PERC Calculators Estimate Propane Cost Savings

Cindy Zimmerman

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has just released a suite of cost calculator tools for customers in three of the industry’s fastest-growing markets: agriculture, commercial landscape, and on road fleets. The calculators are designed to estimate potential fuel savings and ROI with clean, American-made propane when compared with conventional fuels like gasoline and diesel. “At PERC, we’ve have …

Audio, Energy, Irrigation, Propane

Calcium Products Opens World Headquarters in Iowa

Cindy Zimmerman

Calcium Products recently celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters located at the Iowa State University Research Park, including a new research and development laboratory and customer support center. Calcium Products produces of precision soil amendments that improve soil quality to maximize nutrient uptake and strengthen yields. “Our new headquarters and R&D lab is located in the heart of …

Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture, Soil

Wrapping up the 2014 CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

2014 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album The CTIC Conservation in Action tour of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) was the most interesting of the tours I have attended so far. I grew up just east of the Everglades in Broward County and did agricultural reporting in Florida for ten years, but I never really had the chance to …

Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Farming, Fertilizer, John Deere

Florida State Rep on CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

A member of the Florida legislature joined us on CTIC Conservation in Action tour of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) last week to learn more herself about the various conservation efforts in the region. Representative Katie Edwards of Broward County says there is a lot of legislative interest in water quality projects and with her agricultural background it’s important for …

Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Water

Registration for BASF Xanthion™ In-furrow Fungicide

Cindy Zimmerman

Corn growers now have access to a first-in-its-class in-furrow fungicide for 2015. BASF Xanthion™ In-furrow fungicide has received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for use on corn. According to BASF, Xanthion will provide corn growers with an additional tool to protect their seed investment and maximize yield potential in the 2015 season. “Different than other early season crop management treatments, …

Agribusiness, BASF, Corn, Crop Protection

Corn Growers in the Sunbelt

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association had a presence last week at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia for the first time. NCGA president Chip Bowling of Maryland visited with attendees at the event, including USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden who grew up on a Georgia peanut farm, and got to see some crops he doesn’t normally see. “I got …

Audio, Corn, NCGA, Sunbelt Ag Expo

NCGA Staffer on CTIC Tour

Cindy Zimmerman

2014 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album Many of the participants at last week’s CTIC Conservation in Action tour of the Florida Everglades Agricultural area were from the Midwest and they were very interested in some of the very different crop production they saw in the Sunshine State. CTIC board member and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Soil Health …

Audio, Conservation, Corn, CTIC, Harvest, NCGA, Video

Raising Cane in the Everglades

Cindy Zimmerman

2014 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album Planting at U.S. Sugar Corporation is done with precision, as we found out on the 2014 CTIC Conservation in Action tour last week in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Steven Stiles, U.S. Sugar farm manager, says cane is a “ratoonable crop” which refers to the stalks that are called ratoons and normally one …

Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Sustainability, Video

Top 100 Ag Cooperatives

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s still National Cooperative Month, which is when USDA traditionally releases its top 100 list of agricultural cooperatives. According to USDA, Iowa has the most agricultural cooperatives of any state at 16, up from 11 a decade ago. Minnesota ranks second among the states, with 13. It is followed by Nebraska with nine, Illinois and Wisconsin with five each, then …

Cooperatives, GROWMARK, USDA

ZimmComm Partner Authors Organic Report

Cindy Zimmerman

Our own Joanna Schroeder was the principal researcher for a recent research report published in Academics Review, “Organic Marketing Report,” findings of which she presented at the Western Plant Health Association annual meeting in Palm Desert, California. Joanna’s research found no scientific consensus to prove the organic marketing industry’s claims that organic food is more nutritious and safer than traditional …

Food, Organic