Finding Solutions From the Land

Chuck Zimmerman

Ernie SheaPrior to the start of the 2013 Conservation in Action Tour attendees learned more about Solutions From The Land from Project Coordinator Ernie Shea. This was part of the pre-tour seminar. Here’s what SFL is all about: “A national dialogue led by agriculture, forestry and conservation thought leaders to help landowners and managers make the most of the land’s potential.”

After Ernie’s presentation I visited with him to find out what’s going on with SFL. Ernie says he’s supporting a group of agricultural, forestry and conservation leaders that have a new vision for how land can be managed in a way that really revalues the multiple services and solutions that farmers, ranchers and foresters deliver.” He says that these solutions are often undervalued, “So what we’re trying to do is create a framework so that farmers and ranchers can be actually compensated for this wider range of services and solutions that they deliver from the land.” SFL is an outgrowth of the 25x’25 Alliance energy program.

Listen to my interview with Ernie to learn more about SFL here: Interview with Ernie Shea

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Energy

InfoAg Conference App

Chuck Zimmerman

InfoAg Conference AppIn the lead up to the 2013 InfoAg Conference you might want to get the app so you’re ready. You can get the app for iOS right here or for Android right here. If you’re attending InfoAg I’d like you to have it before attending my session on Wednesday afternoon!

The conference will be held July 16-18 in Springfield, Illinois at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This is all about precision agriculture for farmers, consultants and anyone in the crop production industry. We’re expecting the largest exhibit hall ever with 101 booths and 68 vendors. There will be 77 other presenters besides me so there’s a lot to learn at the event.

With the app you can build a personal conference program, view the full program and see other program options.

Apps, Precision Agriculture

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Mosaic’s CropNutrition.com initiative is an integrated campaign designed to inform growers and retailers about key issues and trends affecting soil fertility.
  • Syngenta and Lindsay Corporation formally announced a collaborative agreement to provide corn farmers with a more efficient way to grow and manage irrigated corn acres.
  • Eco Agro Resources is proud to announce the appointment of Luciano Lucero as the regional manager of South America.
  • The MEAT INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME has announced the results of voting by its more than 70 Members and Trustees, in which six new Inductees were named to the Class of 2013.
Zimfo Bytes

Making Sense of Precision Ag’s Alphabet Soup

Melissa Sandfort

Insights WeeklyPrecision farming tools are designed to simplify things for growers, and yet the terminology used in precision farming isn’t always so simple. But have no fear. The following definitions will guide you through the mysterious twists and terms found in the world of GPS (Psst … that stands for Global Positioning System).

GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System is a navigation system with global coverage. GNSS is a method of improving the navigation system’s attributes, such as accuracy, reliability and availability through the integration of external information into the calculation. GNSS 1 consists of GPS, GLONASS, WAAS, SBAS and EGNOS.

GPS: The Global Positioning System is a U.S.-owned utility that provides position, navigation and timing. There are three segments – space, control and user. The space segment consists of the satellites in space, the control segment consists of the people who manage and maintain the space segment and the user segment are those of us who use GPS. GPS is what allows us to map fields and auto-steer equipment.

GLONASS: Global Navigation Satellite System is the Russian-owned utility equivalent to GPS. This system can be used in the U.S. if your receiver is set up to receive GLONASS signal.

WAAS: Wide Area Augmentation System is a supplement to GPS created with the goal of improving accuracy, integrity and availability of GPS correction in the U.S.

EGNOS: European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service is the European version of WAAS.
SBAS: Satellite Based Augmentation System is a system that supports wide-area or regional supplementation through the use of additional satellites broadcast messages.

Base Station: The base station is a receiver and transmitter that is stationary. It receives GPS information, corrects and then transmits the corrected information to the rover.

Rover: We refer to the moving equipment as the rover. For example a tractor with receiver would be referred to as the rover.

