Biologics are based on materials found in nature. At the Bayer Crop Science booth during the Farm Progress Show I spoke with Head of Biologic Research for Bayer CropScience, Dr. Jonathan Margolis, who is based out of their new facilities in Sacramento, CA. There he works with live microbes like bacteria, fungi and plant extracts. “The difference between those and …
Learning More about BASF Limus
During the Farm Progress Show last week, BASF Crop Protection Product Manager for Diversified Herbicides and Nutrient Management Nick Fassler was on hand to talk about the company’s new Limus urease inhibitor. “BASF’s been talking about Functional Crop Care for the last several years and nutrient management was one core pillar in that group of new innovations we were going …
Experiencing Farm Progress with Katie Johnson
I had some fun times at the Farm Progress Show this week but probably no more than I had with Iowa State ag communications student Katie Johnson. She took a few days off school to work in the media center sponsored by BASF and help out the reporters as well as public relations professionals floating around the tent drumming up …
Time for Play at #FPS14
The entire ZimmComm Team was present for this year’s Farm Progress Show and as expected it was packed with interviews, press conferences, photography and of course, lots of blogging. But don’t worry it wasn’t all work and no play. Leah and I took advantage of Farm Progress Show, Iowa State Center and Syngenta’s sponsorship of the first of many to …
AgInfomatics Identying the Benefits of Insecticides
I learned a lot this week during the Farm Progress Show but one particular thing I learned about was neonicotinoids. Until I met Pete Nowak with Madison, Wisconsin-based AgInfomatics and an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison, I had never heard the term nor had any idea what it meant. Now I do. So let’s go to school …
New Holland Tier 4B Guardian Sprayers
At the New Holland Media Day just prior to the Farm Progress Show we got to see the new Tier 4B Front-boom Guardian Sprayer. In the video below you will learn about the features of this sprayer which include: The smart way to spray: ‘never look back’ Industry-leading horsepower, ground clearance, ride and turning radius 1,600 US/gallon tank and 120-foot …
BASF Farm Perspectives Survey
At the Farm Progress Show this week, BASF released a new Farm Perspectives Study, conducted earlier this year, comparing consumer and farmer viewpoints on agriculture-related issues based on opinions from more than 9,000 people in seven different countries. “This is actually the second study, it was first conducted in 2011,” said BASF Technical Crop Production Specialist AJ Woodyard. Conducted in …
Summit Group Announces Corn Ethanol Plant in Brazil
Alden, Iowa-based Summit Group announced a project to build the first modern corn ethanol plant in Brazil during the 2014 Farm Progress Show. The project will consist of a US$140 million ethanol plant near Lucas do Rio Verde in Mato Grosso, a leading agricultural state in west central Brazil and the country’s largest producer of corn and soybeans. The project …
FMC Partners with John Deere Financial
Adam Prestegord is an oilseed and cereals crop segment manager for FMC who has recently partnered with John Deere Financial to offer several offers for growers to finance key crop inputs. I learned more about this initiative from Prestegord during the 2014 Farm Progress Show held in Boone, Iowa. FMC was a sponsor of our coverage of the event. “We’ve …
Land Values Showing Softness Across Illinois
The Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers announced during the 2014 Farm Progress Show held this week in Boone, IA that prices being paid for farmland across Illinois have seen a “softening” from 2.0 percent to 4.1 percent. This was discovered during the organization’s Midyear Land Values Snapshot Survey. The decline was found for the first half …