During the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show, PFG America, exclusive distributor of DEUTZ-FAHR tractors in the USA market, unveiled the new small frame 6 Series tractors boasting FARMotion diesel engines. Laura Handke spoke with Taylor Grout, Sales and Marketing Director for DEUTZ-FAHR USA and Aiden Zimmerman (pictured), Zimmerman’s Equipment.
Since 2016, DEUTZ-FAHR has offered the 6 Series Agrotron models that features a large chassis and power ratings up to 225 HP. This new, smaller chassis offering fits nicely between the larger 6 Series Agrotron models and the smaller 5 Series and 5G Series models to offer a full line-up of agricultural tractors from 65 HP up to 336 HP. Two models of the new 6 Series will be available in the USA market –6130 and 6140 –boasting 126 and 136 engine horsepower respectively. Multiple variants include a choice of power shift or TTV (CVT) transmission, selection of cabin and control layout, and the availability of a front end loader by Quicke (Alo) to fit the working profiles of customers and farmers across the USA.
Listen to Laura’s interview with Taylor and Aiden here: Interview with Taylor Grout & Aiden Zimmerman
Ag Day Essay Contest Winners Announced
The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) has announced the 2019 National Ag Day video and written essay winners, based on the theme “Agriculture: Food for Life. How does our nation lead the way?”
The national written essay winner is Grace Brose from Box Elder, South Dakota. She receives a $1,000 prize and travel to Washington, D.C. for recognition at the National Press Club Ag Day event on March 14, where she will have the opportunity to read the winning essay and will join other youth for a panel discussion on issues and challenges in agriculture. Two merit winners in the contest will receive $100 and blog posts featuring their essays. They are Brody Allen Snook of Marseilles, IL and Emily Li of Sugar Land, TX. This year’s Video essay winner, Jacob Kandell of Mason, Ohio, wins a $1,000 prize.
Click here to view the winning entries. The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., National Association of Farm Broadcasting, and Farm Progress.
The Fundamentals of Disease Management from FMC
The fundamentals of disease management was the topic of my interview with Bruce Stripling, Horseshoe East Technical Services Manager, FMC. Besides talking with me in the FMC booth, Bruce also presented during an FMC educational session at the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show.
We started out our conversation talking about why you need a fungicide. Bruce says that the first step is to identify what kind of disease you have and then to pick a product that will ideally prevent that one from becoming a problem. He says there are some significant problem diseases like grey leaf spot and tar spot. Another one showing resistance to Strobi class fungicides is frogeye leaf spot and FMC has products like Topguard EQ and Lucento, which have multiple chemical components to address the resistance problem.
According to Bruce another key question farmers have is how to determine when to apply a fungicide. Rather than thinking you should apply it at a certain growth stage Bruce suggests scouting your fields and when you see that there is a disease making an appearance, that’s when you need to choose the best fungicide to prevent it from becoming a problem.
Listen to my interview with Bruce Stripling, Horseshoe East Technical Services Manager at FMC: Interview with Bruce Stripling, FMC
Animal Ag Bites 2/18
- U.S. Poultry & Egg Association recognized five companies that have been exhibiting for 50 or more years at the International Poultry Expo (IPE), part of the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo. The Dupps Company, VAL-CO and Zoetis were recognized for 65 years of exhibiting at IPE. Poultry Times was recognized for 60 years of exhibiting, and Hy-Line International was recognized for 55 years of exhibiting.
- U.S. Poultry & Egg Association recognized four poultry farm winners and four finalists who received the annual Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award. The award is given annually to recognize exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production.
- The 2019 International Production & Processing Expo is the largest show on record with approximately 33,000 poultry, meat and feed industry leader attendees from all over the world. In addition, the show has 1,420-plus exhibitors with more than 600,000 square feet of exhibit space.
- The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs congratulate Famo Feeds of Freeport, Minn., for being named the 2018 Feed Facility of the Year.
- Megan Niederwerder, Kansas State University assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading a team that is exploring how the currently circulating strain of African swine fever, or ASF, could spread in feed and feed ingredients. A new publication details the dose necessary to transmit the disease when pigs ingest virus-contaminated feed or liquid.
- Mercaris, a market data and auctions startup that is helping to grow organic and non-GMO agriculture in the U.S., released its monthly market update as the halfway point of the 2018/2019 corn and soybean marketing year approaches. The report analyzes organic broiler slaughter data and organic egg layer inventories following the recent U.S. government shutdown.
- The newest product in the Arrowquip line is the Portable Q-Catch 86 Series Cattle Handling System. The Portable Chute, Alley & Tub has been completely redesigned for ease of transportation, and to adhere to the latest low-stress cattle handling guidelines.
CIRB Year in Review and Look Ahead
2018 was a very good year for the crop insurance and reinsurance industry and 2019 is looking good also.
“This was a momentous year for the industry, compared to what might have been,” said Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) executive vice president Mike Torrey in his update at the organization’s annual meeting last week in San Diego. “We were incredibly excited that the farm bill was done and this is one of those rare moments in our industry that we should celebrate because it could have been very different.”
