Author Archives: John

New Holland TLB Popular Due to Versatility

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new-holland-ce-9Doing it all with one piece of equipment is something both farmers and construction workers would like to do, which explains why one of the most interesting pieces of equipment at the New Holland Construction Media Event held recently at company headquarters in New Holland, Pa., was one of their tractor-loader-backhoes. Jon Hume, product specialist with New Holland, told Chuck about one of their most popular TLB models, the B95c.

“The reason it is very popular is it has a lot of unique features,” Jon said, including a straight-arm loader and the ability to put multiple attachments with quick couplers on the front. Moving back, he said you’ll notice a big roomy cab with air conditioning and heat and a four-speed transmission with a top road speed of over 22 mph. “And as you swing around to the backhoe, the important part, we have mechanical controls or this one has pilot controls [that] allow us to have different change patterns between backhoe and excavator,” so that different operators can change patterns with a flip of the switch.

Jon said it’s all these features and more that really separate New Holland from the competition.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jon here: Interview with Jon Hume

New Holland Construction Equipment Media Event Photos

New Holland Excavators Good for Ag & Construction

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new-holland-ce-10During the recent New Holland Construction Media Event at company headquarters in New Holland, Pa., company officials emphasized how this year, they are integrating their agricultural and construction lines of equipment. One of those items that falls into that category of being useful in either world is their E55B excavator, which Peter Nelmes, construction equipment specialist for New Holland CE Specialist, explained during an interview with Chuck that the quiet, rubber-tracked 5.5-metric ton with auxiliary hydraulics is a very flexible excavator/crawler.

“It’s very versatile because of the size and because of the swing radius on it,” he said. “It’s where you can’t get a larger machine in to do a job, where you’d have to get people to come in and hand dig it, this one will do it.”

Several features set this machine apart from its competition, including a tremendous drawbar force, good for pushing up and down hills and moving materials with a dozer blade, as well as great swing torque.

While most would think of this for construction and landscaping, Peter said he expects that this could be very handy on the farm.

“A lot of times if you have to dig trenches along the side for your dairy farm or cleaning out bins, these are compact enough to be able to get in, and they can move the bulk of the stuff out from where you can’t reach with a skid steer over corral pens and put it where you can get it with your larger equipment.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Peter here: Interview with Peter Nelmes

New Holland Construction Equipment Media Event Photos

New Holland Customers Love their Skid Steers

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new-holland-ce-8New Holland customers sure love their Skid Steers.

“Once you get one of these out on the job site or on the farm, you’ll never let it go!” declared Dan Livezey with New Holland during an interview with Chuck at New Holland’s Construction Media Event at company headquarters in New Holland, PA. He says the Super Boom Skid Steer is especially well liked, since it comes with rubber tires and has the best reach and lift in the industry or rubber track units that give you more traction and versatility in dicey ground conditions. Both are great for a wide variety of jobs – from using it as a bulldozer, tree-cutter or land clearer. “A lot of different applications.”

Dan went on to say that their customer base is actually pretty evenly split between their ag and construction customers. He says it’s New Holland’s stable platform that really sets them apart from their competition.

“We have a long, wide wheel base on the rubber tire and track units,” plus New Holland has a vertical lift boom to make sure the lift-and-carry ability stays stable. And Ride Control smooths the trip across a rough field by turning the loader boom into a shock absorber.

New Holland’s Skid Steers are also easy to maintain, with all the daily maintenance able to be done under a rear hood. And if you need to do more, Dan says just take out two bolts, and the whole cab tips forward, giving you access to the hydraulics and the engine.

Dan adds they’ve got a growing dealer network, with more the 800 dealers nationwide, and always looking for more.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Livezey

New Holland Construction Equipment Media Event Photos

Genscape Buy of LandViewer Ups Ag, Biofuels Info

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Genscape LogoProvider of energy information for commodity and financial markets Genscape has bought LandViewer to expand its technology footprint in the agriculture and biofuels industries. Genscape says, using NASA satellite data to get daily updates of corn vegetation progress, the LandViewer platform gives corn traders and buyers land use and crop progress information on a sub-regional level so they know where to source grain and how to set the best prices.

“The LandViewer platform opens a lot of doors for Genscape customers to make informed grain management decisions ahead of market movements. When you know the supply of corn you can set better prices, hedge investment risk and stay ahead of the competition,” says Robert Barton, Managing Director of Agriculture and Biofuels at Genscape.

