AGROTAIN Hosts Corn Yield Expert at AGCONNECT

Cindy Zimmerman

According to University of Illinois professor Dr. Fred Below, there are “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World,” and one of the most important is nitrogen.

Dr. Below developed the “Seven Wonders” as a tool to teach farmers the relative importance of management factors that can impact corn productivity, ranking the top seven factors that can positively impact corn yields. “In our quest to grow 300 bushels and to improve crop management, we need to know those management factors that have the biggest impact on yield and make sure we manage those correctly,” he told me during an interview at the AGROTAIN exhibit during AGCONNECT Expo.

Fred ranks weather and nitrogen as the top two corn yield world wonders. “These wonders interact with each other so that every single thing about nitrogen application and use by the plant is affected by weather,” he says. So, while farmers can’t control the weather, they can control nitrogen loss due to the weather. To that end, Dr. Below included SUPERU® (with AGROTAIN technology) as part of a high tech fertilizer package in his studies. “The AGROTAIN technology like SUPERU is designed to mitigate weather-induced nitrogen losses. This lets the plant respond to the nitrogen, rather than have it be lost,” he said. “So preventing nitrogen loss is number one on the list for achieving high yields.”

The other five “wonders” on Dr. Below’s list include: hybrid selection, previous crop, plant populations, tillage and chemicals.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Below here: Dr. Fred Below

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Fertilizer

Western Farm Show Gearing Up

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 288In this week’s program we’re going to look ahead to the Western Farm Show by talking with Jeff Flora, CEO, Southwestern Association (owner of the show). The show will be held February 25-27 at the American Royal Complex in Kansas City, MO. This is the 50th annual show and ZimmComm New Media is happy to be a part of it. We’ll be exhibiting and I’ll be conducting two of the educational sessions, one on “Becoming an Agricultural Agvocate” with AgChat Foundation on Friday and one on Saturday on “Social Media – Tips & Tools.”

In my conversation with Jeff he describes the Southwestern Association which owns and manages the show. It was founded in 1889 and represents equipment retailers in a multi-state area, working in the areas of legislation, communication and education. Jeff says they’re expecting a potentially record crowd this year since he’s seen so much interest, especially from exhibitors. There are going to be more than 500 exhibits which he says is higher than recent years.

A first time highlight at this year’s show is the Friday/Saturday night Championship Tractor Pull which will be held in Kemper Arena. I’m planning to be there! Tickets for it are available here. So it sounds like a good time will be had in KC, MO. We hope to see you there.

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Jeff Flora here: ZimmCast 288 - Western Farm Show

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page

Audio, Farm Shows, Western Farm Show, ZimmCast

Personifying Nature

Melissa Sandfort

Jack Frost
Mother Earth
Father Time
Old Man Winter

Nature is real and alive. It breathes its wintry breath on us, it heats up our souls, it’s the world’s eternal calendar. Fortunately, I live in an area where I get to enjoy all four seasons: I witness the growth of spring blooms, heat waves reverberating off the pavement in summer, the pallet of colors on fall trees, and right now, a man of nature more commonly known as Jack Frost.

He typically is personified as nipping on our nose, but this week, he only made it as far as the front window of the house. His omnipresence tells me he’s just around the corner, waiting for the coldest of mornings to strike again.

I recently returned from a winter Iceland also known as Atlanta, where daytime temperatures reached a balmy 31 degrees. When the plane landed in Omaha, it was 2 degrees with a wind chill of -10 and there were 12 inches of snow on the ground.

I’m reminded again how alive and real nature is as I walk down to the mailbox the next day and Old Man Winter literally takes my breath away.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred have resolved a dispute regarding the marketing of certain corn seed products sold through Pioneer’s PROaccess business unit. As part of the resolution, Pioneer will continue to distribute products through its PROaccess business unit, with modified packaging.
  • The Organic Materials Review Institute has approved Alltech’s application for Sel-Plex 1000.
  • National Association of Farm Broadcasting president Lindsay Hill recently launched CowsAndCoffee.com, a place to read the latest agricultural news while you sip your morning cup of coffee.
  • The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its fourth “Book of the Year” award to Cris Peterson for Seed Soil Sun: Earth’s Recipe for Food.
Zimfo Bytes

Average Cattleman Explains Farm Life To HSUS President

Chuck Zimmerman

I love Xtranormal movies. Just saw a tweet link to this one where an average cattleman tries to explain things to the president of the HSUS. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sadly true.

