Farmers wanting to payback all those pesky little pests that challenge them in the field can at the Monsanto display. Well, sort of. Blue flashing lights and ringing buzzer sounded after each whacking spree. The game lured the largest line in the exhibit when I stopped in to check it out. Visitors could also check out a mountain display of seeds, play a Price-Is-Right style plinko game and see live benefits of RoundUp Ready.
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Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns visited around while he was here at the Farm Progress Show. One of his stops was the New Holland tent to see Jay Leno’s Ecojet, the concept car that runs on 100% biodiesel.
Pictured (l-r) are Alan Kemper, VP of the American Soybean Association, Harold Boyanovsky, CEO of CNH, Sec. Johanns and Ricky “Skip” Tyler who travels with the car. They’re looking at the jet engine that powers this muscle car.
I asked Sec. Johanns what he thinks of a company like New Holland working with an entertainer like Jay Leno to promote biodiesel.
You can listen to Secretary Johanns reply here: fp-07-johanns-quote.mp3
New Holland’s Gene Hemhill is responsible for bringing the farm equipment company together with Jay Leno and so I asked him what this means to New Holland.
You can listen to Gene’s reply here: fp-07-hemphill-quote.mp3
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Traceability is the main theme at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture ID/INFO EXPO in Kansas City this year and the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the UK has made it very timely.
One of the most interesting presentations was by Ray Brown, a dairy producer from Cheshire, England. Ray spoke on the impact of FMD from a producer’s perspective and how traceability is making a difference with this year’s outbreak of FMD compared to the devastating outbreak in 2001.
I interviewed Ray after his presentation and found him very interesting and forthright – plus he’s got that great British accent. It’s long (over 11 minutes), but really fascinating, especially for those of you in the livestock industry wrestling with the idea of animal ID and premises registration. Here’s why it’s important.
niaa-07-brown-interview.mp3
My purpose here at the EXPO is to send out media alerts to farm broadcasters and publications with links to photos and interviews from presenters. Here is a link to the Day One Virtual Media Room document from ID/INFO EXPO.
And, yeah – while Chuck is sweating in the heat at Farm Progress, I have the air-conditioned hotel gig. No complaints here.
The restored antique Farmall sits next to the Gold Signature Edition Farmall tractor at the Case IH display in Progress City, IL to commemorate the company’s 60th year as an FFA sponsor. Case IH is auctioning the Gold Edition Farmall on ebay and all proceeds will go toward charity. The auction ends at the close of this week. Senior Marketing Director John Koetz says the 18-hp, sub-compact tractor customized with distinctive red-and-gold paint is a commemorative nod to the International Harvester heritage of Case IH. He says International Harvester manufactured special “Gold Demonstrator” tractors in the late 1960s and 1970s. John says Case IH is proud of its long-standing relationship and says the youth involved in FFA represent the future of agriculture. 
The local FFA chapter is auctioning off the restored antique Farmall as well to help raise chapter funds.
John also points out the commemorative Gold Edition Farmall is a smaller version of the limited edition Gold Signature Edition Magnum® and Steiger® tractors Case IH is selling to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Magnum tractor and 50th anniversary of Steiger.
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Big or small, from Yamaha to remote control, the crowds at the 2007 Farm Progress Show are checking out the dirt tracks and the turf tracks. Consumers can climb on to various Yamaha four-wheelers and hit the small, rugged dirt track just outside of the exit to the field harvesting demonstrations to get a feel for which Yamaha model suits them best. Fast Stop wants farmers to make it their first stop. Not only does the display have RC Truck Races, but if you time it right you’ll get to listen to a live performer. When I stopped by, a singer was crooning about his human music stand. 
Speaking of going for a ride, I’m planning on heading over to the Rural Life Compact Tractor Ride n’ Drive at 3 p.m. The big dogs will be out all day Thursday so farmers can get a real feel for the latest in tractor models being displayed throughout Progress City.
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Did I mention that it’s hot here at the Farm Progress Show? Hot enough that Jeff Nalley, The Cromwell Ag Network, is having to cool his notebook computer in front of the cooler units so it will turn back on.
He’s even got a cooling unit for it to sit on but it’s not enough. We’re working these computers pretty hard. That’s why I’ve got mine raised up off the table with my fan blowing directly on it. It’s just a part of today’s communications technology in a challenging outdoor environment.
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Our U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns is visiting the Farm Progress Show today.
