I Love Farmers They Feed My Soul guru, J. Scott Vernon, will be highlighting the PlacerGROWN Food & Farm Conference. It’s not your run of the mill, boring ag conference.
This is not just another conference packed with unexciting lectures on agriculture regulations, how to get better crops or best vaccine practices for livestock – far from it! We have assembled a dynamic and highly energetic group of speakers from around the state of California on the subject of sustainable agriculture, social media, educating the next generation of farmers and how to integrate technology into 2012 planning.
Whether currently farming, want to start, or want to learn about healthy, locally grown food, this year’s conference has been planned just for you! We want you to be a part of this conference, come meet the speakers, local farmers and local small businesses; make new friends, and experience how exciting supporting local agriculture can really be to our communities.
The new year has ushered in a new leader for Canada’s Outdoor Shows, the parent company of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and Canada’s Outdoor Equine Expo.
Doug Wagner became president effective January 1, assuming this position from Lorie Jocius, who now is vice president.
“Doug and my late husband, Ginty, created Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show almost two decades ago,” says Lorie Jocius. “With our merger with Glacier Media Inc. this past fall, it is a logical time to transfer the reins to Doug’s most capable hands.”
“We realized during our visit to Agritechnica in Germany this fall that Canada’s Outdoor Shows now has a strong international reputation for showcasing Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT),” says Wagner. “I hope to continue our tradition of demonstrating the newest and brightest ideas impacting the Canadian agricultural and equine industries through educational and interactive venues like Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and Canada’s Outdoor Equine Expo.”
Joining the ranks of farm shows with an app is the Sunbelt Ag Expo. It’s the Know On The Go app for all your mobile device types. It’s on my iPhone already because I’ll be there next week thanks to the support of the New Holland Boomer 555 Contest!
“Know on the Go” is the official mobile app for the 2011 Sunbelt Ag Expo, to be held Oct. 18-20 at Spence Field in Moultrie, Ga. The Sunbelt Expo is a must-attend event for anyone in agriculture, featuring hundreds of exhibits, a working farm, equipment demonstrations and driving ranges, and various educational opportunities.
“Know on the Go,” provided for the first time by Farm Press Publications and Penton Media Inc., will allow those attending the Sunbelt Expo this year to use their iPhone, IPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android and other web-enabled phones to receive up-to-the-minute news alerts and other breaking information during the three-day show.
“The Sunbelt Expo: Know on the Go mobile app was developed by Penton Custom Media and has been used at some of the largest trade shows in the nation,” says Greg Frey, vice president at Penton Media and publisher of Farm Press. “We believe this new technology will greatly enhance participants’ experience at this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo.”
Welcome to the Canada Outdoor Farm Show. This is where I’ll be today with other IFAJ members before the 2011 IFAJ Congress officially kicks off tomorrow evening. I’m assuming I’ll be away from internet access all day but I’ll be taking photos and have stories to share after I get back.
With helicopters landing and equipment arriving and animals getting bedded, the weekend was a busy one at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, Ontario – all in preparation for Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – September 13, 14 & 15, 2011. As the nation’s largest agricultural trade show, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show showcases the latest in agricultural technologies and innovations through demonstrations and interactive displays.
2011 IFAJ Congress Photo Album
We’re nearing fall farm show time. So where are you going? Here’s the results from our latest ZimmPoll. We asked, “Which of these fall farm shows will you attend?” 29% of you said Farm Progress Show, 16% said Husker Harvest Days, 11% said Farm Science Review, 10% said World Dairy Expo, 8% said Sunbelt Ag Expo, 15% said Regional/Local Show and 11% said More than one. The ZimmComm team will be at a number of these shows starting with next week’s Farm Progress Show. We’ll see you from there.
Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is your opinion on ag-related sponsorships of sporting events??” Your input and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.
The 2011 Farm Progress Show is right around the corner and the ZimmComm Team will be on location. We’ve already got the Farm Progress Show app on our iPhones. If you don’t have it yet you should.
Track your way around the largest farm show in the United States. Find exhibitors, access category listings and manage your day on the 100-acre exhibit field. The show alternates between Decatur, IL (odd years) and Boone, IA, download and make plans to attend!
Get it in the iTunes Store or Android Market.
We’ve got a record number of sponsors of our coverage of this year’s show so Cindy and I will be busy. But we plan to bring you as many of the sights and sounds as we can including what’s new and on display.
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show is just one of the stops coming up on the agriblogging highway. I’ll be attending for a day just prior to the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress.
Canada’s Outdoor Park is home annually to Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show each September but people, equipment and animals are roving in and out of the site all summer long.
