During the recent USDA/DOJ public workshop on competition in the livestock industry I spoke with Dr. Stephen Koontz, Associate Professor, Colorado State University. He has a degree in agricultural economics from University of Illinois. Proposed new rules from the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) was the main topic of conversation and Dr. Koontz has some concerns. He says …
John Deere Launches 3 New Gator XUVs
The new Gator XUVs from John Deere have arrived and they are the fastest, most powerful gator that John Deere has ever made. And I got this information from a good source. Kevin Lund to be exact, a John Deere Gator expert. The new Gator XUV 825i boasts 50 horsepower, can hit top speeds of 44 miles an hour, has …
Wyffels’ Corn Hybrids Performing Well in the Fields
We’re getting closer and closer to the corn harvest in the Midwest and Bob Jackson, a researcher with Wyffels Hybrids, has been able to get into the fields and get some early looks. Harvest data coming out of Central and Southern Illinois reports that things are doing very well. “We’re off to a great start and I think we’re going …
Pork and Beef Panels On GIPSA
Since the livestock industry is so important to our country as well as just about every other sector of agriculture you can’t get enough on a subject that has major implications for its future. That would be the proposed rule by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). You can follow back through our posts on this topic using …
New Holland T8 and T9 Details
Last week New Holland unveiled their new T8 and T9 tractors at the Farm Progress Show. I sat down with two of their marketing managers to learn more about these machines. Thanks to Gene Hemphill, media tent master and photographer, for taking the pictures. Let’s look at the T8 Series first. There are five models of these tractors that range …
Pioneer Boreas Is Hurricane On Wheels
One of the most unique pieces of equipment on display at the Farm Progress Show was a wind machine. This hurricane on wheels is named after the Greek God of the cold north wind – Boreas. Unfortunately we couldn’t fire this monster up for a demonstration due to safety concerns but it still got a lot of attention. To find …
United Soybean Board Update
The United Soybean Board was represented by Chairman, Phil Bradshaw, a soybean grower from Illinois, at the Farm Progress Show. I spent a few minutes with him to get an update on USB activities while he was visiting ag media. Phil just got back from a trip to Japan to promote U.S. soybeans. He says they’re our 3rd largest customer. …
Bio-Forge Shows Success at Managing Stress
Thousands of corn acres have been under various types of stress this year, many under the stress of too much rain. Corn that has undergone too much stress doesn’t perform well causing a grower’s yield to be down, and thus his profit. However, growers who have used Bio-Forge have seen their corn manage stress much better, leading to higher yields. …
What’s New With Leica Geosystems
AgWired sponsor, Leica Geosystems, was very active at the Farm Progress Show. Here’s the team getting the job done when I stopped by. I spoke with Harlan Little, North American Business Manager, on the far right, to learn what’s new with Leica. Harlan says they’ve got a lot of interest in their touch screen units, the mojoMINI and mojo3D. He …
John Deere Brings New Generation of 8R Tractors to the Fields
John Deere has released its next version of the 8R Tractors that were originally released last year. This upgraded version integrates the “smart-tractor” concept into the row-crop tractors. I caught up with Cody Dicken during the Farm Progress Show to take a look at the new 8R Tractor and learn more about its new features. “First and foremost, customers will …