I’ve got a lot more to post from the National Farm Machinery Show but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I traveled home today and just like when I left, it was snowing by the time I got back to mid Missouri.
I have several more interviews and will try to get caught up during the day tomorrow.
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: 
and 
It wouldn’t be a John Deere exhibit without tractors and here at the National Farm Machinery Show they’ve got tractors on display. To learn more about the new tractors offered by John Deere I interviewed John Panning, product specialist.
John mainly talks about the new 7030 series of tractors that John Deere has just introduced into the market. The 7030 Series Large-Frame Tractors feature the responsive, cleaner-burning 6.8L PowerTech Plus engine with a rated speed of 2100 rpm. He says these engines deliver a 40 percent torque rise and 10 percent power bulge to muscle through tough field conditions.
Listen to my interview with John here (4 min): nfms-07-panning.mp3
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
John Deere has some big machinery on display here and one of the biggest is a 9560 STS Bullet Rotor Combine. On hand to talk about it is Ron Moron (right), product specialist for John Deere.
I talked with John this morning and learned what the product offers growers who are becoming more interested in how to make their corn harvest more efficient, especially in light of recent corn prices. Ron says producers have been asking very pointed questions about how the Bullet Rotor will help them. One of the ways he explains is that it requires less power and that converts to fuel savings.
Listen to my interview with Ron here (5 min): nfms-07-moron.mp3
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
You just don’t know who you’re going to run into here at a show like the National Farm Machinery Show. This afternoon I saw my good friend, Jack Crowner, Crowner Farm News, (left) who was doing a walk around like me. He’s talking here with Dan Muys, Quarry Integrated Communications. I was wondering how I was going to find Dan since he and I were going to meet for a few minutes today and I just happened to find him on my little jaunt.
Jack says this is the 42nd time he’s been to this show if I remember right. I didn’t want to tell him how old I was then although I’m sure he can guess. Let’s just say Jack’s been in farm broadcasting longer than I’ve been in this world!
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
Let me take a time out from the National Farm Machinery Show to let you know about my next stop on the agriblogging highway. It’s going to be the 2007 National Ethanol Conference put on by the Renewable Fuels Association.
This will be a cross-posting venture as I cover the Conference on a website we just built for RFA this week. It’s the National Ethanol Conference Blog. Besides creating content for them which will serve as a living daily online electronic newsletter containing pictures and interviews I’ll also post onto our renewable fuels news website, Domestic Fuel.
“As the premiere policy conference for the ethanol industry, the NEC has seen interest in the event grow nearly as quickly as the industry itself,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “As such, the RFA is pleased to offer an up-to-the minute accounting of conference events to those unable to attend. The use of new media is critical to providing policy makers, business leaders, media and other interested parties with current and accurate information. Following the conference, the RFA will continue to maintain the blog as a resource for those interested in the latest news from Washington impacting the U.S. ethanol industry.”
It all gets kicked off next Monday in Tucson, AZ.
I was surprised to learn how many dairy farmers visit the National Farm Machinery Show. This afternoon I visited the WestphaliaSurge booth and talked with Jerry Quellhorst. They’ve got a large exhibit here and he says he spoke with dairymen from states all over the country today. He said about half their crew is here and the other half is out in Tulare, CA at the World Ag Expo which is taking place at the same time.
Jerry says they’ve got equipment on display here that’s so new it’s not even available yet. For example, they have some new automatic detachers which you can see demonstrated.
Listen to my interview with Jerry here (7 min): nfms-07-quellhorst.mp3
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
Just in case I didn’t mention it, this show is big. I think one of the things that’s so unique about it is the fact that it’s all under a roof. Not only is it weather proof but you don’t have the dust or mud that comes with an outdoor show. It’s very clean. I guess the trade-off though is space since the big iron takes up a lot of room.
As I did a walk around this afternoon I found a lot more than just machinery. Take the Lucky Buck booth here. I’ve been trying for 15 years to get a rack like one of the ones on display in their booth. You can be sure they attracted a crowd.
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
During the day attendees here at the National Farm Machinery Show can mingle with the drivers and mechanics who are competing in the Championship Tractor Pull which runs each evening.
Most of the competitors are displayed around the arena here like the “Black Viper” here. This has got to be a tractor lovers dream location and it was packed with people when I walked through. It’s a serious working garage atmosphere.
You can find a listing of all the drivers who are competing here on the NFMS website.
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
Dr. Clarence Swanton was here at the National Farm Machinery Show today. He’s a researcher from the University of Guelph, Ontario who’s done research on the mechanism of yield loss. He was in the Syngenta booth to talk to growers about yield protection.
I think his research is fascinating because he’s looking into the environment in which a seedling grows, especially right after emerging, and how that affects the plant at harvest time. Apparently this is much more important than previously thought. According to his research it’s so important that if a seedling gets off to a poor start it’s very difficult to make up for the damage to harvest yield potential even if steps are taken later in the season.
I interviewed Dr. Swanton before he had to return home to find out just what the impact of early season weed control has on a farmer’s bottom line.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Swanton here (4 min): nfms-07-swanton.mp3
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
One of the cool things John Deere is talking about in their booth here at the National Farm Machinery Show is their OptiGro Variable Rate Imagery System. Pictured here is the spectral imaging camera they use to take pictures with. This system is available through the John Deere Agri Services division. According to Midwest Manager, Jeff Keiser, farmers can get a snapshot of the condition of their field very quickly and order it through their local ag retailer or John Deere dealer.
The pictures that are produced by the system provide images like this “Normalized Difference Vegetative Index.” As soon as the pictures are available Jeff says farmers can analyze them or work with their local retailer or consultant to interpret them and the data can be easily integrated into precision ag systems or whatever type of farm management program is being used.
Listen to my interview with Jeff here (4 min): nfms-07-keiser.mp3
AgWired coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show
is being sponsored by: and
