John Deere is breaking the planting speed and accuracy barriers of traditional row-crop planting with the introduction of a new seed delivery system. With the launch of their ExactEmerge row unit for the most accurate planting at speeds up to 10 mph and the new industry-leading MaxEmerge 5 row units for planting at traditional speeds, customers can now plant with …
Another Good Year for GROWMARK
Solid volume growth in GROWMARK business units produced record sales for the cooperative for the 2014 fiscal year, as numbers reported last week at the annual shareholders meeting in Chicago reveal. Retiring GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg reported estimated sales of $10.2 billion, with pretax income estimated at $180 million, which once again exceeds the key financial target of 12 percent …
Meet the New CEO of GROWMARK
As of September 15, GROWMARK will have a new chief executive officer. Jim Spradlin was named CEO of GROWMARK to replace Jeff Solberg who is retiring. Spradlin has a degree in business administration and economics from Illinois College and has held various positions within the GROWMARK System of cooperatives, including controller of Schuyler-Brown FS, regional administrative director, general manager of …
GROWMARK CEO Retiring Comments
After 38 years with one company, GROWMARK chief executive officer Jeff Solberg, has announced his retirement. Solberg joined GROWMARK in 1976 and has held many leadership positions, including Senior Vice President, Finance, Vice President, Finance, and Treasurer. He was named CEO in November 2010 and assumed the CEO duties in January 2011. “My goal was to always become the Chief Financial …
BASF Helping Fight Corn Leaf Blight
Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) has been reported in numerous fields across the U.S. Corn Belt. If the disease isn’t controlled, it will continue to spread and decrease corn crop yields. AJ Woodyard, BASF Technical Crop Production Specialist, says conditions have been perfect this summer for NCLB. “It’s actually a disease that enjoys cooler temperatures,” Woodyard said. “It also likes …
InfoAg 2014 on Track in St. Louis
For the first time in its 14 year history, the InfoAg Conference is being held at the historic Union Station in St. Louis, instead of in Springfield, Illinois, and they have the largest number of attendees pre-registered and more registering on site. InfoAg continues to be the premier precision agriculture event for producers, consultants, and the crop production industry, featuring …
Ag Leader Focuses on Seed, Water, and Nutrient Management
The first Ag Leader Technology Tech Meets Dirt Road Tour around Illinois is now history now and it seems like it was a big success. I attended the event near Peoria and was able to chat with presenters in each of the main focus areas – seed, water, and nutrient management. Matt Cannon, a farmer from central Iowa, talked about …
Ag Leader Technology Meets Dirt in Illinois
Ag Leader Technology is out in the fields this summer bringing the latest precision technology to Illinois farms in the Technology Meets Dirt Road Tour. There have been two events so far but there are still three more scheduled in the next couple of weeks where you can learn how the latest technology can help you manage seed, fertilizer, water …
NCGA CEO Addresses Fuel Ethanol Workshop
National Corn Growers Association CEO, Rick Tolman took the podium on his farewell tour to address the general session at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis this week. It’s the 30th year for the workshop and during his remarks he commented on how things have changed in the last 30 years from the acres of corn planted and bushels harvested …
Farmland in the Big Apple
Farmland the movie was screened last night at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), which has been actively involved in promoting the film across the country, reports that the premiere of Farmland in the Big Apple was a huge success with two packed theaters screening the film. In an age where …