To complement the LandViewer acquisition and to provide additional value to ethanol customers Genscape has also launched a unique QAP specifically for the ethanol industry. The new program offers a way for ethanol plants to create QAP-B RINs desired by Obligated Parties with a minimal impact on plant operations. Using their proven technology, the company can offer a cost-effective method to directly manage RIN generation compliance while eliminating the hassle of onsite auditing.

Also designed for traders, LandViewer uses a combination of historical data, national yield regressions and fundamental crop data to deliver highly accurate projections of crop yields on a national level to inform trading and investment strategies.

The LandViewer technology was developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center.

Brennan Heading Farm Foundation Development

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brennan1Our friends at Farm Foundation, a group that has work in agriculture, food systems and rural communities, has tapped Tim Brennan as their new Director of Development.

“We are excited to welcome Tim to the Foundation staff,” says Jay Armstrong of Armstrong Farms, Muscotah, KS, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“This is a dynamic time for the Foundation as demand for our high-quality, objective program work continues to grow. Tim’s expertise in fundraising will be crucial to the Foundation’s ability to expand the depth and reach of that programming.”

“The Foundation is uniquely positioned to help public and private decision makers understand evolving issues and demands that are shaping the future of the industry,” says Neil Conklin, President of Farm Foundation, NFP. “Tim will formalize a fundraising strategy and bring valuable experience to strengthen and broaden relationships in the Foundation’s networks.”

Brennan has 20 years in fundraising, most of that in higher education. He was the Associate Director of Alumni Relations for the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, now the Booth School of Business and the Director of Alumni Relations and Marketing for Northwestern University’s School of Law, as well as the University of Chicago’s Executive Director of the Chicago Society and Director of Development at the Law School and the Senior Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations at the University.

Most Important Word in Social Media: Why

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nama13-steve“Everyone” has a Facebook page (or Twitter account or LinkedIn page, etc.), but is it the right social media decision? That’s the question Steve Hershberger, principal and co-founder of the social media company ComBlu, posed during one of the breakout sessions at the 2013 Agri-Marketing Conference recently in Kansas City.

“One of my favorite tools in my toolbox is the word ‘Why?’” Steve told Cindy during an interview at the meeting. “When people say, ‘We have to be on Facebook,’ my question is, ‘Why?’ ‘Well, because all of our competitors are on Facebook.’ ‘Well, why do you have to?” What you have to get them to is a defendable decision that they can back up using empirical data,” such as measurement of their customer sets and what Facebook delivers. And he adds that the right social media strategy will vary from company to company. “Never let the tactics drive the outcome.”

Steve’s company, ComBlu, has been around since 2003 and views the business as less about social and more about an enterprise, leaving behind what he calls “empty calorie” marketing. He said that after asking “Why?” companies need to consider social media as a tactic and look at how to create an overall social strategy over longer periods of time. He added that for those just starting in the social media and strategy realm, they need to eliminate fear and doubts by focusing on just a few things.

“When you’re focused on doing too many things, you move into the analysis-paralysis phase, because you don’t necessarily know what you’re doing. If you hone it down to just a few key items that you’re focused on, you tend to do them better.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Steve here: Interview with Steve Hershberger of ComBlu

2013 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

More R&D from BASF Acquiring Becker Underwood

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becker-seeversThe recent acquisition of Becker Underwood by BASF is more than just putting the two companies together. It means more research and development as each is able to look at the other’s advancements and see how they might be able to combine products for maximum efficiency

“Both companies are bringing together a lot of existing technology that we’re starting to examine to see if we can find some synergies with what we already have,” explained Kurt Seevers, field development leader for seed enhancements and biologicals, during the recent tour of the plant facility in St.Joseph, Mo. He added that going forward, they’ll also look at combining new material they are each developing.

Kurt said they might work on 750 treatments in a year, and of course, not all of them make it to market. But he said since they’ve done a lot of their prep work in the labs, more often than not, a treatment will go forward once it has hit the field testing.

He said they have some real challenges, including improving on already hot products, such as VAULT HP. “It does give us a challenge in research so we have the opportunity to take materials we’re looking at and put them in products that look really good already and see if we can make improvements that way. That’s typically how we take that next step.”

