to Barb Downey and her husband, Joe Carpenter, during CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio. “We are stewards of the land; we’ve ... Read More

The biggest cattle industry event in the country kicked off today in San Antonio with thousands of cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders attending CattleCon 2025. The day started with a issues update from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association team of policy experts. The opening general session featured the return of Buzz Brainard, host of Music Row Happy Hour, as ... Read More

President Donald Trump has been very busy since his inauguration issuing executive orders, making changes, and freezing funding, but how will his actions impact the ethanol industry? In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper comments on some of the actions President Trump has taken and where ethanol’s priorities stand in the ... Read More

It’s time for the 2025 CattleCon. To get a preview of this year’s event I spoke with Kristin Torres, Executive Director of Meetings and Event, NCBA. She covers all the activities and if you’re interested you can also just link to the schedule here. CattleCon is where the beef industry meets! We’re headed to San Antonio February 4-6, 2025! At ... Read More

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. While Cindy was home during the major snow storm in Florida I was attending the Clean Fuels Conference in San Diego, CA. The weather was delightful for the conference. However, in the Pensacola, FL area there was eight to ten inches of snow, something that hasn’t happened in over 150 years! But it has ... Read More

Kent Engelbrecht serves as director of North American Biodiesel Trade Policy for ADM, one of the world’s leading biodiesel producers, oilseed crushers, and suppliers of soy and canola feedstocks for the renewable liquid fuels industry. Engelbrecht is also Chairman of the Clean Fuels America Alliance, and he is Chairman of the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance (CABA), as well as Advanced ... Read More

The Senate Agriculture Committee hosted the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture on Thursday. Brooke Rollins is the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute and worked in the previous Trump administration in the White House Office of American Innovation and United States Domestic Policy Council. Prior to that, she was the president ... Read More

The 2025 Clean Fuels Conference is being held this week in a very important market for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel – California. “Biodiesel and renewable diesel have displaced 75% of all diesel sold in the state,” said Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen in his opening remarks Tuesday. “It’s now harder to find diesel fuel in California than ... Read More

What would a world without cows be like? It would certainly be a different world for the people who raise cattle, so Alltech is offering an exclusive screening of the World Without Cows documentary at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show, CattleCon. The screening will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.– ... Read More

The 2025 Clean Fuels Conference is underway in San Diego bringing together industry leaders in the biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel markets with the theme “Accelerate.” Clean Fuels Alliance America CEO Donnell Rehagen says the meeting theme refers to the rapid growth and transformative progress of the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel industries. “We’re now a ... Read More

Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. ZimmComm is now entering its 21st year. Who would have thought? We officially announced our company at the 2004 National Agri-Marketing Conference. We had our first booth at the conference in 2005 which means we’ve exhibited for twenty of them! I thought you might like to hear the first audio podcast I recorded in ... Read More

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack leaves a job this week that he has held for 12 of the past 16 years, and as he goes, he says it has been both an honor and a privilege to serve. “Only one other person in the history of the country has had this job longer than I have and only five other ... Read More

At the start of 2025, the U.S. cotton industry is facing some tough times right now, according to National Cotton Council president and CEO Gary Adams. “It’s tough from an economic standpoint for producers,” said Adams this week at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. “We have seen costs that have increased substantially over the last several years. In ... Read More