Read More

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

Farm Foundation Leads Talk on Trade

John Davis

farmfoundationlogo3As the United States and the European Union open negotiations on trade, our friends at Farm Foundation will be hosting a forum on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The session, next Wednesday, July 17th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., will focus on food and ag issues, especially tariffs, tariff-rated quotas and non-tariff barriers across multiple sectors.

Moderating the discussions will be J.B. Penn of Deere & Company, a Trustee of Farm Foundation, a member of the Board of IPC and a former USDA under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Presenting perspectives on TTIP will be:

Sue Taylor of Leprino Foods Company, discussing dairy industry priorities.
Matt O’Mara of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, discussing his industry’s vision of trans-Atlantic trade.
William Kerr of the University of Saskatchewan, who will outline the approaches of the United States and European Union to geographical indications (GI), the practice of using a name to imply specific qualities related to the product’s geographic origin.
Craig Thorn of DTB Associates, LLP, will discuss U.S. industry views of GI.
David Biltchik, consultant to the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, will discuss the European objectives for GI.

After short presentations by each of the speakers, the floor will be opened for discussion.

The session is free, and if you can’t attend in person, you can view the webinar here. Registration information is also available through that website.

Farm Foundation, International, Trade

CTIC Tour Fosters EPA Watershed Understanding

Chuck Zimmerman

Denise Keehner & Jason WellerTalk about some inter-agency friendliness. Here’s EPA’s Denise Keehner, Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds and Acting Chief Jason Weller, USDA-NRCS. They were attending the CTIC Conservation in Action Tour and met after luncheon remarks by Denise.

I spoke with Denise after her remarks and on the subject of inter-agency cooperation she says it is the best she’s ever seen it. She says it feels real good to get outside the beltway and she’s “so impressed with what’s going on in these communities with these farmers, the producers who are implementing conservation practices that are really problem solving and taking some risks in the process.” She says she has learned so much on the tour and that statement validates one of the reasons CTIC holds these tours and invites such a wide variety of attendees that includes governmental regulators.

I asked her about concerns farmers have about regulations coming out of Washington, DC from agencies like EPA. She says, “I think EPA really does recognize, particularly with the nutrient related issue, the non-point source issue, that the best problem solving is going to occur locally and in collaboration and cooperation with state agencies.”

You can listen to my interview with Denise here: Interview with Denise Keehner

You can also listen to Denise’s remarks here: Remarks from Denise Keehner

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Environment

Groups Discouraged With Passage of Partisan Farm Bill

Joanna Schroeder

Agricultural groups are discouraged with the passage today of the U.S. House of Representatives’  H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM). The bill slid through with a tight margin of 216 to 208 after more than six hours of debate today and did not include food stamp authorization or nutrition programs, which the House says it will address as separate issues.

Rep ScottHowever, during the debates, several legislators noted that the point of the farm bill is to feed Americans and this bill in fact does not achieve this goal. “What we have here is not a farm bill,” said Rep. David Scott, (D-GA). “You tell me how in the world we can have a farm bill and separate food and nutrition out from it. The American people don’t get that. When you think of farms and you think of agriculture, you mean to tell me it ain’t about food?”

Bob Stallman, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation reacted with the statement that the organization looks forward to moving ahead with fundamental farm policy legislation. “While we don’t yet know what the next steps will be, we will be working with both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress to ensure passage of a new five-year farm bill.”

Stallman added, “While we were hopeful the farm bill would not be split, nor permanent law repealed, we will now focus our efforts on working with lawmakers to deliver a farm bill to the president’s desk for his signature by September.”

Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) stood in opposition to the bill – one that he began debates on in 2010. He noted that one reason was the move to split the nutrition and food stamps program from the bill. “It jeopardizes changes of the bill ever becoming law, and I think repealing permanent law all but ensures we’ll never write a farm bill again in this House.”

