He says that way back when he was a dealer for SuperB Grain Dryers he started coming to the show and he’s been coming ever since. The show has exploded since his first visit. He says he likes “to meet people and likes machinery.” I asked him if he could tell some stories about his experiences over the years and he laughed and said “I don’t know. I’ve had so many.” He says everyone should see this show at least once because “it grows on you.”

Listen to my interview with Kenneth: Interview with Kenneth Fry

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

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.

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.”

“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.”

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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:

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 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 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.”

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.

From prototype tractors to new-tech irrigation equipment, the show has a wide range of new products for visitors to check out.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

Syngenta customers who are participating in trials are seeing and experiencing a new level of control, the highest level of control soon to be available on the market according to Ozipko, as well as the broadest spectrum of control. Once Agrisure Viptera hits the market in time for the 2011 planting season, it will control 14 different pests including corn earworm, fall army worm, Western bean cut worm, and black cut worm, among others.

The protection is something Ozipko says growers are confident about when they plant the trait stack in their fields. “They’re going to have protection from planting all the way through harvest,” said Ozipko.

Ozipko continued, “At the end of the day, the grower is really driven by yield. We’re experiencing a 14 bushel benefit. Growers are excited about that 14 bushels per acre in the presence of corn earworm.”

This equates to about a half ton truck of grain on every acre and Ozipko said this is a pretty big yield loss if growers don’t control pests.

Regardless of environmental conditions, Agrisure Viptera is going to provide protection against pests. Many farmers in the Midwest suffered from excess moisture this growing season that can lead to mycotoxin or aflotoxin from pests that get into the corn ear. However, planting Agrisure Viptera can reduce damage from those pests, minimizing toxins and help the grower market his grain more effectively.

You can learn more about Agrisure Viptera at www.agrisureviptera.com and by listening to my interview with Grant Ozipko here. Introducing Agrisure Viptera for Pest Control

Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.

I spoke with Jason Stauffer, Energy Management Specialist/Area Sales Manager for Star Energy about why this sponsorship was so important to his company. He said that there is no better way to demonstrate the benefits of biodiesel than people seeing it in action.

One benefit of biodiesel is its ability to reduce emissions, which in diesel vehicles often present themselves in the form of an unpleasant odor emanating from black smoke. You only have to add a B2 blend to begin to see these issues disappear and when you fuel with B20, you get nothing but clean air as Stauffer noted that many people who stopped by their booth said they didn’t see or small a thing.

Although this particular sponsorship is focused on biodiesel, the company also provides E10, E85 and propane to farmers around Iowa. They have 23 retail locations where farmers can fill up their equipment or an operation can sign up to have the fuel delivered right to their farm.

“We made the choice years ago not to use regular unleaded,” said Stauffer who continued by saying its been a great move for them.

Just like selling renewable fuels to the agriculture market is a no-brainer for them, so is their fuel sponsorship for the Farm Progress Show in 2011.

You can learn more about Star Energy and its Farm Progress Show fuel sponsorship in my interview with Jason. Star Energy Official Fuel Sponsor of Farm Progress

Big Bud is the world’s largest tractor and one of the biggest draws at this year’s Farm Progress Show. He was built by hand (all the Big Bud’s manufactured were done one at a time, no assembly line was ever used) and topped out at 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, 14 feet tall and weighing 100,000 pounds. Big Bud is the baby of Ron Harmonn, birthed in 1977 in Montana. The inspiration was derived for the need for a better tractor to plant and grow cotton.

Until this week, Big Bud had been on display in a farm museum in Dyersville, Iowa (the home of the famous ball field from Field of Dreams). He was moved to Boone, Iowa by Crop Production Services (Agrium), a company that provides agricultural inputs to farmers around the country.

Steve Sopher, an area agronomist with Agrium told me that they brought Big Bud in to give growers a walk down memory lane, and that he did. Between 15,000 – 20,000 people came to see Big Bud in person over the three days. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people were at Farm Progress from around the world, so you can bet that most spent some time checking out Big Bud – and they won’t forget his enormity any time soon.

For those of you who missed out on this amazing piece of history, Sopher said that he will be back at the 2011 Farm Progress Show. You can also watch this video.

And be sure to check out all the Big Bud views in our Farm Progress Photo Album.

AgWired coverage of the 2010 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

Michelle Beekman, a Co-Owner, said that she has been with the company for six years, but it was started by her mother in 1998. She was also kind enough to let me watch her make a batch of ice cream and I caught the final moments on film. This particular batch was peach ice cream.

