Attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard about the importance of soil health and how it can pay big dividends back to producers … and the consequences of not taking care of the soil. “We have really degraded our soils in the Midwest,” explained Hans Kok (on the right, pointing to his demonstration …
High Flying Seeds Ground Cover
One of the “high”lights of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., was a demonstration of using a crop duster to seed ground cover on a field still growing corn. Eric Smith with Pontiac Flying Service explained shortly after one of his pilots (in fact, Scott Petersen, the company’s owner/operations manager) flew over the field and …
GROWMARK: CTIC Support is Being Good Stewards
The Conservation Technology Information Center tour just completed with a theme of “Community 4 Conservation” this year. Dan Maggart with GROWMARK (pictured to the right, talking to bus load on the tour about what GROWMARK offers in way of agronomic services) explained why his company sees itself as such a good fit as a sponsor for the tour and its …
Making Sense of Precision Ag’s Alphabet Soup
Precision farming tools are designed to simplify things for growers, and yet the terminology used in precision farming isn’t always so simple. But have no fear. The following definitions will guide you through the mysterious twists and terms found in the world of GPS (Psst … that stands for Global Positioning System). GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System is a navigation …
John Deere Introduces FlexFuel Mower
John Deere has introduced a brand new riding mower that can run on up to 85% percent ethanol blended fuel. The mower is a new Flex Fuel model of John Deere’s popular line of ZTrak mowers. The new, industry exclusive, Z925M Flex Fuel gives landscape contractors and customers with large acreage to mow a new alternative fuel option for their …
Upcoming AgBiz of Kansas City Meeting
The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will hold a July meeting on the 18th from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. The meeting will feature Brian Klippenstein, Protect the Harvest. Protect The Harvest was created to fight back and defend American families, farmers, hunters and animal owners from the growing threat posed by the radical animal rights movement. Brian will outline …
Connecting Farmers, Advisors and Precision Data
Farmers looking to better leverage field data and expertise from their local advisor partners now have access to a new tool. Newly launched MyAgCentral is designed to bridge the gap between farmers and their trusted local advisors, allowing both to more easily exchange data and develop plans using a single online dashboard. The dashboard lets the farmer pull data from …
Senators Question Smithfield Deal
The Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday took a look at the proposed sale of Smithfield Foods to Shuanghui International, which would be the largest acquisition of an American company by a Chinese company in history. Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says the sale raises many questions about issues such as food safety, protection of intellectual property, and increased foreign ownership …
Dirt, Demin & Diamonds Features Women in Ag
The Flint-Hills Chapter of Kansas Agri-Women is hosting its second annual Dirt, Denim and Diamonds conference on August 8-10, 2013. The conference will be held at the Living Water Ranch located sixteen miles north of Manhattan, Kansas. Inspired by family members and other ag conferences, this event is focused on the integral role a rural woman plays. From managing their …
iPad-Conrolled Drones at Landmark
Taking your iPad out in the field to fly a drone sounds like a lot of fun. It definitely is for an agnerd! This “fun” activity is becoming a business task more and more. The agronomists at Landmark Services Cooperative are getting in on the fun by using tablet-controlled drones for field scouting. One of the advantages this provides is …