Kurt concluded that they are working on agriculture’s overall goal of feeding a growing world in a sustainable, ecologically respectful way.

Hear more of Cindy’s interview with Kurt here: Kurt Seevers, Becker Underwood field development lead

Becker Underwood media tour photo album

Keeping Seed Treatments Where They Belong

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becker-haleYou’ve spent some good money to treat those seeds before you plant them in the ground. But the dust that forms when the treated seeds rub together and rub off those expensive treatments is more than a loss of protection and an irritant for workers – it’s like money blowing away in the wind. Charlie Hale, marketing strategy and support lead for Becker Underwood says that’s why having the right polymer is so important.

“You might think of the polymers as glues that glue those solids on to the seed surface, but they are also designed these days to help fill in the spaces between the particles to make the seed smoother,” cutting down on that friction that creates that dust. Charlie adds that Becker Underwood’s new Flo Rite® 1706 plantability polymer does all that and gives you more uniform plant distribution out in the field. He also points out that losing protection for that seed also means a loss in yield potential. “With
today’s prices for grain, we lose significant amounts of money, just because we haven’t kept that protection on the seed.”

Charlie says Becker Underwood has two formulations for legumes, two for corn and another one on the way for cotton. He says this is the third generation of the Flo Rite products for soybeans and corn, so his company has some experience to bring to the table. They’ve got it down to producing almost no dust, no matter how aggressively it gets rubbed.

He cautions that growers who think they can cut down on dust really aren’t gaining anything. “Yeah, [a half rate] does [cut down on dust]. But you still are losing protection.” You want to put on and keep on everything that you’ve invested. And he thinks the latest Flo Rite polymer will be near zero dust. “You get pretty close to that.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Charlie here: Charlie Hale, Becker Underwood marketing and support lead

Becker Underwood media tour photo album

VAULT HP Fixes More Nitrogen for Soybeans

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becker-berndtOne of the biggest concerns for any ag operation is getting the most out of your inputs. During the recent tour of BASF‘s newly acquired Becker Underwood St.Joseph, Mo. seed facility, Russ Berndt, product manager for legumes and northern crops for Becker Underwood, talked about the symbiotic relationship soybeans have with the living organism rhizobia, a soil bacteria that fixes nitrogen for soybean plants. While the rhizobia are naturally occurring, they’re not always the right kind for soybeans to get the most out of the nitrogen relationship. That’s where Becker Underwood’s VAULT HP and its compounds come in.

“One of them is a compound that stimulates the rhizobia so that they send signals to the plant to produce more [nitrogen-producing] nodules sites,” adding that another component is INTEGRAL, a biological fungicide that gives more protection for the plants. Russ says that while inoculant technology is not necessarily new, VAULT HP’s approach differs from the old days of the dusty black powders. Liquid concentrations allow more rhizobia to be in each treatment. “It’s now very convenient. Growers can have it put on their seed when they’re getting other seed treatments put on. They’re put on at a very low rate so the treater can put on multiple products. And the concentrations are high so the grower is getting a high count rhizobia along with all the other components of VAULT HP,” he says.

Russ goes on to say that not only are growers ensured a maximum nodulation on those roots with a surefire nitrogen fixer, they get a living biological in INTERGRAL that grows on the roots surface to provide protection throughout the season. It all adds up to a better bottom line.

“What we see as far as return on investment is growers are going to get a 5-to-1 or better return half the time and over 70 percent of the time, get at least a 2-to-1 return.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Russ here: Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood product manager for legumes

Becker Underwood media tour photo album

Emerson Heading Rural Electric Coop Association

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JoAnnEmersonFormer Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson is now heading the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The group welcomed Emerson’s wealth of experience in both the legislative and association management arenas, serving nine terms in Congress from rural Southeast Missouri and working for the National Restaurant Association and the American Insurance Association before her legislative career.

“I am so honored to be working for this dynamic association and for the more than 900 cooperatives that belong to NRECA,” says Emerson. “I am inspired by the difference these cooperatives are making in their communities every single day. I look forward to working with the great staff at NRECA to develop innovative programs to support and advocate for our members and the 42 million electric consumers they serve.”

During her tenure in the U.S. House, Emerson served on the House Appropriations Committee and she chaired the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations, with oversight of the U.S. Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and various independent government agencies, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration.