Collin is not alone in his opposition and pointed out that last week, 532 diverse organizations came out in opposition to the split. Read More

Farm Bill, NCGA

Welcome to CTIC Community 4 Conservation

Chuck Zimmerman

Dave GustafsonCommunity 4 Conservation is the theme of this year’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour that just completed. To provide an overview of what the 2013 Conservation in Action Tour would cover I spoke with CTIC Board Chair, Dave Gustafson, Monsanto. Here’s Dave getting things started at our first stop of the day.

Dave says about this year’s tour, “It’s going to be a chance for us to highlight the work of CTIC in the Indian Creek Watershed here in Livingston County, Illinois where we have a number of farmers who have demonstrated great new management practices intended to conserve soil and preserve water quality” The Indian Creek Watershed project started in 2010 and CTIC hopes it will be renewed for another three years to continue the work that has been started. Dave says it is all about people coming together as a community to help improve water quality and to make sure the best possible practices are being employed across the watershed.

You can listen to my interview with Dave here: Interview with Dave Gustafson

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, Conservation, CTIC

John Deere Introduces FlexFuel Mower

Cindy Zimmerman

John Deere has introduced a brand new riding mower that can run on up to 85% percent ethanol blended fuel.

jd-flexfuel-mowerThe mower is a new Flex Fuel model of John Deere’s popular line of ZTrak mowers. The new, industry exclusive, Z925M Flex Fuel gives landscape contractors and customers with large acreage to mow a new alternative fuel option for their fleets.

“As we see E85 blends take off there is going to be a need in the market for this type of machine,” said Steve Wilhelmi, John Deere tactical marketing manager. “In addition, it just helps our alternative fuels platform” which includes electronic fuel-injected engines and biodiesel kits for diesel machines. Just another way to support the farmers who grow the crops that produce those biofuels.

The new Flex Fuel model is part of the M Series of ZTrak commercial mowers, designed for customers seeking productivity and efficiency. With a 24.6 hp* electronic fuel injected engine, the Z925M Flex Fuel can run on any blend of ethanol-mixed fuel, up to E85, and it has a top speed of 10 mph. Offered in 54- and 60-inch widths, it comes equipped with a 7-Iron™ deck, for maximum durability.

Enhancing operator comfort, the new model offers the option of an isolation seat or a fully-adjustable, suspension seat. For easy cleanup on the jobsite, an optional, integrated material collection system provides a Dump-From-Seat option for enhanced ease of use. Finally, the Z925M Flex Fuel comes with a class-leading 3-year/1200 hour warranty.

Like the rest of the ZTrak lineup, the new Z925M Flex Fuel is an eligible purchase within the GreenFleetTM Loyalty Rewards program. The industry-exclusive loyalty program from John Deere is designed to help customers manage their equipment more easily and cost-effectively.

While the product is designed for commercial use, Steve says it can fit a variety of customer needs. “There are going to be some large property owners that are interested in this machine, and certainly some residential customers that could be interested,” says Steve.

Find out more in this interview with Steve: Interview with Steve Wilhelmi, John Deere

Agribusiness, Audio, Ethanol, John Deere

You Are What You Eat

Melissa Sandfort

shreddedwheatAunt Jeanette writes this week …

You’ve heard that expression, haven’t you? Well, if it holds true, our three sons grew up to be hay bales, augers and tractor tires!

Ha! I bet you thought you were eating plain cereal, right? Wrong. Those were actually hay bales you were eating. And instead of the regular spaghetti noodles, we had augers to go with that yummy spaghetti sauce for lunch. The next morning’s breakfast may have consisted partly of tractor tires.

These are only some of the funnier and more creative foods our three young sons ate while they were growing up. You’d never guess they grew up on a farm, would you? Between the three of them, believe me, we never lacked for entertainment, humor or excitement! They are all grown up now with homes or families of their own. And, oh, how I miss those mealtimes that brought out their creativity. Now I can only imagine what our grandchildren are eating!

The next time you eat Shredded Wheat, rotini, French Twirl donuts, or any other food, let your ‘inner farmer’ out. You will see (and eat) things you never imagined!

I think I will make an auger salad for lunch – and be reminded of those happy mealtimes…

Until we walk again …

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