Rain, Rain, Go Away …

Melissa Sandfort

imageCome again another day,
Little Farmer wants to…harvest!

Today Aunt Jeanette writes:

As I was sitting in my sunroom this afternoon watching the raindrops ‘plink’ on the deck rail, this children’s rhyme seemed quite fitting.

Remember when I was hoping for a good, soaking rain between planting season and irrigating season? Well, someone must have misunderstood, as it seems the signals got crossed and we are getting the good, soaking rain during harvest! I guess on a positive note, we will have some time to get caught up on things in the office that have been neglected. Furthermore, I do not know many farmers that have ever complained about rain any time of the year (except the times it has been accompanied by hail, high winds, and/or freezing temperatures!).

No, I really do not want the rain to go away. It has settled the dust and given us a much-needed break from long, grueling hours in the combines, grain carts, semis, and elevator. It is also quite possible we may get more than five or six hours of sleep tonight! And just maybe some of those huge cracks in the ground (some of which could swallow a small child!) will disappear.

My very favorite part of a rain, however, comes at the end. No matter how many clouds are in the sky, my optimistic self always looks for the rainbow and the sign of sunny days ahead.

Until we walk again …

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Hand-Held Grain Moisture Tester

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GT 30300 Box_Case_UnitTo help producers more accurately monitor the condition of their grain during harvest and in storage, John Deere introduces the GT-30300 Grain Moisture Tester. This new hand-held device provides direct readout of moisture and test weight for 20 different grains in seconds, without pre-weighing the samples, at the touch of a button.

According to Barry Deiters, product manager with John Deere Merchandise, the new GT-30300 Grain Moisture Tester is the most accurate and advanced hand-held tester available. “The tester measures the moisture of harvested or stored grain from 5 percent to 45 percent with repeatable accuracy to plus or minus 0.2 percent and test weights with repeatable accuracy of 0.5 lb. per bushel, without having to pre-weigh the samples.”

The tester also measures the temperature of stored grains from 40 to 120 degrees F with repeatable accuracy to within 1.0 degree. Other features include a backlit LCD display for easy viewing of data, automatic temperature compensation and USB port and cord to make software updates and downloading data easy and convenient. Each unit comes with an attached swiper for grain leveling and heavy-duty carrying case.

Agribusiness, John Deere, Technology

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What Does the Farmer Say?

Cindy Zimmerman

This parody of the viral “What Does the Fox Say?” is way less annoying – and has a great message for non-farmers. Derek Kingenberg is a Kansas farmer who could give the Peterson boys a run for it. CNN’s Eatocracy calls him “delightfully demented!”

Already has half million views – “work, work, work!”

Video

iCropTrak Updates Improve Soil Sampling

Cindy Zimmerman

icropCogent3D, makers of iCropTrak, have taken soil sampling to a whole new level for farmers this fall.

Aaron Hutchinson, Cogent3D president and co-founder, says they took the best practices from their dedicated soil sampling apps and feedback from soil sampling customers to upgrade iCropTrak Soil Sampling capabilities. “iCropTrak is the third generation of our farming technologies that we’ve built,” he said.

With the recent App store updates, Aaron says soil sampling has been refined to make it significantly faster to operate and easier to create and collect grid and zone sampling. “So that somebody who might be a seasonal worker or a full-fledged professional can get the most from our tools,” he said.

Aaron tells me that they are working on another release for Spring will increase the performance of the technology by a factor of ten. “So we’re ready for the new MyJohnDeere.com data connections that everybody’s been hearing about, as well as being able to deal with some of the very large amounts of data that people are starting to collect on their farms,” he added.

iCropTrak is sold in over 50 countries and Aaron says they recently spent a month in Africa, where six of the ten fastest growing countries in the world are located, and next week they will be at Agritechnica in Germany.

Listen to my interview with Aaron to learn more: Aaron Hutchinson, iCropTrak

iCropTrak is an iPad/iPhone mobile app and personal cloud combination that lets you customize the features of the application including its sampling and scouting forms. iCropTrak mobile app can be found in the Apple iTunes store and the custom cloud can be purchased directly from iCropTrak sales team. You can also check them out on Facebook or through their ad on the AgWired mobile app.