Emerson has been recognized for her work on energy issues, including being awarded the NRECA Distinguished Service Award. The NRECA represents more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

Farmer to Head Wells Fargo Food & Agribusiness

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RYraceburu1A man who has deep ties to farming has been tapped as head of Wells Fargo’s National Food & Agribusiness Division. This company news release says Rob C. Yraceburu, a fourth-generation family farmer who holds both a bachelor’s in agricultural business and a master’s in agricultural economics from California State University Fresno, will lead the group’s expansion to untapped markets in the Midwest and East:

Yraceburu takes on the new role after leading Wells Fargo Commercial Banking operations in Southern California since 2008. Before that, he served from 1999 as regional manager in Bakersfield, Calif., where he doubled Wells Fargo lending to agriculture in less than a decade. In that same period, he also increased the bank’s market share to become the leading financer of agribusiness in surrounding Kern County, one of the most-productive agricultural counties in the U.S. In all, Yraceburu worked over 25 years in several finance positions for the company in California’s Central Valley, a huge agriculture region where over 400 crops are produced.

“Wells Fargo has been committed to the U.S. food and agriculture industry through numerous economic cycles,” said Perry Pelos, the head of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. “Rob and his team will leverage Wells Fargo’s national reach and financial strength to grow our support of an industry that is vital for every single person in America.”

Yraceburu believes they’ll have a great opportunity for Wells Fargo to grow its food and agriculture business in the Midwest and particularly in the East.

Vilsack: “Farm to Fly” Rural Job Producer

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vilsack-lahood3Two members of Pres. Obama’s cabinet have signed their names to an agreement that will extend the administration’s commitment to the production of biofuels for use in airplanes, and that should be good news for the rural economy. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have extended by five years the “Farm to Fly” program, an initiative to partner the USDA and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help develop a viable biofuel for the aviation industry.

During remarks at the ceremony at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference (ABLC) near Washington, D.C., Vilsack said this is a real job producer, especially for rural parts of the country.

“By continuing to work together to produce American made ‘drop-in’ aviation fuels from renewable feedstocks, we will create jobs and economic opportunity in rural America, lessen America’s reliance on foreign oil and develop a thriving biofuels industry that will benefit commercial and military enterprises,” Vilsack said. “USDA is pleased to partner with the FAA in our quest to develop alternatives to fossil-based fuel, which is critical to reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment.”

LaHood pointed out that it’s been the hard work of people in attendance at the ABLC that made this agreement even a possibility.

“Through the use of sustainable alternative jet fuels, we are showing the world that we can come together to solve our greatest environmental challenges,” said LaHood.

vilsack-lahood4During a news conference after the signing, Vilsack said that while there are some that want to muddy the waters and try to make it seem as though the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would hurt farmers and ranchers, he remains one of biofuels’ biggest allies.

“I am positive consumers benefit from this. I am positive that hundreds of thousands of jobs are connected to this industry. And I am positive that it has stabilized farm income,” he said.

Listen to Vilsack and LaHood’s remarks here: Secs. Vilsack and LaHood at ABLC

BIVI Panel: Observe, Be Patient & Help Others

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bivi-vets-13-panelAll this week we’ve been hearing from some of the presenters at the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar for swine vets held in San Diego. A panel session that featured Dr. Darin Madson from Iowa State University; Dr. Jim Lowe, a private livestock veterinary consultant in Illinois; Dr. Edgar Diaz, associate director of swine for BIVI; and Dr. Dale Polson, technical resources specialist with BIVI, (seated, left to right) talked about vertical transmission of disease, with BIVI Director of Swine Technical Services Dr. Tyler Holck moderating (standing, on right).

“Understanding [the gilt's] immunity and her status coming in to that farm is probably the most important thing you can do,” said Madson. “It’s too late once she’s there, because that’s when you’ll have see this vertical transmission.”

Lowe urged the vets attending to have patience and understand that you need to collect data over a number of years to truly understand a problem. “One test result probably doesn’t change my attitude… 10 in a row might tell me something more.”

Diaz echoes the first two sentiments on carefully observing and being patient to gather and consolidate the right amount of data.

