Meet NCBA President-Elect Scott George

Jamie Johansen

cic-13-scott george-photoDuring the second general session at the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention, NCBA President-Elect, Scott George, made a huge product announcement for Apple. Keeping up with the pirate themed event, Scott introduced the iPatch and the trend is quickly catching on.

The passing of the gavel takes place tomorrow as current NCBA President J.D. Alexander hands over the reins to Scott George, a Wyoming beef cow/calf producer and dairy farmer. I met up with Scott this morning as he shared what he hopes to accomplish in the upcoming year.

“There are a variety of things that are very important for our membership. One of the biggest is the Farm Bill. We really need to get it passed through Congress so the farmers have some certainty and they can make their planting, planning, harvesting and marketing decions. And there is just a lot of uncertainty when we don’t have that.”

Check out my complete interview with the Scott: Interview with Scott George

You can find photos from the event here:Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Farm Bill, NCBA

Centuries of Cattle Ranching Captured

Jamie Johansen

cic-13-208-editedThe Florida Cattlemen’s Association has welcomed cattlemen and women from across the country this week at the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show with warm sunshine and a great sense of hospitality.

Florida is celebrating 500 years of agriculture and beef production has a rich history here in the Sunshine State. The Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation has created a book called “Florida Cattle Ranching – Five Centuries of Tradition” to bring tribute to the hard working men and women of Florida’s beef industry.

The 128-page book contains the entire content of the multi-media museum exhibit in book form. It is stock full of over 200 photos sharing Florida’s cattle ranching heritage from the 16th century to the present.

I spoke with Wade Grigsby, Past President of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, and he was excited to share his rich history in the beef industry and dedication to Florida agriculture.

Check out my complete interview with the Wade: Interview with Wade Grigsby

You can find photos from the event here:Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Livestock, NCBA

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Farm Progress Show and Expoagro have joined together to present ag marketers and producers a greater international agriculture market, product access and business opportunities.
  • The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service hosts its 24th annual Organic Farming Conference, Feb. 21-23, 2013, in La Crosse, Wis.
  • A groundbreaking new partnership between the USA Rice Federation and Ducks Unlimited was forged recently to serve as a model of cooperation and communication between a farm group and a conservation organization.
  • A team of researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno have strayed from the lab to the boardroom in an effort to build a business based on discoveries from years of research studying insect enzymes.
Zimfo Bytes

Florida Cattlemen State Fair Museum Exhibit

Chuck Zimmerman

Florida State FairI ran into a few cowboys heading over to a breakfast at the Florida State Fair yesterday. They said that the Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation would unveil a new museum at the Florida State Fair.

“Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition” tells the story of one of Florida’s oldest and most important agriculture sectors. The multi-media exhibit traces cattle ranching from its early beginnings in the 1500s through present day.

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater were on hand for the event and also continued an Old Fair Tradition with Florida 4-H and FFA Members at the Florida State Fair. They participated in a giant slide race. Photo courtesy of the Florida Ag Dept. Other notes from the event that the Florida Department of Agriculture shared with me include:

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam was joined by Governor Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater to flip the switch this morning, turning on the lights of the fair’s midway and signaling the opening of the 2013 Florida State Fair.

Governor Scott and members of the Florida Cabinet hosted the twice monthly Cabinet Meeting at the Florida State Fair. There, Commissioner Putnam recognized Reid Risner, the winner of Florida’s 500th Anniversary Youth Fine Arts Competition. More than 200 Florida students submitted entries of fine artwork representing the history of Florida agriculture. The competition’s finalists will be on display for the duration of the fair, along with the winners of Florida’s 500th Anniversary Youth Coloring Competition.

Also on Opening Day of the Florida State Fair, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services debuted it’s “Florida Agriculture: Then and Now” traveling exhibit. A part of the statewide Viva Florida 500 celebration, this exhibit is a fun and educational experience that demonstrates the exponential growth and impact of the agriculture industry during Florida’s 500 year history.

Ag Groups, Cattle Industry Conference

Pre-Planting Precision Ag Expectations

Melissa Sandfort

Insights Weekly

Precision agriculture is growing in popularity each year. And for one Ag Leader customer, Don Batie, keeping up with the latest and challenging himself to increase productivity and efficiency by using precision farming tools has been on his “to do” list for the past five years. Don’s farm is located northeast of Lexington, Neb., and consists of irrigated corn, soybean and alfalfa.

Many new technologies can be used that are especially helpful during the planting season. For the 2013 planting season, Don is using Ag Leader’s SeedCommand, GeoSteer and DirectCommand.

In a new series, we are catching up with Don pre- and post-planting, and then again this fall pre- and post-harvest. He is sharing his story of his expectations from his precision ag equipment, as well as the results he sees at the end of the growing season.

The reason for Don’s change to precision farming was for operator comfort, to improve yields and decrease input costs. “Driving a tractor for 10-12 hours a day would leave me exhausted,” Don says. SMS software from Ag Leader is also used to develop seeding and fertilizer rates as well as for data collection. Listen here as Don explains more about why he chose to adopt precision technology on his farm.

Listen to Batie explain

During the off-season, drainage tile is also installed via GPS. Don says that “it is simple to do now with technology. Two people can install 8,000-10,000 feet of tile per day with Intellislope.” Ag Leader systems allow for multitasking while in the field. “It enables us to do more than just concentrate on one thing.”

New technologies are emerging every day. “People are amazed at how farmers have progressed and changed to maximize their return.” And while some folks may believe that farming should go back to what it used to be (meaning horse-drawn plows! can you imagine?) and only organic food should be grown, Don explains his take on “old farming” versus modern farming practices and what that means to you the consumer.

Listen to Batie explain

Every farmer is different and every farm has its priorities. Technology may or may not be one of them but for Don Batie it is. He plans to get out in the field, weather permitting, around mid-April to plant. Check back with our PrecisionPays column in May when we touch base with him to see how things went!

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

Soybean Variety Getting New Name

John Davis

agconnect-13-ms-techA new variety of soybeans will soon get a new name after making a debut at the recent AG CONNECT Expo. MS Technologies Brand Manager Lauren August says their FG72 soybeans, a collaboration with Bayer, will have their new name revealed at the upcoming Commodity Classic later this month. In the meantime, she can tell us about how the beans will address a problem that growers, especially in the South, face: herbicide-resistant weeds.

“FG72 is going to be one of the first systems to actually provide a double-stack herbicide tolerance,” allowing growers to use tried-and-true glyphosate and now isoxaflutole, the active ingredient in Balance Bean herbicide previously used on corn. “[Balance Bean offers] a unique reactivation capability. Once growers have sprayed it, they’ll receive coverage in their fields all the way up through canopy closure with a little bit of rain,” without having to worry tank mix issues and about it affecting their neighbors’ fields.

Ten years in the making with Bayer, Lauren said this has been an evaluation of more than 40,000 unique elite trait lines, and they expect to release 56 commercial lines in 2015 and another 200 shortly after. More information is available at the company website, www.mstechseed.com.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Lauren here: Interview with Lauren August

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio

AG CONNECT Attendance, Optimism High

John Davis

agconnect-13-femaThe number of attendees to this year’s AG CONNECT Expo is up and their optimism is high … that’s the evaluation of the new president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, Andrew Cummings.

“This is the third year [FEMA has had a booth at AG CONNECT], and the attendance is substantially higher, and the optimism is excellent,” Andrew told Chuck during an interview at the show.

He also said that his group is a bit different than some of the big manufacturers at AG CONNECT in that their pavilion is made up of smaller companies. “It’s the smaller members that do bring innovation and technology to the farming community, and it’s an opportunity we get to showcase it in one big area.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Andrew here: Interview with Andrew Cummings

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio

John Deere’s Field Connect Watches Soil Moistures

John Davis

agconnect-13-jd-shaferWe’ve already heard about a couple of the more leading-edge technologies our friends at John Deere displayed at this year’s AG CONNECT, including their JDLink and Machine Sync technologies. Another product that caught attendees’ attentions was Field Connect, John Deere’s soil moisture monitoring tool.

“It’s pulling soil moisture information from your field, very specific to that location, and providing that to you to make decisions about how you want to manage that field moisture,” explained Nick Shafer, John Deere’s product manager for the company’s ISG group, focusing on Field Connect. The technology consists of three components with a sensing probe that gathers the information every 30 minutes, a gateway that collects and evaluates the information every two hours and a website where producers can collect the evaluated information. And since it operates on either a cell or satellite modem, there’s no worry about not getting a signal no matter where you are.

Nick said there’s also no worries about the security of the information, a hot topic at AG CONNECT. “We want to be transparent. The control of that data will be with the customer.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Nick here: Interview with Nick Shafer

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Sponsored by JohnDeere

Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere

Beef Ambassadors At CIC

Jamie Johansen

cic-13-76-editedYou would be blind if you missed the National Beef Ambassadors walking around here at the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show here in Tampa. They are always sharply dressed in red and wearing a smile on their faces.

These busy young people have been on the road educating consumers about beef and beef production, as well as in their own states and local communities. During this week’s event they have freshened up their cow facts by attending the Cattlemen’s College, chatted with different producers from across the country and help spread the importance of beef by telling their story.

Next on their list of trips is the Boston Marathon where they will connect with runners and share their passion for beef, as well as exercise and being healthy.

Meet the team:
Jacquelyn Brown (Oregon)
Emma Jumper (Arkansas)
Chandler Mulvaney (Alabama)
Erin Morrison (Minnesota)
Katie Stroud (California)

Stay connected to this year’s Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show on Facebook and follow the happenings on Twitter using the hashtags #CIC13 & #NCBA13.

Check out my complete interview with the Beef Ambassadors: Interview with Beef Ambassadors

You can find photos from the event here:Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Opening Session Remarks From NCBA President

Jamie Johansen

cic-13-121-editedNCBA President J.D. Alexander took the stage last night during the opening session of the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and used the Beach Boys concert as an excuse to pull out the floral print.

This Nebraskan cattlemen has traveled across the country in the past year and shared how honored he is to have the opportunity to represent cattlemen and women throughout the United States at the national level.

He also shared with me in an interview how important this organization is to the beef industry and what attendees can look forward to throughout this year’s event.

Stay connected to this year’s Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show on Facebook and follow the happenings on Twitter using the hashtags #CIC13 & #NCBA13.

Check out my complete interview with J.D.: Interview with JD Alexander - NCBA President

Check out J.D.’s opening remarks: Opening Session Remarks By J.D. Alexander

You can find photos from the event here:Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, Events, NCBA