Animal Activists, Animal Health, Farming, Video

AgriSolutions Offers Financial Producer Education Sessions

Cindy Zimmerman

AgriSolutions® is offering “Producer Education Sessions” this month and next to help farmers achieve their 2011 financial goals.

According to Valerie Bates, AgriSolutions Training and Education Manager, AgriSolutions’ coursework is designed with the company mission in mind – to help agricultural producers become more effective business managers. Sessions are instructor-led in a classroom setting at AgriSolutions’ offices in Brighton, IL. Sessions planned for January and February will help producers learn to manage operations more efficiently and effectively, she said.

Coursework begins with a review of accounting principles, and includes financial reporting, analysis of operational and capital cash flow, and debt analysis. AgriSolutions coaches help participants understand true profit and cost, in order to enhance decision-making. Participants in some courses build business plans and strategic plans, and learn to better control their business’s finances to achieve their goals and objectives.

The courses include:

January 20-21, or February 3-4, 2011
AS 203 – Managerial Analysis
Producers attending will measure and monitor factors of managerial accounting centers, examining area performance, profitability, and assessing efficiency and cost control. Participants will leave with an understanding of true profit and costs, resulting in enhanced decision-making.

January 27-28, or February 17-18, 2011
AS 104 – Growth and Debt Funding
Participants will learn to analyze the impact of asset decisions on the operation, review key debt and equity principles, and assess the benefits of funding an operation with debt and equity. Producers evaluate their operation’s working capital requirements, conduct a complete debt analysis.

February 1-2, or February 15-16, 2011
AS 103 – Taking Action to Improve Performance
This class will explore basic accounting principles, financial reporting, analysis of operational and capital cash flow, and managing business finances to achieve goals and objectives.

For additional information, registration assistance or questions, please contact AgriSolutions Education by emailing asiEducation@agrisolutions.com, or call 800-454-4524. Online training options are available, as well, offering 24-hour access, 7 days a week.

Uncategorized

Farmers Engaging Farmers and Non-Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

I’m glad I could get farmers in the title three times. The reason for this post is the excellent response in comments to a recent story post Cindy did about Farm Bureau members engaging in social media. I really appreciate one AgWired reader who posted a comment with her observation after looking at some of the Twitter accounts of the farmers mentioned in the story, “. . . they do a good job of having conversations, but it seems to be with just other people in the ag industry and not “non farmers” as they call them.” So I tweeted this question with a link to the post “Are farmers only talking to other farmers?” That generated a number of responses through the blog as well as Facebook and Twitter. One of the recurring themes is that you can’t judge social networking and new media with just a quick look. This is about having an ongoing conversation that ebbs and flows. Some times it may just be with a few friends. Some times it might be with a whole new group of people. Kind of like real life, eh? And as some point out, they have both a business and a personal presence although there are some like me who combine both at the same time. What are your thoughts?

Here’s a list of excerpted comments that were posted:

I have to agree with everything that has been said. Social Media use in Agriculture is in it’s infancy and is growing by leaps and bounds. If each farmer reaches out to just a few outside farming amazing things will happen. I have spent quite a bit of time thinking of more than one way to reach out and not just through social media.

I also agree that ones total social media presence cannot be judged by just a brief look at a Twitter account. There’s so much more out there (blogs, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Quora, Foursquare, etc.).

And there are a ton of people who consume information without acting on it. My guess is the amount of people who have read this conversation, but haven’t said anything is overwhelmingly higher than those who are participating. And remember, there’s nothing wrong with preaching to the choir once in a while either…especially when it gets them singing the same tune!

