AgriVisor Has AgFanatics Podcast

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Cindy

Cory Winstead and Nick Klump are AgFanatics and they are not afraid to tell the world about it.

AgFanatics is a new podcast from AgriVisor.com, an agricultural advisory firm that is part of the GROWMARK family of companies, and Cory and Nick are the happy hosts making stuff like Farm Bill, Fiscal Cliff, the river situation, marketing and USDA reports fun and interesting!

“You will notice we have a good time doing what we do,” Cory says. “The best part of this is we are starting to get a good number of listeners in just our short month of doing this.”

AgFanatics can be found on Itunes or right from the front page at www.agrivisor.com. It is a 15-20 min program updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays that touches on a variety of agricultural topics. We will be featuring them here on AgWired as well.

Here is the latest one: AgFanatics #7 - Risk Management Tools

GROWMARK System Makes Aquisitions

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Melissa

GROWMARK, Inc., Bloomington, Ill., announced an agreement has been reached to acquire Meier Oil Products., Inc., and Manito Transit. Meier Oil Products, Inc. and Manito Transit have been a family owned business since 1936 and their business has consisted of a trucking company, a fuel terminal facility in Ashkum and bulk fuel facilities at Kankakee, Pontiac, Sheldon and Champaign, all in Illinois.

The acquisition strengthens the GROWMARK System through collaboration between Evergreen FS, Heritage FS and Illini FS and GROWMARK Energy.

Holiday Greetings from GROWMARK and FS

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Cindy

Dashing through the fields comes GROWMARK and the FS member cooperatives with a load of fuel to make your holiday season warm and bright!

GROWMARK Excited About N-Watch

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Cindy

Ag journalists on the GROWMARK media tour in Iowa last month had the chance to learn about N-Watch, which started this year as a small scale, pilot program by GROWMARK in partnership with FS Member Cooperatives.

The objectives of the program are to quantify the form of available, soil-applied nitrogen (N), where it is located, and what happens to the concentration of available N over time in the upper 0-12 and 12-24 inch profiles of the soil.

“We go out after harvest and take an inventory of plant available nitrogen,” explained GROWMARK Agronomy Services Manager Dr. Howard Brown. “Once we have that determination, we take composite samples after that every 2-4 weeks, track the nitrogen until it freezes, then after it thaws in the spring we’ll continue to pull the samples to see if the residual nitrogen is still there.”

Brown says it’s not an exact science, “but it’s a move in the right direction, this is what we need to be doing.” GROWMARK has over 45 sites in Illinois now and they are now moving in to new sites in Iowa, where we heard about the program last week during a GROWMARK media tour.

GROWMARK is so excited about the N-Watch concept that they want it to spread quickly. “We came up with the phrase (N-Watch) but we gave the license to the Illinois Council for Best Management Practices so that it can be utilized in the Midwest,” said Howard. “It would be great if everybody used N-Watch.”

Howard held a little impromptu news conference at the Machinery Shed in Des Moines to tell us all about N-Watch. Listen to Howard’s overview of N-Watch here and watch him in the video below: Dr. Howard Brown, GROWMARK

New GROWMARK Dry Terminal in Iowa

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Cindy

The first loads of fertilizer came in this week to test the new GROWMARK dry terminal in Stuart, Iowa but earlier this month I joined some of my fellow ag reporters in climbing to the top of the 15,500 ton facility. Notice it was all females – left to right, Rita Maloney of Illinois RFD Radio; Deanna Thomas of WMBD in Peoria; and Carrie Muehling of WJBC in Bloomington – with me. The guys on the trip declined to make the climb.

The facility will handle granular urea, monoammonium phosphate and white potash. It has capacity for 18 railcars with six 10 ton hoppers, five micro hoppers and a blending capacity of 300 tons per hour.

