Two Ag Senators Retiring

Cindy Zimmerman

Two strong advocates for agriculture on both sides of the aisle in Congress are retiring after this term, leaving a void in the Senate that could make it even more challenging for farmers and ranchers to have their voices heard on the Hill in the future.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced Saturday that he would not to seek reelection in 2014. “I’m 73 years old right now,” Harkin said in a statement. “When the current Congress is over, I will have served in the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for a total of 40 years. After 40 years, I just feel it’s somebody else’s turn.”

Saxby ChamblissOn Friday, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) announced he would be retiring after serving a combined 20 years in the House and Senate. His reasoning is different than Harkin’s. “Instead, this is about frustration, both at a lack of leadership from the White House and at the dearth of meaningful action from Congress, especially on issues that are the foundation of our nation’s economic health,” Chambliss said.

Both of these lawmakers have served in leadership positions on the agriculture committees in both the Senate and House and have helped shepherd several farm bills through Congress. Certainly their reasons for not seeking reelection are very good ones. There is definitely something to be said for limiting terms in Congress and no doubt a lack of action in Washington, but agriculture needs its friends on the Hill and they are getting fewer and farther between. We can only hope that they will be followed by others who see the importance of our nation’s food system.

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John Deere High Tech Display at AG CONNECT Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

AG CONNECT Expo 2013John Deere is ready for AG CONNECT Expo. So says Barry Nelson who I spoke with at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention.

Barry says one of the great features of AG CONNECT Expo is that John Deere is bringing a lot of their executives. He says customers will be able to talk directly to them. He says this is true of all the exhibitors at this industry show. Barry says that if you visit the John Deere exhibit, “You’re going to see higher tech displays than you’ve ever seen?” It can’t be a more convenient location for the company since the John Deere marketing center is in Olathe, KS, right next door!

You can listen to my interview with Barry here: Interview with Barry Nelson

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

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  • CHS, Inc. is pleased to introduce the CHS Center for Cooperative Growth, an online platform that gathers and shares diverse viewpoints.
  • Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. held a grand opening of the Kinze Innovation Center with Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.
  • AgReliant Genetics is expanding its corn research efforts in Kansas by adding a breeding program facility and nursery that will accommodate the company’s continued business growth in the western Corn Belt states.
  • AGCO announced that its Board of Directors approved the initiation of quarterly cash dividends to its stockholders.
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Heading to the Iowa Power Farming Show

Cindy Zimmerman

IowaWebBannerFINALI am on my way to Des Moines right now, along with thousands of farmers and ranchers from around the Midwest, to see big iron and futuristic ag gadgets at the 2013 Iowa Power Farming Show.

The show, January 29-31 at the Iowa Events Center, will feature more than 750 ag-related companies from 29 states and 4 Canadian provinces. With nearly 1840 total booths, it’s the third largest indoor farm show in the country, and show organizers anticipate over 20,000 visitors will attend at least one of the three days the show runs. “Farmers throughout the Midwest have identified the Iowa Power Farming Show as the show to attend to see the newest products and innovations from the biggest names in the farm equipment and services industry,” said show Co-Director, Tom Junge.

In total, the expanse of exhibitor displays covers 7.0 acres, three buildings and six floors. Two rooms will be used to host numerous seminars each day. Farmers can attend to learn about topics like transitioning family farms, changing tax implications, outlook on commodity prices and marketing advice, utilizing precision ag to boost efficiency and production.

Thanks to our sponsor Ag Leader Technology for making it possible for us to cover the Iowa show – both on AgWired and PrecisionPays.com. You can also follow the @IowaPowerFarmShow – as well as @PrecisionPays and @AgLeaderTech – on both Facebook and Twitter.

More Power to You!

Ag Leader, Events, Farm Machinery, Farm Shows, Precision Agriculture

BASF Fastac EC Insecticide Gets Registration

Cindy Zimmerman

Growers looking for an effective pyrethroid now have a new option with Fastac™ EC insecticide from BASF Crop Protection, which just received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration and will now be available for use for the 2013 season.

We heard about Fastac during the BASF grower symposium two weeks ago and they said at the time they were expecting registration from EPA any day and sure enough they got it here in time for this year.

basf-13-rick“Fastac is a 4th generation pyrethroid insecticide,” says BASF technical service group manager Rick Chamblee. “Growers in all parts of the country are always fighting bugs it seems, so one of the things Fastac brings to market is good control of aphids, does a good job on thrips.”

Listen to Rick’s comments about Fastac here: Rick Chamblee, BASF
The active ingredient in Fastac EC insecticide, alpha-cypermethrin, targets the nerve impulses of insects, which leads to effective control. Fastac EC insecticide controls a broad-spectrum of piercing-sucking and chewing pests, including aphids, beetles and stink bugs.

Combined with its low-dose rate and broad-crop label, which includes soybeans and cotton, Fastac EC insecticide is a welcome addition to the growing portfolio of crop protection products from BASF.

Fastac EC insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide.

Audio, BASF, Crop Protection

FarmLogs Obtains Seed Funding

Chuck Zimmerman

FarmlogsMore mobile farm applications are coming. This one from FarmLogs.

FarmLogs, the Michigan startup and Y Combinator alum that helps farmers digitally manage their farm to increase profitability, today announced that it has closed a $1 million seed funding round co-led by Huron River Ventures and Hyde Park Venture Partners. Hyde Park Angels, Silicon Badia Ventures, and First-Step Fund participated in the investment along with angel investors. The funding allows FarmLogs to expand its team and to further develop its mobile applications in time for the 2013 planting season.
Launching almost exactly a year ago, the farm management software company has quickly helped modernize farming by bringing critical farm data online. FarmLogs replaces paper record keeping with simple, easy-to-use software that is accessible via smartphone or web browser. With FarmLogs, growers can plan, manage and analyze their farm’s operations in order to increase yield and profitability. The tool allows farmers to quickly forecast and measure profits, track expenses, and more efficiently schedule operations.

“We built a product that my family and other farmers were asking for. Our customers around the world tell us that they could never go back to the old way,” said Jesse Vollmar, CEO and co-founder of FarmLogs. “We are on a mission to create world-changing innovation in agriculture. This funding allows us to accelerate our growth to help even more farmers take advantage of modern technology.”

FarmLogs helps row crop farmers (corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.) save time and gain total visibility into all aspects of the farm in one place. A dashboard gives users a daily snapshot of a farm’s performance, access to maps, calendars, weather conditions, market prices and relevant news. Field activities such as planting, fertilizing, and harvesting can be quickly logged in the web browser, or right from the field using the GPS enabled mobile app. Users can then drill down into their farm’s performance to learn from previous results and use that information to make smarter, more efficient farming decisions.

Agribusiness, Apps, Precision Agriculture, Technology

AgFanatics Talk Crop Insurance

Cindy Zimmerman

agfanatics-2With co-host Nick Klump under the weather last week, Cory Winstead picked GROWMARK plant food risk management analyst Graham Utter to guest host AgFanatics episode #9 on Crop Insurance.

The guys talk Crop Insurance and bring in the expert Bob Dewey of Country Financial to discuss and answer some questions. They discuss things from Revenue Protection to base price and Yield Protection. Also will prices increase or decrease this year??

AgFanatics can be found on Itunes or right from the front page at www.agrivisor.com.

GROWMARK, Insurance

Ready For 2013 AG CONNECT Expo

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 381It is almost time for the 2013 AG CONNECT Expo & Summit. The show runs January 29 to 31 in Kansas City, MO. Yours truly will be there taking photos and conducting interviews to share. ZimmComm New Media is proud to be the official new media sponsor of the show once again.

AG CONNECT Expo 2013This special edition of the ZimmCast previews the Expo and features Rusty Fowler, official Expo spokesperson and President/CEO, Krone NA. Rusty says to expect a show “that’s different from other trade shows that you normally go to.” He says it is different because they started out to make it different. The idea for the show goes back a number of years even before the first Expo when a group of ag executives got together to create a show “made by the industry for the industry.” It is different because the attending customer will be able to talk with top people at the companies who are exhibiting. This is a commitment each exhibitor has made.

You’ll be able to find lots of coverage of the show right here on AgWired as well as Precision Pays.com. And you can also follow along on Twitter by following AG CONNECT Expo at @AgConnect or on Facebook.

Learn more about what you can expect when you attend the 2013 AG CONNECT Expo in this week’s program.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: AG CONNECT Expo Preview

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, ZimmCast

BASF Listens to Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

At last week’s BASF Crop Protection innovation symposium, I had the chance to meet some of the growers who help BASF learn what they need to get the most out of every acre.

basf-grower-3Scott Parr, a potato and vegetable farmer from Wisconsin, says he was invited to served on the BASF Grower Advisory Panel in 2011. “When you first went, you thought you’re going to get sold something and they really turned that around,” Scott said. While he was pleased to be able to provide input toward BASF product development, Scott says it was a great learning experience for him as well.

Listen to my interview with Scott here: Scott Parr, Wisconsin farmer

basf-grower-1Iowa farmer Jay Drees says he’s one of the smallest farmers on the panel. “But we all seem to have the same concerns,” he said, adding that he is encouraged by the new products coming such as more drought resistant corn and treatments to help the ground hold more water, as well as new sites of action for resistant weeds.

Listen to my interview with Jay here: Jay Drees, Iowa farmer

basf-grower-2Mike Cox is a corn and soybean farmer from Indiana really enjoyed the grower symposium in Ft. Lauderdale and interacting with fellow producers from around the country and learning more about tools to help him produce more every year. “We like to do a good job and it takes continuous education and effort to make that happen,” said Mike.

Listen to my interview with Mike here: Mike Cox, Indiana farmer

These growers, like all of the 275 who attended the BASF event, are always looking to do better every year. Watch for profiles of them on PrecisionPays.com.

Audio, BASF, Crop Protection, Farming

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AFBF, ASA, USDA, Wheat, Zimfo Bytes