Polson told the audience that they need to give to gain and play well with others. While it’s good to work to better the client’s herd, “if we are too narrowly focused and too myopic on just our stuff, we don’t appreciate how much of the effort that we put in dealing with our stuff we could mitigate by giving, collaborating with the neighborhood or across businesses.”

Listen to the panel discussion here: BIVI Swine Health Seminar panel on vertical transmission


BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Pigs Start Coughing Long Before Our Brains Hear It

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bivi-vets-13-loweUnderstanding how early in the production chain a disease actually starts will give veterinarians a better chance at stopping it before it becomes a problem.

“Twenty percent of those pigs are coughing before our brain will let us hear that,” Dr. Jim Lowe, a private livestock veterinary consultant in Illinois, told attendees of the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar for swine vets in San Diego. He added that if you work the math of how long it takes a pig to go from infection to cough, you’re looking at 60 days to possibly between 120-150 days. “So if we’re hearing a cough in 15-, 16-, 17- weeks old pigs, those infections likely started back in the farrowing house.” He suggested more patient monitoring of gilts earlier in the process.

Lowe also talked about how swine vets can remain relevant to increasingly larger corporate operations, cautioning those vets are on the verge of becoming not very important, and they can’t just run around trying to cure the problem of the moment. He said vets need to use as sophisticated technology as the big producers are using, lest they become opinion-givers instead of fact-givers. Lowe also touched on the importance of husbandry and taking a holistic approach to managing a swine herd. Using the cattle feedlot business as an analogy, he said how good the caregiver is in the overall production chain makes a 10-fold difference. “The skill of our caregivers is really important, and that’s a real opportunity for us as veterinarians.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Dr. Lowe here: Interview with Dr. Jim Lowe


BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Vaccination Sharply Lowers In Utero Disease Transfer

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bivi-vets-13-madsonIn utero transmission of Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCV2) is more common than we might think, and vaccinations can make a world of difference to lower those transmissions from sows to their unborn piglets. That was the message veterinarians at the at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar heard in San Diego. Dr. Darin Madson, Assistant Professor of Pathology with the Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, gave a talk titled “From Uterus to Fetus: PCV2 Unstable Sow Herds,” and said that while it might not show clinical signs in utero, it can cause problems downstream.

He said that in non-vaccinated herds, 17-71 percent of in utero piglets or piglets being weaned are infected. Vaccination drops that dramatically. “Repeat the same study, and you’ve got from less than 1 percent to 20 percent of the pigs being born actually are infected,” Darin said.

He went on to say that producers need to consider the primary effects of the vaccination, that the sows themselves won’t get the disease, and the secondary effects, the impacts on production, more stability and increased immunity to PCV2. “Which would include decreased sow mortality, decreased wean to service intervals, and even decreased piglet mortality and increased weaning weights.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Darin here: Interview with Dr. Darin Madson Iowa State


BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

PRRS Like Waterfalls, Waldo & National Debt

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bivi-vets-13-slideAnalogies are a great way to illustrate your point, and Dr. Dale Polson, technical resources specialist with Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI), really used them in talking about vertical transmission of PRRS at the BIVI Swine Health Seminar for swine vets in San Diego. Polson compared PRRS waterfalls, Where’s Waldo and even the national debt, among others, to talk about how transmission of the disease is defined too narrowly.

He said if you look at transmission of PRRS from the sow to the piglet as a waterfall, you also have to consider where that “water” travels. “That water is going to other sites, which then, themselves become waterfalls, and that’s going to other downstream sites, which then, themselves are waterfalls as well.” And Polson added you need to manage an entire area for PRRS, because that just like a waterfall crashing down on the rocks below, PRRS spreads horizontally as well, which creates even more waterfalls.

And when it comes to comparison to the national debt, Polson said while the numbers $16.5 trillion for the national debt compared to $16.5 billion that PRRS has cost swine producers, the cost-share per farm is larger than each home’s share of the national debt.

Finally, just like finding the cartoon character Waldo, when it first starts out, PRRS seems to be everywhere. But as “Waldo” … or PRRS in this case … gets harder to find, it is just as impactful. “Especially if people pull the trigger on sending pigs to a negative area,” Polson explained.

