GROWMARK CEO Pleased with Pursuit of Maximum Yields

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg is very pleased with response to the FS Green Plan Solutions program to help growers discover new methods that will help them attain maximum yields.

I had a chance to chat with Jeff as he attended the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) grower event last week in Collinsville, Illinois. He told me that the program is designed to help growers meet the challenges of feeding a growing world population. “We believe that the production that we have to have to feed the world is so important,” Jeff said. “The way that you go about it is through good, sustainable, environmentally-sound practices which allow us to farm with freedom, to do it in the right way, and to make sure that we get the yields to feed all the people we’ve got coming at us in the next 30 years.”

2012 is a big year for GROWMARK and for cooperatives throughout the entire world. “We have a double celebration this year,” Jeff says. “It’s the International Year of Cooperatives, but it’s also GROWMARK’s 85th anniversary. It’s a unique way of doing business and it’s also a really great way of doing business.”

Listen to my interview with Jeff Solberg here: GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg

Check out photos from the two Pursuit of Maximum Yields events held in Iowa and Illinois this month.

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Audio, Cooperatives, Events, FS System, GROWMARK, International

CRYSTALYX Beef Cow BCS App

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag apps just keep coming. Here’s a new one from CRYSTALYX Brand Supplements. It’s called the “Beef Cow BCS”. It’s available for iOS or Android devices.

The free app helps Beef Cow-Calf producers manage the nutrition program of their cow herd by assigning storing body condition scores on individual cows.

The app offers the ability to snap profile pictures of your cows and compare them to reference photos of cows that represent Body Condition Scores from 1 to 9.

Determine the BCS that best describes each cow, along with an ear tag number, and save it within the App for future reference. If you would like to arrange your cows by pasture, that functionality is also available. You can then use these stored images as references at any point in the future to determine how best to manage your nutrition program to make sure your cows breed and calve in a timely manner.

Agribusiness, Apps

Time For 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

It’s that time again. The 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture is underway. The first step is the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) which asks landowners whether or not they are farming and for basic farm information. This is used to determine who should receive a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form. So, yeah, you’ve got to fill out two surveys. The census is conducted every five years.

“We are asking everyone who receives the NACS to respond even if they are not farming so that we build the most accurate and comprehensive mailing list to account for all of U.S. agriculture in the Census,” said NASS’s Census and Survey Director, Renee Picanso. “The Census is the leading source of facts about American agriculture and the only source of agricultural statistics that is comparable for each county in the nation. Farm organizations, businesses, government decision-makers, commodity market analysts, news media, researchers and others use Census data to inform their work.”

NACS is required by law as part of the U.S. Census of Agriculture. By this same law, all information reported by individuals is kept confidential. NASS will mail the 2012 Census of Agriculture later this year and data will be collected into early 2013.

The 2012 Census of Agriculture is your voice, your future, your responsibility. For more information about NACS, the Census of Agriculture, or to add your name to the Census mail list, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.

You can follow USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on Twitter here.

USDA

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The University of Nevada, Reno has announced a national search for a permanent dean of the college.
  • Vermeer Corporation introduces the newest partner in its forage product line with Vermeer brand netwrap – Vermeer Net, available for 4′ and 5′ balers, and Rebel Net, designed for Vermeer Rebel Series Balers.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed 33 representatives to serve on the National Potato Promotion Board.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USDA’s National Agricultural Library, in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation, announced Start2farm.gov, a new online portal that helps to provide assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers.
    Zimfo Bytes

    NFMS Championship Tractor Pull

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The ZimmComm team is on the way back to world headquarters but still has a lot of National Farm Machinery Show to share. I spent a little while at the 2012 Championship Tractor Pull last night and am adding some photos from there right now.

    We’ll be posting some more stories and interviews over the coming days so check back to see what’s new! Remember that you can easily keep up with AgWired on your smartphone with the free AgWired App.

    2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

    Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
    National Farm Machinery Show, Video

    Farm Bill Games Begin

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Let the Farm Bill games begin!

    The Senate Ag Committee held the first of four scheduled farm bill hearings this past week, focusing on energy and rural development issues. 

In the coming weeks there will be hearings on conservation programs Feb. 28 and nutrition issues on March 14; and most importantly, a hearing on Title I – the farm safety net programs – is scheduled for March 21.



    As the Senate began to prepare for the hearings, over 80 agricultural organizations sent a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Ag Committees urging passage of a farm bill this year.

