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Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman. 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 January of 2005. We were just starting to figure out what we could do with our AgWired blog. It's a short episode. I'm going to share some other audio after this. So, that was the start and it has sure changed over the years. So, let's look at this year. I was working at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans and thought I'd focus on the outlook for cotton. I would not be surprised if there are some changes after the presidential inauguration. But I'm going to start with Gary Adams, CEO of the National Cotton Council. He talks about the cotton industry outlook and then moves onto the farm bill. Following Gary is Daren Abney, Executive Director, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. He talks about the last year of the program and an outlook of what's next. You can find a lot of photos as well as interviews and session audio on the AgNewsWire virtual ag newsroom here. I'm heading out next to San Diego for the Clean Fuels Conference and hoping the weather doesn't cause too many travel problems. It's looking like I'll miss the mess though. So, that's the ZimmCast for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
How effectively can you verify your sustainability claims and results? This question is becoming more imperative as the industry is now being held to higher standards to report and communicate their environmental impact. To meet these demands, companies need data. In 2020, the U.S. Cotton TrustProtocol was developed to collect and share farm-level data on six key metrics, providing participating brands and retailers with more insights into the profile of their cotton. “Those metrics are the overarching umbrella that help explain what's being done at the field level to an industry that's consuming that cotton,” said Daren Abney, executive director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. The other purpose of data collection is measuring progress. Setting goals, gathering baseline figures and then benchmarking against them lets the industry know how far it has come, and what gaps it still must close. “It's not just about collecting data,” said Deepika Mishra, Ph.D., standards and data lead consultant at the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “It's about using it to drive real, measurable improvements in the sustainability of cotton production.” Listen to Abney and Mishra in conversation with Jasmin Malik Chua, sourcing and labor editor at Sourcing Journal, to learn how the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is using traceability to give brands a full picture of the cotton supply chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday on AOA, powered by Cenex, we start the show by welcoming Chip Nellinger of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing to the show as we take a look at this week's market action in Segment One. Next up in Segment Two, we hear about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol's fourth Annual Report titled Transparency in Action with their Program Manager, Tillman White. Then in Segment Three, we head back to the NAFB Convention and hear a conversation about WOTUS and various Clean Water Act issues updates with Courtney Briggs, Senior Director of Government Affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation. We close the show in Segment Four with an update from activity this week on Capitol Hill with Jerry Hagstrom of The Hagstrom Report.
Combatting climate change has become a top target for the fashion industry, but reaching carbon-cutting targets will require action across the entire supply chain. In September 2022, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was named the lead recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, receiving funding and recognition as part of the USDA's Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities pilot projects to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help brands and retailers report against Scope 3 emissions reductions for cotton used in products. The Climate Smart Cotton Program is a five-year collaborative initiative that brings together partners from across the supply chain and provides additional benefits for growers, including technical and financial support. “The goal is really helping cotton growers improve their profitability, their operations and of course, their environmental stewardship,” said Daren Abney, executive director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. One of the participants, Louisiana-based Hardwick Planting Company, is taking a well-rounded approach to sustainability that includes returning unproductive farmland to natural and biodiverse habitats, paring back tillage and better targeting pest and weed control. Although many of these practices are longstanding, technology is enhancing these sustainability efforts. “Advances in technology…will continue to improve our ability to save inputs, be more precise; that really goes a long way,” said Mead Hardwick, partner at Hardwick Planting Company. Here, Abney, Hardwick and Sourcing Journal's sourcing and labor editor Jasmin Malik Chua discuss what the Climate Smart Cotton Program entails and how carbon-cutting measures are being rolled out at the farm level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol announced its expansion for the fifth consecutive year, both in enrolled growers and planted acres, and National Cattlemen's Beef Association confirmed the effort to prevent processed, lab-grown protein in the diet of the American armed forces was successful.
On Friday's AOA, we start the show with an update from the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol with Program Manager, Tillman White. Then for the rest of the show, it is our July Farmer Roundtable conversation as we talk about climate smart ag, Farm Bill and much more. Our guests on this month's roundtable are Jason Russell from Monticello, IA and Cavin Steiger from Forsyth, MT.
On Thursday's AOA, we start the show discussing the USDA Outlook Forum numbers and the market impacts with Mike Zuzolo from Global Commodity Analytics. In Segment Two, we listen back to a recent conversation Jesse had with Dave Hightower from The Hightower Report while at the AgMarket Conference in Nashville. In Segment Three, we catch up with U.S. Cattlemen's Association President Justin Tupper while he is in Washington D.C. at the USDA Outlook Forum. We then wrap the show talking about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and more with Tillman White on today's program.
