Topcon Talks Precision Ag During AG CONNECT

Joanna Schroeder

Topcon Precision Agriculture is a global company with a strong presence in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and is growing in Europe. One of their most popular products is the AGI-3 receiver. This system not only picks up GPS satellites, but also receives information from Galileo, the European satellite and Glonass, the Russian satellite said Michael Gomes, the company’s Director of Global Strategic Alliances, during the AG CONNECT Expo.

TopconThe most unique aspect of this precision ag technology is that the receiver can steer the tractor and I asked Gomes why this was advantageous to a farmer. He explained that being a farmer is economically hard. Input costs keep rising whereas commodity prices are not neccesarily increasing so farmers are squeezed for profit. So, he continued, products like the AGI-3 are tools for efficiency.

“What they allow you to do is get more productivity out of the asset. When you put in an auto steering system on a tractor it is not uncommon to get double hours. Now you can get day and night repeatability,” said Gomes. This also allows farmers to go through re-tooling and ultimately a farmer can farm more acres at a lower cost per acre.

The AIG-3 works directly with steer ready tractors but if a farmer doesn’t have one, he can use the AES25 which in essence, gives the farmer a steer-ready tractor.

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Listen to my interview with Michael here.

Audio, Precision Agriculture

Livestock Publications Council Starting To Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

lpc-logo-smallThe Livestock Publications Council has implemented a blog element into their website. Let Diane Johnson know if you’ve got information for it. You can subscribe with this link.

Also:

Don’t forget to RSVP for LPC Luncheon at NCBA Convention in San Antonio

For the first time this luncheon is being co-sponsored by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and will recognize the 2009 LPC Forrest Bassford Student Award Winner, Whitney Wallace, from the University of Missouri. Incoming NCBA President Steve Foglesong has been invited to address the group plus we’ll update you on all of the exciting LPC events planned for 2010. The luncheon will be on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 12 noon at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel (note there are two different Marriotts close to the Convention Center). The exact location are Conference Rooms 17-18 but the room locations will be posted at the hotel if you forget.

You MUST RSVP by Friday January 22 to Diane; dianej@flash.net or call 817/336-1130. No-shows obviously won’t be charged but will be unappreciated!

A big thanks to Intervet/Schering-Plough for their generosity in support of this event and the student award program for LPC.

LPC

No-Till Farmers Love BASF Headline

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Headline® fungicide is a four time winner for no-till farmers.

basfHeadline® fungicide from BASF was recognized as fungicide of the year during the Annual National No-Tillage Conference 2009 No-Till Product of the Year awards presentation. The recognition marks the fourth consecutive year that Headline fungicide has been proclaimed the leading fungicide on the market by no-till farmers nationwide.

The overall winner for No-Till Product of the Year was the Keeton Seed Firmer from Precision Planting.

Here is a complete list of winners from No-Till Farmer:

No-Till Product of the Year: Keeton Seed Firmer, Precision Planting.

Fertility: Agrotain, Agrotain International. Honorable Mention: Avail and NutriSphere-N, SFP.

Fungicides: Headline, BASF. Honorable Mention: Quilt, Syngenta; Stratego, Bayer CropScience.

Insect Protection: YieldGard VT Triple, Monsanto. Honorable Mention: Herculex, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer; Warrior, Syngenta.

No-Till Equipment: 3600 Twin-Line Planters, Kinze Mfg. Honorable Mention: Early Riser planters, Case IH; YP2425 Yield Pro planter, Great Plains Mfg.

Planter/Drill Attachments: Keeton Seed Firmer, Precision Planting. Honorable Mention: Martin-Till WA1360 floating row cleaner, Martin Industries; 20/20 Airforce System, Precision Planting.

Precision Tools: 20/20 SeedSense, Precision Planting. Honorable Mention: EZ-Guide 250 Lightbar System, Trimble Navigation; SmartBoom automatic boom system control, Raven Industries.

