GROWMARK ranked as the fifth largest propane retailer in the United States by LP Gas Magazine with sales of over 211 million retail gallons of propane during 2016. “Propane is used for a lot of different reasons,” says Zach Baugher, GROWMARK Propane Marketing & Technical Services Manager. “Home heat, livestock building heat, grain dryers, and now we’re starting to see …
Weather Outlook at #NFMS17
Weather is always the main topic of discussion whenever farmers get together, so the weather outlook from Bryce Anderson, Senior Ag Meteorologist at DTN/The Progressive Farmer, is always a big draw at the National Farm Machinery Show. Anderson says the outlook for the corn belt is good this year as the Pacific Ocean has moved from a weak La Nina …
Bayer Building on Feed a Bee Buzz
The Feed a Bee program has planted more than 2 billion wildflowers with the help of 900,000 individuals and 117 partner organizations in the past three years, but Bayer says it’s not stopping there. The company recently requested proposals to establish pollinator forage in all 50 states by 2018, hoping to build upon their success and move the needle forward. …
Media Scrum Sighted at #RFANEC
I have to admit to never having heard the word “scrum” – meaning an impromptu press conference – until yesterday. According to Wikipedia, the word comes from a rugby term where players from both teams cluster around the ball competing for possession. “Analogously, in a media scrum reporters cluster around a public figure competing for his or her attention.” So …
Farm Faster with 3RIVE 3D
It was two years ago at National Farm Machinery Show that FMC Corporation introduced us to the revolutionary 3RIVE 3D application technology. Last year it won a FINovation award. This year, the product is now available through Micro-Trak Systems dealers in seven Midwest locations, according to company representative Heath McCormick. “Those dealers are available to sell and install (3RIVE 3D) …
AEM Hosts Infrastructure Panel at #NFMS17
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) hosted a rural infrastructure panel at the National Farm Machinery Show last week as part of its Infrastructure Vision 2050 initiative to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing U.S. infrastructure and its potential impact on the agriculture economy. The event was a follow-up to AEM’s Rural Infrastructure Summit held at Iowa State University last …
NCFC Honors GROWMARK Chairman
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) has presented it prestigious Director of the Year Award to GROWMARK Chairman of the Board and President John Reifsteck. “John’s dedication and service to the GROWMARK Board over the past 24 years has been paramount to the success of our cooperative system,” said GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin. “He is an outstanding leader who …
Industry Mourns Loss of Respected Ag Journalist
DTN/The Progressive Farmer was saddened to report that Executive Editor Marcia Zarley Taylor passed away Feb. 19 after a brief illness. Most of us in the business have known and worked with Marcia over the years. She was a former president of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association and would have become North American Agricultural Journalists Association’s new president this spring. …
Introducing the SMART Farmer Podcast
We are pleased to introduce the very first SMART Farmer podcast which features interviews with the people who use data and technology to be more sustainable and to help build a smarter version of the American farm and ranch. In this first episode, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance CEO Randy Krotz talks about how people can relate to the SMART …
AgCompass Helps Make Tax Time Easier
If you are ready to make tax time easier, a virtual desktop and your accounting software hosted by AgCompass may be just what you need for secure sharing. “Security and data independence are important concerns for farmers,” says Nick Chambers, Business Manager for AgCompass. “With a virtual desktop, while your data is technically in the cloud, unlike web-based applications, your …