The 85 acre site in Woodstock, Ontario is used by many companies and groups leading up to Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, being held this year from September 13th to 15th. Beginning as early as April, the action makes a chilly start with research programs, dealer training sessions and educational events. This summer, groups like Ontario Holsteins, Grober Nutrition and New Holland have taken advantage of the site with its long expanse of grass, buildings and crop plots.
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show will be held on September 13, 14, and 15, 2011 at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, ON. For more information visit www.OutdoorFarmShow.com or call 1-800-563-5441.
The International Agri-Center announced that it has named Liza Teixeira as Director of Communications. In her role, Teixeira will manage communications for the International Agri-Center, World Ag Expo, California Antique Farm Equipment Show and the Heritage Complex.
Teixeira graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science with minors in both agricultural communications and agricultural business. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, she will use her background to relate with the changing needs of the agriculture industry.
Prior to the International Agri-Center, Teixeira worked as the Public Relations Specialist for the California Strawberry Commission. In her role, she provided support for media relations, industry communications and public outreach. Most recently, she was responsible for membership, communications and education programs as Program Coordinator for the Tulare County Farm Bureau.
Agricultural equipment and machinery manufacturers are implementing more advanced electronics into their products these days to help farmers become ever more efficient. That’s why “Smart Farming” will have its own special segment at Agritechnica 2011, November 15-19 in Germany.
During the 2011 Commodity Classic, I had a chance to chat with our friends Malene Conlong and Annette Reichhold with DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft – German Agricultural Society) who organize the bi-annual Agritechnica. Malene says they chose “smart farming” as the special topic to highlight during Agritechnica this year. “You guys in America actually started this off with your precision farming and this is something that we’ll be exploring in depth,” she said. “By 2050 we’ve got 9 billion people on the earth and these people have to be fed somehow and I think smart farming is one of the ways that will be possible.”
Agritechnica started in 1985 and is the world’s largest agricultural machinery and equipment exhibition, with 2300 exhibitors and 355,000 visitors. They recently partnered with the AgConnect Expo here in the United States to build up a similar show on this side of the Atlantic on the off years – even though they will technically be held in the same calendar year.
Listen to or download my interview with Malene and Annette here: 2011 Agritechnica Preview
2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album
Somebody ordered some beautiful weather for this year’s National Farm Machinery Show. Sunshine and “warm” is the way I like it. I got on site early and got in some exercise just wandering around and seeing the show in set up mode.
I checked in at the Kentucky Exposition Center and met Corinne Fetter, Director of Expositions, Kentucky State Fair Board. She says the good weather should “bring people out of the woodwork.” The exhibit space is sold out so there’s 1.2 million square feet to walk through. She says the “Superbowl of Tractor Pulls” will have five sessions over the next several days and there are only a limited number of tickets left.
You can listen to my interview with Corinne here: Interview with Corinne Fetter
I’ve got a photo album started which will be added to periodically over the next several days: 2011 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
AgWired coverage at the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by:
Despite blizzard conditions throughout much of Iowa and across the country, the weather couldn’t keep thousands of growers from descending on Des Moines for the 56th annual Iowa Power Farming Show that kicked off today. This three day show, which ends on February 3, 2011, is expected to be one of the largest in the show’s history and I’m here courtesy of our sponsor, Ag Leader Technology. The show is conducted by the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association.
Tom Junge, Show Manager, said that this year there are 100 new exhibitors out of more than 680 total exhibitors. There are more than 1680 booths spread out between three major convention centers and 50 companies were still on a waiting list. Next year, the show will expand to Vet’s Auditorium and that should accommodate another 100 exhibitors.
I asked Junge what some of this year’s trends were. He said that in one of the surveys that they sent out to growers prior to the show, 24 percent of them indicated that they are planning on purchasing a tractor this year. Another 22 percent plan on expanding their precision ag applications. As a result, Junge said a majority of precision ag exhibitors expanded their booths this year.
I also asked Junge what one of the coolest things on the trade show floor was. He said that farmers are very interested in being more self sufficient on the farm for their own energy. This year there are six energy companies at the show and they are getting a lot of traffic. Junge noted that he feels offering a diversity of companies makes them unique; yet, they pride themselves in keeping everything ag related.
To learn more about the this year’s Iowa Power Farming Show, listen to my interview with Tom Junge. Tom Junge Interview
You can also see pictures from the show in my Iowa Power Farming Show flickr album.
In this week’s program we’re going to look ahead to the Western Farm Show by talking with Jeff Flora, CEO, Southwestern Association (owner of the show). The show will be held February 25-27 at the American Royal Complex in Kansas City, MO. This is the 50th annual show and ZimmComm New Media is happy to be a part of it. We’ll be exhibiting and I’ll be conducting two of the educational sessions, one on “Becoming an Agricultural Agvocate” with AgChat Foundation on Friday and one on Saturday on “Social Media – Tips & Tools.”