Torrey talked about the importance of the Crop Insurance Coalition in providing a unified voice for the industry. “It got a 140 diverse farm, lending, input, conservation, crop insurance and reinsurance organizations…they started with zero,” he said. CIRB will be having a bigger presence at Commodity Classic next week in Orlando to promote the coalition.
Torrey urged everyone in the organization to attend CIRB’s upcoming Spring Fly-In and Policy Conference is April 3-4 in Washington, DC. “There’s a hundred new members of Congress that need to hear your story,” he said.
Learn more about CIRB’s activities in Torrey’s briefing.
CIRB2019 Michael Torrey, CIRB
2019 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Annual Meeting photo album
USDA RMA Administrator Updates #CIRB2019
USDA Risk Management Agency administrator and Illinois farmer Martin Barbre attended the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) annual meeting this week to provide an update on his agency’s priorities.
Barbre discussed a number of issues, including the Multi County Enterprise Unit, upcoming deadlines, a Farm Bill implementation listening session coming up February 26, disaster relief, and the Dairy Revenue Protection program.
We broke it down into what he could address on the record in this interview. CIRB2019 Interview with Martin Barbre, USDA RMA
2019 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Annual Meeting photo album
FMC Talks About the Danger of Reduced Herbicide Rates
At the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show I spoke with Drake Copeland, Technical Services Manager, FMC. Our topic was the danger of reduced herbicide rates.
Drake talks about the importance of pre-emergence residual herbicides for weed control and what happens when a grower uses reduced herbicide rates. He also talks weed size and it certainly does matter. There’s a lot more in our discussion about this topic that growers will want to hear.
Listen to my interview with Drake Copeland, Technical Services Manager, FMC: Interview with Drake Copeland, FMC
Case IH Unveils AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractors
During the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show Case IH unveiled the new AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractors. Working with me here at NFMS is Laura Handke who took photos, recorded the unveiling presentation and interviewed Bill Webber, North America Marketing Manager for High Hp Tractors, Case IH Brand.
Case IH is unveiling new AFS Connect™ Magnum™ series tractors, giving producers a new way to run their businesses — with the freedom to adjust, manage, monitor, transfer data and partner the way they want. Powered by Case IH Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) precision technology, the tractor is outfitted with a new display, operating system, receiver and completely redesigned hardware environment that allows for remote display viewing, remote support capabilities and more. Plus, a redesigned cab delivers comfort, storage and easy-to-use controls for ultimate productivity.
The AFS Connect portal is a gateway to the AFS Connect Magnum series tractor. It allows farm managers to precisely manage their farm, fleet and data from a desktop or tablet/mobile device anywhere while feeling assured their data is securely transferring to and from the cloud. Users can log in to AFS Connect to view current field operations, fleet information, agronomic data and more, remotely keeping an eye on their operation as if they are in the cab. Farm owners and managers then have the freedom to share selected agronomic data — down to the field level — with third-party partners of their choosing.
You can find more information on the Case IH website and in the interview and presentation audio below.
Interview with Bill Webber, North America Marketing Manager for High Hp Tractors, Case IH Brand: Interview with Bill Webber, Case IH
Case IH AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractors Unveiling Presentation: Case IH Unveiling Presentation
Zimfo Bytes 2/15
- Tom Sleight, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Grains Council since 2012, will retire this summer following the appointment of his successor, the Council’s Board of Directors announced this week at the organization’s membership meeting in Cartagena, Colombia.
- American Vanguard Corporation, parent company to AMVAC Chemical Corporation, is celebrating 50 years in business. The milestone is being honored with new brand logos for both corporations and the tagline “An American Vanguard Company” added to all operating subsidiaries, reinforcing its continued commitment to technological innovation and business growth in the U.S. and in international markets.
- Register now for the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit to be held at the National Press Club on March 18 from 8 am to 5 pm with a “Customer Appreciation” reception to follow at the same location for all Agri-Pulse subscribers.
- Amyris, Inc., a leader in the development and production of sustainable ingredients for the Health & Wellness, Clean Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets, announced the appointment of Oreste Fieschi as President of Sweeteners & Ingredients, to lead the commercial growth of its sweetener business and the implementation of its strategy to build capability across the entire ingredients portfolio.
Optimism in Crop Insurance Reinsurance Industry
This time last year, the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) was concerned about what might happen with the new farm bill. This year, members are pretty pleased with how it all turned out.
CIRB chairman Zane Vaughn with ARMtech Insurance gives a lot of credit to the organization’s “Protect Crop Insurance” campaign. “It was very beneficial for staff on Capitol Hill gaining awareness of the program, what it does for farmers in their districts and their states,” said Vaughn. “That was a great outreach tool for us.”
Vaughn says this year’s annual meeting for CIRB is the largest ever and there is plenty of energy and optimism in the industry.
Listen to this interview with Vaughn from the 2019 CIRB Annual Meeting this week in San Diego.
CIRB2019 Interview with Chairman Zane Vaughn
2019 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Annual Meeting photo album