Category Archive

I am not surprised by the results of our latest ZimmPoll. The question was, “Do you believe in man made climate change?” If this doesn’t show a divided viewpoint then I don’t know what does. We just wanted a simple yes/no without trying to get into arguments over what science is better than another. Fifty two percent said yes and … Read More

Improving nitrogen/nutrient utilization (45%) was the top choice in answer to the ZimmPoll question, “What should the next seed traits focus on?” That was followed by drought tolerance at 23%, improve food/fiber profiles 14%, improve current traits 9% and other 9%. If you selected “other” what would you suggest? So there you go researchers. Let’s get with it and bring … Read More

We know many of you are very involved in the use of social media. But apparently a big portion of our audience isn’t convinced. Are they right? Here’s what our latest ZimmPoll found out. A whopping majority of 61% chose Less than average in answer to the question, “How do farmers compare in social media use?” That’s followed by 27% … Read More

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What causes higher food prices?” Most people responding seem to believe it’s a combination of factors – 47%. That’s followed by higher gas/energy costs at 23%, speculators at 18%, ethanol at 9% and weather at 3%. I wonder how the response would compare to an audience for a general news website like Fox or … Read More

Our last ZimmPoll asked the question, ” How should farmers respond to critical documentaries such as Food Inc.?” It’s not an easy question to answer really. Here’s what our poll results show. 45% said to Let their own actions shape their reputation, 43% said Promote ag through social media, 8% said Be informed but don’t initiate discussion and 3% said … Read More

What grade did you give U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for his mid-term? I think the results of our last ZimmPoll show how difficult it is to please everyone. We asked the question, “What mid-term grade would you give Ag Sec. Vilsack?” The votes for an A and an F were the highest and equal. 24% give him an … Read More

The earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan has repercussions in a variety of industries. Agriculture is no exception. Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How will Japan disaster affect US exports?” 61% said it will increase exports while 23% said decrease and 17% said no impact. So how has this disaster affected agriculture in Japan? You can learn more in … Read More

The latest ZimmPoll results are in. So your answer to the question, “When will planting season start this year?” is as follows: 37 percent say later than average, 36 percent say at the five year average (late March) and 27 percent say sooner than average. I’m guessing that some of those “sooner” folks are already out in the field! Our … Read More

It looks like Facebook is the big dog in the social media world according to you. Our last ZimmPoll asked the question, “Which social network do you use the most.” A majority say Facebook, 64%, followed by Twitter, 16%, YouTube, 8%, Linkedin, 5%, Other, 5%, Classmates.com, 1%, Flickr, !% and MySpace, 0%. I can’t remember when I’ve checked my MySpace … Read More

It sure looks like we have a long way to go to help educate the general public on GMO’s! In answer to the question, “How much do you think the public understands about GMO crops?” an overwhelming 70 % say Majority know nothing. Wow. Only 22% or our readers say Some think they know. Only 4 % say People totally … Read More