His first stop was the media tent where he awarded EJ Water Cooperative with $8.8 million for a loan and grant to build a water treatment plant. This is part of USDA’s Rural Development initiative.
Johanns then proceeded to make some comments regarding the farm bill and other policy topics before answering questions from the press.
You can listen to Secretary Johanns remarks here: fp-07-johanns-conference.mp3
Or you can download here: 
Secretary Johanns Press Conference (8 min MP3)
You can also watch the Secretary on YouTube:
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“See the next decade of biotechnology products.” That’s what Monsanto says its Technology Showcase Tour: The Road Map to Success will demonstrate to farmers in Progress City, IL. The gene optimization, desired trait characteristics and advanced product development that Monsanto promotes with its products is all on display in a live side-by-side comparison of crops with Monsanto products and crops without. The Tour demonstrates how Monsanto works with gene traits to not only protect crops from bugs and weeds, but to “propel yields into the next decade.” Monsanto says its products help match demand with innovative technology, making it possible to meet global feed markets, global food markets and global biofuel markets.
The Tour spelled out how the hybrid system works using female and male parents, which are crossed to produce seed with hybird characteristics. Monsanto displayed these new elite commercial hybrids that it says look bigger and have more yield potential. Researchers are mining corn hybrids not just from the U.S., but from Argentina and Brazil. Representatives say that enables researchers to bring new combinations of genes that benefit growers. They offer new breeding tools that lets scientists pick the valuable gene out of a Brazilian corn line that might be super heat tolerant or a gene from an Argentinian corn line that might have great disease resistance and bring those genes together in a special combination that helps farmers. Monsanto says their tool for breeding is fundamentally changing the yield production for corn production.
Monsanto demonstrated the same ideals in its soybean products. The company says it has found a way to use the RoundUp Ready gene in a place in the soybean chromosome that’s “super hot for yield.” Data shows about a 7 to 11% increase in soybean breeding terms. Monsanto say that’s close to the gain that would be expected from 10 years of breeding. Researchers say there is a huge yield potential embroiled in this product that will provide growers with that “step-change they need to meet that great need for soybean products and the pressure for competition with corn for ethanol.
The pipeline also demonstrates work transforming soybean crops capable of producing oil that is Monsanto claims is virtually identical to olive oil. Oil that is lower in saturated fat and free of harmful trans fats. Monsanto has a million and a half acres dedicated to this demonstration of the first large-scale, identity-preserved value-added gene traits in soybeans.
I spoke briefly with Soybean Trait Manager Gary Elmore about the myriad of technology Monsanto is demonstrating. You can listen to Gary briefly run through what’s going on at the Monsanto Road Map to Success Tour here:
gary_elmore.mp3
Or you can download here: Monsanto Soybean Trait Manager Gary Elmore (1:10 min MP3)
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The Pioneer tent is a really popular place here at the Farm Progress Show. For one thing they’re popping corn at the entrance but more importantly they’ve got air conditioning. I took a break from the sun in their tent and spoke with Jerry Harrington and GW Fuhr.
GW says that Pioneer has a very comprehensive display for farmers this year and in my interview he goes over all of them. For example, you’ve got the big globe in the middle to show how Pioneer is meeting world demand. Then arranged around that are different modules featuring stacked traits in corn technology, soybean technology, biofuels, forage and their crop genetics pipeline.
You can listen to my interview with GW here: fp-07-pioneer.mp3
Or you can download here: GW Fuhr Interview (6 min MP3)
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I think everybody knows Leon Corzine, central Illinois farmer and former chairman of the National Corn Growers Association. He’s a big champion of biotechnology and renewable fuels. Well all that work he’s done for so many years and on so many levels was recognized yesterday by Lincoln Heritage Committee as they bestowed the Abraham Lincoln National Agriculture Award on him here at the Farm Progress Show. Leon is one of the inaugural award recipients.
Here’s Leon with his award. That’s a heavy statue. I tried to move it and it takes two hands! Leon is really proud and honored to receive the award. You can here him talk about what it means in my interview with him.
You can listen to my interview with Leon here: fp-07-corzine.mp3
Besides Leon other award recipients are former Secretary of Agriculture, John Block, University of Illinois Ag Communications Professor Emeritus, Jim Evans and retired National Livestock and Meat Board Executive VP, John Huston.
Or you can download here: Leon Corzine Interview (6 min MP3)
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