Last week during the AG CONNECT Expo in Orlando, Florida, Hemisphere GPS launched the G100 all-in-one steering and guidance system for auto-steer ready agricultural vehicles. I caught up with Dwayne Hildebrandt, the Sales Manager for North America, during the event to learn more about their new product which is best suited for strip till or row crop farmers. The EDrive X is a centimeter level steering solution for these applications and can be combined with the 8220 or 8221 dual frequency RK1 base station solution, explained Hildebrandt.
I asked Hildebrandt what the advantage is to a farmer of purchasing GPS. He answered that typically farmers have had to plant or apply inputs by eye or with the use of a disk marker which reduces accuracy. He also noted that these technologies can be quite heavy and cause issues with the set up of the machinery.
“GPS technology works very well independent of dusty conditions, or day time or night time and really allows a lot higher precision because you’re not relying on operator experience,” said Hildebrandt. “So it allows the farm owner to virtually put anyone in the cab and get very, very good accuracy in terms of planting precision and application precision.”
Precision, said Hildebrandt, is one key to profitability and with their GPS technologies, farmers are not wasting as much on inputs, thus reducing their costs.
There were several international manufacturing equipment associations on hand at the AG CONNECT Expo including the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA), one of the show sponsors. I sat down with Michael Williams, the Vice President of Government Relations, to learn more about what his association does. This 110 year-old association has more than 5,000 members in the U.S. as well as several affiliates in Canada. Since its inception, they have been providing its members manufacturing relations and government relations as well as member relations services including freight programs, telephone programs and credit card programs.
During the show, NAEDA was approached by some of the international manufacturers to set up some dealer networks in the U.S. Williams said that there are two secenaries these manufacturers have. One is they have a patent pending and two an existing company wants a presence in the States. In order for NAEDA to help them, Williams said the patent must be approved first and then he needs to know if they are wanting to sell through a distributor or dealers. “We’re giving them suggestions about dealer agreements and tools that dealers need to take a new product international.”
In addition to these services, NAEDA also has a foundation that is almost as old as the association. The foundation is to aid members who have experienced a hardship like a hurricane or flood. They were very involved in Iowa last year during the flooding. “The best part of the foundation is that we’re very quick to react,”said Williams. A dealer in need can have a check in 48-60 hours.
There were many tractors and loaders filling the McCormick booth during AG CONNECT Expo, and each year about 80 percent of the company’s sales are international. Yet the success of the company wasn’t what was really exciting for Rodney Miller, the CEO. It was the success of the first AG CONNECT Expo. Miller was involved in the 18 months of planning this first American international agricultural show.
“I think we really needed an international show in America for a long time. It’s way overdue,” said Miller. “I think this is definitely a different type of show. It’s on a another level. Education and training seminars are far superior. There’s a lot of connecting points from dealers of the show and exhibit space is much higher caliber. There are a lot of executives here unlike the other shows so I really think this takes it to another level.”
Many people came to McCormick’s booth to encourage them, along with other American-based companies, to invest more overseas in investment and education. While Miller agreed that this should happen, he also said that more international ag companies should consider investing in America’s agricultural industry.
Miller noted that they looked at the show as an investment in the company’s future. While there are other ag shows in the country, he suggested that putting them on a rotating schedule would be more effective since there are so many shows each year. The next AG CONNECT will be held in Atlanta in 2011 but after that the show will only be held every two years.
In closing, Miller said that he’s really excited about where this show will take the industry. “I think this is going to be a good thing for the industry and that is ultimately what we want. What’s good for the industry.”
Alltech has once again sponsored the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism awards. Ten young agricultural journalist winners have been announced. Their awards will allow them to attend this year’s IFAJ Congress, which Cindy will be attending.
The IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism awards recognize the leadership potential of young members from countries belonging to IFAJ. Recipients each receive 1,000 Euros to support their participation at an IFAJ Congress. Winners of the 2010 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism awards are:
Andrea Bahrenberg, Germany
Liza Burger, South Africa
Jesus Colmenarejo, Spain
Margaret Donnelly, Ireland
Tatjana Kren Hlebic, Slovenia
Aleksandar Radovic, Serbia
Soledad Ricca, Argentina
Lilian Schaer, Canada
Terhi Torikka, Finland
Sarah Trickett, UK
“We live in a fast-paced world that demands an increasingly global perspective for professional communicators,” says IFAJ President Mike Wilson, USA. “Through this partnership with Alltech, the IFAJ can provide young journalists with that perspective by networking with other colleagues at our annual congresses.”
“Alltech firmly believes in the power of the younger generations and in their ability to change the world,” says Alltech President Dr. Pearse Lyons. “Through their articles and broadcasts, these young people can bring the latest technological breakthroughs to the farmers and influencers in all parts of the world. It is the adoption of these technologies that will help agriculture bounce back in 2010.”
Social media and networking continues to be the hot topic in agricultural communications and every other industry too for that matter. How do you measure it is the question I get most often these days and I pretty much say, “Don’t.” Don’t? Yeah. Don’t. There are so many measuring points that I’m not sure where you start. How do you set a baseline and what are you comparing numbers too? The reality is that numbers aren’t what social media/networking is all about. It’s about engaging with your customers and members. And let’s face it, are you actually setting goals and expectations anyway? Just asking . . .
You’re wanting an example. How about Dell Computers? Here’s an excerpt from a post written by their Chief Blogger. Dell.com, Support.Dell.com and the Dell Community Forum all pre-dated our social media activity. Looking at our online success in all those places, the fundamentals were clear for us. The web was an ideal place for us to connect directly with customers. Social media brought that and something more—a way to listen, learn and engage with customers, with a clear emphasis on the engage part of the equation, It allows us to further those direct connections with customers while also sharing what we are all about, making technology work, work better and harder for you.
Let me give you a personal example of how this works that just happened to me. I posted a message on Twitter asking for a recommendation for a good ergonomic office chair. Almost immediately I got a reply on Twitter from Steelcase: @AgriBlogger Looking 4 chair recs? Consider Steelcase. Leap & Think R most ergo. Cobi & Amia R gr8 2. http://bit.ly/5zZQvX Hope ths helps!
I checked the link and although I haven’t made up my mind yet I appreciate the personal notice and link to something I might want to purchase. Is using Twitter worth it for Steelcase? I’m thinking so. BTW. I’ve already received other recommendations from friends, followers and contacts in Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn since my Twitter post updates all my profiles.
For the sixth year in a row, Claas of America, based in Omaha, Neb. has won several AE50 awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) that honors ground breaking industry innovation. The company’s new technology, the Orbis 900, mounts in front of the forage harvester. The advantage is capacity – the width of the head now matches better with the horsepower of the Jaquar 860, explained Bob Armstrong, with Claas. “So you can really get the maximum capacity of that machine.”
Chop quality is also an important feature. “Chop quality is a key thing. That is what dairy men and cattlemen are looking for when they feed their animals – what kind of high quality feed, consistency of feed and how well the corn cracked. The cross Jaquar delivers all that.”
In addition, Claas showcased its Crop Tiger which is a small combine which has drawn a lot of attention. It was originally designed for rice harvesting but can also tackle grain. The Crop Tiger is not available in the U.S. but was featured during the show due to it’s international audience.
The Lexion Combine 585 was also on display. The most unique feature of this combine is that instead of tires the combine has tracks, “which became quite valuable this past year with the wet harvest we had,” said Armstrong.
Valmont Industries took home two AE50 awards during the AG CONNECT Expo last week including one for its Base Station 2 with soil moisture monitor. Michele Stolte, with Valmont Industries, explained that with this system you can use the irrometer and then that information can be reported through their base stations and accessed at home. This aids the grower in determining whether or not he needs to irrigate and if so, how much.
The second award the company won was for its GPS Guidance for corners and linears. The system uses the RTK Star Fire GPS system that eliminates the need to install underground guidance cables and helps with precision application of water.
Another project Valmont has been working on, said Stolte, is a rice irrigation project using center pivots. “The main reason we got into this was to conserve water. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a water savings of approximately 50 percent as compared to flood irrigation which is mainly the only way rice is grown.”
Center pivots in general can apply water more precisely than most other forms of irrigation. This not only conserves water, but also saves the grower money.
The Bioenergy Feedstocks session was a good value during the AG CONNECT Expo last week in Orlando, Fla. There were three main topics: winter and double crops, perennial energy grasses and the types of public policy needed to ensure second generation biofuels.
Dr. Tom Richard, Associate Professor with Pennsylvania State University, kicked off the session discussing the agricultural value of adding winter crops or double crops to a farmer’s rotation. An example of a winter crop that would be suitable for Pennsylvania is winter rye. Once harvested, the crop could be used for cellulosic ethanol. An example of a double crop would be planning a grain such as barley in the spring followed by a summer crop such as corn or soybean. Richard noted that when most people do a biomass potential study, they don’t factor in winter crops and double crops, thus reducing the amount of biofuels that could be produced on the same amount of land currently in production.
Dr. John Erickson, Associate Professor from the University of Florida, is an expert in studying perennial grasses for their potential as energy crops. These can include sugarcane, energycane, elephant grasses, miscanthus, giant reed, switchgrass and sorghum. In early trials, energycane and elephant grasses are doing well. Erickson also noted that the grasses tend to help improve soil quality and water use (they use less) and that the Southeast is likely to be the epicenter of cellulosic development.
Of particular note during Antonio Bento’s presentation, who is an Associate Professor at Cornell University is that through his economic studies of biofuels, found that corn-ethanol is in insignificant cause of higher food prices. The true cause is the country’s dependence on foreign oil. He also found that corn-ethanol is not a good indicator of increased carbon dioxide through indirect land use. He also stressed that market price will be the utlimate indicator of the success of biofuels.
Ultimately, the session can be summed up with this key thought shared by all the speakers, “Biofuels may offer advantages but the magnitude depends on how they are grown,” said Bento.
To meet ever-growing market demands as well as compliment its strategy of offering readers and clients a complete suite of integrated informational and marketing solutions, Meister Media Worldwide announces the creation of the Meister Events Group.
Monsanto Company announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a civil investigative demand (CID) requesting information on its soybean traits business, primarily seeking a confirmation that, as Monsanto has previously indicated, farmers and seed companies will continue to have access to the first-generation Roundup Ready trait following patent expiry in 2014.
Pfizer Animal Genetics announced the completion of HD 50K, the beef industry’s first commercially available predictions based on a High-Density panel of more than 50,000 markers. This breakthrough represents significantly greater selection opportunities for owners of black Angus cattle.
Elanco announced that it will launch a new business platform focused on food safety.
It’s time for the ARC Memphis: Consumer Outreach for Ag meeting. The Agricultural Relations Council is calling for registrations. The meeting will be held February 18-20, 2010 at the Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel, Memphis, TN.
The agenda includes a presentation from Agricenter International, Tennessee Farm Bureau, trip to Ducks Unlimited and a session on, you guessed it, Social Media for New Decade. What ag comm program would be complete without one, eh?
DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred is helping to fund the effort with a $500,000 donation to the program, announced during the AFBF annual meeting.
“The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has identified a great opportunity for teaching the public about modern agriculture. Through science and productivity, farmers are feeding the world and bettering the lives of people every day,” said Frank Ross, vice president and regional director – Pioneer, North America. “We are pleased to partner on this initiative and support the cause of increased agricultural literacy.”
The My American Farm virtual education program is anticipated to engage millions of youth, teachers and parents over the next five years through unique educational experiences. The website, www.myamericanfarm.org, is a destination for children to be entertained by playing games while learning math, social studies, language arts and science in the context of agriculture and food production.
During the AG CONNECT Expo last week, I spoke with Nathan Faleide, sales and marketing for Satshot. The company offers a GIS online system for the agricultural industry that handles and manages satellite imagery and other data for use in variable rate technology with a fertilization, seed and chemical all-in-one online mapping system. The system can be managed from anywhere in the world with online access.
I asked Faleide what types of information a grower who uses this precision ag technology would see and he explained, “What the imagery works out is the vegetative biomass or the vegetative reflectiveness of the plant which correlates to yield and productivity in the field.”
This imagery, said Faleide, shows the higher points of the growth yield potential or lower points that don’t yield as much. Ultimately, this is an advantage because farmers can focus on areas with higher yield potential and put less inputs on areas with lower yield potential, increasing the productivity and profit of the grower.
The company also provides a worldwide elevation model and when combined with their other technology can, “really pinpoint the best areas in the field to maximize efficiency,” said Faleide.
I had a chance to sit down with Alida Bellandi, the Director of International Marketing for the Brazilian Association of Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers (ABIMAQ) during the AG CONNECT Expo. Bellandi’s organization was here to participate in the AgriEvolution Forum, a forum that is promoting a dialogue between the associations of manufacturing around the world. The first forum was in Rome two years ago, and the second one was hosted here by the Association of Equipment Manufactures (AEM) with the goal to discuss the future of the industry.
Bellandi told me that her organization represents manufacturers that produce equipment for small to medium sized farmers. This includes equipment used for soil preparation to silos to tractors and harvesters. Brazil has been manufacturing equipment for 30 years and currently exports to more than 60 countries.
Since AG CONNECT Expo was an international show, I asked Bellandi about Brazil’s efforts in helping other countries with their efforts. She told me that Brazil has developed a direct planting technology that is something other Latin American countries are very interested as are many countries in Africa. She also noted that while sustainability is a very important aspect for the ag industry in Brazil, it is not yet important in developing countries.
“What you have to understand is the stage they are in right now. They have to feed their people and they have practically nothing in many countries. So environmental issues are not very important for them. We’re trying to show them they could start thinking about it a little bit differently. But in Latin America, we’re beginning to influence them,” Bellandi.
To get people thinking about environmental issues, ABIMAQ has produced a free video called “The Earth hanging by a drop,” that demonstrates how ecosystems are affected by global warming. To receive a free copy of this video and to learn more about the organization, visit ABIMAQ’s website.
Row crop growers were introduced to some new technology from Kinze Manufacturing during the AG CONNECT Expo: the 3800 Forward Folding and 3660 Twin-Line® planters with Air Seed Delivery (ASD). The ASD is offered in different models and many different configurations and Laura Blomme, Training Coordinator with Kinze, noted that one really exciting feature with the ASD package is the scale package that they offer. “We’re the only company to do that.”
The advantage of the scale package, explained Blomme, is that it will allow the producer as he is filling the bulk fill tanks, to see exactly how much he’s putting in each tank. This integrates with the Kinze Vision Display so the operator can see on the display how many acres until he is empty.
“So we’re giving them that productivity, it’s a 110 bushel capacity and allows them to see on their display how much is in their tanks and how much until empty,” said Blomme.
The ASD package is only available with air seed delivery models. To learn more about the ASD feature, visit Kinze’s website and listen to my interview with Laura Blomme.
PostRank Analytics says, “Over 80% of the engagement with your content doesn’t happen on your blog.” This is the hardest thing for today’s media buyers and marketing/communications people to understand. When it comes to social networking and influence the blog is often just the hub of the wheel while most of the activity is taking place out on the spokes. But as with anyone investing time and money they want a number to answer the question of “What is my ROI?”
That’s why you’ve got to look at the bigger picture and not get caught up in website visitors and page views anymore. They’re interesting but don’t tell the whole story. That’s where services like PostRank Analytics come in handy.
The inaugural AG CONNECT Expo is “in the books.” It was a good one too. I believe the show was very professionally done and everything went smooth. Attendees and exhibitors have echoed those comments when I’ve spoken with them.
To wrap things up I spoke to Charlie O’Brien, VP Ag Services for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. He says that they’re extremely pleased with the show. Attendance neared a total of 8,000. He says that the show committees have all met and the common theme among them was “quality, quality, quality.” Meaning that they have all been impressed with the quality of the booths, the sessions and the people on hand to answer questions. Looking forward they would like to broaden the scope of the show with more exhibitors. They’ve already got a large portion of next year’s floor space sold. He also heard from exhibitors that they were grateful for the integration of educational sessions into the show.
Next year’s show will be in Atlanta, GA January 7-10 so make your plans now. You can watch my interview with Charlie or listen to and download it below:
Canadian Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, was the featured speaker today during the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders’ Annual Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit Luncheon during the AG CONNECT Expo. While Ritz focused on ag initiatives in Canada and the agricultural and trade relationships and programs between Canada and the U.S., the issue that got many fired up in the audience was that of Country of Origin Labeling or COOL.
Ritz noted that COOL is the biggest trade hurdle between Canada and it’s a very controversial issue. There is a contingency of people who want to have all food labeled so that they know what country their food is coming from. The reasons for this knowledge are threefold: to support American-made products, protectionism and ensure food safety. On the other side of the fence are the people who don’t see the need for labeling, in part because it adds costs to food products.
The Canadian government opposes Country of Origin Label and when asked what the chances were that this policy would be enacted, Ritz simply said, “50-50.”
One last topic of discussion was farm raised fish, a movement gaining momentum in Canada and supported by the government. In closing Ritz noted, “I know there are some controversial stories around about enviromental this and so on like that. Most of them are not based on sound science they’re based on some sort of wild speculation under the moon with a tinfoil hat.”
The exhibitors at AG CONNECT Expo really invested a lot in their presentations and none more than Case IH in my opinion. I watched a couple of their floor shows and thought you might enjoy a look at one of them.
Centered in the exhibit is a whole command console to control lights and sound. It really is well done and attendees loved it. I heard that the whole thing was put together in 90 days. If that’s so, then whoever did it should get some real kudos.
When Trimble launches a new product it’s available worldwide and next week Trimble will be launching several new products. I tried to coerce Guillermo Perez-Iturbe, the regional manager for Latin America, to give me a scoop during the AG CONNECT Expo, but he held out. Good for Trimble – bad for me.
Today, the company has a suite of precision ag products available including GPS guidance systems. One of their new products is the EZ-Steer assisted steering system which takes over the steering while the farmer focuses on steering, spraying and more. There are three versions of the EZ-Steer system including the AgGPS FmX Integrated Display. This display has 3D land leveling capabilities and the technologies in the pipeline will add even more options to the current products.
In the past year, Trimble has acquired several key companies in order to, “close the cycle of the ag precision space,” said Iturbe. The company has a worldwide presence and Iturbe noted that other countries are in very different places in their adoption of precision ag technologies.
The Trimble Team: Sergio Lucas, Vilson Hansen, Guillermo Perez-Iturbe and Rafeal Bull
For example, Argentina started precision farming 14 years ago with lightbars and has yet to adopt the higher levels of precision technology while Mexico has adopted the most advanced precision ag technology available but doesn’t use something as simple as a lightbar.
Today, Trimble is working with its customers to better help them identify the best precision ag technologies for their farms, and this is important to the company because they understand that no farmers’ operations are the same.
Listen to my AgWired exclusive interview with Guillermo Perez-Iturbe here.
If you’re in agriculture, then you know Al Pell, the host of AgDay TV. Al and his crew were on hand during the AG CONNECT Expo and while there, taped a show. In the background – a standing room only crowd.
Chip Flory, with Pro Farmer was the featured guest. The topic of discussion was to be crop reports but with the market movement this past week, this became the topic du jour.
AgDay TV airs on RFD TV each weekday at 8:00 am EST / 7:00 am CT. You can also check out the show on Dish network channel 231 and Direct TV channel 345.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
David conducted a presentation on delivering expert opinion via social media to an audience at the start of International Poultry Expo week. He's got some great information about who consumers trust and how you can use today's consumer behavior to help communicate your message.
Last week during the AG CONNECT Expo in Orlando, Florida, Hemisphere GPS launched the G100 all-in-one steering and guidance system for auto-steer ready agricultural vehicles. I caught up with Dwayne Hildebrandt, the Sales Manager for North America, during the event to learn more about their new product which is best suited for strip till or row crop farmers. The EDrive X is a centimeter level steering solution for these applications and can be combined with the 8220 or 8221 dual frequency RK1 base station solution, explained Hildebrandt.
During the show, NAEDA was approached by some of the international manufacturers to set up some dealer networks in the U.S. Williams said that there are two secenaries these manufacturers have. One is they have a patent pending and two an existing company wants a presence in the States. In order for NAEDA to help them, Williams said the patent must be approved first and then he needs to know if they are wanting to sell through a distributor or dealers. “We’re giving them suggestions about dealer agreements and tools that dealers need to take a new product international.”
There were many tractors and loaders filling the McCormick booth during 
Many people came to McCormick’s booth to encourage them, along with other American-based companies, to invest more overseas in investment and education. While Miller agreed that this should happen, he also said that more international ag companies should consider investing in America’s agricultural industry.
For the sixth year in a row, 
high quality feed, consistency of feed and how well the corn cracked. The cross Jaquar delivers all that.”
Valmont Industries took home two AE50 awards during the AG CONNECT Expo last week including one for its Base Station 2 with soil moisture monitor. Michele Stolte, with 
Dr. Tom Richard, Associate Professor with Pennsylvania State University, kicked off the session discussing the agricultural value of adding winter crops or double crops to a farmer’s rotation. An example of a winter crop that would be suitable for Pennsylvania is winter rye. Once harvested, the crop could be used for cellulosic ethanol. An example of a double crop would be planning a grain such as barley in the spring followed by a summer crop such as corn or soybean. Richard noted that when most people do a biomass potential study, they don’t factor in winter crops and double crops, thus reducing the amount of biofuels that could be produced on the same amount of land currently in production.
It’s time for the 
I asked Faleide what types of information a grower who uses this precision ag technology would see and he explained, “What the imagery works out is the vegetative biomass or the vegetative reflectiveness of the plant which correlates to yield and productivity in the field.”
I had a chance to sit down with Alida Bellandi, the Director of International Marketing for the Brazilian Association of Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers (ABIMAQ) during the 
Since 
Row crop growers were introduced to some new technology from Kinze Manufacturing during the 
Canadian Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz
The exhibitors at AG CONNECT Expo really invested a lot in their presentations and none more than Case IH in my opinion. I watched a couple of their floor shows and thought you might enjoy a look at one of them.
If you’re in agriculture, then you know Al Pell, the host of 
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