Audio, Farming, Technology

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  • Tractor Supply Company announced that its Board of Directors has elected Cynthia T. Jamison, 54, to succeed James F. Wright as Chairman of the Board upon the conclusion of Mr. Wright’s term at the end of the year.
  • DuPont Pioneer and Archer Daniels Midland Company announced that ADM will double the acreage contracted for Plenish® high oleic soybeans in 2014 with the intention of marketing the high oleic soybean oil for use by the food industry in 2015.
  • DRAXXIN 25 (tulathromycin) Injectable Solution is now available from Zoetis – offering a convenient tool to fight swine respiratory disease in nursery pigs.
  • During the 63rd Annual Fall Convention the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association elected Marc McConnell, Art’s Way Manufacturing Co., as the 61st President of the Association.
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Rustler Hunt Underway

Chuck Zimmerman

CPHC MembersWe’ve had beautiful weather here at the CPHC. That would be the Crystal Pig Hunt Club.

This is the CPHC membership. L-R Gary, Eli, Paul, Joe, Luke, Me. The New Holland Rustler is a highlight feature of The Rustler Hunt. This bad boy has gone over creeks, logs, stumps. The Rustler is like Honey Badger. He don’t care!

Our first weekend saw mixed results. We saw lots of does and two are in the cooler. However, we’ve seen only two small bucks. Seems like the rut hasn’t started yet. But we’ve got a couple days to go still . . .

I’ve got a couple more days in the woods before getting back into off season action. Off season is the season that’s not deer season.

Crystal Pig Hunt Club Rustler Hunt Photo Album

Hunting, New Holland

America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders Scholarship

Jamie Johansen

monsanto-thumbMonsanto Company just announced their launch of the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders scholarship program to entice rural American students in pursuing careers in agriculture. The scholarship program in connection with the National FFA Scholarship program will provide rural students the opportunity to earn a $1,500 scholarship to pursue their education.

“With $1,500 to put toward their education, students will be better prepared to make a meaningful contribution that benefits themselves, their rural hometowns and the future of the agricultural industry,” said Elizabeth Vancil, Monsanto customer advocacy outreach manager.

About 25,000 agricultural jobs go unfilled each year due to the lack of qualified applicants. With a growing population the agricultural community needs talented, driven and passionate youth willing to commit to agriculture.

Monsanto recognizes and supports the role farmers play in the future of agriculture, so each Grow Ag Leaders applicant must have three farmers endorse his or her application. Eligible farmers can also help generate student interest in agricultural careers by spreading the word about this scholarship opportunity to eligible students in their communities and families.

America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders is currently available in 36 Crop Reporting Districts in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina and South Carolina. You can find a complete list of the 264 counties in the districts at AmericasFarmers.com.

Students interested in applying should visit the National FFA Organization to complete the application. Applications are accepted between November 15, 2013 and February 1, 2014. Eligible farmers interested in endorsing a student can also check out the National FFA Organizations website before February 8, 2014.

Ag Groups, Education, FFA

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  • The illinois.coop website, created by the Illinois Cooperative Council ICC), has information about what cooperatives are, the Council’s activities, and an award application for cooperative leaders.
  • Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Moll has unveiled an advance trailer and website for his latest film, Farmland, a feature length documentary follows the next generation of American farmers and ranchers, examining the lives of farmers and ranchers in their 20s, in various regions across the US.
  • Mosaic Co. announced it plans to sell its Argentina and Chile operations.
  • The Ram Truck brand celebrated the passion ignited around its “Year of the Farmer” initiative by presenting Clay Sapp, 2012-2013 National FFA President, with a $1 million donation at the 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, Oct. 30.
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Great Turnout for 2013 National FFA Convention

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ffa emblemRick Pitino told thousands of FFA members from across the country packed into Freedom Hall Wednesday that pressure and problems are good things.

Pitino opened the 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo, an event that in its 86th year has drawn more than 56,000 FFA members from all 50 U.S. states to Louisville for four days. His motivational address focused on the importance of interpersonal communication in achieving career and life success.

During convention, nine general sessions will gather FFA members together at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Students will have countless opportunities to engage exhibitors from more than 450 corporations, organizations and colleges through Friday at the Expo inside the center. Other events will be held at venues downtown, in suburbs and beyond.

News, features and more from the 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo will be published on FFA.org and on Twitter at #igniteFFA. Portions of the event are being streamed live on iHigh.com. The convention ends Saturday after national delegates representing FFA in all 50 states elect a new, six-member National FFA Officer team for 2013-14.

Agribusiness, FFA