Ag Leader Continues to Invest in Developing Dealers

Melissa Sandfort

Insights Weekly

Over the course of the past couple of years, Ag Leader has watched how the computer industry and the way they host peer groups in an effort to educate dealers and facilitate idea-sharing sessions, trying to see if it was a good fit for the precision agriculture industry. The genesis for peer group sharing has been around for decades, and being in a developing industry (precision ag is only a mere 20 years old), Ag Leader felt it mutually beneficial to develop the Precision Ag Peer Group program for dealers to help them grow their businesses. The purpose of the groups is business and personal growth driven by execution.

Michael Vos, Ag Leader territory development manager, says peer groups help dealers network, discover new and innovative ideas (that’s what precision ag is all about, right?), learn about business practices across the country and improve on their leadership and management skills.

Listen to my full interview with Vos here.

Listen to Vos explain

Vos says people understand the big idea behind peer groups but until you experience them for a day, you don’t really know their true value…the results are encouraging. Contact your Ag Leader territory manager today if you are interested.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

Nation’s Largest Outdoor Farm Show Expands

Jamie Johansen

FPS13-flagThe nation’s largest outdoor farm event, Farm Progress Show, has once again exceeded the initial projections for exhibit space. But don’t worry they are introducing an expanded show site for the event to be held in Decatur, IL. August 27-29. A new street has been added as well as an annex.

“When the Farm Progress Show sites were built in Decatur and Boone, they were built to accommodate the largest show usage in recent times,” says Matt Jungmann, national events manager. “Before the 2011 show, we added Eleventh Street to meet the demand for space. This year, it became clear that extra space was needed to accommodate all the requests by exhibitors, and the investment would need to be made to accommodate those requests.”

Throughout the last eight years Farm Progress Show has been in Decatur, grounds have grown from 10 streets 12. This expansion equates to 3.647 million square feet of exhibit space, a 6% increase since 2011. The new annex has an excess of 60 new companies exhibiting. With all these additions the show will host more than 600 companies, almost 100 more than in previous years.

The event is more than just the latest in ag technology, visitors can take in the 3rd Annual Great Lakes Hybrids Farm Progress Show Shootout Tractor Pull or a country music concert headlined by Chris Cagle.

Don’t forget to download the handy Farm Progress Show app for iPhone and Android. For more information visit the event website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Events, Farm Progress Show, Farm Shows

New Holland iBrochure App

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland iBrochure AppNeed to look up some information about New Holland products? It just got easier with this new android app.

Browse the NH iBrochure anywhere and anytime: videos, photo galleries and a wide variety of media contents that offer you an interactive experience and product info about agricultural tractors, combine harvesters, forage harvesters, groundcare, balers, telehandlers and front loaders. Enjoy!

Agribusiness, Apps, New Holland

New Holland Invites Media to First in the Field

Jamie Johansen

new-holland-ag-13-030-editedNew Holland Agriculture’s First in the Field event has taken place throughout the month of July. The event is designed to train and educate dealers on new products, but ag media had the opportunity to take it all in as well.

While enduring the heat in southern Texas, ag media spent the morning going through six checkpoints. Each station dug deep into the products new elements, gave a visual for hands on learning and time for some q & a. After a lunch of chicken and beef fajitas, we boarded vans to head out in the field. Ride and drive stations were set-up to allow for an up close and personal view of all the new bells and whistles.

During the event I chatted with Mike Cornman, New Holland Hay and Forage Segment Marketing Manager, about the importance of this event and how their innovative technology for 2014 will be desired by farmers across North America.

“As we prepare for season 2014 we have several new products when it comes to hay and forage equipment and felt it necessary to spot light that equipment, but not only tell the media about the equipment but have an opportunity for them to use the machines in the field and see them as they are cutting and baling hay.”

Listen to my interview with Mike from here: Interview with Mike Cornman

View photos from the event here: 2013 New Holland Ag Media Event Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Dairy, Forage, Hay, Media, New Holland

Pioneer See the T Photo Contest

Chuck Zimmerman

Pioneer See the TGot some T’s? Take a picture and submit in the Dupont Pioneer See the T Photo Contest.

The “See the T” photo contest has just launched as a fun tie-in with the arrival of the new Pioneer® brand T Series soybeans.

Just “Find a T, Snap a T and SubmiT” photos of T’s, on or around your farm, then upload them to the “See the T” website.