In the video below, GROWMARK Plant Food Operations Manager Brian Hundman provides a behind-the-scenes look at the new facility in its nearly complete stage. You can also check out photos from the media tour last week in the photo album and hear more about it in this month’s Precision Pays podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

GROWMARK Iowa Media Tour Photos

GROWMARK Marks Record Sales

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Cindy

GROWMARK has officially reported record sales for the last fiscal year, according to recently released complete financial results.

Higher commodity prices and solid volume growth in most GROWMARK business units produced record sales for GROWMARK, as officials reported audited financial results for the fiscal year which ended August 31, 2012.

Marshall Bohbrink, vice president, finance, risk management, and chief financial officer, reported net sales of $10 billion for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the highest in company history. Net income attributable to GROWMARK was $243 million, the second highest level in history. Total patronage in the amount of $158 million was returned to GROWMARK member-owners, also a company record.

GROWMARK also shared a good amount of that income with an important program for education about agriculture.

GROWMARK and its FS member cooperatives recently renewed its commitment to Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom programs with $75,000 in support. At a recent meeting of the Illinois Farm Bureau Board of Directors, GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg shared thoughts on the GROWMARK System’s ongoing efforts to support agriculture and agriculture education and literacy.

“GROWMARK and Illinois Farm Bureau have an 85-plus year relationship of mutual respect and support. Teaching young people about agriculture has been a common bond throughout our historic relationship. As more Americans are further removed from the farm, bringing the facts about farming to students at an early age is vital,” Solberg said. “We are proud to support Illinois Farm Bureau’s Ag Literacy efforts, as they are at the forefront of bringing that message to students, who in turn share their new-found knowledge with their parents.”

The Advantage of AgVantage FS

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Cindy

The first stop on the GROWMARK media tour through Iowa last week was in the little town of Chapin, just south of Mason City, where the main work horse grain facility of AgVantage FS is located.

The facility handles 10-12 million bushels a year – about 40% of the co-op’s total. “We’re an operating division of GROWMARK,” explained Grain Marketing & Operations Manager Kevin Gray, pictured below left with regional grain manager Barney Bartels. “We cover 32 counties, 27 in Iowa and five in southeast Minnesota, stretching from the Mississippi River to Alexander on the west side.”

Kevin says the co-op covers a large geography with 14 grain elevator locations. “Customer service is the number one priority for us,” Kevin said. “We want to keep our customers profitable, we want to make sure they’re competitive, we try to reduce their risk and we want to make doing business with AgVantage grain division as comfortable and easy as possible.”

Listen to my interview with Kevin here: Interview with Kevin Gray

Despite the drought this year, the facility still managed to bring in quite a bit of grain, since the impact of the drought on the region can be summed up in one word – variable. “We’ve seen a range from 30 bushels per acre (corn) to basically 130 bushels per acre,” said Barney. “You go to the south, we’ve seen a range of 100-200 bushels an acre.”

Barney says the original bins at the Chapin facility were put up in 2003, with another 2.2 million bushels of space added in 2006. Grain from the AgVantage FS supplies a number of ethanol plants in the region and much of it is sent southwest for dairy markets.

Listen to my interview with Barney here: Interview with Barney Bartels

For more detail, listen to Kevin’s overview here: AgVantage FS Chapin Grain Facility

GROWMARK Iowa Media Tour Photos

GROWMARK Media Tour in Iowa

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Cindy

Just returned from a great media tour of GROWMARK and FS Cooperative facilities in Iowa. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the last stop due to flight scheduling, but I did get to attend the majority of the tour and it was fantastic! Congrats to Karen Jones, GROWMARK Publications and News Specialist, for putting together a very interesting and organized event.

Our stops in Iowa included the AgVantage FS grain facility in Chapin, the GROWMARK Ft. Dodge Fuel Terminal (where this photo was taken), and the brand new – soon to be opened – fertilizer facility in Stuart. The stop I missed was New Century FS in Vinton.

I got lots of great interviews to share in the coming days and weeks, as well as some I will be getting from my colleagues on the trip, but you can enjoy the photos now by clicking on the photo album link below. Thanks again to GROWMARK for allowing us this opportunity – it was a blast!

GROWMARK Iowa Media Tour Photos

GROWMARK supports Farm Safety 4 Just Kids

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Melissa

GROWMARK generously supports the non-profit organization Farm Safety 4 Just Kids in their effort to keep youth safe in rural areas. GROWMARK provides their customers with agricultural products as well as the means to deliver, market, and store those products. “GROWMARK’s sponsorship of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids demonstrates their commitment to their curstomers,” David Schweitz, executive director of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. “And it will help us ensure the safety of the next generation of farmers.”

Farm Safety 4 Just Kids was created in 1987 by Marilyn Adams after the death of her 11-year-old son. The organization works to raise awareness about the health and safety hazards that are an inherent part of the rural environment in which children live, work, and play. Over 130 chapters in the United States and Canada conduct safety and health programs within their communities.

Thanks to the support of agri-business sponsors like GROWMARK, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids is able to provide their volunteers with up to date and pertinent safety education and demonstration resources.

Savings in the Tank for GROWMARK Lubricants

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Cindy

The Viscosity Index (VI) Improver Solubilizer being lowered into the remodeled section of the GROWMARK lubricants facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

You’ve probably never heard of a VI Improver Solubilizer Tank, but if you use any of the quality lubricants marketed by GROWMARK, it makes a difference.

The VI (which stands for Viscosity Index) Improver that was installed in GROWMARK’s remodeled Council Bluffs lubricant facility has helped them to improve productivity and efficiency in lubricant blending, according to Craig Stout, director of lubricant operations. “We were outsourcing the solubiilzing of the viscosity index improver and there was a cost to that so we have significant savings for manufacturing our own products,” Craig explains. In addition, they are now able to do that job for other companies.

GROWMARK purchased the Council Bluffs facility in 2006 to better serve their agricultural customers who need lubricants for tractors, grain hauling trucks and other engines. “GROWMARK has been marketing lubricants probably since lubricants were needed back in the ’20s but we never had our own manufacturing facility,” he said. “It’s allowed us to have more control over the products that we make and be in more control of the quality of the raw materials that we use.”

In addition, Craig says they have upgraded laboratories to test all the products that they make as well as doing used oil testing for customers. GROWMARK’s market for lubricants has expanded beyond their base of agricultural cooperative members across the board to truck fleets, industrial applications, manufacturing facilities and even into the mining industry.

Listen to my interview with Craig here: GROWMARK's Craig Stout

Importance of Cooperatives in Feeding the World

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Cindy

“Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility.” Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

That is a quote on the official United Nations 2012 International Year of Cooperatives web page and the UN Secretary General’s visit to the 2012 World Food Prize last week indicated the importance that they place on agricultural cooperatives in feeding the world. Agricultural cooperatives, already enriching millions of small-scale farmers, could expand and make an even greater contribution against poverty and hunger, according to the World Food Programme.

Amy Bradford with GROWMARK attended the World Food Prize last week to engage with attendees from over 70 countries and find out what more the Illinois-based farmer co-op can do to help increase global agricultural productivity. “We are involved in cooperative education, most recently in Ghana, working with local farmers there to form cooperatives,” Amy said. GROWMARK is also hosting a group of Brazilians this month to share with them how working together really does improve their long term profitability. “How it can help collaboration, how it can help them get the inputs they need to grow food for a growing population,” said Amy. “We help educate farmers and others about the value of cooperatives and what that brings to the table in terms of raising incomes and socioeconomic impact.”

I ran into Amy right after the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) report was released, and she said she would be sharing that report with GROWMARK farmer members to help them see areas of the world where they could help provide education on cooperatives. Incidentally, GROWMARK is also helping to feed the world with the GROWMARK cookbook which was sold for $20 each this year and proceeds donated to Farmers Feeding the World.

