Smart Ag Driverless Tractor Demo at #FPS18

Cindy Zimmerman

A driverless tractor demonstration stole the spotlight at the 2018 Farm Progress Show, especially since it was able to get out and in the field Tuesday before demos were cancelled for a day and a half due to weather.

Ames, Iowa-based technology company Smart Ag introduced a full-stack software platform and aftermarket kit for driverless tractors. This revolutionary development in agriculture automation was displayed with field demonstrations of AutoCart® – a software application that fully automates a grain cart tractor and provides farmers much needed labor assistance during harvest.

Smart Ag Founder and CEO, Colin Hurd, said AutoCart will address the issues of labor, profitability and productivity for today’s farmer. “At Smart Ag, we strongly believe the best way for producers to increase the capacities of their farms is to allow them to perfect the operation of their machinery – and that can be accomplished by using Smart Ag’s automation and driverless tractor technologies,” Hurd said.

Hurd was joined at the show by Chief Technology Officer Mark Barglof and Chief Marketing Officer Justin Heath for a press conference and field demo which generated quite a bit of interest. The cost of the system is $35,000 to $40,000 and is comparable to retrofitting a sprayer or planter with precision technology. Orders for AutoCart have been filled for 2018, and the Smart Ag development team will be delivering and installing 15 to 20 systems throughout the Midwest, MidSouth and Manitoba, Canada for use in this fall’s harvest and for post-harvest dealer demonstrations.

Listen to the Smart Ag team explain the system here: FPS18 Smart Ag press conference

Watch a video Iowa Farm Bureau shot at FPS:


You can also find lots of photo from the presser and demo here:
2018 Farm Progress Show

Content Creation at the Farm Progress Show brought to you by Farm Progress Show content creation courtesy of John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
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Farm Progress Show News Briefs

Cindy Zimmerman

As always, there was lots of new equipment announcements at the 2018 Farm Progress Show. Here are some of them:

AGCO Corporation
Fendt IDEAL Combine Takes Center Stage at 2018 Farm Progress Show
Massey Ferguson Debuts the 1700M Series Compact Tractor at Farm Progress Show 2018
Massey Ferguson Introduces the RB Series Silage Baler at Farm Progress Show 2018

Case IH
Case IH Adds to Farmall Tractor Lineup
Seed More Acres With the Precision Disk 500DS Air Drill From Case IH
New Disc Mower Conditioner Features From Case IH Maximize Haying Window
Case IH Rolls Out AFS Soil Command Agronomic Control Technology for Tillage Lineup

CLAAS of America
CLAAS Launches FIRST CLAAS USED Program
CLAAS Launches New CONVIO Header Line for LEXION Combine
CLAAS of America Announces Numerous Launches and Updates Across Long-Line Product Range

New Holland
New Holland Equipment for Cattlemen Focused on Efficiency Debuts at 2018 Farm Progress Show
New Holland Pushes Operational Performance to a New Level at 2018 Farm Progress Show
New Holland Equipment Showcased at 2018 Farm Progress Show Boosts Quality Forage Production
New Holland Enhances CR Revelation Combines and Takes Productivity to a New Level

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AMVAC Launches Force® 10G HL Insecticide

Cindy Zimmerman

At the 2018 Farm Progress Show this week, AMVAC® Chemical Corporation announced the launch of Force 10G HL Insecticide for field corn, seed corn, sweet corn and popcorn.

Force 10G HL has a reliable pyrethroid mode of action for proven control of corn rootworms and seed-attacking pests, including Mexican corn rootworms, northern corn rootworms, southern corn rootworms, western corn rootworms, cutworms, lesser cornstalk borers, white grubs, wireworms, seedcorn maggots and seedcorn beetles. With three times the amount of active ingredient than in Force 3G Insecticide, growers get the performance they expect with the convenience of fewer SmartBox® containers, refills, pallets to store and boxes to unload, leaving more time to plant.

“AMVAC’s new high load granular insecticide allows growers to plant more acres with fewer refills,” said Jim Lappin, AMVAC crop marketing manager, corn and soybeans. “AMVAC’s SmartBox closed system protects the applicator and Force 10G HL protects corn roots for healthier, stronger stands and better returns from the fields.”

AMVAC is offering a grower rebate of $3/per acre with the purchase of Force 10G HL and either Impact® or ImpactZ® Herbicide in the same growing season.

Audio – FPS 18 AMVAC Jim Lappin on new Force 10G HL and Buy 2 Get 3

AMVAC photo album at the 2018 Farm Progress Show

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Deere Adds New Tillage Models

Cindy Zimmerman

John Deere introduced a number of new product offerings at the 2018 Farm Progress Show, including the new 2660VT Variable-Intensity Tillage Tool.

Paul Richardel, Deere Product Line Marketing Manager for Tillage, was excited to talk about the new 2660VT with its adjustable gang angle that features an all-new frame and the right amount of weight per blade to handle a wide range of soil, crop residue and field conditions at operating speeds up to 10 miles per hour.

Specifically for the 2660VT, Deere is introducing the exclusive 22-inch (55.8 cm), heavy-duty Commander™ Blade with its double-cut edge to more easily penetrate hard soils and size and mix residue. This wavy straight blade on 7.25-inch (18.4 cm) spacings has a serrated edge and shallow concavity to fracture and lift hard soils with less smearing and is designed for low-draft tillage at maximum field speeds.

Richardel talks about the 2660VT in this interview. FPS 18 John Deere 2660VT Interview with Paul Richardel

John Deere at the 2018 Farm Progress Show

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Zimfo Bytes 8/31

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue unveiled a new webpage featuring information about the importance of rural e-Connectivity and the ways the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing to help deploy high-speed broadband infrastructure in rural America. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
  • National Farmers Union Foundation has announced the 2018 recipients of the Hubert K. & JoAnn Seymour and Stanley Moore Scholarship awards. Jessica Jurcek of Jefferson, Wisconsin, received the $2,000 Hubert K. & JoAnn Seymour Scholarship. The recipients of the Stanley Moore Scholarship are Marissa Holinka of Watertown, South Dakota; Mya Vetter of Linton, North Dakota; and Megan Olson of Maddock, North Dakota.
  • The Georgia Cotton Commission, Georgia Peanut Commission and the University of Georgia Extension Cotton and Peanut Teams, will co-sponsor a joint research field day on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, in Tifton, Georgia. To view an agenda, visit www.georgiacottoncommission.org or www.gapeanuts.com.
  • INMED Partnerships for Children and INMED South Africa announced that project beneficiary Pella Food Garden Cooperative was named Best Subsistence Producer by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at this year’s annual Female Entrepreneur Awards. The group also was named the Overall Winner of the provincial Female Entrepreneur Awards by the Department of Agriculture in the Northern Cape.
  • Join The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse Communications for the 2018 Ag Outlook Forum on September 27, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Visit the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City website for event registration. Early bird registration ends today, August 31st, so be sure to register now!
  • The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Matthew Rouse, a U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist, is the winner of the 2018 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, at the Sustainable Development Goals Conference in the Netherlands.
  • Recognize, reward and develop your organization’s high achievers and future leaders by nominating them for the Agricultural Retailers Association Rising Stars Class of 2018. Nominations will be accepted through September 14.
  • College students are lining up for the chance to win more than $25,000 in scholarships while advocating for agriculture in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 10th annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition which kicks off September 10. Undergraduate students, graduate students and collegiate clubs can sign up at https://collegeaggies.animalagalliance.org.
  • Start making your plans for the 2018 NAFB Convention today. Join more than 650 agricultural industry leaders November 7-9 in Kansas City for three days of learning, newsmaker sessions, networking, and more. Click here for a tentative 2018 schedule.
  • Alltech’s Town Branch Distillery will soon use non-GMO corn from a familiar local source: the Nicholasville farm of Alltech co-founder Mrs. Deirdre Lyons. Alltech’s crop science division is cultivating the plants using its own organic solutions to optimize yield and ensure a healthy harvest destined for use in bourbon and rye whiskeys.
  • Culver’s has again teamed up with corn mazes designers to grow messages that celebrate agriculture while growing our guests’ appreciation for those who produce food. Since the creation of the Thank You Farmers Project in 2013, Culver’s has donated nearly $2 million to advancing agricultural education and helping guests understand why it’s so important to support those who provide food for our growing population. Learn more about this year’s mazes and the Thank You Farmers Project at http://www.culvers.com/thankyoufarmersproject.
Alltech, NAFB, Peanuts, USDA, Zimfo Bytes

GROWMARK: Our Strategy is to ‘GROW’

Carrie Muehling

The theme of the 2018 GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago is more than just a theme. It’s also the strategy the company will use moving forward.

The executive team is focusing on the word “GROW” – an acronym they plan to use to reflect an entire enterprise strategy across all of the cooperative’s business units, according to Ann Kafer, vice president of human resources and strategy officer.

The GROW acronym stands for Good Relationships, Resources of Unmatched Value, Optimized Supply Chain, and Winning Innovations.

“This is about growing, but it’s growing in efficiency, growing in profitability, growing geographically but truly growing in our ability to be an unsurpassed customer experience for our farmer owners and our member companies,” said Kafer, who served as emcee for the Agribusiness Symposium portion of the meeting.

The symposium included four speakers and each one spoke on a specific pillar of the GROW strategy. Burn survivor John O’Leary handled Great Relationships. Business expert Scott McKain spoke on Resources of Unmatched Value. Scott Komar with Driscoll’s Berries shared his company’s story regarding an Optimized Supply Chain, and Duke’s Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski talked about Winning Innovations.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Ann Kafer, GROWMARK VP of Human Resources

Audio, Cooperatives, GROWMARK

Secretary Perdue Comments on Current Issues

Cindy Zimmerman

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited the Farm Progress Show this week, making an appearance for everyone at the show to enjoy with Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson in the VIP tent, followed by a press gaggle where trade was the number one topic, along with WOTUS and the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Asked about Canada and its dairy policy – “The president’s been pretty firm on this…We’re not asking Canada to do away totally with their supply-management system, but if they’re going to continue we want them to manage their supply.”

Regarding trade assistance to farmers – “It’s based on what is the tariff damage actually calculated. That’s why you see the difference between the soybean award and the corn award, because of the tariff damage.”

WOTUS court decision – “Administrator Wheeler now is working on a renewed WOTUS rule that will be affirmed in the courts to give our farmers certainty.”

E15 year round – “President called me this morning said let’s get it done.”

Listen here – FPS 18 Secretary Perdue press gaggle

2018 Farm Progress Show

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2018 #FPS18 Bayer Grower Panel on Next Gen Ag

Chuck Zimmerman

The last in the series of Bayer Grower Panels during the Farm Progress Show focused on “Preparing for the next generation of ag – on and off the farm.”

Moderated by Pam Fretwell, the panelists included Bob Arndt, Wisconsin farmer, Jill Bramble, Senior Vp & Chief Resource Development Officer, National 4-H Council, Greg Nickrent, Senior Relationship Manager with BMO Harris, Serena Woodard, 4-H and Jeff Waller, Wisconsin farmer.

You can listen to the panel here: Bayer Grower Panel 3 - Preparing for the next gen of ag


Photos of Bayer activities can be found here: Bayer at 2018 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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Bayer #FPS18 Grower Panel on Sustainability

Chuck Zimmerman

The second in the series of grower panels held at the Bayer tent during the Farm Progress Show was delayed to Wednesday morning. Moderating once again was Pam Fretwell.

This panel focused on “How sustainable farming practices boost your bottom line.” The panelists were Trey Hill, Harborview Farms, Rock Hall, Maryland and the first Bayer ForwardFarm in the U.S. and Jamie Walter, Whiskey Acres Distilling Company and a farmer in Illinois.

You can listen to the panel here: Bayer Grower Panel 2 - Sustainable Farming Practices


Photos of Bayer activities can be found here: Bayer at 2018 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Content Creation at the Farm Progress Show brought to you by Farm Progress Show content creation courtesy of John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, Sustainability, Video

Launching GROWMARK System University

Carrie Muehling

GROWMARK employees will see a change to how they access training and development opportunities with the launch of GROWMARK System University, or GSU, introduced during the company’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“We want to help our employees to understand that there will now be one place to go to search for training and development opportunities, and that one place will be GROWMARK System University. We want to get them into that mindset,” said Michelle Hillary, GROWMARK education analyst. “We have so much great training throughout our divisions, and we want to make it easily accessible for all corporate employees, members, everyone throughout our system.”

Hillary said the idea for the program came about 10 years ago, but the timing just wasn’t right. In the meantime, the company has continued to grow in size and diversity and new technology has afforded more opportunities for employee development. Hillary said team members have spent the past two years or so bringing the project to fruition. She said training and development includes much more than on-site workshops. Employees will also have access to offsite events, podcasts, PDF files and other resources from places like LinkedIn.

Employees across the GROWMARK and FS System will have the same access to all of those training and development resources, as well as ample communication and coaching about how to learn and manage the new GROWMARK System University website.

Listen to Carrie’s interview with Michelle here: Interview with Michelle Hillary, GROWMARK

Audio, GROWMARK