In my conversation with Jeff he describes the Southwestern Association which owns and manages the show. It was founded in 1889 and represents equipment retailers in a multi-state area, working in the areas of legislation, communication and education. Jeff says they’re expecting a potentially record crowd this year since he’s seen so much interest, especially from exhibitors. There are going to be more than 500 exhibits which he says is higher than recent years.
A first time highlight at this year’s show is the Friday/Saturday night Championship Tractor Pull which will be held in Kemper Arena. I’m planning to be there! Tickets for it are available here. So it sounds like a good time will be had in KC, MO. We hope to see you there.
Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Jeff Flora here: ZimmCast 288 - Western Farm Show
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page
The Pennsylvania Farm Show kicked off a little greener this year. The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center has some new “eco” features including a 124 kW rooftop photovoltaic solar array that were part of an energy savings project complements of the Pennsylvania Guaranteed Energy Savings Act. The new energy efficient, eco-features were celebrated during an opening day celebration coined “Switch to Solar”. The construction was actually completed in October of last year.
The ceremony highlighted recent efforts by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Farm Show Complex to make the facility more eco-friendly, energy efficient and energy wise through an energy savings performance contract implemented by Pepco Energy.
Some of the “eco” improvements included a comprehensive recycling program and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s installation of a demonstration storm water garden and a 20,000-gallon water storage tank, which will reduce run-off into Paxton Creek and reduce the Farm Show Complex’s water costs.
The $3.6 million project also included a 124 kW rooftop photovoltaic solar array and a variety of energy efficiency and solar hot water implementation measures. The project is estimated to save the complex more than $300,000 annually in operating utility costs and should decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 1,650 metric tons each year.
“The completion of the GESA project represents the Farm Show Complex’s dedicated investment to environmental stewardship,” said David Weiss, Chief Operating Officer of Pepco Energy. “Pepco Energy is pleased to offer its expertise and ongoing commitment to providing the energy solutions for this project to reduce costs, consumption and emissions.”
Speaking of farm shows. How about Husker Harvest Days? It’s going on now in Grand Island, NE. This is a show I haven’t been to in years but always enjoyed.
Check out their interactive map.
After a delayed start to Day 2 the crowds filled the Husker Harvest Show site west of Grand Island providing exhibitors a strong day. The event, which draws people from more than 40 states, offered plenty of new tech for visitors. The delayed start, caused by high winds overnight ahead of Day 2, are long gone as Day 3 dawns.
A favorable weather forecast will greet visitors traveling to the site today, with highs predicted in the mid-70′s. Day 3 will be a pleasant one for the big show.
From prototype tractors to new-tech irrigation equipment, the show has a wide range of new products for visitors to check out.
So many farm shows, so little time. I wish we could be at all of them. One of them taking place this week is the Big Iron Farm & Ranch Show in West Fargo, ND. Pictured are a couple of the guys from the Red River Farm Network. The show runs through today and has a significant international attendance.
North Dakota is hosting a large delegation of international guests who are attending the 2010 Big Iron Farm Show and many other events designed to promote exports of North Dakota agricultural equipment and services.
About 110 buyers of farm and ranch equipment and livestock are expected to attend the Big Iron Farm Show’s International Visitors Program Sept. 13-17. The visitors will travel from more than 10 countries, including Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Ukraine, Canada, Uruguay and South Africa to participate in the program.
“The International Visitors Program is a great way of leveraging the draw of the Big Iron Farm Show to build on the growing global demand for North Dakota’s agricultural products,” Gov. John Hoeven said. “This program is one of many strategies we have developed to promote our quality products in high-demand markets around the world.”
Valent is preparing to launch three new products including INOVATE, FIERCE and RYZUP according to Dawn Refsell when I spoke with her during the Farm Progress Show.
Inovate is a soybean seed protectant that will help growers maximize soybean stand, vigor and yield. The INOVATE System contains Nipsit INSIDE Insecticide and RANCONA Xxtra Fungicide. The product received registration in January of this year and is already in the field.
Refsell said that so far farmers have been very happy with the product and she explained that they’re getting great results with stand establishment as they’re going out doing stand counts with all the growers. They’ve also seen increases in plant vigor.
A product in the pipeline is FIERCE that will be available for soybeans and no-till corn. Refsell said the use pattern for soybeans is exactly like VALOR, which is a component of FIERCE. She said it can be planted up to 7 days before planting. Valent is expecting registration on the product during 4th Quarter of this year so they are positioning it mainly for Spring.
One last product they are launching is RYZUP, which is a biological. It focuses on grass pastures and it can be applied to extend the grazing season up to 3 weeks. It should be applied when the temperature is between 40-70 degrees because during this time grass is slower to grow.
