I couldn’t be there for my good friend, Mike Gustafson’s retirement party but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pictures!
Mike is retiring from John Deere and I’m betting it was a great party. I’m not sure what the whole ribbon on the name badge thing is all about. Could someone enlighten us? Just post a comment.
If you would like to leave Mike a note, please feel free to write a comment and I’ll make sure he gets them. I’m guessing he’s got more time to “head out on the highway, looking for adventure.”
There’s a lot of news coming out of John Deere this week. In fact, it’s 23 news releases worth! You can find links to all of them in their media center or on AgWired in my previous post.
I thought the new numbering system was very interesting and called Barry Nelson, John Deere Public Relations Manager, just now. He’s dutifully working until the end of the day on a Friday. Aren’t we all?
Barry explains that as the company has grown globally they were finding that products had different names and numbering depending on what country you’re in. So they got a group together to come up with one consistent name/number system which can be used worldwide.
You can listen to Barry explain the new system here:
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There’s lots of news out today from John Deere (5 news releases). The first one is interesting since it’s such a visual thing.
What’s in a name? Quite a bit actually – especially when it comes to tractors. John Deere announces it’s currently transitioning to a new name and number system for its full line of tractors with the introduction of the new 5D, 5E, 5M, and 6D Series Tractors.
“The updated name and numbering system is unique to John Deere and allows for a more consistent approach to naming our equipment around the world,” says Steve Robisky, John Deere marketing administration manager. “This new system allows customers to more quickly and easily identify the engine horsepower of a tractor, its capability, and its size by looking at the hood decal,” Robisky adds.
During the AMS InfoExpo session, one of the people I spoke with was John Deere’s Barry Nelson. Cindy was right near by to take a picture.
Barry says that we’re starting to transition to 360 degree media. He says that editors used to write for just magazines but some are now producing video which means they’re now farm broadcasters. He says he can see a day where the AMS combines all the elements of the farm media in one big convention.
Barry says that companies are still trying to figure out the new social media mechanisms and meetings like this help them do that.
You can listen to my interview with Barry here:
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Deere equipment isn’t the only thing that’s green about John Deere. The ag company has announced its plans to reduce its total global greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent per dollar of revenue from 2005 to 2014.
The company has committed to the reduction goal in conjunction with its participation in
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, which Deere joined in
2007.
John Deere locations worldwide will implement energy-saving projects to meet the target. Climate Leaders is a voluntary industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Participants set a corporate-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal and annually report their progress to the EPA. Through program participation, companies create a credible record of their accomplishments, reduce their impact on the global environment, and identify themselves as corporate climate leaders.
John Deere’s energy management program began in 1973 and requires company operations to implement energy-conservation initiatives and track energy use. In response to international global-warming concerns, Deere added a worldwide greenhouse gas emissions inventory program in 2003.
Deere says its direct greenhouse gas emissions come from operations such as foundry, heat-treat, painting, powerhouse, and testing. Indirect emissions, Deere says, result from demand for electricity or steam.
A $1 million grant from John Deere will fund the development of a new John Deere Technology Innovation Center at the University of Illinois. Illini students and faculty will use the center for studies and research in agriculture, business, engineering and information technology.
The new facility, which is expected to be ready by July, is located in the
University Research Park in Champaign, Illinois and will create an accelerated
innovation environment to assist Deere in utilizing advanced electronics, mechatronics,
advanced sensors and control systems technology.
Deere said the new technology innovation center in Champaign will expand its
capabilities to respond to the rapidly changing environment for John Deere’s customers
and businesses through leveraging the capabilities of the University.
John Deere says the new center will serve as a satellite facility for the company’s Moline Technology Innovation Center, which is located on John Deere’s World Headquarters campus in Moline, IL.
Deere & Company has acquired a new water technologies company. San Diego-based T-Systems International, Inc is now apart of John Deere’s growing Water Technologies operation.
“T-Systems International is a highly regarded global company with premier products,
experienced talent, strong distribution and established operations in key agricultural irrigation
markets,” said Michael McGrady, president of John Deere Water Technologies. “The addition
of T-Systems expands John Deere Water Technologies’ manufacturing footprint to three
countries with marketing in over sixty.”