Listen to my interview with Amy from World Food Prize: Interview with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

View the World Food Prize Photo Album here.

AgWired coverage of the World Food Prize is sponsored by Elanco

Agricultural Cooperatives Key to Feeding the World

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Chuck

We have now gone from Blog Action Day to World Food Day 2012. The FAO says that agricultural cooperatives are the “key to feeding the world.” They are the focus of this World Food Day.

The official World Food Day theme, announced each spring by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), gives focus to World Food Day observances and raises awareness and understanding of approaches to ending hunger.

“Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” is the formal wording of the 2012 theme. It has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger.

Interest in cooperatives and rural organizations is also reflected in the decision of the UN General Assembly to designate 2012 “International Year of Cooperatives.”

Learn a little bit more about how cooperatives are accomplishing this goal of feeding the world in an interview Cindy did with GROWMARK President Dan Kelley.

Celebrating National Co-op Month

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Cindy

ZimmCast 366 Each October, cooperatives across the United States celebrate the cooperative difference, business model and the contributions of cooperatives to their communities during National Co-op Month and this year continues the celebration of 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives with the slogan “Cooperative enterprises build a better world.”

As one of the nation’s largest cooperatives, GROWMARK has been celebrating all year long, so we talked with president and chairman of the board Dan Kelley about why co-ops are so important for agriculture, both nationally and globally. Dan says he was surprised to learn this year that nearly a billion people around the world are members of some type of cooperative. In addition to celebrating a year and a month dedicated to cooperatives, Dan says GROWMARK has been celebrating 85 years of existence as a cooperative.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Dan here: ZimmCast with GROWMARK President Dan Kelley

We are also celebrating Co-op Month with our ZimmPoll this week, that asks What cooperatives play a role in your life/business?

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Farm Co-ops Set Records in 2011

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Cindy

October is National Cooperative Month and 2012 is the the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives, so it is extra special to celebrate record farm cooperative income in 2011.

USDA released the latest statistics today, showing that farmer, rancher and fishery cooperatives posted record sales of $213 billion and $5.4 billion in net income, surpassing the previous record sales year of 2008 by $10 billion while besting the old income record by $500 million.

“These new cooperative sales and income records for 2011 underscore the strength and productivity of the nation’s farmer- and rancher-owned cooperatives, and the vital role they play in the nation’s economy,” said Dallas Tonsager, under secretary for Rural Development. “Primarily because of mergers, the number of farm co-ops continued to decline, but memberships and asset values are up.” Tonsager also noted that co-op employment levels remained strong, with cooperatives employing 184,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers, up slightly from 2010.

USDA’s annual list of the nation’s 100 largest agricultural cooperatives was also released today, showing combined revenue of $148 billion in 2011, an increase of almost 30 percent over 2010, when revenue totaled $113 billion. Net income for the 100 top co-ops was $3.17 billion, up from $2.35 billion in 2010. The previous top 100 co-op records were $130 billion for sales and $2.42 billion for income, both marks set in 2008.

The top five agricultural cooperatives remain unchanged from the previous year. CHS Inc., Saint Paul, Minn. – an energy, farm supply, grain and food co-op – was once again the nation’s largest ag co-op, with $36.9 billion in revenue in 2011. It was followed by Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Mo.; with $12.9 billion in revenue. It traded places from 2010 with third-ranked Land O’ Lakes Inc., St. Paul, Minn., a dairy, food and farm supply co-op, with $12.8 billion in revenue in 2011.

Rounding out the top five, GROWMARK of Bloomington, Illinois remained in the number four spot with $8.7 billion in revenue and Ag Processing of Omaha with $4.4 billion.

Tonsager’s opening remarks and questions by USDA reporter Susan Carter: USDA Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager

More Tonsager’s press conference Q&A here: Dallas Tonsager Q&A

AgVantage FS Puts InVISION and HiSoy in Focus

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Cindy

The 2012 Farm Progress Show was a chance for AgVantage FS to put the spotlight on a fresh new look for FS Seed products HiSOY and InVISION corn.