Residue Management: Bt Crusher, Calmer Corn Heads. Honorable Mention: The Chaff Spreader, Spreader Inc.; 600C corn head, Deere.

Seed Treatment: Poncho, Bayer CropScience. Honorable Mention: CruiserMaxx, Syngenta.

Application Equipment: Patriot 3330 Sprayer, Case IH. Honorable Mention: 47/4830 sprayer, John Deere; RoGator sprayer, AGCO; Apache AS715 sprayer, Equipment Technologies.

Strip-Till: Blu-Jet Strip-Till unit, Thurston Manufacturing. Honorable Mention: 2510S Strip-Till Residue Master, John Deere; Pluribus Strip-Till unit, Dawn Equipment.

Weed Control: Roundup PowerMAX, Monsanto. Honorable Mention: LibertyLink with Ignite herbicide, Bayer CropScience; Touchdown herbicide, Syngenta; Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield, Monsanto.

BASF, Farming

NCGA Says Cap and Trade Will Hurt Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

After a detailed analysis, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has come out in opposition to the House version of the American Clean Energy and Security Act HR 2454, better known “cap and trade” legislation.

NCGA“Since the passage of this bill by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2009, the National Corn Growers Association has maintained a neutral position on the legislation pending further review,” said NCGA President Darrin Ihnen. “Although our neutrality has often put us at odds with the majority of other mainstream agricultural groups, we believe it was critical to remain engaged with lawmakers while the economic impacts were analyzed.”

NCGA retained Informa Economics to analyze those impacts and as a result of this study, “NCGA has no choice but to oppose H.R. 2454. The results of the Informa study indicates that every corn grower in the country will experience increased costs of production resulting from H.R. 2454. In the early years of this legislation, these higher production costs will be relatively minor. However, over time these prices will significantly increase, placing an unnecessary burden on growers.”

NCGA, along with other agricultural organizations, is sending a letter to Congress supporting a “disapproval resolution” in the Senate, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), that would stop EPA from promulgating rules to regulate greenhouse gases.

Listen to a press conference about the NCGA announcement this morning.

Corn, Environment, NCGA

I ♥ Beef

Melissa Sandfort

5_I_heart_beef_BlackFont_BLOCKDuring a time when sales of middle meats are traditionally slower, the checkoff’s food and nutrition communications team is gearing up to capitalize on a month that boasts many familiar holidays and special occasions. Thus, the beef checkoff is initiating an “I Heart Beef” campaign.

The program was specifically designed to help strengthen interest in beef middle meats by reminding consumers of their passion for great steaks like the T-bone and tenderloin. Not only that, but February is Heart Health Month.

The checkoff-funded consumer survey used as a foundation for the campaign found:
• In this month of romance, beef is the preferred choice of Americans (62 percent) because nothing says love like a great steak dinner for Valentine’s Day.
• Americans associate steak as a “best match” for love (44 percent), romance (42 percent) and passion (41 percent)—more so than other high-end proteins.
• When it’s time to share that Valentine’s Day meal, beef wins. A ribeye (35 percent) or T-bone steak (32 percent) are chosen as the best meal to share with a significant other.
• Americans most often associate beef with celebrations (50 percent), compared to chicken (18 percent), pork (17 percent) or fish (15 percent).
• Sixty-two percent of Americans say they choose to prepare beef if they are looking for gratitude or appreciation from their dinner partner.
• Fifty-three percent of Americans identify filet mignon as the food most associated with candlelight romance and 50 percent of Americans think filet mignon is the best way to say “I love you.”

The campaign includes numerous media outreach components, online and electronic communications, and communications and a recipe contest geared toward registered dietitians, encouraging them to share their love for lean beef.

For more information, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.

Beef

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Syngenta Seeds, Inc. has named Evan Uthof of Jackson, Neb. the 2009 Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc. Seedsmen of the Year.
  • Headline fungicide from BASF was recognized as fungicide of the year during the 17th Annual National No-Tillage Conference 2009 No-Till Product of the Year awards presentation.