Established in 1977, T-Systems International manufactures and sells products for
agricultural, nursery, landscape, mining and greenhouse applications, with manufacturing
facilities in Australia, France and the United States.
John Deere Water Technologies, headquartered in San Marcos, California, manufactures plastic micro and drip irrigations products for agriculture, landscape, nursery and greenhouse markets.
Side Action Magazine has named John Deere’s Gator XUV 850D Model Declared its 2008 ‘Utilty Vehicle of the Year.’ The model won the Side X Side Shoot-Out - a two-day, comprehensive test in Barstow, CA.
John Deere earned the top award in the utility vehicle category going up against ten models from eight other manufacturers. Scoring of the machines was determined by how each model handled different utility tasks such as towing a 1,025 lb loaded trailer, pulling a rake attachment and driving with cargo box at half and full capacities. The XUV 850D was also rated on other attributes and received maximum ratings (5 stars) on turning, room (2 people), ease of getting in and fabrication quality.
It’s been a very interesting day on the road. I just finished up conducting some interviews at the John Deere Ag Management Solutions offices in Urbandale, IA. I’m going to be using them for a series of stories on Precision Pays.
There’s a lot going on in the precision ag world right now as pressure mounts to reduce input costs and increase productivity. Precision Pays is a project we’ve been working on with BCS Communications and John Deere to help distribute current information to help farmers improve their bottom line.
I thought I’d share the first interview in the series with Mark Theuerkauf, Marketing Manager. Mark and I talked about RTK. Our conversation helped me better understand how the tower or base station network functions to provide a growing coverage area where farmers can take advantage of the extreme accuracy that RTK offers. As Mark says, John Deere offers three levels of accuracy with RTK being at the top of the list.
You can learn more about RTK on the John Deere StellarSupport website. Mark says that there are considerations when using the network since it is contingent on line of sight with the local towers. He suggests that farmers work with their local dealer to find out how to incorporate RTK into their operation.
You can listen to my interview with Mark here:
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After five months abroad, to the day, I am back in the USA! I arrived in Kansas City late last night and what a trip it’s been! I’ve had all kinds of adventures: from learning about the latest innovations with John Deere at Agritechnica in Germany, to strange Vietnamese cuisine, to jumping off cliffs and swinging off of bamboo swings in Laos and, literally, almost everything else you could imagine in between.
I must say, I’ve had an adventure of a lifetime… and I have Chuck and Cindy largely to thank. The ZimmComm team sent me to Germany to cover Agritechnica; the event which proved to offer me the amazing opportunity to take off on my 5-month international excursion.
I’m excited and eager to get back into the ag action here in the U.S. though! Chuck, Cindy and I are planning to work together during the upcoming NAMA event being held in Kansas City: The Leading the Charge Conference & Trade Show April 16-18. All of us will be busy little bloggers, learning about the latest trends, technology and issues of the ag industry. If you’re planning on attending the event, be sure to stop by the ZimmComm both to say hello… and to learn more about the agriblogging authority that ZimmComm has become!
In the meantime, you can check out some videos of my adventures below:
Swinging off bamboo swings in Vang Vieng, Laos
Training in Muay Thai (Thai boxing) in Phuket, Thailand
Noting runs like a Deere, except maybe the wind. And now John Deere is farming that wind.
John Deere Wind Energy is into lots of domestic energy projects these days and that includes investing in and providing value-added services to utility-scale wind projects that involve multiple wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 1.25 megawatts or greater.
For example, Corn Plus Cooperative, a farmer-owned ethanol plant in Winnebago, Minn., entered into an agreement with John Deere last year to harness wind energy to help power their plant.
Two years ago, John Deere Wind Energy partnered with Missouri based developer Wind Capital Group and the Missouri Rural Electric Cooperatives to construct a 50-megawatt wind energy project in King City, a little farming community about 30 miles northeast of St. Joseph. The project was named “Blue Grass Ridge” in tribute to the farming community’s historic role in bluegrass seed harvesting.
Here’s a YouTube video that provides a look at that completed project:
Blue Grass Ridge led to a second 50-megawatt Missouri wind farm - the Cow Branch Wind Energy Project located between Rock Port and Tarkio in Atchison County, Mo.
If you’ve never attended the National Farm Machinery Show then you really owe it to yourself to wander around the largest indoor show of its kind in the world. I mean it’s big. I didn’t stay for the whole show this year but I think I covered some ground anyway.