The 8-week contest runs from J​uly 29–S​eptember 20, 2013. All submitted photos will be sorted and judged, with bi-weekly prizes of Certified Angus Beef® brand T-Bone steaks going to the winners.

Bi-weekly winners will then be eligible for a chance to win the grand prize: a deluxe Weber gas grill.

So go exploring. See and snap as many T photos as possible. Tantalizing T-Bones and a killer Weber gas grill could be in your future.

Agribusiness, Pioneer, Soybean

On the Top of the World

Melissa Sandfort

20130725_101605You’ve all seen the famous “Titanic” scene where the star-crossed lovers are on the bow of the boat, arms outstretched, and Jack’s character yells, “I’m the king of the world!” The movie writers must have been inspired by a farm kid. That’s my theory anyway.

Why do I say that?

Because they probably caught an 8-year-old farm girl on top of a grain bin like this, arms outstretched, hair blowing in the wind, feeling like she was on top of the world. It’s not THAT high off the ground, but when you’re only 4 ½ feet tall, it seems like half-way to the sky.

I was that girl. I used to spend hours up there, and as I drove by these bins on my way home the other day, I thought, “Just another ag structure that dots the countryside that city folk don’t get the opportunity to enjoy”.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Engage Energize Empower at NAMA Fall Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

2013 NAMA Fall ConferenceThis fall you can Engage, Energize and Empower at the National Agri-Marketing Association Fall Conference. The conference provides outstanding professional development opportunities to help you take your career to the next level. Registration is now open.

Agri-marketers are always looking for opportunities to learn more … to challenge themselves and get better at what they do. The NAMA Fall Conference does all that and more. Take advantage of this chance to reconnect with colleagues and clients and sharpen up your skill set before the end of the year.

You’ll find presentations on mobile digital strategy and dealing with data storage in the Cloud. The ag topics are also anything but run of the mill. We’ll be talking policy and climate change.

So get ready to engage with high level content and high level leadership … energize your career and amp up your professional development … and empower yourself to take it to the next level.

Sponsorships are now available for the Fall Conference. If you are interested in sponsoring a session, please contact Jenny Pickett at jennyp@nama.org or call 913-491-6500.

Ag Groups, NAMA

MAIZALL Announces Board and Website

Cindy Zimmerman

An organization uniting corn growers of North and South America has elected officers and unveiled a new website.

maizallThe International Maize Alliance (MAIZALL) was formed in May between the corn industries of the United States, Brazil and Argentina with the goal of addressing key issues concerning food security, biotechnology, stewardship, trade and producer image. MAIZALL is composed of MAIZAR, representing Argentina producers and the maize supply chain; ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers); the National Corn Growers Association, and the U.S. Grains Council.

Newly elected officers of MAIZALL are Julius Schaaf (United States), President; Sérgio Luis Bortolozzo (Brazil), 1st Vice President; Alberto Morelli (Argentina), 2nd Vice President. The MAIZALL board of directors is composed of three directors each from Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

MAIZALL also announced its public website at www.maizall.org. The website will provide background information on MAIZALL, including the memorandum of understanding between the organizations; its Board of Directors and the major objectives.

Ag Groups, Corn, Grains, International, NCGA, USGC

Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Rep. Dave Loebsack

Cindy Zimmerman

New on Agri-Pulse this week:

open-micCongressman Dave Loebsack, who recently hosted Rep. Collin Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, in his southeastern Iowa district, explains why he and other Democrats could not support the split farm bill that passed the House a few weeks ago with only GOP votes. Loebsack is quite concerned about failure to get a farm bill through Congress this year and cites his concerns for agriculture if the current one-year farm bill extension expires.

Listen to the Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview with Rep. Dave Loebsack here.

Agri-Pulse

Most Have Some Ag Apps

Talia Goes

zp-nhOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many ag-related apps do you have?”

Our poll results:

· 1-5 44%
· None 31%
· 5-10 16%
· More 6%
· 10-15 3%

That means that almost 70% of you have at least one ag-related app. And the number of ag-related apps for smart phones and tablets continues to grow – from news and information, to markets and products, you name it. Find out more about what’s out there in this recent ZimmCast.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you think cellulosic ethanol can be commercialized?” For those of you who may not know, cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses, or the inedible parts of plants. It is a major part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) with the goal of using more non-food sources to make biofuels. Some recent announcements include a plant in Vero Beach, Florida and a new bolt-on process to allow existing corn ethanol plants to produce ethanol from the cellulosic parts of corn. But some call it a “phantom fuel” that will never come to fruition – what do you think?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

ZimmPoll