To learn more about these new Valent products, listen to my interview with Dawn Refsell or visit their website at www.valent.com.Valent Launching Three New Products
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
During the Farm Progress Show, Bayer CropScience kicked off a new initiative called, “I Farm to Feed the World,” in an effort to raise awareness about the need to decrease global hunger amidst a growing population. I spoke with Mark Wrucke about the program and he said, “We’re a global organization and we realize ag has some real challenges coming. The population will continue to grow yet we’re really farming most of the arable land that available right now.”
He continued, “So it’s critically important we maximize our yield and grain quality on every acre we produce. It’s also critically important we maintain the lowest possible footprint in doing so.”
During the show, farmers from around the globe made pledges that they would maximize yields and grain quality while helping to minimize environmental impact. For every pledge, Bayer would donate $5 to one of four local food banks in the area mainly covered by Farm Progress. The pledges raised $6,680 for the food banks.
Knowing the challenges, I asked Wrucke what some of Bayer’s technologies were that would help to solve them. He said, “We’re very proud of the fact we consider ourselves to be the innovation company. We feel the best way to address these challenges in the future is through research.”
Bayer has released 28 new products in the marketplace in the last 10 years and will launch another nine new products by the end of 2012. Wrucke said many of these new products will have a much lower use rate and will be much less toxic to the environment.
To learn more about the “I Farm to Feel the World” initiative as well as to learn about their new products in the pipeline, listen to my interview with Mark Wrucke. You can also visit their website at www.bayercropscience.us.com. I Farm to Feed the World
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
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.
You can learn more about Wyffels Hybrids by listening to my interview with Bob Jackson. Wyffels' Corn Hybrid's Performing Well
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
Thousands of corn acres have been under various types of stress this year, many under the stress of too much rain. Corn that has undergone too much stress doesn’t perform well causing a grower’s yield to be down, and thus his profit. However, growers who have used Bio-Forge have seen their corn manage stress much better, leading to higher yields.
Larry Litner, with StollerUSA, has been spending quite a bit of time with growers this summer and he has seen first hand how Bio-Forge has performed under these stressful conditions. He said that he has been impressed with its performance as have the growers.
“Even starting from the very early spring, we’ve had some wet, cold soils. Then we had a wet summer, so we’ve had a lot of wet stress on all crops, all year long,” explained Litner. He has been out in the fields almost all summer looking at different crops and he said he is seeing with Bio-Forge much better root development. Better root development leads to better performance and he said he’s seeing better pod set on the soybeans and better ear fill on the corn.
“I was checking some fields yesterday, saw a 30 percent increase on pod set with soybeans and we’re seeing 18 rows versus 14 to 16 rows on the ears of corn when we compare treated versus untreated,” said Litner.
Bio-Forge primarily helps to manage stress and by doing that helps the plant to develop a better root system. A stronger, more well developed root system can then better manage a multitude of issues including managing ethylene stress as it begins to accumulate during adverse conditions.
Many growers are applying Bio-Forge with their seed treatment but for for those who don’t, it can also effectively be applied to corn during the v4 to v7 stage of growth and to soybeans just prior to the R1 stage.
You can learn more by listening to my interview with Larry Litner. Bio-Forge Shows Success at Managing Stress
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
John Deere has released its next version of the 8R Tractors that were originally released last year. This upgraded version integrates the “smart-tractor” concept into the row-crop tractors. I caught up with Cody Dicken during the Farm Progress Show to take a look at the new 8R Tractor and learn more about its new features.
“First and foremost, customers will notice new styles and new lights on the front grill. But quickly when they step into it, they’ll notice that the power levels have increased by about a 10-15 percent power increase depending on the model,” explained Dicken.
The 8360R and the 8360RT get up to almost 300 btu horsepower and Dicken continued, “From what we can see, these are the most powerful row crop tractors anywhere in the industry.”
One advantage of the new 8R Tractors is that farmers are easily able to integrate the new GPS technologies into their operations.
“Last year when we came out with the 2010 8R we introduced the Command Center on the seat. This year, we’ve taken the Command Center to the next level,” said Dicken. “We now have an option to enable the tractor with a touch steer display and the GreenStar applications are now available.”
With the Command Center, growers can also operate AutoTrack and SwatchControl Pro, which makes it easier for growers to be able to use the technology.
You can customize the tractor to meet your needs so it works from a small to medium operation all the way up to an extra large operation. Not ready for all the bells and whistles yet? Don’t worry. You can add technologies as your operation grows.
To learn more, visit your local John Deere dealer. They are accepting orders now and manufacturing will begin in January 2011 for delivery in time for next growing season.
You can also learn more by listening to my interview with Cody Dicken. Cody Dicken Talks 8R Tractors
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
« Previously Posted
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