  • The National FFA Foundation

    • has named Todd Greenwood the new team leader, corporate contributions, effective Jan. 25, 2010.

  • No-Till Farmer readers have weighed in on the products that performed the best in their no-till operations, citing the Keeton Seed Firmer as the “2009 No-Till Product Of The Year.”
    Zimfo Bytes

    Muzinic Promoted to VP at Rhea + Kaiser

    Chuck Zimmerman

    muzinicCheryl Muzinic has been promoted to VP, Group Account Manager, at Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications.

    Muzinic, who joined Rhea + Kaiser in 2005 as management supervisor, manages strategic development and planning for the agency’s business-to-consumer accounts: DePaul University, Hammes Company and Central Garden & Pet, including Excel Marketing, Gulfstream Home & Garden, Pennington Seed and TechPac, LLC.

    “Cheryl has deep consumer experience, drive and an ability to see beyond the expected. Our clients benefit every day from her unique insights into their needs,” said Steve Rhea, president and CEO of Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications. “This promotion recognizes her accomplishments in the growth of our consumer group and her dedication to excellent client service and team leadership.”

    Agencies

    Sparkle Pig

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Just in case I didn’t mention it. I want to be like Russell Graves when I grow up. Here’s a short video he just released about a little girl and her show pig. I think you should let others see it. It’s the kind of thing we need more of out there in the web. It kind of made my morning.

    Pork, Video

    Ag Leader at AG CONNECT

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Ag Leader TechnologyOne of the exhibits I visited at AG CONNECT Expo is our primary Precision Pays.com sponsor, Ag Leader Technology. Mike Olson, Sales and Support Manager, was on the floor interacting with attendees when I stopped by.

    The Ag Leader booth was one of the ones displaying the “New Product” banner. I asked Mike what was new. He says there have been several new products released recently by the company including their new INTEGRA display. The 12.1 inch screen combines the operation control options Ag Leader is known for, with a built-in full-featured steering and guidance system including an on-screen lightbar.

    Mike says most of the growers he spoke with know they need to implement precision technology but are asking questions about how they can use it in their operation.

    You can watch or listen to my interview with Mike below:

    AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

    AEM, Ag Leader, Agribusiness, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Technology

    U.S. Ag Associates Conference and StollerUSA

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 246What a week we had on AgWired last week at AG CONNECT Expo and what a week we’re going to have next week. Besides the Cattle Industry Convention and International Poultry Expo we’re going to have full coverage of the U.S. Ag Associates Conference courtesy of StollerUSA. So that’s the subject of this week’s program.

    jerry-stollerThis morning I spoke with Stoller Group President and CEO, Jerry Stoller. This is the 17th Conference which he says is a very unique collaboration and sharing of research among consultants, university professors, growers and Stoller Group representatives. I had the opportunity for a short visit there last year and next week our Joanna Schroeder will be on location for full coverage.

    Some of the leading researchers in the field will participate. Among them are Dr. Ron Heiniger, North Carolina State University; Dr. Michael Orzolek, Penn State University; Dr. Ron Salzman, Director of Bioscience, StollerUSA; and Dr. T X Liu, Texas A&M Weslaco, Texas who will report on a record soybean yield of 166.8 bushels per acre achieved with Stoller technology under controlled conditions in replicated plots. Featured presentations will include trials conducted on soybeans, corn, wheat, blueberries and other crops by Stoller’s fourteen subsidiary companies from nineteen countries.

    “The conference is a showcase of results from trials conducted around the world,” says Jerry Stoller, president and CEO of the Stoller Group. “Our primary goal is for attendees to learn from each other and take that information home to customers or to their own farms. It’s the kind of education resource successful growers need to maximize their bottom lines.”

    Besides AgWired you can also follow along with information from the Conference on the StollerUSA blog.

    Thanks to new AgWired Sponsor, Novus International, for their support of the ZimmCast.

    You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.

    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.

    Agribusiness, Audio