*A Texan is at the helm of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. *The drought has financially stressed farmers in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. *The American Lamb Board is holding a grazing workshop in Temple on May 8th-10th. *Body condition scores are an important part of evaluating bulls. Interest rates have added to the cost of doing business. *Now is the time to plan your landscape for the coming year. *There are some new techniques that will help veterinarians diagnose dental disease in horses. *More captive deer than free range deer are tested for Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas.
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol reports total cotton acreage up 25%, and new research from USDA finds that in 2022 12.8% of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year.
U.S. cotton growers have been enrolling acres into the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol aimed at featuring the industry's sustainability efforts. Recently a new end user from Europe enrolled helping expand the efforts on a larger global scale. Tillman White is the Operations Manager for the Protocol and tells us about his role in working with growers, gins and end users.
*Texas A&M AgriLife held the 50th annual Sheep and Goat Field Day in San Angelo last weekend. *The Texas Sheep and Goat Expo was also held last weekend. *Pasture cropping may be a help to ranchers who need to increase their winter forage. *Cotton farmers are encouraged to practice climate smart management as part of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. *Some racehorses do not handle the stress of training well. *A record number of people attended the recent statewide quail symposium in Abilene.
Dr. Chad Brewer, Senior Scientist with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, called into the Crop Doctors' Podcast studio in Stoneville to visit with Jason and Tom about the benefits growers can receive as part of the Climate Smart Cotton Program, which is a sustainability initiative with partners across the cotton industry. To be eligible, growers must first complete enrollment in the Trust Protocol by September 1, 2023, and upload their 2023 bales by March 1, 2024. Growers are encouraged to get started today at https://trustuscotton.org.
This week: Deepika Mishra, global sustainability consultant at U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and farmer Mead Hardwick from Hardwick Planting talks with Ian Welsh about the growing potential for regenerative agriculture within the cotton sector. They discuss the current trends of data gathering in resource use and greenhouse gas emissions, and note the importance of resource efficiency alongside the transition to regenerative farming. Plus: minority of 'sustainable' EU funds align with green taxonomy; EU revising flagship Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations; US Envoy John Kerry meets with Chinese counterpart, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson. Host: Bea Stevenson
*Texas cotton farmers can now enroll in the Cotton Trust Protocol. *A Texas livestock producer is feeding a sugarcane waste product to his cattle. *Fed cattle prices are high right now, and that means things are going well for Texas High Plains feedyards. *The head of agricultural research for Texas A&M AgriLife would like to see several subjects addressed in the 2023 Farm Bill. *Technicians are needed to produce the heavy equipment that powers modern agriculture. *The use of probiotics in horses is being questioned. *Snakes play an important role in our ecosystem.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is making sure manufacturers, retailers and consumers understand that our growers are using science-based, sustainable practices to produce cotton.
Tillman White with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol joins the Cotton Companion to discuss the current status of the program and what's ahead for 2023 and beyond. Plus, two words: airbag jeans!
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I'm Chuck Zimmerman. I'm a little behind on this latest episode. The holidays and early conferences have kept Cindy and I very busy. This includes traveling to see family and that includes a beautiful wedding for one of our nieces. We are very blessed to be able to see so many of our family members. We're scattered all over the place so it's not easy. But worth it. So, I'm going to include a few of the interviews I conducted in the last two weeks. Let's start with the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. These interviews are from the Cotton Sustainability Conference. First up will be Dr. Gary Adams, President and CEO, National Cotton Council, talking about the U. S. Cotton Trust Protocol. Following Gary will be Dr. Jesse Daystar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Cotton Incorporated, talking about Climate Smart Cotton. There are a quite a few more interviews and other audio in the Beltwide Cotton Conferences virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com. That includes regulatory updates, cotton policy updates and a world cotton outlook. Now let's move to this week's VISION Conference conducted by Meister Media and held in Glendale, AZ. It is the 6th year for this conference. First up is Joe Monahan, President and COO of Meister Media. He talks about the conference theme of Harnessing the Power of Agriculture 4.0. Then you'll hear Rob Dongoski, Global Food & Agribusiness Leader, Ernst & Young. He has some great information about how technology will enable the future food system from producers to consumers. Coming up next on the ZimmComm schedule is the Clean Fuels Conference followed by the annual meeting of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau. I'm looking forward to them! I'd also like to remind you that you can subscribe, not only to the ZimmCast, but the ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast. That podcast contains all interviews or other audio files that we publish. You can find it in all the major podcast directories. Just search for ZimmComm Golden Mic Audio Podcast. So, that's the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for listening.
