GROWMARK presented CropLife America CEO Jay Vroom with its Friend of GROWMARK Award during the group’s annual meeting in Chicago. Vroom is retiring later this year after 30 years in that role. He plans to return to Illinois and help with the operation of the family farm. Vroom said he has seen many changes in agriculture during his tenure at …
BASF Spotlights Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0 at #FPS18
A semi truck wrapped with a Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0 message greeted visitors to the Farm Progress Show last week, letting them know that this revolutionary biological is now part of the BASF portfolio. “Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0 enhances the microbial activity around the corn root and the result is greater nutrient availability and uptake by the growing plant,” said Kerry Grossweiler with BASF …
John Deere Adds to Precision Technology Suite
John Deere rolled out the new 4240 Universal Display, AutoTrac™ Universal 300 guidance solution and updated 18-2 Gen 4 software during the 2018 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The guidance system offers ergonomic improvements for users and can fit into hundreds of different machines, according to John Mishler, tactical marketing manager. He said the display offers more choices for …
Bayer Advocates Zero Tolerance Approach to Weeds
When it comes to Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, Bayer experts say anything less than 100 percent control risks corn yields in the future because just one of either of those weeds can produce 500,000 to one million seeds for next season. “Growers should take a holistic approach to managing Palmer amaranth and waterhemp,” said Frank Rittemann, selective corn herbicides product …
A ZimmCast on GROWMARK
This week the ZimmCast, sponsored by GROWMARK, will feature interviews from the GROWMARK Annual Meeting. Carrie Muehling interviewed GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin about the company’s new strategy, based on the acronym ‘GROW’ which is not just focused on getting bigger. It’s focused on getting better. She also interviewed Illinois farmer Rick Nelson who has served on the GROWMARK board for 28 years …
Corn Growers Join Farmers For Free Trade at #FPS18
Last week was a big one for trade news impacting agriculture, so Farmers for Free Trade (FFT) Executive Director Brian Kuehl and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Kevin Skunes had a lot to talk about during a press conference at Farm Progress Show. Regarding news that U.S. and Mexico had reached a preliminary NAFTA deal, Kuehl expressed some concerns. …
New NCGA Officer Talks Top Issues at #FPS18
The National Corn Growers Association leadership team was out in full force last week at the Farm Progress Show, including the new kid on the board, Kevin Ross of Iowa. Ross was elected this summer to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and he is jumping right into the issues head …
GROWMARK Watching Farm Policy and Regulation
While farmers and cooperators gathered at GROWMARK‘s annual meeting in Chicago last week still have concerns about what’s happening in the nation’s capitol, they continue to be optimistic about agriculture. “I think what they’re concerned about is where the election is going to go and what that means for their business. Overall, the mood is still very strong in the …
ASTA Outlines Seed Industry Priorities for Farm Bill
The 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee is holding its first public meeting today in Washington and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has notified committee members of key provisions important to the seed industry within the legislation. In a recent letter to Conferees, ASTA highlighted priorities within the Conservation, Trade, Research, Horticulture and Crop Insurance titles. ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne …
Deere Introduces High-Capacity Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters
John Deere showcased the all-new 9000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters (SPFH) at last week’s Farm Progress Show, drawing a lot of interest from attendees. The four new models, which range from 616 hp to 957 hp, are able to provide up to 400 tons of throughput per hour, along with optimum corn silage processing independent of the length of cut, …