Farmers participating in the National Corn Growers Association 2012 National Corn Yield Contest set a new record by submitting 75 entries that surpassed the 300 bushels-per-acre mark. Bucking trends and overcoming severe drought conditions, these entrants showed the incredible achievements that are possible in farming using advanced practices and state-of-the-art technology. Despite higher average yields nationally among all farmers in …
Masters & Mavericks Discuss Future at AG CONNECT
One of the highlights of the recent AG CONNECT Expo was the Masters and Mavericks Producer Panel Discussion that took center stage at the show. Chuck caught up with a couple of guys taking part in that panel: master Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, and “maverick” Indiana farmer Kip Tom (who likes to say he’s a …
More B for Me Please
More biodiesel please. If you were on the look out for biodiesel it could definitely be seen during the 10th Annual National Biodiesel Conference in Las Vegas. Last year was a roller coaster year for the industry but some good things happened, one of which was the $1 per gallon tax credit coming back. Another – increasing the volume of …
USDA Releases Climate Change & Ag Report
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a comprehensive report that synthesize the scientific literature on climate change effects and adaptation strategies for U.S. agriculture. The report, “Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation,” was created a an input to the National Climate Assessment with scientists from the federal service, universities, non-governmental organizations, industry, tribal …
Pre-Planting Precision Ag Expectations
Precision agriculture is growing in popularity each year. And for one Ag Leader customer, Don Batie, keeping up with the latest and challenging himself to increase productivity and efficiency by using precision farming tools has been on his “to do” list for the past five years. Don’s farm is located northeast of Lexington, Neb., and consists of irrigated corn, soybean …
Soybean Variety Getting New Name
A new variety of soybeans will soon get a new name after making a debut at the recent AG CONNECT Expo. MS Technologies Brand Manager Lauren August says their FG72 soybeans, a collaboration with Bayer, will have their new name revealed at the upcoming Commodity Classic later this month. In the meantime, she can tell us about how the beans …
AG CONNECT Attendance, Optimism High
The number of attendees to this year’s AG CONNECT Expo is up and their optimism is high … that’s the evaluation of the new president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, Andrew Cummings. “This is the third year [FEMA has had a booth at AG CONNECT], and the attendance is substantially higher, and the optimism is excellent,” Andrew told Chuck …
John Deere’s Field Connect Watches Soil Moistures
We’ve already heard about a couple of the more leading-edge technologies our friends at John Deere displayed at this year’s AG CONNECT, including their JDLink and Machine Sync technologies. Another product that caught attendees’ attentions was Field Connect, John Deere’s soil moisture monitoring tool. “It’s pulling soil moisture information from your field, very specific to that location, and providing that …
Case IH Has Networking Session at AG CONNECT
Information is power, but TOO MUCH information is, well, overwhelming. During the recent AG CONNECT Expo, our friends from Case IH sponsored a a morning networking breakfast on how to manage all the information farmers are faced with in precision agriculture. “One of the things we find is this overabundance of information with data, and how do we control it, …
Gold Award for FieldScout GreenIndex+ App
One of the highlights of the recent AG CONNECT Expo are the AE50 Outstanding Innovations Gold Awards, honoring the “best of the best” displayed at the show. One of those awards went to Spectrum Technologies, Inc., for the company’s FieldScout GreenIndex+ App. The app looks at a smartphone picture of corn at the knee-high level and can make a recommendation …