Corn Shadow

Chuck Zimmerman

This is why I like to have a camera on me at all times. Just that random, “that looks like it might be a cool photo” shot. This is our plane landing in Bloomington, IL today. You can click on the photo for a larger version.

After chilling out in the tropical paradise known as Pensacola, FL, it is time for a little midwest reality check. I’ll be covering the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour tomorrow before taking off for Iowa and more in the field action.

AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAIN
Ag Groups, Corn

Precision Ag is Cloud Mobile

Chuck Zimmerman

Cloud management of data for precision ag applications and more is just a natural part of the continuing technology revolution and it is now here thanks to AgIntegrated which is launching their Onsite service very soon.

To learn more about Onsite and AgIntegrated I spoke with Mike Santostefano, Director of Marketing and Business Development.

Mike says that during the last decade the AgIntegrated team has been developing “a variety of Precision Ag, logistical, and information management software services to the agricultural industry.” We hear a lot about logistics and agribusiness has the same kinds of needs in this area as other industries. He says that with all the disconnected systems out there they noticed that the adoption of precision ag had halted. To address this the company has created Onsite, “a cloud-based, mobile and desktop app that assists with file management and communications to and from the field by socially connecting people.” It is not meant to replace current precision software but to complement it. He says Onsite helps “precision consumers” build a network to connect different people to get information where and when it is needed. Onsite is color agnostic too, meaning it will integrate with any system out there regardless of manufacturer. Mike provides an example of how they’ve worked with Raven’s Slingshot. Onsite requires a customer login account and utilizes a little device called a Relay. Onsite will let you organize and move files, create a network, chat, do position reporting and a lot more.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Onsite fueled by AgIntegrated

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.

Agribusiness, Audio, Internet, Precision Agriculture, Technology, ZimmCast

BASF Looks to Tackle Sustainability, Quality Issues

John Davis

When it comes to feeding a growing population, quality is just as important as quantity.

Since farmers need to be producing more food, while at the same time being responsive to the quality needs of their customers, the recent BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit in Chicago featured a panel with representatives from Purdue AgriBusiness, Murphy-Brown and JBS United to talk about how BASF Plant Science can develop solutions based on customer need.

“We wanted to raise the issue of the challenges the U.S. feed industry is facing today,” said Marc Ehrhardt, senior Vice President, BASF Plant Science. He said the people on the panel were the customers of the growers, and they are becoming increasingly concerned about quality issues. “So these are issues that need to be addressed along the whole value chain, and where we can make a contribution,” Marc said.

Ehrhardt believes that there is much to gain for all involved. “On the seed company side, once an acre has been converted to a certain specification, [the seed company] has a good outlet to that acre that nobody can contend until the product is copied. The farmer, on the other hand, has a choice. He can choose to have a reliable, long-term relationship with someone that takes some of the risk out his operation. The grain traders want to have solutions for specific customers. And, ultimately, the consumer wants a stable supply of affordable foodstuffs. There’s a vested interest of everybody in the value chain to make it worth everyone’s while,” he said.

Listen to more of Cindy’s interview with Ehrhardt here:
Marc Ehrhardt, senior Vice President, BASF Plant Science

Photos from BASF Ag Media Summit

Audio, BASF

John Deere Mobile Weather

Chuck Zimmerman

Mobile weather sounds like it would be a high priority for farmers today. John Deere unveiled their version of it at the FarmSight Tech Summit. I visited with Janae Tapper, Product Manager in the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group about the product.

For private and commercial applicators who need precise weather information in order to make proper product application and other weather-related decisions, John Deere introduces John Deere Mobile Weather.

Mobile Weather uses a third-party weather sensor connected to the Application Controller 1120 to display real-time weather information, including wind speed and direction, Delta T, and temperature and relative humidity on the John Deere GreenStar 2 or GreenStar 3 displays. However, only the GreenStar 3 2630 Display is capable of documenting (recording) weather data, which can be transferred to Apex or other third party farm management software for analysis and record keeping.

According to Janae Tapper, product manager with the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, John Deere Mobile Weather enables operators to make in-cab product application decisions based on location-specific weather data. In addition, operators don’t have to rely on hand-held devices or make multiple stops to manually check and record weather conditions when applying product.

You can listen to my interview with Janae here or watch her presentation during the summit below: Interview with Janae Tapper

John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture, Technology, Weather

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Sorghum Checkoff is launching a new program to develop the next generation of leaders for the sorghum industry and is seeking applications for its inaugural class.
  • The Livestock Marketing Association is pleased to announce Tim Starks as President for the 2012-2014 term.
  • Syngenta announced that the EPA has granted registration approval for two refuge-in-a-bag trait stacks: Agrisure Viptera 3220 E-Z Refuge and Agrisure 3122 E-Z Refuge.
  • Syngenta announced a $50 million investment to build a new processing plant for corn and sunflower seeds in Argentina.
Zimfo Bytes

Livestock Reports Not Sexy, Hard to Understand, and At Risk

John Davis

For anyone who has ever done livestock market reports in the media, you know how complex and how intertwined they are. What happens in one market can greatly affect all of the others (including what goes on in the grain markets), and understanding these relationships is certainly not an easy task (doing markets for Chuck back during our days at the Brownfield Network was some of the most difficult work I’ve ever done!). That’s why during the recent Farm Foundation webinar on data collection, the concern turned to how USDA might be facing budget cuts to some of its reports, including those in the livestock sector.

“They’re not sexy,” said Jim Robb, the Senior Agricultural Economist and Director at the Livestock Marketing Information Center. “I think that compared to the Census of Agriculture, [which is not targeted] and you can explain to a bureaucrat or politician and put in a rather concise package, this is a whole array of market reports that really is much harder to explain in a simplistic context, and that contributes to why these are being targeted.”

Robb went on to point out that too many reports are not mandatory, and thus, at risk in the budget. And losing these reports, many a monthly or quarterly update on the annual report, would leave too big of a gap in information. “Annual is not satisfactory in an industry that is biologically based,” he said.

Robb made a final, compelling argument for why the government needs to keep many of the reports. “Quality data do not magically occur. This is a classical public good. We cannot just do random reports and expect markets to function effectively.” He encouraged private companies, government officials, and commodity groups to lobby for these reports to be continued. He echoed what some other speakers on the Farm Foundation webinar said that while some commodity groups could provide the information, it would not be the unbiased and trusted source USDA continues to be.

You can here more of what Robb had to say here: Jim Robb, LMIC during Farm Foundation Webinar on Data Collection

Plus, his slide show to go along with the audio is available here.

And you can hear the entire hour-long Farm Foundation webinar here:
Farm Foundation Webinar on Data Collection

Animal Agriculture, Audio, Farm Foundation, Livestock, Markets

Ag Interests Dissect House Farm Bill Draft

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite the fact that the legislation impacts every single American, it’s still hard not to call it the “Farm Bill,” so the draft out of the House Agriculture Committee comes with a clever acronym to let us go ahead and call it that officially. The discussion draft released yesterday by Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) is called the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act or FARRM.

They call FARRM “a bipartisan bill that saves taxpayers billions, reduces the nation’s deficit, and repeals outdated policies while reforming, streamlining, and consolidating others…cuts spending, reduces the size of government, and makes common-sense reforms to agricultural policy.” The summary highlights the more than $35 billion savings in mandatory funding, the repeal or consolidation of more than 100 programs, and elimination of direct payments. The bill also includes cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of $16 billion and “provides regulatory relief” for farmers and ranchers.

Agricultural interests are still working on dissecting what is in the 557 page bill. “Our board is assessing similarities and differences between the legislation and our grower-developed policy,” said National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer.

Couple of good analyses of the bill are up – one by Willie Vogt and one on Agri-Pulse by Sarah Gonzalez.

The House Ag Committee has scheduled mark-up of the bill to begin July 11.

Farm Bill, NCGA

Beefgiving Season in Australia

Chuck Zimmerman

This video is the work of Meat & Livestock Australia. I think it is probably more amusing if you know Australian politics since it is supposed to poke fun at two Australian politicians who rarely get along. Let me know if you know who they are in comments. But I guess there is a new season in Australia – Beefgiving Season.

Beefgiving Season is turning the coldest season of the year into the warmest. Find out how you can warm up your own relationships this Beefgiving Day, July 14th at www.beefgivingseason.com.au.

We’ve cooked up a way to warm up winter’s coldest day.

A way to turn the year’s chilliest day into the warmest, as we heat cold relationships with hot meals of Beef.

So invite them all over for a hearty Beef meal this July 14th.

Because when it comes to warming up Australia, nothing beats Beef on Beefgiving Day.

Ag Groups, Beef, International

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Four executives from across the food and agribusiness value chain have been elected to the Board of Trustees of Farm Foundation.
  • The Beef Checkoff Program issued the call for entries in its annual National Retail Beef Backer Awards.
  • Alltech officially unveiled the new Lyons Farm brand which will offer consumers natural, high quality foods.
  • The Hall of Fame Committee is asking for nominations for present, past or deceased NAFB Broadcast Council members that have made a significant contribution to the farm broadcasting industry. Forward all nominations to the 2012 Hall of Fame Chairman Mike Adams at host@agritalk.com.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Insight into John Deere FarmSight

    Chuck Zimmerman

    When it comes to FarmSight, Jerry Roell has the insight. He’s John Deere’s Director, FarmSight, Intelligent Solutions Group. Jerry says they began developing FarmSight about two years ago looking at three areas. The first of these is machine optimization and trying to figure out how to make machines more efficient, more productive and to monitor machine help. The second area of focus is logistics since farms are growing and their customers are having to manage a growing fleet of machines. The idea is to improve communications including how machines “talk to each other.” The third of focus is decision support to help make it easier for customers to make decisions.

    Jerry provides some examples of specific products/services that have been developed as a part of this process including the recently launched MyJohnDeere.com.

    You can listen to my interview with Jerry here: Interview with Jerry Roell

    John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit Photo Album

    Agribusiness, Audio, John Deere