Live From National Ethanol Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

While I’m attending the Grains Council Conference, Cindy and Carly are covering the National Ethanol Conference. They’re broadcasting the opening general session live right now. Afterward we’ll be posting a recording of it for you you to view at your leisure. *Post update* Below is the recorded video of the opening general session which includes comments from Renewable Fuels Association …

Equipment, Video

Snowy Start to National Farm Machinery Show

Cindy Zimmerman

The good news is that it’s not snowing now – the bad news is that Louisville got a record one day snowfall of seven inches yesterday, which delayed lots of flights coming in for the National Farm Machinery Show. It is pretty cold here – with 28 degrees the official temperature and 16 with the wind chill. So, it is …

Equipment, John Deere, National Farm Machinery Show

SureVac From Ag Leader Technology

Chuck Zimmerman

Earlier this week Ag Leader Technology added the patent-pending SureVac electric row shutoff to their lineup of planter section shutoff devices. Since I was at the Iowa Power Farming Show I stopped in and learned all about it from Chad Huedepohl. You can watch the interview or just listen to it below. Here’s the details: SureVac provides today’s precision farming …

Ag Leader, Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Shows

Apple Annouces iPad

Chuck Zimmerman

Apple just announced its newest creation – the iPad. There is an agricultural slant to this story. What is it? The continuing development of information technology that’s changing the way we market and engage our audience. I can see me using one of these to participate in AgChat for example. Or do just about anything else I want to do …

Equipment, Technology

AEM Annual Outlook Survey

Chuck Zimmerman

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has released their 2010 outlook for agricultural machinery. It looks like an expectation of continued “continued weakness in U.S. and Canadian tractor sales.” This is comes from a survey they conduct of members. So although this year’s outlook is somewhat negative, future years look much better. For all sizes of two-wheel tractors, however, the declines …

AEM, Equipment, Tractor

U of I Unveils First Ever Miscanthus Harvester and Planter

Joanna Schroeder

Farmers who are considering growing miscanthus as a bioenergy feedstock now have a tool to make it easier. After years of collaboration and research, a miscanthus rhizome regeneration harvester and planter system has been developed. The unveiling took place during the Bioenergy Feedstocks Symposium held at the University of Illinois (U of I). Typically, miscanthus is a labor-intensive crop requiring …

Equipment, Ethanol, Research

NAEDA: an AG CONNECT Association to Know

Joanna Schroeder

There were several international manufacturing equipment associations on hand at the AG CONNECT Expo including the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA), one of the show sponsors. I sat down with Michael Williams, the Vice President of Government Relations, to learn more about what his association does. This 110 year-old association has more than 5,000 members in the U.S. as …

Audio, Equipment

McCormick Deems AG CONNECT Expo a Huge Success

Joanna Schroeder

There were many tractors and loaders filling the McCormick booth during AG CONNECT Expo, and each year about 80 percent of the company’s sales are international. Yet the success of the company wasn’t what was really exciting for Rodney Miller, the CEO. It was the success of the first AG CONNECT Expo. Miller was involved in the 18 months of …

Audio, Equipment

Claas’s Orbis 900 Wins AE50 Award at AG CONNECT

Joanna Schroeder

For the sixth year in a row, Claas of America, based in Omaha, Neb. has won several AE50 awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) that honors ground breaking industry innovation. The company’s new technology, the Orbis 900, mounts in front of the forage harvester. The advantage is capacity – the width of the head now …

Audio, Equipment