Self-Propelled Sprayer Debuts on Consumer Market at Agritechnica

Laura McNamara

Paul Leathem, Manager of John Deere Advertising in Africa, Europe and the Middle EastJohn Deere has officially introduced its first ever self-propelled sprayer for the European market, the 5430i, as one of the latest options in sprayer technology at Agritechnica 2007. The Manager of John Deere advertising in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Paul Leathem, says European business is moving away from mounted sprayers and is demanding more self-propelled technology. He says the 5430i sprayer is only offered as an intelligent package that offers almost a complete automation of the entire sprayer application procedure. The intelligent sprayer integrates ten innovative AMS (Ag Management Solutions) features, including SprayPRO technology. The SprayPRO system uses GPS technology to offer more precision on sprayer functions such as steering the tractor, recording application rates, monitoring overlaps and skips, switching boom sections on and off, or any other GPS-based function.

Paul gave our group of reporters who traveled to Agritechnica with John Deere a detailed overview of the 5430i sprayer. You can listen to Paul here:

Leathem_Paul001.mp3

Agritechnica 2007 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farming, International, John Deere, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • Mark your calendars. The 2008 NCBA Legislative Conference is set for March 31 to April 4, 2008 in Washington, D.C. – Holiday Inn on the Hill. This is your chance to speak with key congressional and agency influencers and make your voices heard! A strong showing in Washington is vital to the beef industry. Questions? Contact the NCBA Convention & Meetings Department at (303) 694-0305 or e-mail meetings@beef.org.
  • The Progressive Agriculture Foundation elected 2008 officers and welcomed two new members to the Foundation Board of Directors during its recent annual meeting in Indianapolis. Guiding the Foundation’s efforts to help keep kids safe and healthy on farms, ranches and at home will be president, Robert Marshall, Bunge North America; vice president, Sharry Nielsen, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Extension; and secretary/treasurer, John Hays, Farm Credit System Foundation Inc. They are joined by two new members of the board, Glen Blahey, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives/Manitoba Labour Immigration, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and Tim Roberts, University of Tennessee Extension agent and Agricenter International educator from Brownsville, Tenn.
  • Alltech’s organic selenium, Sel-Plex®, recently received clearance in equine supplements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This clearance allows horse owners to offer Sel-Plex in a full range of feeding applications, including equine supplements. Sel-Plex is an organic selenium yeast.
Zimfo Bytes

The Winner and Still Champion

Cindy Zimmerman

Soybean 1Missouri soybean grower Kip Cullers beat his own world record by 15 bushels this season to once again claim the title of soybean champion. Cullers produced an outstanding 154.7 bushels per acre on his southwestern Missouri operation, compared to last year’s 139.9 bushels and he believes he could do even better.

“200, 250 – it’s totally possible. The genetics are there, we just need to figure out how to do it,” Kip said.

The average yield per acre in Missouri last year was 38 bushels per acre. “So, as you can tell, Kip’s doing a little bit better than that,” said Missouri Soybean Association executive director Dale Ludwig.

Cullers was honored by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt who made the official announcement during a media event at the Missouri Soybean Association office in Jefferson City. He called Kip the “Babe Ruth” of soybean producers.

Soybean 2“Kip is setting records because he knows his business as well as anyone and works diligently to cultivate not just high yields, but record-breaking yields,” the governor said.

Cullers credited his success to a soybean dream team of professionals who helped him with his contest plots, including experts from Pioneer and BASF. He accomplished his record-breaking production by planting Pioneer® 94M80 soybeans on an irrigated and conventionally-tilled field and he used BASF Headline fungicide to protect against disease pressure. He also used Syngenta Warrior insecticide, Optimize technology from EMD Crop Bioscience, and a Monosem twin row planter.

Listen to Blunt’s announcement here:
soybean-winner-blunt.mp3

Listen to some of Kip’s remarks here:
soybean-winner-kip.mp3

Audio, BASF, Pioneer, Soybean, Syngenta

E Premium Pride

Laura McNamara

Paul Leathem, Manager of John Deere Advertising in Africa, Europe and the Middle EastJohn Deere’s E Premium Series tractors are the first designs to introduce an electrical power network for operating tractors. The new electrically powered generator produces up to 20 kW of electric power at an engine speed of 1800 rpm. In an earlier post, I detailed just how this new electric power system works. But, our group of reporters traveling with John Deere spoke with Paul Leathem, the manager of John Deere Advertising in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, at Agritechnica to get a little more insight on this technology.

You can listen to Paul here:

Leathem_Paul002a.mp3

Agritechnica 2007 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Shows, Farming, International, John Deere, Technology, Tractor

Agritechnica Creates Company-Consumer Dialouge for John Deere

Laura McNamara

EPIC educational forum on E85 It’s not ALL about showing off at the world’s largest farm machinery show. At least, not for John Deere. Sure, the event is a forum meant to showcase products from competitors throughout Europe. But for one of two presidents of the John Deere worldwide agricultural operations, Mark von Pentz, Agritechnica also gives companies like John Deere the chance to hear first-hand from their consumers and learn about what they like and dislike, what they want, or what they need. And, in my interview with Mark, we also discussed how what farmers want in the European market varies from what they typically want in North America.