While there I spoke with Dan Smaldone, Media Manager for the Kentucky Fair Board which is the organization that manages the facility. In our discussion he talks about how they market the show which includes the fact that 850 different companies and organizations are on display and they are all doing there best to get people there. He calls it a “must exhibit” show for companies in the farm machinery business. With over 300,000 people going through there during the show I understand what he means.
As I’ve mentioned before, this year Dan was able to set up a great media room with some of the fastest internet access I’ve found anywhere. Boy does that make our jobs easier. My coverage of the show was sponsored by John Deere and Precision Pays where you’ll find additional interviews than the ones posted on AgWired, some of them still to be posted later this week.
This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s called “Little Bit of Sunshine” by the Dr. Mic and the Brain Ninjas. I picked this song since I’ll be in Florida later this week. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 159 (18 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:
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The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
You know it would take a big bank account to write a check for a new John Deere combine and not too many farmers can do that. So to help them out they’ve got John Deere Credit. I spoke with Scotty Shipp, pictured on the right, at the National Farm Machinery Show about what the company offers to assist producers.
He says that John Deere Credit’s primary responsibility is to help dealers facilitate the sale of John Deere equipment. When it comes to precision ag equipment they can either include it in an original purchase or if after the fact, many dealers offer Farm Plan, a revolving credit plan that can be used to make purchases when needed like adding a new component to a precision system.
You can listen to my interview with Scotty here:
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The media world sure is changing these days. Here’s Greg Lamp doing FIN TV. He’s a tv star. He’s a writer. He takes pictures. That’s media today. And this media is happening here at the National Farm Machinery Show.
I spoke with someone today who’s trying to figure out how to write a job description for the person they need to hire. They need someone with experience in photography, audio production, video production, web editing, writing, etc. That’s because we’re in a new media world and the traditional way is no longer “the way.”
I’m heading back to Missouri now so please feel free to browse the photos in the album and I’ve got more to post over the next couple days.
I tried to shoot a video clip of these tractors last night but my little point and shoot just couldn’t handle the noise I guess since it kept shutting off when they got close. But Leah Guffey, WFMB, save the day with her camera and provided me with a clip I can use.
Hopefully this video clip will give you an idea of why the arena was crowded on a Wednesday night as I’m sure it will be each night through the end of the show here. Syngenta is the sponsor once again and as I said last year in my coverage of the show, I am amazed at how much the ag chem and seed companies are involved with a machinery show.
I couldn’t resist taking this picture here in the media room which is a lot busier today. Here’s a couple of BARN guys, Andy Vance (l) and Adam Lohrey. One’s on his iPhone, the other’s on his iPod Touch and I’m taking the picture with my Blackberry Curve which I just emailed to my Mac for this post.
Yeah, it’s an exciting time here. Really. I’m going back into the show soon and getting some more interviews and pictures before heading home to tell Cindy, “Happy Valentines Day.”
Leah Guffey, WFMB, would like to hop on this Harley and drive it home. We were in the FMC farmer reception yesterday. The Harley is part of a contest the company is running. Our good friends Sally Behringer and Paul Redhage were on hand and so was Tyler Tuttle, FMC Retail Marketing Manager who I spoke with about their announcement for Authority Assist.
A new option for broad-spectrum control of broadleaf weeds with grass control assistance in soybeans is now available from FMC Corporation. New Authority Assist herbicide is the answer for effective residual control of tough broadleaves and grass control assistance. Soybean growers can rely on Authority Assist for complete broadleaf control, including control of small-seeded weeds, and grass assist, resulting in a cleaner start for increased yields.
Authority Assist is labeled for control of a variety of key weeds, including waterhemp, lambsquarters, pigweed, cocklebur, velvetleaf, Venice mallow, nightshade, morningglory, nutsedge, kochia, Russian thistle, barnyardgrass, foxtail and fall panicum. In addition, Authority Assist provides more effective control of many resistant biotypes, making it an important tool for an overall resistance management program in soybeans.
You can hear Tyler talk about their new product here:
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John Deere is sponsoring my coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show so today they get all the love. I’ve done at least 7 interviews so far with more to go. Some of them will be featured on the Precision Pays website as well.
