New Executive Committee for NAMA

Chuck Zimmerman

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) announced the new Executive Committee for 2018-2019. Pictured is new President, Sheri Seger (right), being handed the gavel from now past President Amy Bradford, GROWMARK. Here’s the full list of members:

PRESIDENT
Sheri Seger, Chicago Chapter
DTN/The Progressive Farmer

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Scott McClure, Gateway Chapter
Brighton Agency

SECRETARY/TREASURER
Sara Steever, Northern Prairie Chapter
Paulsen

VICE PRESIDENT
Laura Svec, Midsouth Chapter
Corteva

The following are continuing on as Vice Presidents of the Executive Committee for the 2018-2019 year: Sue Lee, Fastline Media Group; Deron Johnson, FLM Harvest; Sharon Larson, CHS, Inc.; and John Rozum, Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

NAMA

BVLOS Will Open the Skies

Chuck Zimmerman

In case you didn’t know, BVLOS stands for Beyond Visual Line Of Sight. It’s something you can’t do commercially flying a drone right now. However, PrecisionHawk, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, has conducted research on conducting BVLOS and summarized it in a new report. Image from the PrecisionHawk website.

PrecisionHawk Inc., a leading provider of drone technology for the enterprise, today announced the release of its final Pathfinder Report – a blueprint for enterprises to conduct Beyond the Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The fieldwork was performed in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and MITRE under the Pathfinder Program. The report outlines a comprehensive safety case and standards to fly drones BVLOS and has yielded critical information to the FAA regarding drone operations.

“The final report determined that there are three necessary components for BVLOS flight operations: detection, safety, and drone operator training,” stated Dr. Allison Ferguson, director airspace research at PrecisionHawk. “Technology must be integrated to identify cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft, pilots must be aware of existing airspace classes, temporary flight restrictions, and no-fly zones, and pilots must receive BVLOS-specific training to ensure a safety ecosystem around BVLOS drone flight.”

I do not use my drone commercially and right now I’m mostly confident when I can see it but the more I get used to flying, I can see the value in being able to do so with commercial products for agricultural operations that would not be possible without BVLOS. PrecisionHawk is offering consulting, training and has also announced a multi-rotor BVLOS drone platform. You can find out more about these services here.

AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Technology

ASTA Policy and Leadership Conference Next Month

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) will be in Washington, D.C. June 9-13 for the new ASTA Policy & Leadership Development Conference.

This new event combines ASTA’s annual convention, which has been held each June in different locations for the past 134 years, and the organization’s annual Storm the Hill lobbying day on Capitol Hill.

Educational session tracks will cover: Innovation; Trade/International; Sustainability; and Leadership Development. Featured speakers will include representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Grains Council, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Field-to-Market Sustainability Initiative, and much more. In addition to in-depth educational sessions, the conference will showcase all-new “Lightning Talks” – fast-paced, 15-minute segments featuring the latest inside news from political leaders, industry innovators, and more. The week will conclude with ASTA members visiting Congressional offices to discuss seed industry legislative priorities.

Registration is now open to “Make Your Voice Heard” in Washington, D.C.

ASTA, Seed

Precision Ag Bytes 5/2

Carrie Muehling

  • The American Soybean Association applauded the Commerce Committee for moving forward the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018. ASA President and Iowa soybean grower John Heisdorffer issued the following statement: “ASA welcomes the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 and thanks Sens. Wicker and Klobuchar and Representatives Lotta and Loebsack for introducing legislation which understands the unique needs of growers in rural America. We urge swift passage in the U.S. Senate as wireless broadband connections in the field support on-farm operations and in turn rural communities. This legislation is important to rural America and soy growers everywhere.”
  • Smithers-Oasis Company announces its partnership with Agrilyst, leading provider of a software as a service (SaaS) product for greenhouses and vertical farms that allows growers to track crops, labor, inventory and other metrics. Oasis Grower Solutions products will be included in Agrilyst, and offered to growers that subscribe to the software, which helps them manage their crops and provides data-driven insights to make more profitable production decisions.
  • AgGateway and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have forged an agreement to work together on data projects to benefit American farmers in the transition to digital agriculture. The current agreement will consist of a series of efforts over the next 20 months; all results of the collaboration will be made publicly available. Specifically, the collaboration is designed to provide both parties with the opportunity to better serve the American farmer by: 1) Aligning USDA and AgGateway data elements and data standards; and 2) Developing procedures within the USDA that align with the use of precision ag technology and data used by producers and agri-businesses.
  • Tractor maker John Deere and India’s biggest conglomerate, Tata Group, have agreed a groundbreaking initiative to provide machinery to as many as 100,000 smallholder farmers in the troubled Niger Delta region. The deal is the culmination of a seven-year project by Nigerian collective farming business, Alluvial Agriculture, to address the systemic problems that leave most African smallholder farmers in poverty and threaten food security across the developing world. Alluvial’s solution focuses on aggregating smallholders to create a nucleus of minimum efficient scale and the necessary education, mechanization, inputs and market access.
  • Tractor Supply Company‘s ninth annual Spring Paper Clover Campaign recently raised more than $956,000 through customer donations to benefit 4-H youth across the country. As a result, thousands of 4-H youth will have opportunities to learn valuable leadership skills through camps, conferences and leadership events. Since its start, the company’s biannual fundraiser has collectively generated more than $13.9 million in essential funding.
AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture

Deere Announces New Sprayer and Hagie Updates

Carrie Muehling

John Deere‘s new R4044 Sprayer offers a lightweight, 1,200-gal. capacity option for customers wanting to reduce crop and soil impact.

“Oftentimes, application windows are very narrow, so having a sprayer that can quickly handle the jobs with less crop damage or impact on the soil is a big advantage,” explained Doug Felter, product marketing manager for John Deere application equipment. “The addition of the R4044 to the 4-Series family fills that need perfectly.”

The company is also announcing changes to model year 2019 Hagie sprayers, now powering the largest Hagie STS Sprayers by 6.8L PowerTech John Deere diesel engines. A redesign of the engine compartment and hood on the STS10 and STS12 accommodates the new engines, while incorporating a new tool box and air intake scoop.

“Commonality of engines across all John Deere and Hagie Sprayer platforms makes sense from a customer service perspective, making it easier and convenient for customers to get their sprayers serviced by their local John Deere dealers, no matter which brand they own,” Felter said.

For more information on the changes and updates to Hagie Sprayers for model year 2019, as well as other sprayer innovations from John Deere and Hagie, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit JohnDeere.com/ag.

AgWired Precision, John Deere

Deere Introduces New Chisel Plow & Nutrient Applicator

Cindy Zimmerman

John Deere introduces two new products aimed at increasing precision and productivity for primary tillage and nutrient application.

The 2430 Chisel Plow and 2430C Nutrient Applicator share common new features that differentiate them from the 2410 models they replace, including the TruSet™ precision depth control system, radial tires and rear hitch.

For both the chisel plow and nutrient applicator, TruSet provides the documentation and prescription functionality producers demand when coupled with other John Deere precision ag technologies like Generation 4 Displays and the John Deere Operations Center. The TruSet Side-to-Side option is available for individual section depth control for 3- and 5-frame models of the 2430 Chisel Plow and the 2430C Nutrient Applicator, depending on configuration.

Learn more about these new products from John Deere or contact your local John Deere dealer.

AgWired Precision, Equipment, John Deere

New Free App Can Help Manage Federal Dicamba Regulations

Cindy Zimmerman

Cropstream, a new communication network built for agriculture, has released a free crop registry app that allows growers to easily share their crop trait information with other farmers, agronomists and applicators right from their computer browser. A mobile app allows users to view nearby crop technology traits to help manage the federal dicamba requirement of consulting a sensitive crop registry before spraying.

“Cropstream lets growers quickly and easily share information about their crops. In less than one minute, growers can mark their field on a map and post information about the seed traits in their crops,” states Cropstream president Tim Aughenbaugh. “Cropstream’s database of over 10,000 seed varieties make posting traits as simple as selecting the brand and hybrid/variety planted and confirming the trait. It protects your information by sharing only the trait, not the seed variety itself, and allows you to turn sharing on and off whenever desired.”

Cropstream is a free cloud-based service designed to facilitate better communications between growers, seed dealers, ag retailers and manufacturers. Cropstream displays posted crop traits on a map from either a browser or a smart phone, making it perfect for crop registry purposes.

Just visit cropstream.com to mark your fields and post your crop traits, then download the app in the Apple store to view fields on the go. An Android app will be available soon.

