Summer School for Appraisers & Farm Managers

John Davis

Growing up, no one liked to talk about the possibility of going to summer school. But the folks who attended the recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show welcome the opportunity to take part in their organization’s Summer Education Week.

“It’s an intensified week, [and it’s open] to any member,” from newbies to experienced professionals, according to Paul Joerger, ASFMRA President. He added that the wide range of experience levels means ASFMRA needs to come up with topics that apply to everyone and their businesses. “One that comes to mind real quick is a negotiating class, [because] everybody’s negotiating something at sometime.”

And, echoing a common theme at the conference, Joerger said the networking members are able to do at this education week are invaluable. “That’s where you can find out about other ideas, you can bounce ideas, and that is as much as benefit as listening to experienced people speak in the classroom.”

He said the class is usually held in mid-July with signups held in mid-May.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Joerger, ASFMRA President

2012 Agronomics Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Agribusiness, Audio

Corn Farmers Have Anthem Option

Cindy Zimmerman

After years of planning, research and development, FMC has finally received EPA registration on the new herbicide, Anthem for broad spectrum weed control.

“What we’re really excited about is that it brings excellent control to the table of resistant weeds, whether it be trazine or glyphosate resistant,” said Roger Webster with FMC Corporation. “We’re seeing longer lasting control with this product, particularly on those small seeded broadleafs.” That includes waterhemp, lambsquarter, pig weed, palmer ameranth, and velvet leaf.

Roger says they plan to introduce Anthem for corn growers in next year and for soybean growers in 2014. “It brings a new mode of action to the marketplace that the grower is interested in,” said Roger.

Listen to an interview with Roger about Anthem here: Interview with Roger Webster

Audio, Corn, FMC, weed management

Advocating for ASFMRA

John Davis

One of the things talked about at the recent 83rd Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and AgroNomics Conference & Trade Show was how those with the Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) or Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) designations can come in handy, even down the road. Take Mark Williams, ARA from Michigan for example. He spent several years as a member but really inactive in ASFMRA. But he stayed active enough to take classes and get his accreditation.

“Several years ago, I started getting [more active] in the organization, and I then began to realize the value of networking with other appraisers,” he told Chuck during an interview. And now, Williams said he wouldn’t miss an ASFMRA conference, and he pushed others to follow his path of getting that accreditation and becoming more active. “Get on board. Get your education. Get your accreditation.”

Williams said the networking has really opened up some opportunities, and he encouraged others, especially young people with a passion for agriculture, to let it help their careers, too. “Come on aboard, and grab a-hold of somebody, and let them pull you up the ladder they way people pulled me up the ladder.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Mark here: Interview with Mark Williams, ARA

2012 Agronomics Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the ASFMRA Agronomics Conference is sponsored by Halderman Farm Management.

Agribusiness, Audio

Penton Media Buys Farm Progress

Melissa Sandfort

Penton Media acquired Farm Progress from Fairfax Media Limited of Sydney, Australia, significantly expanding its agriculture sector footprint to become the largest and most diversified agriculture information business in North America, offering live events, digital products, data, marketing services and publications. This acquisition directly supports a key Penton strategy of increasing investment in existing sectors that offer strong long-term growth potential, and it more than doubles Penton’s position in agriculture, which becomes the company’s largest sector group. The purchase price was $79.9 million before certain adjustments.

The acquisition boosts Penton’s US agriculture market coverage, connecting it to nearly 75% of the 2.2 million farms and ranches in the US and an estimated 85% of the nation’s annual agricultural gross domestic product.

The business case for combining Penton Agriculture and Farm Progress is compelling: the two companies have deep market and content expertise, but the agriculture sub-industries and geographies they serve have minimal overlap. Together, they represent a uniquely powerful strategic reach advantage for any agriculture marketer looking to maximize their business results.

Farm Progress will become part of the Penton Agricultural Group reporting to Penton Senior Vice President, Dan Bagan. Jeff Lapin, president of Farm Progress, will leave the company at the end of the year.

Farm Progress will remain headquartered in St. Charles, IL.

