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

The Mystery Tool

Melissa Sandfort

scraperTo this day, my grandpa reads a lot of ag magazines. He’s been retired for about 25 years but still enjoys staying up-to-date on the latest trends and news. But he also has what I refer to as “institutional knowledge” – meaning years of experience that he can draw upon. I recently mailed off a letter to a woman in Washington state who wrote in to a magazine with a photo of a mystery tool….and of course, my grandpa could identify it! Here’s what he had to say:

“The tool pictured in the February-March issue of Farm and Ranch Living is what we called a slip scraper. It was used to move dirt from one place to another, such as filling mud holes in a barn lot, grading around buildings, etc.

“A team of horses was hitched to the closed end of the yoke, which was attached to the scraper by joints which allowed the scraper to pivot. A wooden handle was attached to each side of the scraper and extended back far enough so that the operator of the scraper could control the cutting action. Varying amounts of upward pull determined the depth of the cut. When the scraper was full, enough upward pull was made to cause the front of the scraper to dig into the ground and the scraper turned upside down, dumping its load. The horses were stopped, the scraper returned to its cutting position and the process was repeated.

“I am 90+ years old and distinctly remember using such an implement.

“I hope that this helps to answer your questions about your mystery tool.”

That’s better than digging through an encyclopedia or searching the web. He knew what it was, how it was used, how it worked, and what it looked like! I hope she found his ag knowledge helpful.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Cattle Industry Convention Heating Up

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland Cattle Industry ConventionHello from the Cattle Industry Convention in Tampa, FL. Jamie beat me here to cover yesterday’s opening general session. I recovered from jet lag after a quick trip to Las Vegas and back to Florida. I left Cindy and Joanna there to finish our coverage of the National Ethanol Conference and National Biodiesel Conference. It’s a busy week.

Jamie and I will be taking photos and doing interviews until the end of this convention this Saturday. Keep checking here on AgWired for more. I’ll also be Beef Board Blogging at the same time.

One thing that really stands out here when you approach the Tampa Convention Center is all the New Holland equipment on display! And there is more inside at the trade show. I’ll be visiting with them to learn more about their cattle industry support initiative and will share with you later.

Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Photo Album

Ag Groups, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

Ram Trucks 2013 Super Bowl Commercial

Talia Goes

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at sixty percent say Yes, thirty-three percent said No, four percent were Indifferent and four percent chose Other. Growing crops to use as biomass for producing fuel seems to be the best alternative to depleting our finite stocks of oil and they have the added benefit of being more friendly to our environment.

Untitled

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What did you think of Ram Trucks Super Bowl ad?” The late conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech was the voice of the Ram Trucks Super Bowl 2013 commercial. Paul Harvey was a large voice for HSUS and an animal rights advocate. This may cause agriculturalists to have mixed feelings about Ram’s commercial. How do you feel about the commercial? Can you look past what he represented and smile about the message that he conveyed? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

New Holland, ZimmPoll

Case IH Has Networking Session at AG CONNECT

John Davis

agconnect-13-caseihInformation is power, but TOO MUCH information is, well, overwhelming. During the recent AG CONNECT Expo, our friends from Case IH sponsored a a morning networking breakfast on how to manage all the information farmers are faced with in precision agriculture.

“One of the things we find is this overabundance of information with data, and how do we control it, package it, bring it back down to a level that is simple to use, easy to store, easy to transfer, and how do we get a collaborative effort [between all parties],” said Trevor Mecham, Case IH AFS Marketing Manager. His company offers a variety of products to help manage that information more effectively on tools already in most people’s hands. “We want to be able to get from point A to point B in an efficient manner where our people are able to utilize it as easily as they use their cell phone today,” and do it seamlessly.

Trevor said the information you put in is only effective if you can get good information out of it, and he admits there can be a lot to manage out there. He believes the key is creating collaborations that produce good information, transfer it effectively while protecting proprietary information and deliver something usable. “This is really defining how we spell logic out of digital chaos. It really is a digi-cation, not an education.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Trevor here: Interview with Trevor Mecham

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH

Gold Award for FieldScout GreenIndex+ App

John Davis

agconnect-13-spectrumOne of the highlights of the recent AG CONNECT Expo are the AE50 Outstanding Innovations Gold Awards, honoring the “best of the best” displayed at the show. One of those awards went to Spectrum Technologies, Inc., for the company’s FieldScout GreenIndex+ App. The app looks at a smartphone picture of corn at the knee-high level and can make a recommendation on how much nitrogen should be applied, based on the color of the corn leaf. Mike Thurow, President/CEO of Spectrum, said they’re leveraging their knowledge of agriculture.

“Whether it’s row crop or biotech or in the areas of weather monitoring or nutrient or pest management or even soil moisture irrigation scheduling … we take that knowledge and develop some simple, affordable solutions to help these people do a better job of growing more consistent, quality crops,” he said.

Mike added the information gathered can be integrated into a number of systems and can be emailed back to your account at the office or home. And since there’s no stick or USB to pull and physically transfer… or get lost between the field and office… it takes out steps that the folks at Spectrum see as unnecessary.

“The day is already full of activities for a crop consultant, a farmer, and so if you can just make it simpler and streamline that process, then there’s a higher likelihood of success in adopting the technology, and more importantly, getting value out of it.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Thurow

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio