FS InVISION Sightings at FPS

Cindy Zimmerman

A photo contest has been running to get the word out about new FS InVISION™ seed corn and today is the last day to vote for your favorite.

“This year, we’ve re-branded our FS seed corn and it’s now FS InVISION seed corn,” said Justin White with FS who explains that the FS InVISION Sightings Contest was designed to let people know about that. Six finalists were chosen for the contest and folks visiting the Farm Progress Show in Iowa have been able to vote for their favorite, which will be announced tomorrow. The six finalists all received $500 toward expenses to attend the FPS here and the Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 gift card, and the chance to be featured in FS InVISION advertisements in 2013. In addition, for every photo uploaded, $10 was donated to the Illinois, Iowa, or Wisconsin State FFA Association.

View the six finalists and vote here.

Listen to my interview with Justin here: Justin White - FS InVISION Sightings

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Audio, Corn, Farm Progress Show, FS System, GROWMARK

FMC Announces Finalists in Anthem Contest

Melissa Sandfort

After receiving more than 155,000 votes in the “Stand and Be Heard Anthem Singing Contest,” FMC Agricultural Products Group (APG) announces the four finalists to continue on in the competition. Allison Nohre from De Pere, Wis.; Lexie Sistrunk from Oak Grove, La.; Jessica Smith from Picayune, Miss.; and Katie Wesler from Birmingham, Ala.; have been selected as finalists by popular online vote. Videotaped interviews and performances of the four finalists will be aired on RFD-TV on October 4 with online voting to determine the grand prize winner.

Voting for the finalists will take place between September 24 and Oct. 19. Three of the finalists will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship. The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 college scholarship. The grand prize winner will be announced on Oct. 24.

Agribusiness, FMC

Farm Progress Show Field Demos

Chuck Zimmerman

Weather has prevented a full schedule of field demonstrations during the Farm Progress Show for a couple of years now. Not so this year.

We had a nice breeze to tone down a hot day in the field today during the show. Corn harvest demonstrations began at 11am and there were crowds on hand to watch the large combines, tractors and grain carts in action. I had the opportunity to make it out there for a while and see some of the action.

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, Corn, Farm Progress Show, Harvest, Video

New Holland Aggressively Focused on the Brand

Chuck Zimmerman

The New Holland lot at the Farm Progress Show is packed with all the latest equipment from this original sponsor of our coverage of the show. I visited with Abe Hughes, VP, New Holland North America, seen here with the top leadership of the company who came out to the show to visit with customers and the New Holland team.

Abe says the company is aggressively marketing the brand through three distinct segments that include the “core of the brand” which is dairy and livestock. That segment is in the middle of the lot and surrounded by the cash crop segment and the residential/commercial and municipal utilities segment. Very visible in the cash crop product area is the American Ethanol logo on combines, self propelled sprayers and Rustler utility vehicles. Abe says that the emphasis is on their partnership with American Ethanol that aligns them directly with their customers. He says New Holland is 200 percent behind ethanol and believes that ethanol production has brought great stability to American farmers and rejuvenated and stabilized their income and ability to support their families.

There is a lot to see on the New Holland lot. Listen to my interview with Abe and learn what you’re missing here in Boone, IA: Interview with Abe Hughes

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, Farm Progress Show, New Holland

Former Ag Secretary and USTR at FPS

Cindy Zimmerman

A former Secretary of Agriculture and US Trade Ambassador believes Mitt Romney would be a better president for agriculture, doubts Congress will get a farm bill done next month, and would advise against waiving the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

That’s a few of the topics Dr. Clayton Yeutter touched on during a brief press appearance at the 2012 Farm Progress Show on Wednesday, with the main goal of promoting Governor Romney for president. “This is an election that will be decided much more on the basis of non-agricultural issues than agricultural ones,” said Yeutter, citing the national debt in particular. “You’ve got a businessman in Governor Romney who understands all this.”

While Yeutter admits that Congress could pass a new farm bill next month, “the odds are that they won’t get it done before September 30th” and will probably pass some sort of extension, possibly until after the election or maybe for another year.