Before it got too difficult to walk through I shot a video clip of their booth for you. I think I really should have had someone walk along with me but they were all busy selling. As you’ll see, there are a lot of people here and Deere not only has a big booth but some big equipment. I really need a wide angle lens on this video camera!
By ethanol insurance I mean that John Deere Risk Protection is now offering a policy to a grower who wants some extra coverage in case he can’t fulfill a delivery contract to an ethanol plant.
Dennis Daggett, Director of Marketing for John Deere Risk Protection, is on the scene here at the National Farm Machinery Show. He’s been involved in crop insurance for over 30 years. He says Deere offers standard policies like multi-peril and crop hail. But this year they’ve introduced a new ethanol policy.
The first thing a farmer needs to do though is have a multi-peril plan in place. Then they can purchase the extra coverage. Sounds like good timing as we hear as farmers continue to work at meeting the needs for both fuel and food. The policy is available for this season in states in the grain belt area of the midwest only. You can find out all you want on their website.
You can hear Dennis talk about the new product here:
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The National Farm Machinery Show is off to a bright white start here in Louisville. They said it was over but they were wrong. I’ve spoken with some exhibitors inside who have apparently been here a while and they didn’t even know it was snowing hard outside.
Hopefully it’s just a short flurry and then we’ll be done. It’s making a mess out of the outside though.
Here inside it’s nice and warm. This is the show that’s entirely indoors and climate controlled, one of the nice things about it.
The wireless access here in the media room is working great and we’re place in an ideal location in the South Hall.
Eager to provide America’s farmers with all the resources they need to sustain any agricultural business, more than 800 exhibitors will showcase a complete selection of farming basics and technological advancements at the 43rd National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) in Louisville. As a result, approximately 300,000 people are expected to travel from across the country and around the globe to attend the event, recognized as the nation’s largest indoor farm show, when it returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) this February 13-16.
I couldn’t be there for my good friend, Mike Gustafson’s retirement party but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pictures!
There’s a lot of news coming out of John Deere this week. In fact, it’s 23 news releases worth! You can find links to all of them in 
During the AMS InfoExpo session, one of the people I spoke with was John Deere’s Barry Nelson. Cindy was right near by to take a picture.
Deere equipment isn’t the only thing that’s green about John Deere. The ag company has announced its plans to reduce its total global greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent per dollar of revenue from 2005 to 2014.
It’s been a very interesting day on the road. I just finished up conducting some interviews at the 
I thought I’d share the first interview in the series with Mark Theuerkauf, Marketing Manager. Mark and I talked about RTK. Our conversation helped me better understand how the tower or base station network functions to provide a growing coverage area where farmers can take advantage of the extreme accuracy that RTK offers. As Mark says, John Deere offers three levels of accuracy with RTK being at the top of the list.
If you’ve never attended the 
As I’ve mentioned before, this year Dan was able to set up a great media room with some of the fastest internet access I’ve found anywhere. Boy does that make our jobs easier. My coverage of the show was sponsored by 
You know it would take a big bank account to write a check for a new John Deere combine and not too many farmers can do that. So to help them out they’ve got 
The media world sure is changing these days. Here’s Greg Lamp doing 
I tried to shoot a video clip of these tractors last night but my little point and shoot just couldn’t handle the noise I guess since it kept shutting off when they got close. But Leah Guffey, WFMB, save the day with her camera and provided me with a clip I can use.
I couldn’t resist taking this picture here in the media room which is a lot busier today. Here’s a couple of 
Leah Guffey, WFMB, would like to hop on this Harley and drive it home. We were in the FMC farmer reception yesterday. The Harley is part of a contest the company is running. Our good friends Sally Behringer and Paul Redhage were on hand and so was Tyler Tuttle, FMC Retail Marketing Manager who I spoke with about their announcement for Authority Assist.
By ethanol insurance I mean that 
The National Farm Machinery Show is off to a bright white start here in Louisville. They said it was over but they were wrong. I’ve spoken with some exhibitors inside who have apparently been here a while and they didn’t even know it was snowing hard outside.
The wireless access here in the media room is working great and we’re place in an ideal location in the South Hall.
Cool Interactive Ideas in new media was the topic of a NAMA Boot Camp presentation by Erin Holte, Martin Williams.