    “The 2012 farm bill is among the most important pieces of legislation the U.S. Congress will consider this year,” the letter stated. “We ask you to reject calls for delay and aggressively act to ensure that a new, comprehensive farm bill is passed this year. Farmers need a safety net that works more effectively, and they need access to tools that help them be good stewards of our natural resources.”

    The letter also stated that a temporary extension of current policy would create uncertainty without addressing important issues such as job creation hunger prevention resources.

    Major commodity, social welfare and environmental organizations from the American Farm Bureau Federation to the World Wildlife Fund signed on to the letter, indicating the diverse interests in the legislation for agriculture, food assistance and conservation.

    AFBF, Conservation, Farm Bill

    Media Appreciate FMC Support at NFMS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    For about 40 of the National Farm Machinery Show‘s 46 year history, there was no place for the media to work or relax. But, thanks to FMC Corporation, we do now.

    “Being involved in this communications business in agriculture for so many years, we really felt like we could help with this and the National Farm Machinery folks wanted to do that, so we were the first sponsor and so far the only one,” said FMC Strategic Communications Manager Paul Redhage, pictured here with Chuck.

    And the media sincerely appreciates the high speed internet access, snacks, and quiet place to work, visit and conduct interviews.

    During my interview with Paul in the official NFMS media room, we also talked about FMC’s Cadet® Convoy, which traveled throughout the nation’s corn and soybean growing region last year gathering videos of grower testimonials and experiences with Cadet herbicide. “Those were all posted on cadetconvoy.com this past year and we had an incentive for folks to go on-line and view those and sign up that they looked at them,” Paul said. Kelly Kliner, of Langdon, ND was the grand prize winner of a $5,000 Cabela’s gift card in the Cadet® Convoy sweepstakes.

    Paul says they are continuing the Cadet® Convoy this year with a yet-to-be announced incentive.

    Listen to or download my interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Redhage

    2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

    Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
    Audio, FMC, Media, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

    Ag Leader Technology Previews New System at NFMS

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Ag Leader Technology was giving growers at the National Farm Machinery Show a preview of the coming-soon INTEGRA™ planter down force monitor and control capability.

    The heart of the system is a hydraulic down force actuator (as compared to other pneumatic airbag systems), engineered by Dawn Equipment. The actuator is the fastest on the market, allowing the INTEGRA display to make quick row unit down force adjustments, according to Sales Representative Russ Morman. “The adjustments we’re going to be able to make to our down pressure will be a lot quicker than the other systems on the market and this being a metal system rather than an air bag it won’t have the risk of puncturing,” said Russ about the system that will be available to growers in 2013.

    Listen to Russ explain about the new system here: Interview with Russ Morman

    Watch Russ do a little video demo at NFMS here:

    Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
    Ag Leader, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS, Precision Agriculture, Video

    Welcome to Jill’s Junction

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Welcome to Jill’s Junction.com. Pictured (r-l) are Jill Howard and Amy Wathen, Fastline. They are here on location at the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show to introduce this new online destination to attendees. Amy says they knew that there was something missing online for women. They were getting a lot of feedback about this and Jill’s Junction was born.

    Jill says the visitor will find recipes, gardening tips, travel tips and there’s a way to communicate with them directly and with other women who are visiting. Jill’s Junction is set up to be very interactive and a resource that is just getting started. They hope to build it with the input of visitors.

    Listen to my interview with Jill and Amy: Introducing Jill's Junction

    2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

    Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
    Audio, National Farm Machinery Show

    Promoting Farm Safety at NFMS

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Division of Ag Education, Farm Safety and Farmland Preservation teams up with several organizations to promote farm safety to National Farm Machinery Show attendees. I met Dale Dobson, Safety Administrator for the Department and Scott Cedarquist, Director of Standards & Technical Activities, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, who were working the exhibit. As you can see in the photo, they have a tractor rollover educational display to show the difference in a rollover with the ROPS bar up and down. In the photo this farmer “dummy” is the victim of the unsafe practice of not using the ROPS bar.

    Dale says they have a very simple message, “Roll bars and seat belts work only if you put the roll bar up and you click the seat belt. It’s your choice. It’s life and death.” Scott says that ASABE has a major focus on safety as the standards setting organization. They have committees for specific safety components like lighting and marking. You can find information on farm safety from both of these organizations online.

    Listen to my interview with Dale and Scott: Promoting Farm Safety Interview

    2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

    Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by Fastline AgRacer FMC New Holland
    Audio, Farming, National Farm Machinery Show, Safety