Catching Up With Harry Siemens at NFMS

Cindy Zimmerman

It was an unexpected pleasure to see Harry Siemens and his lovely wife Judith at the National Farm Machinery Show last week. Harry was one of the very first contributors to AgWired with his “Siemens Says” column, starting way back in September of 2005. He has been keeping plenty busy these days with a variety of freelance gigs sharing his …

Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, Social Networking, Technology

Make Learning Mobile With Float

Chuck Zimmerman

In this week’s program we’re going to use the M word, as in Mobile, as in Float Mobile Learning. I just had a conversation with Chad Udell, Managing Director, about mobile learning technology and what that means for today’s agribusiness customers. Float Mobile’s parent company is the Iona Group. Chad says the company has a deep history working with agribusiness …

Agribusiness, Audio, Education, Technology

FS PARTNERS Pioneering QR Codes in the Field

Cindy Zimmerman

FS PARTNERS in Ontario is pioneering a new use for QR codes in the field so farmers can access updated information about test plots. In case you are not yet familiar with them, QR is short for Quick Response and they are those bar code looking things you can read with a smart phone that are starting to pop up …

Audio, Farming, GROWMARK, Technology

Lightsquared Threat To GPS

Chuck Zimmerman

I spent a lot of my career in the broadcasting business and never saw the Federal Communications Commission take action like they have been on the proposal from a company called Lightsquared to utilize high-powered, close-proximity transmissions from a network of ground stations that would cause substantial interference with GPS signals.. It is unheard of for them to allow a …

Agribusiness, Audio, Internet, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Precision Conservation Technology

Chuck Zimmerman

We couldn’t have had better weather for a farm tour than today for the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Day. Several bus loads of participants visited Livingston County, IL area farms to see and hear how they are implementing best management practices for things like nutrient management. One of the people working on the project with CTIC and a …

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, Fertilizer, Technology

Farm Conservation Technology In Action

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello from Illinois and the Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour. This project and farm tour is being conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center. Farmers and corporate sponsors at the sites will focus on effective agricultural systems while they showcase products, practices and technology that can boost profitable farming and improve water quality. Tour demonstrations will include nitrogen fertilizer …

Ag Groups, Conservation, CTIC, Technology

Proposal Could Cost Farm GPS Users

Cindy Zimmerman

A company that wants to create a new, integrated wireless broadband/satellite network is facing opposition from agricultural global positioning system (GPS) providers and users. As we reported on Precision Pays, Virginia-based company LightSquared has proposed to set up 40,000 wireless broad-band stations across the nation on a frequency that is right next to the one used by GPS. Opposition to …

GROWMARK, John Deere, Leica Geosystems, New Holland, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Raven OmniSeed System Introduced

Cindy Zimmerman

Raven Industries is already getting great response from growers with the new OmniSeed Advanced Air Seeder Control System they just introduced last week. Raven’s Ryan Molitor says the system provides growers with more reliability, efficiency and control. “OmniSeed allows for variable rate technology, it’s a very scalable system with a lot of unique features on it that we think are …

Audio, Seed, Technology

NAMA App Arrives in Time for Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

This app just in … the NAMA App! The National Agri-Marketing Association is thrilled to announce its all-new app, just in time for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference. The app is available for iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android smartphone and Blackberry is coming soon. Download from iTunes here. Download from the Android Market here. 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

NAMA, Technology

Smartphone Farming

Chuck Zimmerman

Smartphones. You know they’ve become part of farm life when you see educational sessions about them at a farm show. You also know that there are a lot choices. This is one gadget I get asked about and lectured on all the time. Probably more than any other device. So I thought I’d offer my two cents and hopefully start …

Equipment, Technology