Polson said managing vertical transmission of PRRS is non-negotiable and that there needs to be better, more active collaboration between swine producers and observation of a modified Golden Rule: “Transmit unto others as you would have others transmit unto you.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Dr. Polson here: Interview with Dr. Dale Polson, BIVI


BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

BIVI: Control More than Vaccination or Medication

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bivi-vets-13-diazControlling disease in swine herds is more than vaccinating or medicating your livestock … that’s the message attendees of the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in San Diego received before the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting. During a session titled “Infection Chain – A New Perspective on Disease Management,” Dr. Edgar Diaz, associate director of swine for BIVI told the vets about the infection chain concept and its relationship to vertical transmission of pathogens.

“I think we over-focus on control of disease in piglets,” he said, adding that if a pig is sick in finishing, there was something wrong introduced into that herd in the first place. “[Long before that], we did something wrong with the introduction of the gilt to the reproductive herd… in the stabilization of the reproductive herd… in [trying] to short out the transmission of the disease between the sow and the piglet. Be more aware of all the infection chain and all of the process.”

Diaz suggested more focus on the vertical transmission of disease from the sow to the piglet.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Dr. Diaz here: Interview with Dr. Edgar Diaz, BIVI


BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Case IH Talks “So God Made a Farmer” Ad at NFMS

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It’s possibly one of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time … Dodge Ram Trucks’ spot featuring the voice of Paul Harvey, reading in his characteristic way the moving poem, “So God Made a Farmer,” set to stirring images of the people who make possible our daily bread (and milk and meat and fuel). At the recent National Farm Machinery Show, Case IH’s Dan Danford explained his company’s role in their sister company’s memorable commercial.

“It’s been amazing what kind of spotlight this has put on U.S. agriculture,” Dan said, adding that in just a short time, it helped raise $1 million in donations for FFA. He considers it an absolute gift for Case IH to be part of this successful program to highlight the importance of agriculture in 2013, what the company calls The Year of the Farmer. “They included us because of our long relationship with FFA… 65 years as a supporting partner. And we are taking this torch and running with it!”

Dan said there’ll be more to come, including possibly a photo book. And Case IH wants to be a part of it all. “We are working with them to say, ‘What can we do to keep this going?’ Because the more people ask questions, the more they’re going want to know and be involved.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Danford

And just in case you’d like to see it one more time.

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Spending a Minute with Jake at NFMS

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nfms-13-fmc-turnerYou can learn a lot in just a short time. Our friends at FMC have launched a video series they call the Authority Minute, a chance to educate growers and retailers about the importance of having an effective weed management program. Chuck caught up with host Jake Turner at the recent National Farm Machinery Show, just one stop on the cross-country trip Jake is taking.

“The Authority Minute is a series of interviews with all kinds of folks about soybeans and weeds and their concerns with resistant weeds and weed pressure,” Jake explained, adding they talk to everyone from farmers to university researchers to chemists to wholesalers. “Everybody who can help growers get the most yield and control resistant weeds.”

So where does Jake find the best place to talk to producers? Diners!

“Growers know where the good food is, and that’s where you usually can talk to them, too.”

In addition to getting some good information, you might also win the ultimate tailgate package, including a Bose® Portable Sound System, a customized tailgate tent, a YETI® Tundra® Cooler, an XL Big Green Egg® Grill, Omaha Steaks® gift card, four tailgate chairs, a grilling tool set, tailgate table and tailgate games all valued at approximately $5,000. Plus, there’ll be a a number of first and second places prizes for a total of $15,000 in prizes. Check out news.authorityminute.com for more information.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Jake here: Interview with Jake Turner

And if you’d like to see one of the episodes, here’s a current one for you:

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album


Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC and New Holland Agriculture

New Holland Adds to Legacy with BigBalers

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nfms-13-nh-balerThey’ve been known for a long time for their baling products, and at the recent National Farm Machinery Show, our friends from New Holland really showed their legacy with two new models, the BigBaler 330 and 340, producing 3′x3′ or 3′x4′ large square bales.

“You’ll see a new styling, a new appearance,” all designed to have better serviceability, said New Holland’s Mike Cornman. But the biggest improvements are the increases in capacity. “We’ve seen a 20 percent increase in capacity versus our prior series, mostly coming from the improvements made in the pickup to the baler,” while also increasing the density of the bales by 5 percent, making the producer more efficient.

Mike added the BigBaler 330 and 340 are best matched with New Holland’s T7 and T8 series tractors.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Cornman

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album


Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC and New Holland Agriculture