Don Parker is the Vice President for Technical Services with the National Cotton Council. Don visited the Crop Doctors' Podcast studio in Stoneville to visit with Jason and Tom about the organization and function of the National Cotton Council. He described the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, which is a sustainability initiative with partners across the cotton industry. To learn more about the U.S. Cotton Trust protocol or to enroll cotton bales in the program, visit their website at https://trustuscotton.org.
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol announces 3-year grower enrollment, and World food prices drop in May.
MtoM revisits the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol at a time when planting intentions begin to form and how this year could be a big one for sustainability by producers.
Dennis and RL chat with farmer Kellon Lee about farming and the US Cotton Trust Protocol. Deadline: April 30th
This episode starts from a recent report from Transformers Foundation debunking myths on the lack of sustainability in the cotton industry. Dr. Jesse Daystar, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated and special advisor to the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Andrew Olah, Founder of Transformers Foundation, and Marzia Lanfranchi, Cotton Advisor at Transformers Foundation, explain why the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol provides higher certainty on sustainability performance and why programs of this kind are the way to go.
Sustainability is more than a buzzword for some industries. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol uses six metrics to help producers improve soil loss, land use and other science aspects of their crop. In turn, a more transparent supply chain is available for those seeking to use American cotton.
Organics Unpacked Episode #22: Interview with Andy Jordan, Owner of Jordan Associates Today, organic cotton only constitutes less than one-half of 1% of all cotton grown globally. With the demand for organic cotton growing day by day, savvy organic growers are looking to enter this promising space. Still, there are many questions surrounding the future of organic cotton, which we aim to unpack this week, with special guest Andy Jordan. Andy is an agronomist working to find more effective methods for growing organic cotton. He is the owner of Jordan Associates and also works on sustainability standards for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. Learn more about Avé Organics: www.aveorganics.com Learn more about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol: www.trustuscotton.org Connect with our guest on LinkedIn #organicfarming
This episode shows how cotton can contribute to global ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Deepika Mishra, Global Sustainability Manager, National Cotton Council of America, and John Lindamood, a cotton grower from Tennessee, explain how the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol supports the reduction in GHGs. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #GHG #emissions #sustainability
Today William Green has a conversation with Alabama State Forester Rick Oates and Carla Hornady wraps up with information about the Cotton Trust Protocol. Please visit our sponsor, Alabama Ag Credit.
Farmers from 17 southern states supply more than a third of the world’s cotton and bring in $7 billion a year. But brands and retailers — cotton’s customers — are getting picky about how their cotton is produced. They want to assure their customers that farmers care about the environment. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol gives farmers a way to measure and improve soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and energy use, among other things. Dr. Andy Jordan, who helped write the protocol, explains how it works to Field Work hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora. They also discuss how the protocol might be adapted to other crops. Read more: Five questions about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
In this episode we talk about the importance of water for growing cotton and how the Trust Protocol is helping growers improve their water management practices. Dr. Jesse Daystar, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated and advisor to the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and Dr. Kris Johnson, Interim Director of Agriculture for North America at The Nature Conservancy, discuss how measurement and tracking can encourage better use of water, therefore making cotton production more sustainable. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #water
On today's show, Sabrina Halvorson reports on the discussion on California wildfires at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. We also talk to California cotton grower Aaron Barcellos about the U.S. Cotton Protocol and we kick off our National FFA Week interview segment by meeting the national officer Western Region Vice President David Lopez. Jason Scott debuts the new segment How it Works with a discussion on mycorrhizae.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol's goals are based on scientific evidence. In this episode we focus on the close links between academic research and cotton growers in the field. We discover what scientific research tells us and how it relates to Trust Protocol farms. We discuss these topics with two distinguished academics from the Trust Protocol board of directors: Lori Duncan from the University of Tennessee – who is a crop sustainability expert – and Marty Matlock from the University of Arkansas – who is an expert in resiliency and agricultural engineering. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #environment #academia #research
The latest national and Louisiana ag news, market information, and a visit with Louisiana cotton grower Ted Schneider of Lake Providence. Ted chairs the COTTON USA Sustainability Task Force that is responsible for implementing the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.
The latest national and Louisiana ag news, market information, and a visit with Louisiana cotton grower Ted Schneider of Lake Providence. Ted chairs the COTTON USA Sustainability Task Force that is responsible for implementing the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.