FS seed marketing and development specialist Amanda Weigel told us during FPS that AgVantage FS just expanded into the Boone county area this year. “So I’m doing some marketing to get our name out here in the Boone county area … letting people in the area know what’s going on with FS and GROWMARK.” AgVantage FS is a full-service agriculture and energy supplier headquartered in Waverly with locations in 30 surrounding Iowa counties.

Amanda says they were highlighting the FS HiSOY® brand of soybeans and the new FS InVISION brand of seed corn. “Growers need to know that HiSOY and InVISION are brands that are locally grown, you get local recommendations, and the trials are done locally,” she said. A focus on local results led to a selection of hybrids best suited for wherever a farmer may choose to plant.

Amanda suggests that growers contact their local FS representative to find out more – and check out and like them on the FS Facebook page!

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Amanda from FPS here: Amanda Weigel with FS AgVantage

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus

STAR Energy Making Fuel Tanks Sparkle

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Cindy

A dirty tank can make even the best of fuel less than optimum, which is why GROWMARK STAR energy was demonstrating a high efficiency fuel tank cleaning process at the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.

Curt Snyder with STAR Energy demonstrated the cleaner, which can run in any size tank from 500-1000 gallons. “It has a pressurized nozzle that sprays throughout the tank, scours it inside. Meanwhile, in the back, it’s sucking up the fuel and running it through our filtering system to take out all the impurities,” he explained. “We’re able to get down to even the smallest pieces of sand.”

Curt says it’s good to go into harvest season with a clean tank. “It’s very important that we don’t get any grit from an old tank into your fuel system,” he said, noting that growers at the Farm Progress Show showed a lot of interest in the tank cleaning process that many did not even know existed. He said that more information is available from STAR Energy in Iowa or any FS fuel delivery service.

Watch Curt demo the tank cleaner in this video:

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus

GROWMARK Supports Farm Bill Now Efforts

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Cindy

As part of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, GROWMARK is in full support of the Farm Bill Now Coalition that will be taking its message to Capitol Hill next week when Congress is back in session.

GROWMARK Government Affairs Director Chuck Spencer says there are two basic reasons Congress should pass a five year farm bill this month. “One, because it expires September 30 and we would go back to the ’49 Act. Two, is that it’s traditionally passed on a five year basis which gives you a good planning horizon,” he said. “We need certainty in the market place.”

Chuck is confident Congress will do something in the short time they have before the current farm policy expires at the end of the month. “I know there’s a lot of talk about eight days of session in September and that it’s going to be difficult. It can be difficult. But we saw the Senate pass in one day a farm bill, the House Agriculture Committee pass in one day a farm bill. When the motivation is present to take action, we have seen our elected leaders do so,” Chuck said.

While there are options of a short or longer term extension of the current farm bill being considered, Chuck notes that Congress will have lots of other issues to deal with during a lame duck session, such as the expiring estate tax provisions that agriculture would like to see extended – or better yet, have the estate tax eliminated altogether.

Listen to or download my interview with Chuck. Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK

GROWMARK Honors Youth in Ag

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Jamie

The role of young people involved in agriculture is a true focus for GROWMARK. During their recent annual meeting State FFA Officers from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin and representatives from the Ontario Cooperative Young Leaders spoke to members on the role of young people in agriculture and their future roles in the industry.

I had the chance to talk with Darren Riskedal, State FFA President from Illinios, and Marley Burgess, Ontario Cooperative Young Leader Representative, before they took the stage. You can find their complete interviews below.

GROWMARK also recognized forty-one college students from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with scholarships aimed to promote higher education in agriculture and business. GROWMARK has been supporting college students since the early 1960′s and strives to provide $44,000 in scholarships annually.