AgWired Precision, Apps, Precision Agriculture

Do You Schedule Posts

Chuck Zimmerman

I remember when we used the word, “post,” it meant on your blog.  Today that means anything you publish on your blog or any social networking channel.  I do miss the days when I only had to post on AgWired.com!  Now I have to include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.  And, no, I do not use all of them regularly, especially Instagram or LinkedIn.

So, if there is indeed a simple user interface to allow me to post on all of them, to schedule posts in advance or to re-post, I’m interested in the name of efficiency.  There are a variety of services now that let you do just that.  At ZimmComm we’re looking into Coschedule, which I’m using to create and schedule this post on AgWired.

So, while I’m testing I thought I’d ask the community if you schedule.  Do you use Coschedule or another service like Sprout Social?  If you do schedule posts, why? Does it help you with time management? Does your service provide relevant analytics to determine performance and value?  I’m interested in all those things.  That’s just the way AgNerds are after all.

Social Media

Foundation Grants $5 million for Irrigation Innovation

Cindy Zimmerman

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit organization established by the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded a $5 million grant to launch the Irrigation Innovation Consortium.

The purpose of the consortium is to “accelerate the development and adoption of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies and practices through public-private partnerships.” The $5 million FFAR grant was matched by the ten founding members participants for a total initial investment of $10 million to support research and collaboration costs over five years.

The initial founding members of the Consortium are:

California State University, Fresno
Colorado State University
Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI)
Irrigation Association (IA)
Jain Irrigation
Kansas State Research and Extension, Kansas State University
Lindsay Corporation
Northern Water
Rubicon Water
Texas A&M AgriLife Research

Plans for the consortium began in April 2017 at a FFAR-hosted convening event held at the Daugherty Water for Food Institute Global Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. “We are excited to be a leading partner on this important endeavor,” said Peter McCornick, executive director of DWFI. “Our institute’s experience in water management practices and remote sensing technology, as well as connections to 100 faculty fellows within the University of Nebraska system, will play a vital role in the project.”

Initial research priorities include water and energy efficiency, remote sensing and big data applications for improving water management, irrigation technology acceleration and technology transfer.

AgWired Precision, Irrigation, Water for Food

Animal Ag Bites 4/30

Carrie Muehling

  • Hypor, the swine breeding business of Hendrix Genetics, will join a research alliance to end surgical castrations of male piglets. The alliance, announced on January 3, 2018 by Recombinetics and DNA Genetics, is developing a precision breeding technology that results in male piglets born naturally castrated.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation April Dairy Market Report shows the U.S. average all-milk price lost a total of $2.80/cwt. in three roughly equal drops from November 2017 through this past February. Total U.S. milk production was up by 1.6 percent from a year earlier during the three months of December 2017 through February 2018, while estimated total U.S. production of milk solids rose by 2 percent during the same period. The monthly margin under the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) for February 2018 was $6.88/cwt. It was the third month in a row during which the MPP margin was down more than $1.00/cwt. from the previous month.
  • Rural, small-scale farmers in four states in Southern Mexico will soon gain market access to a large-scale consumer base in a new groundbreaking project. This initiative will provide economic stability to communities in need, while meeting growing market demand for high-quality, sustainably sourced food. The two-year project, “Rural Entrepreneurs: Connecting Field to Table” is led by the nonprofit Heifer International and made possible by a grant from Walmart Foundation.
  • The American Hereford Association introduces the Maternal Advantage program – a genetically verified program that will be used to identify premium replacement females. This new female-focused program is designed to take advantage of hybrid vigor by capitalizing on Hereford genetics.
  • Zoetis kicked off the #MyVetIsCore Sweepstakes, a new online sweepstakes that invites horse owners to express their appreciation for their veterinarian. Until May 22, 2018, horse owners can visit MyVetIsCore.com to enter for a chance to win weekly prizes as well as a grand prize of a $1,000 gift card to the equine veterinarian or tack store of their choice. Additionally, the grand-prize winner’s veterinarian will come away with a one-year membership to American Association of Equine Practitioners.
  • An upcoming free CattleFax webinar will provide an outlook for the cow-calf and entire beef industry for the remainder of 2018. The CattleFax Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar will be held May 23, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. MT. To participate in the webinar and access program details, producers and industry leaders should register online at https://www.cattlefax.com/#!/about.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites