Stamina® F3 HL fungicide seed treatment has received EPA registration for commercial seed treatment use on wheat and barley. Stamina F3 HL is applied at the rate of 1 oz. per 100 lbs. of seed and contains no color, allowing seed-treating companies the ability to add their own color. Available for sale this fall on winter wheat, Stamina F3 HL can be mixed with Axcess® insecticide seed treatment for protection against wire worms, aphids, Hessian flies, grasshoppers and other insects.
Also, Kixor® powered Treevix™ herbicide, has received approval from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for use in California, to control broadleaf weeds for tree nut, pome fruit and citrus growers.
Treevix offers a unique chemistry that complements glyphosate for fast, complete burndown of more than 60 of the toughest broadleaf weeds including difficult species, such as common groundsel, hairy fleabane, cheeseweed and pigweed.
About a month ago, we were on our way to Lincoln when I looked out the car window to see the skies filled with smoke and the fields aglow with fire. It’s a farming practice I see every once-in-a-while…controlled burning.
Controlled burning is used in agriculture as a part of field preparation for planting or as a management practice used to improve native grasslands.
Often called field burning, this technique is used to clear the land of any existing crop residue as well as kill weeds and weed seeds. Field burning is less expensive than most other methods such as herbicides or tillage and, when done properly, control burning produces a “cool” fire that suppresses many undesirable plants through proper timing and intensity of the burn. It also suppresses certain undesirable plants, and improves the environment for the better plants.
While herbicides and tillage certainly play a role in proper field management, controlled burning is also a method used by farmers to “refresh” the land and prepare it for next year’s crop.
SFMiD Data Solutions is a partnership between Successful Farming and Farm Market iD and was announced this morning. Between the two companies they are now offering the “most comprehensive agricultural and rural lifestyle database in the industry.”
The combined data solution will offer unsurpassed options for multi‐sourced farm and rural lifestyle data. In addition, SFMiDTM will offer customized solutions to help agrimarketers better understand owner/operator relationships, establish electronic communication data points, and know the farmer as an individual person.
“Farm Market iD has the most current data available – built from multiple federal, state, county and proprietary sources – combined with satellite imagery and common land unit data,” says John Montandon, President of Farm Market iD. “We are thrilled to expand on this offering to generate new data and insights for marketers through the trusted relationship Successful Farming has with farmers.”
For more than 108 years, Successful Farming has worked to forge a strong relationship with farmers and farm families. This relationship allows Successful Farming to collect exclusive data on brand and product use.
“The combined efforts of Farm Market iD and Successful Farming will offer a unique compilation of farm, farmer, and consumer data, enabling agrimarketers the opportunity to learn even more about their customers,” says Scott Mortimer, Publisher of Successful Farming. “This will add value to any marketing campaign.”
The deadline for submitting your entries into the Best of NAMA competition is Friday, Oct. 8 by 5 p.m. Central time.
The U.S. Grains Council is pleased to announce Rebecca Bratter accepted the position of director of development. Bratter will aid the Council in developing strategies and managing programs to obtain market access and foster sales of U.S. grain and grain products in specific emerging international markets.
Mark your calendars for the 2010 AGMasters Conference on Dec. 2-3 at the University of Illinois I-Hotel and Conference Center. Speakers will focus on climate change and its impact on Illinois agriculture, with a special emphasis on weed management challenges.
Sept. 14-16, Monsanto, Husker Harvest Days and Heartland United Way are sponsoring a food drive to benefit local Nebraska food pantries. In addition, Monsanto will donate $1 per every pound of food collected, up to $20,000, to Heartland United Way and the local food pantries it is affiliated with.
Ok. So it has come as no surprise to most people that Iowa has won the Grid Iron game…this year anyway. The final score was Iowa 35, Iowa State 7. Earlier today, I asked many of the Iowa corn growers who would win the game and I must admit, the majority picked Iowa.
But the real winners today are the football fans who have had the opportunity to learn more about how much their daily lives are impacted by corn and the farmers who grow it as part of the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day promotion.