I however, have an infinity for raspberry so my perfect choice was raspberry swirled with vanilla and it was worth each and every calorie!

The Farm Progress Show might be over for this year, but you can still try out Beeckman’s ice cream at other Iowa events. Visit them at www.beekmanshomemadeicecream.com.

Farm Progress Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2010 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

And build an industry they did.

Northey explained that the ethanol industry is vital to corn farmers who are producing more and more each year. He used Iowa as an example and said in 2001, when the state conducted an Ag Census, ag sales from all farms in Iowa were $12 billion, half in crops and half in livestock. In 2007, sales were $20 billion with the biggest change being the amount that went to ethanol.

It worked and now our country has a robust industry whose future is uncertain due to questions over major policies that support the growth of the ethanol industry. The ethanol tax credit is under fire and opponents to ethanol are also trying to eliminate the ethanol tariff. In addition, the industry needs more access to markets and passing the E15 waiver would help to increase market access.

“Certainly we need some of those incentives to continue. We need more than three months predictability with those incentives going off this December. We need a long-term vision of what can happen out there,” said Northey.

Growth Energy CEO, Tom Buis, seconded Northey’s call for more effective, long-term policy and said that Senator Reid (D-NV) has already called for a lame duck session on November 15th to address the future of energy policy in America.

On several occasions Northey stressed, “We need more access to markets. We also need predictability, and policies we understand around for several years.”

He concluded that farmers are doing the right thing, and the ethanol industry is doing the right thing, now we need the politicians to do the right thing.

You can listen to the Growth Energy press conference here. Growth Energy Press Conference During Farm Progress Show

Farm Progress Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2010 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and

The STX10 is a single tank machine. Hagie said it is very well balanced, which is especially important this year with all of the rain. “People are starting to find out how important it is to keep a light weight balanced machine on their farm so they can protect their crops,” explained Hagie.

The sprayer is a fully CANBus machine. What this means is that it has a computer on board that controls all the functions of the machine. In addition, customized precision technologies can be added to the SPX10.

“We’re not a company that says you have to put our machine on it as far as precision type technology,” said Hagie. “We say, What do you want on the machine?”

The company is customers first, so they work with their customers to ensure the technology added to the machine will work best for them. This is also why the STX10 will be launched as a limited build after the first of the year. Although this machine has been tested more than any other Hagie machine, they want “every minute to test these machines” to make sure it performs above and beyond their customer’s standards.

You can check out photos of the full line-up of Hagie machines in our Farm Progress Photo Album.

Listen to the interview with Alan Hagie here: Alan Hagie Unveils New Self Propelled Sprayer, The SPX10

AgWired coverage of the 2010 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and .

This is a good sign for the 100,000 plus visitors who are expected to walk the roads over the next three days. Last year there were attendees from all 50 states as well as from 56 different countries. The show is a huge draw for the international crowd, who get to preview new equipment and products for the upcoming growing season.

I asked Jungmann what some of the new features will be at this year’s show. He said that people come, in part, to see the unveiling of new farm equipment. This year John Deere, Case IH and New Holland are all rolling out new tractors. AGCO is rolling out a brand new combine and Hagie is debuting a new self propelled sprayer.

Other elements that draw the crowds include the field demonstrations and the equipment demonstrations. “People love to watch the machinery run side by side,” said Jungmann.

Jungmann also suggested that people visit the website before they drive up to the gates. On the site that can create their own itinerary and buy and print tickets, basically create their own personal Farm Progress Show.

You can check out photos of the exhibitors setting up for the show in our Farm Progress Photo Album.

Listen to the interview with Matt Jungmann here: Matt Jungmann Talks Farm Progress Show

AgWired coverage of the 2010 Farm Progress Show
is sponsored by: and .

Attendance is free both days to bona fide grove owners and managers, citrus production managers, professional crop advisers, association representatives, board members and the citrus research community. For easiest entry and to help the Citrus Expo team develop the best head count for event planning, those expecting to attend either or both days of Citrus Expo are encouraged to preregister at www.CitrusExpo.net or by calling 352-671-1909. Advance-registration brochures have been distributed industry-wide, and registration will be available at the door as well.

Registering in advance saves over 30 percent off the show registration fee. Attendees can also save money by registering in advance for the extensive educational programming that will take place at the show. Go online to www.aem.org for full details and to register.