John Deere Connected Support Helps Dealers Help Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

John Deere Connected Support™ Expert Alerts was honored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) with the AE50 Award for 2018 as one of the most innovative designs in product engineering in the food and agriculture industry. But for John Deere dealers, what it means is helping their customers reduce downtime and save money, and that gives farmers who buy John Deere equipment piece of mind.

“What’s really cool is that we have embedded technology on our machines,” said Deere Product Marketing Manager Scott Brotherton during an interview at Commodity Classic. “In the event that something should happen in the field, this technology will alert the dealership and make them aware of the problem.”

Expert Alerts utilizes JDLink™ machine connectivity and data analytics to predict service needs, reduce diagnostic time and minimize downtime. This results in higher levels of machine availability, improved machine performance and lower cost of operation. “Customers are starting to see the value first hand because the dealers are so much more responsive,” said Brotherton.

Learn more about Deere Connected Dealer Support in this interview: Interview with Scott Brotherton, John Deere

John Deere at 2018 Commodity Classic

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Precision Ag Bytes 3/28

Cindy Zimmerman

  • A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service finds that despite higher winter loss rates, the number of U.S. honey bee colonies has remained stable or risen between 1996 and 2016. The report, “Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health” provides an overview of the pollination services market and examines empirical data on pollinated crop production, pollination service fees, and annual numbers of honey bee colonies.
  • Farm supply retailer Southern States Cooperative has added industry veterans Jay Quickel and Joe Paoli to head-up their farm supply and sales divisions. Quickel will serve as executive vice president of the co-op’s farm supply division and Paoli comes on board as the executive vice president of sales.
  • Understory, the weather network, edge computing, and machine learning company, has announced an international expansion and strategic collaboration with Monsanto. Monsanto’s use of Understory’s weather network is providing on-the-ground insights into localized weather in Argentina to drive growers’ decisions and optimize high value operations.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 AEM Hall of Fame. The Hall recognizes and celebrates industry leaders, innovators and pioneers who have contributed to the growth and overall quality of the off-road equipment industry.
  • Nichino America introduces Gatten®, a new fungicide for powdery mildew control in grapes and other crops. Nichino and OAT Agrio Co., Ltd., the discoverer and manufacturer of Gatten, have reached an agreement for Nichino America to market and sell Gatten in the United States and Canada.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

The Global Promotion of Irish Food & Drink

Jamie Johansen

While traveling Ireland with Alltech and KEENAN we stopped by Bord Bia Irish Food Board to learn more about the role they play in promoting Irish food and drink worldwide.

One of the prize projects they have developed is Origin Green, a program centered around food sustainability. The unique national concept brings in industry, the state and stakeholders within the industry to all work together. Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia Sr. Manager Food & Beverage Division, said, “It starts at the farm level. The next stage up is the manufacturing level and recently we’ve added the final end of the leg, retailers and foodservice operators.”

Just like farming and ranching in the U.S., Ireland is faced with the need to prove sustainability. This program is doing just that. “On the farm, it is about setting a standard and auditing farmers at either the beef or dairy assurance scheme and then moving on to the manufacturing and further up the supply chain.

Origin Green’s 280+ verified members now account for over 90% of Ireland’s total food and drink exports, a fourth consecutive year of growth. And their over 500 participating companies’ account for 95% of total food and drink exports, highlighting the ongoing and sustained commitment of Irish food and drink manufacturers towards sustainability and Origin Green.

Listen to my complete interview with Mary to learn more about Origin Green and how they are marketing Ireland’s brands internationally: Interview with Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia

Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

 

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

 

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Beef, Dairy, International, Sustainability

ZimmCast 578 from Ag Week in DC

Cindy Zimmerman

Last week was a busy one in Washington, DC with National Ag Day Activities, the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit and American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual Fly-in. It was a week of crazy weather, including six inches of snow the second day of spring, but all events went as planned and were all very successful and well attended.

This podcast includes National Ag Day comments from Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, interviews with American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), and comments from the newly appointed chief ag negotiator for USTR, Gregg Doud. You can find lots more audio and photos from all of last week’s events on AgNewsWire where there is a virtual newsroom for each one. All of the content is in the public domain and free to use.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 578 - Ag Week in DC

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

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ACE, Ag Day, Agri-Pulse, Audio, Ethanol, Trade, USDA, ZimmCast

Scholar Farms Offers Masterclass for Drones

Chuck Zimmerman

If you’ve got a drone and are looking for some lessons then you need to talk to Dr. Greg Crutsinger, Founder, Scholar Farms. You can listen to my conversation with him about his newly announced Phytomappers Pro Masterclass below.

This course explains how to integrate drones into commercial workflows for agriculture, forestry, environmental consultancies, scientific research and other plant-related industries.

“Navigating the drone industry can be a daunting process with so many options for hardware, sensors, and software. Then, it can then be quite challenging to understand what all those data mean for different kinds of plants and across the growing season,” says Greg. “Phytomappers Pro was built to provide a solid foundation for plant professionals to get up to speed quickly and integrate drone effectively into their everyday workflow”.