Agribusiness, Media

Join the Masters & Mavericks at AG CONNECT 2013

Cindy Zimmerman

If there is any farmer who can be called both a Master and a Maverick, it’s Kip Tom. As a Master, Kip values the tried-and-true methods that have brought high-yield harvests, but as a Maverick, he seeks opportunities for calculated entrepreneurial risk-taking that could provide even greater results. It’s an approach that keeps him on the cutting edge of innovation as he farms 16,000 combined acres in Indiana and Argentina.

Kip is one of the AG CONNECT Masters & Mavericks – the kind of farmer who will benefit from attending the third AG CONNECT Expo and Summit, coming up January 29-31 in Kansas City. “Farmers evolve in the way they source information, they make decisions based upon that information,” Kip said in an interview last week at NAFB Trade Talk. “When I go to a show, I want to be able to look at the product that company is making or that service they’re providing and I want to connect with the engineer that designed it, I want to connect with someone in the marketing/supply chain, so we can make decisions.”

Kip says what makes AG CONNECT different is that there are more real farmers looking for real ideas to use on their operations at home. “It gives you a great opportunity to peer network with these people, along with the 50 some educational programs going on at AG CONNECT,” said Kip, noting the programs cover a wide range of topics with something for everyone.

Started as a complement to the Agritechnica show held every two years in Germany, AG CONNECT attracts a large number of producers from other countries. “You come to this event and you’re going to be rubbing shoulders with producers from Argentina, Brazil, across Europe, part of Asia and Australia,” Kip said. “What that does is drive participating companies like John Deere, Agco, CNH, to really bring out the best of the best of their talent.”

If you are a Master and/or a Maverick in your agriculture-related field, AG CONNECT invites you to not only attend the Expo, but also to share your ideas and experiences with others in an on-line conversation. To join Masters & Mavericks, just visit the show website at www.agconnect.com and follow the link to answer a few questions and upload a photo. Even better, a brief personal video talking about issues facing today’s agriculture is highly encouraged. Everyone who joins Masters & Mavericks will receive their own web page, an AG CONNECT gift and complimentary registration for AG CONNECT 2013.

Listen to my interview with Master/Maverick Kip Tom here: Kip Tom on AG CONNECT

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, NAFB

A Voice For Custom Harvesters

Jamie Johansen

U.S. Custom Harvesters, like many other agricultural organizations, represented themselves well at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk. Tracy Zeorian, President, and Kent Braathen, Vice President of U.S. Custom Harvesters, shared the history of the organization and how they are providing a voice for custom harvesters across the country.

“Our organization is comprised of all custom harvesters: combines, silage choppers and cotton pickers. We were formed in 1983. Prior to that we really had no voice for our industry. Our industry began basically during WWII’s Harvest Bargade. It was time for somebody to start something and have a voice for custom harvesters.”

“We’ve got an issue we really want to try and get changed with our fuel tanks. We have worked on this for almost 22 years and that is our #1 issue we would like to push forward and try and get changed. We are only able to haul up to 119 gallons of diesel fuel with our class A CDL. We are trying to get it up to 1,000 gallons.”

The mission for this growing organization is to advance the cause of the members of the corporation by representing and promoting the harvesting industry; to positively influence government and regulatory agencies; to enhance the relationship between custom harvesters, their clients, and service providers to the industry and the general public; to manage the changing lanscape within the industry while enhancing the profitability of custom harvesters and their customers.

U.S. Custom Harvesters cover northern Texas in early May, then head to south central Kansas, eastern Colorado, central South Dakota and northern North Dakota. Then it is time to head south again for the fall crop harvest.

Listen to my interview with Tracy & Kent here: Interview with US Custom Harvesters

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, BASF, Equipment, Farm Machinery, Harvest, NAFB

Ag Group Leaders Trade Talk on Policy

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCast 373Having the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting start the day after a presidential election gives leaders of agricultural organizations plenty to talk about at Trade Talk.

In this edition of the ZimmCast, we hear from farmer leaders, lobbyists and staff members with eight different agricultural and renewable energy organizations commenting on the election, farm bill, fiscal cliff and other related issues.