From the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed, you have been touched by corn. It’s in your toothpaste, your breakfast cereal and even the milk you pour on top. It’s in your fuel and in your tires and in the plastic containing your water. It’s also in your hair products and the carpet fibers in your office floor. Every day, Iowa corn farmers, and corn farmers around the world make the things you enjoy possible with their hard work and dedication. Each year they are meeting the country’s and the world’s demands by growing more corn per acre using less inputs and less land. Pretty amazing.
So let’s take a moment to thank our corn farmers and congratulate the University of Iowa for a game well played and give some props to ISU who played with a lot of heart.
We’ll see you next year and you’d better bring your game, Iowa, because the game is in Ames and ISU will be bringing it on!
For us Iowa State fans, this has been a tough game to watch. But hey – we are playing the #9 ranked team in the country and this is an ISU re-building year with a new coach, Paul Rhoads. In case you are following the Iowa State versus Iowa football game via this site, the score is now Iowa 35, Iowa State 0 with 10 minutes left in the second half.
For you football fans, if ISU doesn’t score a touchdown in this game, this will be the third year in a row they’ve failed to visit the end zone. Even so, they have won in the past three years – on field goals.
While many Iowa corn growers were making predictions on the game, Captain Cornelius was also making a prediction, for both teams. He is impartial – or at least that what we think he mimed when Iowa Corn Growers CEO Craig Floss interviewed him in the member tent this morning before the game. I guess this means that Captain Cornelius’ predictions were right.
After his insightful interview, Captain Cornelius headed to the ICGA consumer tent where he met the football fans and encouraged them to learn more about all the products that are made with corn.
Last night during the Iowa Corn Growers Association VIP reception at Kinnick Stadium, attendees had the special privilege to hear from former University of Iowa football player Lew Montgomery. Nearly 20 years ago, Waterloo, Iowa native Montgomery was on the 1991 Rose Bowl team, an experience he said he would never forget.
Montgomery is no stranger to farming. He grew up in Iowa and has always had much respect for farmers. “Being a native of Iowa, I can truly appreciate the value of each and every one of you as farmers and being part of this corn belt is tremendous.”
Attending Iowa as a student athlete was a great experience for Montgomery and he said that he chose Iowa for its quality education and long list of traditional values that they have. While he stressed that student athletes have always been challenged in the classroom, they are being even more so now because of the struggling economy. He also said that they are graduating from college and are having a hard time finding quality jobs. That is why is a strong proponent of getting people to come back to Iowa to work and live. He wants to, “grow our talent and keep our own talent.”
While most of us never had or never will have the opportunity to have the player experience, you can get some insight into what it is like in Montgomery’s remarks below.
I arrived in Iowa City last night to some wet and dreary conditions. But new Iowa Corn Growers President, Dean Taylor, promised that not only are Iowa corn farmers experts at growing our food, they are also experts at moving out the rain and bringing in blue skies when needed. Well, I’ll be, but Taylor was exactly right! It is a beautiful day in Iowa City for the Iowa State versus Iowa football game. The Iowa Corn Growers are a sponsor of the Cy-Hawk series and have been engaging in a fun promotion called Iowa Corn Fed Game Day, where fans are being educated on the very important role Iowa corn farmers play.
I’ve had a blast hanging out with over 900 of Iowa’s corn farmers and maybe what has been most fun, was being on the field for kickoff. Iowa won the coin toss and so Iowa State kicked off the game. So far, Iowa has dominated – the score is 28 to 0 after the first half.
Prior to the game, I spent time at the Krause Family Plaza and took pictures of the thousands of fans who signed up to for a chance to win $5,000 in food or $2,500 in free fuel. They also played a ginormous game of corn hole (see Iowa Corn Fed Game Day photo album.”), as well as a grocery store game. Players had the chance to win t-shirts, koozies and key chains and by the time the game started, thousands of people were sporting their new Iowa Corn Fed Game Day t-shirts.
During the pre-game festivities, the Iowa Corn executive board members were invited on to the field as a thank you for their support of Iowa and Iowa State athletics. They were also thanked for all they do to feed and fuel our country. Earlier in the day, Dick Gallager, Chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, noted both Iowa State’s and Iowa’s tie to agriculture. Iowa State has one of the top ag programs in the country, while Iowa’s helmets say anf, which stands for America needs farmers.
Well, let’s hope the second half goes better for ISU….
It’s game day! The Iowa State versus Iowa football game is on for this afternoon and thousands will be watching as Iowa State tries to defeat #9 ranked Iowa.
Throughout the day today you can follow Iowa corn growers as they educate consumers about what they do – grow our food and fuel at their consumer tent in Krause Family Plaza. Fans will get a chance to learn about the products that contain corn and register to win $5,000 in free food or $2,500 in fuel.
Tailgate safely and enjoy eating your food and drinking your beverages, made possible, in part by Iowa’s corn growers.
The rain couldn’t dampen spirits as nearly 100 VIP Iowa Corn growers had the opportunity of a lifetime to experience football weekend from the inside of University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. The Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board held a VIP reception on the media floor of University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium where they learned about what goes into making a college football game happen. In this case, the big game tomorrow is Iowa State versus Iowa.
They also had the opportunity to hear from former University of Iowa player, Lew Montgomery, part of the 1991 Rose Bowl team.
Although there were more red Iowa State shirts in the building then the Iowa athletic staff anticipated, they took it all in good cheer as they personally thanked the corn growers for their support of Iowa athletics, but more importantly, their dedication to growing America’s food.
Following the brief presentation, new ICGA President Dean Taylor, a grower from Prairie City Iowa, said a few words. He thanked the University of Iowa for their hospitality and making the reception possible. He also mentioned that the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day sponsorship reflects what a great relationship ICGA, Iowa State and University of Iowa have and what an important role the partnership plays in helping educate consumers about food and fuel.
The new Gator XUVs from John Deere have arrived and they are the fastest, most powerful gator that John Deere has ever made. And I got this information from a good source. Kevin Lund to be exact, a John Deere Gator expert.
The new Gator XUV 825i boasts 50 horsepower, can hit top speeds of 44 miles an hour, has three-cylinders, a dual overhead cam, and an inline engine that takes you anywhere you need to go.
I asked Lund why growers need an XUV and he answered, “The reason we call an XUV and XUV, is because we consider it a cross over vehicle. We we talk to farmers they want a couple of things out of the vehicle. They want it to be able to work hard. So the XUV has 1,000 lbs of payload capacity in the cargo bed so it can carry heavy loads. It’s got suspension system that’s built to handle it and a chassis that’s built strong.”
Lund continued, “And they also want some speed. They’ve got a lot of distance to cover…cows to chase….so they want a vehicle that can at least catch the cow if not be as agile as the cow.”
The new line of Gators comes in three models: the 825i, 625i and the 855D and are available now. You can learn more about the Gator XUV line at www.johndeere.com/gator or by listening to my interview with Kevin Lund. John Deere Launches Fastest Gators Around
I will root, root, root for Iowa State….tomorrow that is during the Iowa State versus Iowa football game in Iowa City. I will be sitting on the sidelines with nearly 900 Iowa corn farmers who helped grow the corn that produced the ethanol that I will put in my car to drive to the game. Once I get to the game, I will be eating food also made from the corn they have grown and will be using products made with corn.
This past week, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board have been educating fans about the benefits of ethanol as well as the role Iowa corn farmers are playing in biofuels development. Iowa is the number one producing state of both ethanol and corn. This has been highlighted all week during several promotions in conjunction with Kum & Go as part of the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day sponsorship and on Tuesday, Herky the Hawk was hamming it up for ethanol.
Speaking of corn, corn is an ingredient in more than 4,000 products and is an important part of our daily lives. Who knew, right? Fans will learn more about these products when they stop by the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day tent at the Krause Family Plaza near Kinnick Stadium tomorrow between 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Those who stop by can register to win $5,000 in free food and $2,500 in free fuel. You can also register online at www.iacornfed.com.
I will be posting updates tomorrow during the game. In the meantime, to get you pumped up for ethanol, watch Jerry Lalor with Fox 100.7 interview the non-talking but ethanol loving Iowa mascot, Herky the Hawk.
All-American Dairy Show youth exhibitors will benefit from a newly formed foundation designed to help support educational and training opportunities: the All-American Dairy Foundation.
FMC announced that it has entered into a development and distribution agreement with Kumiai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., and Ihara Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., for access to the new herbicide pyroxasulfone for use in combination with FMC’s fluthiacet-methyl herbicide.
Koch Sulfur Products Company, LLC, is expanding its product flexibility by adding a sulfur priller and new export location in Corpus Christi, Texas.
We’re getting closer and closer to the corn harvest in the Midwest and Bob Jackson, a researcher with Wyffels Hybrids, has been able to get into the fields and get some early looks. Harvest data coming out of Central and Southern Illinois reports that things are doing very well. “We’re off to a great start and I think we’re going to have a very solid year on performance,” Jackson told me last week during the Farm Progress Show.
Rain has been a concern in Iowa and Jackson said it there has been a lot of excess rain falls. “A common rain fall seems to be five inches this year. No one gets an inch of rain anymore,” said Jackson.
But as a researcher this actually excites him because he is able to learn how his company’s corn hybrids will perform. He noted that with all the rain, a lot of corn had a problem with denitrification and there has been a lot of oxygen depletion in the soil as well. This has caused a number of problems to develop this season.
“We haven’t really seen these hot conditions for the past couple of years. So it’s good to put our hybrids through the strains that happen during a normal year,” explained Jackson. “Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cool. Sometimes it’s wet and dry. So as a researcher, I like to see what happens and find a hybrid that works the best in all conditions.”
Although Wyffels didn’t release any new hybrids during the Farm Progress Show this year, they have a few new products coming down the pipeline.
Iowa based Kum & Go is a huge supporter of Iowa farmers. They sell ethanol and they sell products in their store made from corn. In Iowa, 31 of their stations sell E85 and in total 62 of their stations sell E85. In addition, every Kum & Go station offers consumers the choice to choose E10. The company is so passionate about offering consumers ethanol blends at the pump, that they have become a long-term partner with the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.
To help better educate consumers about the role Iowa corn farmers play in their everyday lives, the Iowa Corn Growers are in the midst of the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day promotion. As part of this initiative, this past Tuesday, the organizations jointly hosted three pump rallies around Iowa City, Iowa. I spoke with Matt Chase to learn more.
Not only is the promotion is designed to educate consumers about ethanol, but also to educate them about how many everyday products use corn – more than 4,000. But consumers don’t have to worry about having to make a choice between food, products or fuel. Iowa corn farmers, along with corn farmers around the country, are growing enough corn to meet all of our needs. In fact, this year is expected to be another record harvest using less land than in previous years.
You can learn more about food, fuel and products at www.iacornfed.com where you can register to win $5,000 in free food and $2,500 in free fuel. You can also learn more about the uses of corn by visiting the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board during Saturday’s Iowa State versus Iowa football game in Iowa City. They will have a booth with fun activities set up in the Krause Family Plaza from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 11, 2010.
Since the livestock industry is so important to our country as well as just about every other sector of agriculture you can’t get enough on a subject that has major implications for its future. That would be the proposed rule by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). You can follow back through our posts on this topic using the GIPSA Category which is in the left side drop down menu.
I still have some audio to share with you from the recent USDA/DOJ public workshop in Ft. Collins, CO. In this post you can listen to and download audio from the two panels (beef and pork) conducted the evening before by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council. I streamed it live at the time but also recorded it for you.
The pork panel included:
Sam Carney, President NPPC, Iowa pork producer
Mark Legan, Indiana pork farmer
Brent Sandidge, Manager of Ham Hill Farms, Missouri
Steve Meyer, President, Paragon Economics
James Herring, President/CEO, Friona Industries, Texas
Bill Rishel, Rishel Angus and currently President, Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association
Jerry Bohn, General Manager, Pratt Feeders, Kansas
Allie Devine, Vice President/General Counsel, Kansas Livestock Association
Dr. Stephen Koontz, Associate Professor, Colorado State University
Last week New Holland unveiled their new T8 and T9 tractors at the Farm Progress Show. I sat down with two of their marketing managers to learn more about these machines. Thanks to Gene Hemphill, media tent master and photographer, for taking the pictures.
Let’s look at the T8 Series first. There are five models of these tractors that range from 235 to 339 hp. I spoke with Sean Dorosz to learn what’s new in this series.
All T8 Series tractors feature a rugged Ultra Command™ full powershift transmission, powered by Tier IVa Cursor 9L engines developed and produced by Fiat Powertrain Technologies. These engines provide constant hydraulic flow even under extreme load. Standard hydraulic flow is a generous 43 gallons per minute (gpm) and with the Megaflow™ pump option, capacity climbs to 72 gpm. Engine Power Management provides up to 50 hp of extra power in high-demand conditions.
Next up is the T9 Series. These tractors range between 350 to 600 hp depending on which frame size you choose. To find out what’s new about this series I spoke with Wade Prouse.
All T9 Series tractors are powered by Tier IVa Cursor engines developed and produced by Fiat Powertrain Technologies. (9 liter engines in T9.390; 13 liter engines in T9.450, T9.505, T9.560, T9.615 and T9.670.). All models feature the efficiency of New Holland Ground Speed Management, which intuitively manages both engine load and transmission speeds to optimize performance and fuel economy.
One of the most unique pieces of equipment on display at the Farm Progress Show was a wind machine. This hurricane on wheels is named after the Greek God of the cold north wind – Boreas. Unfortunately we couldn’t fire this monster up for a demonstration due to safety concerns but it still got a lot of attention.
To find out just what Pioneer is using it for I spoke with Scott Nelson, Agronomy Research Manager. He says it was developed to screen all their hybrids for tolerance to brittle snap, early root lodging and late stand ability. Every hybrid gets screened by the machine. The machine has 85 hp. fans that can drive a wind up to 100 mph. Scott says waiting for natural winds was too unreliable so this machine has increased their ability to test more frequently. There are four of these machines in use. He says this program has improved their product stand ability tremendously.
The United Soybean Board was represented by Chairman, Phil Bradshaw, a soybean grower from Illinois, at the Farm Progress Show. I spent a few minutes with him to get an update on USB activities while he was visiting ag media.
Phil just got back from a trip to Japan to promote U.S. soybeans. He says they’re our 3rd largest customer. When it comes to export markets like Japan he can’t emphasize how important they are. Phil says fifty five percent of our soybeans are exported. The domestic market is still vital too and for that reason USB supports animal agriculture, the biggest component of the market. I asked him about the crop conditions in his area and he said they’ve got Sudden Death Syndrome for the first time but he’s still expecting a good crop.
“Agriculture: A Growing Story” will be the 2010 topic of the annual Farm-City Week Symposium held at the Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Pa., on Thursday, Nov. 18. The public is invited to attend.
The purpose of this symposium will be to explore friendly methods that can help assist the urban media when preparing news or feature stories that could significantly and negatively impact farmers, ranchers and the many agribusiness industries.
The Symposium begins at 10:30 a.m. EST and will continue until noon. Discussions from 11 a.m. until noon will be broadcast live over the nationally syndicated AgriTalk radio show, hosted by another nationally noted broadcaster, Mike Adams. It will be followed by a lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. with a special speaker.
Symposium participants and the lunch speaker will be announced later.
For more information on the National Farm-City Council Symposium on “Agriculture: A Growing Story,” contact Holly Fritz at 610.621.2253 or holly.fritz@hbfritz.com.
The event kicks off National Farm-City Week from Nov. 19-26.
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.
Stamina® F3 HL fungicide seed treatment has received EPA registration for commercial seed treatment use on wheat and barley. Stamina F3 HL is applied at the rate of 1 oz. per 100 lbs. of seed and contains no color, allowing seed-treating companies the ability to add their own color. Available for sale this fall on winter wheat, Stamina F3 HL can be mixed with Axcess® insecticide seed treatment for protection against wire worms, aphids, Hessian flies, grasshoppers and other insects.
Also, Kixor® powered Treevix™ herbicide, has received approval from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for use in California, to control broadleaf weeds for tree nut, pome fruit and citrus growers.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
