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

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Farm Bill Now Coalition at FPS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    As the Farm Progress Show kicked off in Boone, Iowa, representatives from several of the more than 45 organizations that make up the Farm Bill Now coalition spoke out to urge Congress to finish work on new agricultural policy legislation as soon as possible.

    “Agriculture is one of the few bright spots in the American economy,” said National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Pam Johnson. “Our farmers continue to be more productive and innovative. But to continue that trend, we need to have some certainty about how we plan our business. And that is exactly what the farm bill does.”

    Among the diverse representation in the coalition is the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “We represent 850 equipment manufacturing companies, with 450 of them involved in the agricultural industry,” said AEM president Dennis Slater. “Our farmers, our manufacturers, our American workers and families, simply cannot afford to have Congress keep delaying this.”

    Other speakers for the coalition at the FPS included Ron Heck, board member of the 25×25 Alliance, American Soybean Association president Steve Wellman, Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill and Iowa Farmers Union president Chris Peterson.

    Listen to or download comments from all here: Farm Bill Now 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
    AEM, AFBF, ASA, Audio, Corn, Farm Bill, Farm Progress Show, NCGA

    Custom DEKALB Bike Helps Red Cross

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The DEKALB® brand’s custom 100th Anniversary Bike by Paul Jr. Designs revved up the excitement at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., when the bike made its engine-roaring debut to a crowd of onlookers at the main gate of the show.

    At the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Iowa on Tuesday, the bike’s year-long tour came full circle as Rick Brandt, CEO of BRANDT from Springfield, Illinois, was announced the online auction’s highest bidder. Through multiple DEKALB fundraising opportunities, including the chopper auction, American farmers raised a grand total of $250,000 for the American Red Cross. Jason Hoag, DEKALB Brand Lead and Rick Brandt, on behalf of America’s farmers, presented a check to Leslie Schaffer, Regional Chapter Executive Officer for American Red Cross, Greater Iowa Region.

    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