As to the RFS, Yeutter says he believes the markets will work out the current situation, but if he were advising the administration in the matter, “my advice would be do not grant the waiver.”

Listen to or download all of Dr. Yeutter’s comments here: Clayton Yeutter at FPS

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Audio, Farm Bill, Farm Progress Show, politics

Poll Says Increased Feed Costs, Food Prices

Melissa Sandfort

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”Beyond commodity prices, what will this year’s drought have a greater impact on?”

Our poll results: Thirty-eight percent said feed costs; thirteen percent said food prices; eleven percent said fuel costs and crop insurance, respectively; nine percent said crop inputs; eight percent said land costs; and five percent said tillage practices and other, respectively.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” How will the drought affect farm equipment sales?” For growers looking to update their fleet, or invest in new equipment and technologies, will they think twice when factoring in drought affects or will their pocketbooks still allow them that purchase – what do you think?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll

Livestock 101 at NAMA Boot Camp

Jamie Johansen

Animal agriculture seems to be under a constant fire from those who don’t understand it. During the recent NAMA Boot Camp, Dr. Dan Thomson, Assistant Dean of Outreach and Professor at Kansas State University Vet School, addressed the basics of the industry along with issues and challenges so agri-marketers could help educate the growing population of non-ag consumers.

“I think the big thing is understanding the issues in agriculture aside from the current drought and other things like that. We are facing a constant decrease in the number of people directly involved in ag. We are becoming 2-4 generations removed from the farm, so getting our message out to the consumer, educating the consumer where there food comes from and down playing some of the myths that are sensationalized by non-ag groups are some of our bigger issues.”

Listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dr. Dan Thomson

You can find photos from the event here:2012 NAMA Boot Camp Photo Album

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Education, Farming, Food, Horses, Livestock, NAMA, Pork, Poultry, Swine

Talking About Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

Usually I do the interviews but sometimes I become the interviewee. That was the case yesterday when Michael Libbie stopped by the Farm Progress Show media tent to find out what we were hearing from farmers. Here’s what I had to say. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in comments.

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Farm Progress Show, Farming, Video

Monsanto Announces FieldScripts

Chuck Zimmerman

Prior to the start of the Farm Progress Show, Monsanto held a media briefing to announce the first product in their Integrated Farming System (IFS) – FieldScripts. On the program were Dr. Robb Fraley, Dr. Ted Crosbie, Gregg Sauder, Precision Planting and farmer Kip Tom. I’ve captured their comments for you below.

This coming planting season, farmers in four Midwestern states will participate in Monsanto’s Ground Breakers testing program for FieldScripts, the company’s first product from the Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) platform. FieldScripts is designed to provide farmers with a valuable new approach to boost on-farm productivity while also supporting more sustainable agriculture systems for our growing world.

Monsanto’s IFS Commercial Lead John Raines anticipates that the product will provide significant value for U.S. farmers.

“We have been testing FieldScripts over the past two years, and we’ve seen consistent yield increases when farmers use the product,” said Raines. “For our 2013 Ground Breakers trials, we’re more than doubling the farmers testing the product. We are looking forward to finalizing our product offering for farmers to provide accurate, effective and easy-to-use planting prescriptions and hybrid recommendations that help to increase yield potential and mitigate risk on farm.”

Listen to or download the presentation comments here: Monsanto Media Presentation

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2012 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by New Holland and Monsanto Roundup Ready Plus
Audio, Farm Progress Show, Precision Agriculture

Farm Progress Show Sunrise Day Two

Chuck Zimmerman

Welcome to day two of the 2012 Farm Progress Show. Here’s the sunrise view from the media tent this morning.

Cindy and I are on location again enjoying the cool temperatures before things heat up. We’re hoping to get out in the field for some harvest demonstrations since this will be the first show in a while where they can be done. There’s a lot of talk about the hope of rain moving north from the storm in the Gulf that finally hit land. It may be late in the season but the midwest sure needs to get some soil moisture to at least get a head start on next season.

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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