Chuck, Jamie and I did about 65 interviews total at Trade Talk this year and we would have liked to have done more but there’s just not enough time! In this podcast, we have comments from Bob Stallman with American Farm Bureau, Luther Markwart with the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, Tom Buis of Growth Energy, Missouri cattle producer Don Pemberton on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association board, National Corn Growers VP for Public Policy Jon Doggett, Bob Dinneen with the Renewable Fuels Association, US Grains Council CEO Tom Sleight, and US Wheat Associates farmer leader Dan Hughes.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Policy Comments from NAFB Trade Talk

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

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.

AFBF, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Farm Bill, NAFB, NCBA, NCGA, RFA, ZimmCast

New ‘Extreme Beans’ App

Melissa Sandfort

Ever wonder whether it’s worth it to apply a fungicide? How about the most cost-effective seeding rate? The national soy checkoff has put that information in the palm of your hand.

A new app developed by the United Soybean Board includes two calculators that help farmers plan for their next crop. One helps users determine whether the yield benefits of various input combinations justify the costs. The other uses the main maturity rates for a farmer’s region, the cost of soybean seed and an estimated price of the soybeans at the time of sale to determine an optimal seeding rate based on a percentage of return.

The app also includes documents and videos that describe the research behind each tool.

The Extreme Beans app is available for Apple iPhone and Android-enabled smartphones and other devices. Farmers can easily find it in their device’s app store by simply searching by the title.

Agribusiness, Apps, Soybean, USB

New NCGA President Meets Press at NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

Pam Johnson of Floyd, Iowa has been president of the National Corn Growers Association for just over a month now and Thursday she had her first real opportunity in that position to “meet the press” at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB).

Pam is the first woman president of NCGA but she takes exception to the idea that she is a “token” in a man’s world. “I’m a sixth generation farmer and I come from a long line of strong men AND women,” she said. “Just like anybody else, male or female, I had to work very hard, learn a lot, work together and compromise and come up through the chain.”

Pam says there is lots more opportunity for farm women to get involved in leadership positions than ever before. “I’ve got a lot of respect for women in agriculture, young and old,” said Pam, noting the great enthusiasm she witnessed at the Executive Women in Agriculture conference last year in Chicago.

Pam’s goals as president for NCGA are very simple. “To bring all that I am and all that I’ve learned to this position and be the best president that I can be for NCGA. That means that I will continue to advocate for the policies that we worked very hard to develop and advocate for our priorities as we move forward into this new year,” Pam said.

I also talked with Pam about her crop this year, how farming has changed in six generations on her farm, and the 2013 Commodity Classic.

Listen to my interview with Pam – one of dozens done Thursday with farm broadcasters! Interview with Pam Johnson

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Audio, BASF, Corn, NCGA

Cowgirl Up! Let’s Go Ranching

Jamie Johansen

With Christmas just around the corner, this just might be the perfect stocking stuffer for the little one in your life. The twins have brought you another educational story of life on the ranch.

Sheridan and Rianna Chaney are proud to bring you the fourth book in the “The Chaney Twins’ Ag Series.” This book, “Cowgirl Up! Let’s Go Ranching” follows the girls’ experiences with ranch life in America’s Heartland. The girls’ adventures keep young readers engaged and smiling. What began as a project in school lead the Chaney twins on one the greatest, fun-filled educational journeys of their lives that they are now happy to share. The eight-year-old girls sat down with this fourth book in “The Chaney Twins’ Ag Series” and helped their Mom write the text.

All four books are full of captivating full-color photos by professional photographer and the books co-creator Kelly Hahn Johnson. The text is geared towards preschool and elementary-aged children and has been widely used by Farm Bureau groups and Ag in the Classroom programs. This series serves as a great educational tool for all, whether your children have been born or raised on the farm or are still learning where their food comes from.

The books and lesson plans have been added to the USDA National Resource Directory for Agriculture in the Classroom. Lessons plans are available in free downloadable form at www.pabeef.org. Books are $12 each, or $40 for the four-book “Bundle” special, plus shipping. Special discounts are available for larger orders for ag groups.

For more information or to place an order, call Rebecca at 301-271-2732, email her at chaneyswalkabout@aol.com, Or place an order directly from the web site at www.Rebeccalongchaney.com.

Education, Farming