Bigger Baling From New Holland

Chuck Zimmerman

Another “what’s new” from New Holland includes a new BigBaler like this 340 model. On site at the Farm Progress Show to talk about it was Scott Wangsgard.

New Holland’s next generation BigBaler sets a new benchmark in baling performance. With up to a 20% increase in capacity and up to 5% denser bales, the BigBalers significantly improve productivity and profitability. The BigBaler 330 produces 3’x3′ bales while the BigBaler 340 produces 3’x4′ bales.

The all-new MaxiSweepTM pickup has been completely redesigned featuring a new full-width feed assist roller with paired overshot-undershot augers at both ends to pull in material to ensure that every last stem of profitable crop is safely baled. The addition of a standard roller windguard helps pre-compress the crop mat before the pickup tine so ensure continuous smooth crop flow from the swath to the baler and prevents crop flow disturbance for uniform bale production.

Pulling this BigBaler is a New Holland T7 Series tractor with CVT transmission.

Listen to my interview with Scott here: Interview with Scott Wangsgard

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, Forage, Hay, New Holland

The Mobile Office Combine From Case IH

Chuck Zimmerman

Case IH equipment provided a few media opportunities at the Farm Progress Show. This combine doing a field demo is just one of them. Nathan Weinkauf, Global Marketing Manager, gave me a run down of what’s new.

Nathan says their new Axial-Flow Combines for 2013 have completely redesigned cabs that are common across all models. He says it’s a true mobile office. It even has its own portable refrigerator. You’ll hear him describe a number of other features that set these combines apart from others. In addition to the new combines Nathan says that in 2013 Steiger Quadtrac will be available in the Steiger Rowtrac machines.

Listen to my interview with Nathan here: Interview with Nathan Weinkauf

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH, Farm Progress Show

Digital Media Changing Ag Communications

Chuck Zimmerman

Digital Media. It’s a wonderful thing don’t you think? I know the ZimmComm team does! How is it affecting how agriculture’s story is being told? That’s a question being dealt with in Paulsen Marketing’s latest thought paper, “Digital Media’s Evolution and Impact on Telling Agriculture’s Story.” To find an answer to this question, Paulsen interviewed prominent ag journalists and I was happy to be included in this distinguished group.

If you’re a PR professional or marketer hoping to place stories, it’s important to understand what journalists and their audiences look for. It also helps to know about the benefits and the challenges of digital media.

The change from mass communications to masses of communicators creates new opportunities for journalists and their audiences. People can easily access a wide variety of information from a wide variety of sources.

Some ag journalists use digital media to form partnerships with their audiences.

“It’s made it easier in how it keeps me connected and grounded to the folks that I serve,” said Jeff Caldwell, multimedia editor, Successful Farming. “It’s a lot easier to become friends almost with some of the guys we seek information from regularly.”

Key take-aways from the study include:

  • All media is social
  • Opportunities to collect information, collaborate and connect are abundant
  • Anticipating what the audience wants – plus where and when – is a competitive necessity

Agencies, Media

GROWMARK Supports Farm Bill Now Efforts

Cindy Zimmerman

As part of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, GROWMARK is in full support of the Farm Bill Now Coalition that will be taking its message to Capitol Hill next week when Congress is back in session.

GROWMARK Government Affairs Director Chuck Spencer says there are two basic reasons Congress should pass a five year farm bill this month. “One, because it expires September 30 and we would go back to the ’49 Act. Two, is that it’s traditionally passed on a five year basis which gives you a good planning horizon,” he said. “We need certainty in the market place.”

Chuck is confident Congress will do something in the short time they have before the current farm policy expires at the end of the month. “I know there’s a lot of talk about eight days of session in September and that it’s going to be difficult. It can be difficult. But we saw the Senate pass in one day a farm bill, the House Agriculture Committee pass in one day a farm bill. When the motivation is present to take action, we have seen our elected leaders do so,” Chuck said.

While there are options of a short or longer term extension of the current farm bill being considered, Chuck notes that Congress will have lots of other issues to deal with during a lame duck session, such as the expiring estate tax provisions that agriculture would like to see extended – or better yet, have the estate tax eliminated altogether.

Listen to or download my interview with Chuck. Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK

Audio, Farm Bill, GROWMARK

Bayer Surveys Farmer Concerns at FPS

Cindy Zimmerman

Drought and weather concerns topped the Bayer CropScience Farm Progress Show survey this year about issues and opportunities facing farmers.

Not really surprising, given this summer’s challenging drought – 73 percent of respondents to Bayer CropScience’s daily survey noted climate and weather problems as the biggest challenge experienced on their farm this year. Weed resistance ranked second in terms of challenges this year, with 18 percent of growers reporting this to be of significant concern on their farms.

The grower survey was part of Bayer CropScience’s new “One World to Grow On” trade show exhibit that was unveiled in Boone, featuring a holistic approach to help growers identify ways to establish a healthy harvest which is vital to farming families and their communities, not only next season but for years to come.

I had the opportunity to chat with Bayer Head of Profiling and Market Support Harry Streck during a media luncheon on FPS, and we talked about the problem of weed resistance world wide and how that fits in Bayer’s “One World to Grow On” theme. The “profiling” part of Harry’s title refers to how Bayer screens compounds for crop selectivity and weed spectrum.

“Resistance is all over the world, wherever intensive row crop agriculture is being practiced,” Harry said. “In Europe, the problem is most acute in the cereals. In Latin America, Brazil and Argentina, they’re locked into the same agricultural dynamics as we are in the United States.” Basically, he says, anywhere you practice one weed strategy over and over again, that’s the common recipe for developing resistance, which is why they are getting the message of respecting the rotation out worldwide.

“We recognize there are similarities throughout the world and there are some platforms that combat problems that have similar angles,” he said. “But it’s a big world and there are lots of differences.”

Listen to my interview with Harry here: Harry Streck with Bayer CropScience

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, weed management

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Foundation, NASDA to Host Presidential Forum

    John Davis

    Our friends at Farm Foundation will team up with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) to hold a Presidential Forum on Agriculture, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, 100 Locust Street, in Des Moines, Iowa. The forum will use Nebraska Senator and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to represent the Romney campaign and former Iowa Lt. Governor and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge to represent the Obama campaign.

    “It is a challenging time in agriculture and it is exciting to see the presidential campaigns engage directly on these important issues with leaders from across the country,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, who is the current NASDA President. “This forum will highlight the impact agriculture has on nearly every aspect of our economy. I encourage voters to tune in and learn more about where each candidate stands on important issues affecting agriculture.”

    “As a non-advocacy organization, Farm Foundation has an important role in providing this opportunity for voters to learn more about the platforms of the respective candidates,” says Neil Conklin, President of Farm Foundation, NFP. “This Forum is an important opportunity to focus on the candidates’ attention to the enormous challenges facing the global food system, agriculture and rural communities.”

    There will be a moderator and questions from the invitation-only audience, but it will be streamed live online on Iowa Public Television (IPTV), www.iptv.org, and viewers can submit questions via Twitter using the hashtag #AgForum. It will re-air at 1 p.m. Sept. 16, and at 8 p.m. Sept. 19 on IPTV WORLD. The forum precedes the 2012 NASDA Annual Meeting taking place in Des Moines Sept. 12 to 17.

    Ag Groups, Farm Foundation, politics

    Battle of the Brands Winner

    Melissa Sandfort

    Simpson College stands alone as champion of Lessing-Flynn Advertising’s Battle of the Brands.

    The contest, now in its third year, pitted 65 Iowa brands head-to-head in a March Madness-style bracket. Over the course of four weeks, fans of the brands determined who moved on by voting on each match-up, including the championship match that saw Simpson College triumph over Anderson Erickson Dairy.

    By winning the 2012 event, Simpson College’s charity of choice, Children and Family Urban Ministries, will receive $5,000 worth of marketing support from Lessing-Flynn.

    Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Simpson College, Jill Johnson, attributed the victory to an extremely loyal alumni base that responded enthusiastically to the school’s efforts to drum up support.

    Simpson College utilized multiple marketing tactics to garner votes, including social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In addition, email announcements were sent out to remind alumni, staff and students to vote.

    Advertising, Agribusiness, Education

    Top Farmers Markets in America Announced

    Jamie Johansen

    Throughout the summer farmers market shoppers from across the United States have been voting for America’s Favorite Farmers Markets. American Farmland Trust sponsors the event and is ready to announce this years winners.

    But the contest isn’t just about being number one. This fun-loving contest showcases the role farmers markets play in local communities and cities alike. Farmers markets are a great educational tool informing consumers of where their food comes from and gives them the opportunity to meet the farmers who grew and raised the dinner they will eat.

    Are you ready to find out if the farmers market you visit made the list? Wait no longer! The top markets in the 2012 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest are…

    View the top 5 by state and the top 20 overall, but here are the winners of each category:
    Small: Arlington Farmers Market
    Mid-sized: Sulphur Springs Texas Farmers Market
    Medium: Winter Garden Farmers Market
    Large: Fayetteville Farmers Market

    Food

    New Holland Weather App

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Can’t get enough weather information? Then get this new app from New Holland. This new service was announced last week at the Farm Progress Show.

    New Holland’s commitment to making farming easier for enhanced productivity is once again confirmed by the launch of the free ‘Farming weather forecast and services by New Holland Agriculture’ app which forms a key element of the overarching digital strategy. New Holland is the first in the agricultural sector to develop and launch such an application, which is distinct from the purely product based apps already on the market, and offers the increasing number of farmers and agribusinesses that use smart phone technology a comprehensive service.

    The essential app for farmers: it provides professional forecasts dedicated to agriculture and important data such as evapotranspiration, degree days and almanac to compare current conditions with average of the same period. In one single place it also provides the most important news on farming and professional agriculture directly from the most authoritative sources. Also locate your nearest New Holland dealer and get driving directions to reach the dealership or contact New Holland for further information or requests

    Get it in the iTunes Store or Google Play.

    2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
    Agribusiness, Apps, Farm Progress Show, New Holland, Weather