I do talk to other farmers a lot using social media. They are my friends and I enjoy hearing updates about their farm’s. I have learned a lot about farms across the US and have even made some improvements to my farm after hearing some creative ideas by other farmers via twitter and Facebook.

Don’t discount the fact that we talk to other farmers a lot though, we do talk to others outside of agriculture a lot. Just this morning I enjoyed a conversation with a young lady from New York City. I also get at least one email or direct message a week from somebody that found me from social media and has a specific question about agriculture that they want to learn more about.

At the same time, the analysis of SM is not easily tackled in a quick one off. First, considering a tiny point in time isn’t representative of any efforts on SM. It’s about relationships. Second, I’d also suggest that my social media connections go WAY beyond Twitter with Facebook, blogs, etc.

Indeed many of us talk to farmers, but we talk to many non farmers as well. I talk with many moms, foodies and others of interest to me. I would say more than 75% of those I follow are non-farmers. I learn a lot from farmers and nonfarmers a like.

AFBF, Social Networking

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • DuPont has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Danisco for $5.8 billion in cash and assumption of $500 million of Danisco net debt.
  • Beck’s Hybrids will be hosting 52 grower meetings in January and February to summarize key topics and findings from Beck’s 2010 Practical Farm Research, as well as discuss long-term management procedures.
  • Farm Market iD, a leading provider of farm-level U.S. agricultural data, announced the availability of state-by-state “private applicator” permits.
  • The Makhteshim Agan Group announced that on Jan. 8, 2011, the agreement was signed with a subsidiary of the China National Chemical Corporation to carry out a merger.
Uncategorized

Leica Geosystems Announces Lineup of New Precision Products

Chuck Zimmerman

AG CONNECT ExpoI found out what’s new with AgWired sponsor, Leica Geosystems, at AG CONNECT Expo from Harlan Little, North American Business Manager – Agriculture. He says they’ve just announced a full suite of new products that include expanding the line of SteerDirect steering solutions and adding a number of new features to the Leica mojo3D and Leica mojoMINI displays.

Listen to Harlan explain each of these and what they offer to farmers who want to take advantage of the efficiencies offered by the latest precision products here: Interview With Harlan Little
Leica’s SteerDirect Solutions

The new SteerDirect Hydraulic option is a compact, integrated solution designed to work with the Leica mojoRTK auto-steer console.

New Leica mojo3D

The new Leica mojo3D guidance display has been upgraded with a number of new features, including the new Ultimate Curve guidance option, Boundary Recording, and the ability to upgrade to GLONASS satellites.

New Leica mojoMINI

The Leica mojoMINI also has a number of new features, making this entry-level display a must-have for any farm operation. The Leica mojoMINI is a great solution for anyone looking for an affordable way to start saving money in the field by enhancing driver accuracy and reducing overlap. Plus, with new features like Boundary Recording, Coverage Mapping and Continue Field, the Leica mojoMINI is even more useful.

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Leica Geosystems, Precision Agriculture, Video

Alltech Kicks off Lecture Series at AG CONNECT

Cindy Zimmerman

2010 was a big year for Alltech, what with hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games and all, but in 2050 the company is talking about having 9.3 billion people for dinner.

“Feeding the World – 9.3 billion people for dinner in 2050” is the theme of Alltech’s lecture tour this year that kicked off during AG CONNECT Expo on Saturday. Dr. Mark Lyons, International Project Director for Alltech, says AG CONNECT was a great place for them to start. “We have operations in 90 countries, we’re selling into almost 120 countries,” Mark said. “So for us, it’s an excellent venue. Having a stop in Georgia is one thing, having a stop here at this event is much different.”

Now the lecture tour moves on to stops along the eastern part of the U.S. and then the western part. “We’ll have 23 stops in North America and over 100 stops globally,” Mark said. “It culminates in our symposium in May in Kentucky. It’s a very important part of what we do. We estimate that we get in front of about 20,000 people a year.” There were several hundred at the event in Atlanta.

Listen to my interview with Mark here: Dr. Mark Lyons

Watch Mark’s portion of the lecture tour here:

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

AEM, Alltech, Audio, Video