You can listen to my interview with Mark here:

Mark_Von_Penz001.mp3

Agritechnica 2007 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Farm Shows, Farming, International, John Deere, Technology

New Look for John Deere at Agritechnica 2008

Laura McNamara

EPIC educational forum on E85 The preview days for Agritechnica 2007 suggest that John Deere is going to be rather busy at the event this year. Typically, the preview days are reserved for media, honored guests and participants who don’t mind paying triple the normal entrance fee. But, the high-dollar tickets didn’t manage to keep a steady crowd away from John Deere’s revamped exhibit. Dr. Oliver Neumann, the manager of public relations in John Deere’s European market, says the early crowd has a lot to do with John Deere’s new look, it’s new approach to consumer education on precision technology and, of course, it’s gold medal winning E Premium series 7430 and 7530 tractors.

I spoke with Oliver and he gave me a brief introduction to what Agritechnica visitors will find this year at the John Deere exhibit. You can listen to my interview with John here:

Dr_Oliver_Neumann001.mp3

I’ll be posting more specified information on the John Deere exhibit and on other popular North American farm machinery companies soon.

Agritechnica 2007 Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Farming, John Deere, Precision Agriculture, Technology, Tractor

Farm-City Week Kicks Off Friday

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast-145 - Al Pell and Farm City WeekIt’s time to thank our farmers and ranchers as National Farm-City Week kicks off on Friday. The National Farm-City Council has been organizing this event since the late 1950’s according to this year’s Chairman, Al Pell, AgDay TV.

I spoke with Al at the National Farm-City Week Kickoff Luncheon last week. He talks about the organization and why they hold an annual luncheon. Al says that Farm-City Week was started to help young people understand where their food comes from.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: Listen To ZimmCastZimmCast 145 (11 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:zimmcast145-11-12-07.mp3

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

Ag Groups, Audio, ZimmCast

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • Join us Monday, Nov. 19, 2007 for the ”NEIGHBOR FRIENDLY FARMING” program at the Illini Center, campus of UIUC in Illinois. Registration begins at 11:30. Julie Maschoff, co-owner of The Maschhoffs Inc., a network of over 250 independent family farmers working together to create environmentally responsible pork operations, will lead the program. Learn about the Maschhoff family’s approach to building a successful business model in the pork industry. Reservations due by Thursday, Nov. 15.
  • The success of biofuels such as ethanol and soy biodiesel has led to changes in feedstock supplies. Many livestock and poultry producers have had to consult with animal nutritionists to address these changes and incorporate biofuels’ byproducts into their feed formulations. Despite these changes, one ingredient remains consistent – soybean meal. The soybean checkoff is working with nutritionists to ensure that soybean meal remains the leading protein source for animal feed. Click here for information on the soybean checkoff’s research on soybean meal in livestock and poultry diets.
  • Andreas Tornblom, spokesman for Taiwan-based Viscotec-U.S., Inc., has announced the lease of an 80,000 square foot plant in Tulare, Calif., in order to recycle agricultural plastics beginning in January 2008. The plant will initially employ 30 residents but hopes to expand to a second and possibly a third line within the first 24 months of operation increasing possible employment to 50.
  • Novus International, Inc., announced an agreement with Martek Biosciences Corporation wherein Novus will be the exclusive worldwide distributor for Martek’s DHA Gold® in all poultry and swine feed and enrichment applications. DHA Gold® animal feed ingredient is a dried, whole-cell algae product used to provide DHA enrichment for animals.
  • The National Corn Growers Association and BASF Corporation have joined forces to award five $1,000 scholarships annually to deserving undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field. Applicants for the NCGA Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Program must be entering at least their second undergraduate year, and they, or a parent or legal guardian, must be an NCGA member. Scholarship applications must be postmarked on or before Jan. 11, 2008. Complete rules are in the application packet.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Factory Fresh

    Laura McNamara

    John Deere EPDCThere’s nothing like a fresh coat of crisp, bright green and a sassy, bold yellow to give real meaning to the term “factory fresh.” But, our group of reporters got to see more than just fresh paint on our tour of the John Deere facilities in Mannheim. We saw workers grinding out gears and assembling the nuts and bolts of John Deere engines. There’s nothing like walking the actual line for the final tractor assembly to appreciate workers speed and craft as they spit out a completely assembled tractor in an average time of 3 minutes. A blast of wind and the roar of a tractor engine gave us a feel for how equipment is checked in the company’s newer performance testing site. We were even enclosed in the company’s brand new electromagnetic testing room complete with spiked walls and ceilings and high-tech antennas. We saw shelves of packaged parts staked several stories high. We pretty much saw it all. John Deere production and distribution was pretty interesting to witness. And, I can’t say any workers were overworked, from what we saw. The workers were on break for most of our visit.

    Agritechnica 2007 Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Equipment, Farming, John Deere, Technology

    Getting to Know John Deere in Germany

    Laura McNamara

    John Deere EPDCJohn Deere Werke Mannheim just celebrated it’s 50th year last year and Dr. Oliver Neumann says that milestone marked some remarkable accomplishments for John Deere. The most notable, Oliver says, is John Deere’s strong presence in the European market. Oliver says in the past 5 years, John Deere has nearly doubled its sales in the European market.

    European Beginnings

    It was the devastating destruction of World War II that prompted John Deere to enter the European market. Bombings from the war left the facilities of a well-established farm machinery company, Heinrich Lanz, 90 percent destroyed and left its production and research capabilities irrevocably crippled. In an effort to salvage what was left of the company, Lanz chairman William A. Hewitt began searching for a business partner to help rehabilitate the company. In 1956, John Deere decided to enter into the joint venture and thus launched its European presence.
    Read More

    Agribusiness, Equipment, Farming, John Deere, Technology, Tractor