Phytomappers Pro is designed for drone service providers, commercial agriculture team members, land managers, and academics (students, faculty, and researchers) that want to get the best results from using drones for mapping in the field.
 

The course is available for $397 from www.ScholarFarms.com. Additionally, there is a free lesson available, “A Quick Start Guide to Plants and Drones” which gives an industry overview.

You can listen to my interview with Greg here: Interview with Greg Crutsinger, Scholar Farms

AgWired Precision, Audio

Soil Health Partnership Grows and Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

As the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) heads into its fourth year of long-term data collection on working farms, the National Corn Growers Association initiative (NCGA) continues to grow and change.

Nick Goeser, who has served as the project’s director since its launch in 2014, has been promoted to the position of Vice President of Production and Sustainability for the National Corn Growers Association, and while he will still be involved to some degree, SHP will be seeking a new director.

“The Soil Health Partnership is a project I have poured my heart and soul into for the last four years,” Goeser said. “My hope is that this change will bring additional opportunity and support to the partnership.” Goeser will serve as a member of the SHP Steering Committee and remain engaged with the Science Advisory Council.

In other SHP staff changes, former Eastern Iowa Field Manager Elyssa McFarland has accepted a promotion to a new position as Key Relationships Director to identify key contacts at new and existing stakeholder organizations to establish and foster relationships.

Jack Cornell has been promoted to Field Team Director from his former position of Operations Manager to oversee the SHP Field Team and work to add new levels of support in areas like farmer relationship management, data collection and management, special collaborative projects and network expansion efforts.

Former Program Coordinator Anne Dietz has been promoted to SHP Project Manager and will take a more active role in overseeing management of essential projects across SHP such as assistance in grant management, website development, and technology integration efforts.

In addition to a new director, the organization plans to hire a Business Development Director, a Lead Scientist and additional field managers as expansion continues. Several positions are posted on the Soil Health Partnership careers page.

AgWired Precision, NCGA, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

Walker Retires from Case IH

Cindy Zimmerman

Case IH Vice President in North America Jim Walker has retired from the company after more than 11 years, and Scott Harris, current vice president of CASE Construction, will transition to Case IH and lead the brand as vice president for the North American region. The company made the announcement Monday.

“Jim’s leadership has made a significant impact on the Case IH brand, and we thank him for his contribution,” said Andreas Klauser, Case IH president. “We are excited for Scott Harris to join the Case IH brand and drive success for the brand as we look toward the future.”

Harris has demonstrated strong leadership in many positions at CASE Construction and displayed passion for the high-efficiency farming equipment producers rely on every day. His varied roles have prepared him to lead Case IH, focusing on both the needs of producers and its dealer network.

AgWired Precision, Case IH, Equipment

Easter Eggs Are Up in Farm Bureau Survey

Cindy Zimmerman

Your Easter basket is just a little pricier this year, according to the lastest American Farm Bureau Federation Spring Picnic Marketbasket Survey.

Higher retail prices for several foods including eggs, orange juice, meat products, bagged salad, shredded cheddar and vegetable oil contributed to the overall increase of two percent compared to last year. The informal survey showed the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.05, up $1.02 from a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, nine increased and seven decreased in average price.

AFBF director of market intelligence John Newton says eggs are 37 percent higher than a year ago. “U.S. egg exports were up nearly 50 percent in 2017 while egg production remained flat,” which led to the strong rise in retail egg prices, he said, noting that bird flu outbreak in South Korea contributed to the increase in U.S. export volumes.

Orange juice prices are up 24 cents or 7.5 percent this year, thanks to Hurricane Irma which contributed to Florida citrus growers harvesting the smallest crop in 70 years.

Several foods showed modest retail price decreases from a year ago: whole milk, white bread, chicken breasts, toasted oat cereal, apples, potatoes and flour.

Click for the details from AFBF.

AFBF, AgWired Animal, Food

Agri-Pulse Summit Hits Timely Trade Topics

Cindy Zimmerman

Trade was definitely in the spotlight last week as the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit was being held. Speakers included Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, Ranking Member Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Agricultural Trade, and Food Assistance Ray Starling, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, and USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud, among many others.

We will be adding more audio from the event on the AgNewsWire virtual newsroom but here are just a few of the headliners who talked about trade in their remarks.

Sen. Pat Roberts comments at Agri-Pulse summit

Sen. Debbie Stabenow comments at Agri-Pulse summit

Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Agri-Pulse summit

Ted McKinney, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs

Gregg Doud, USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Agri-Pulse summit

2018 Ag & Food Policy Summit Photo Album

Agri-Pulse, Audio, Trade

FMC Offers Season Long Disease Protection

Cindy Zimmerman

Kyle Bauer, KFRM, visits with FMC’s Matt Wiggins at Commodity Classic

FMC ever-growing portfolio of products offers corn, soybean and wheat farmers season-long protection from the top disease threats.

At Commodity Classic, FMC Technical Service Manager Matt Wiggins was talking about the three primary solutions they offer for diseases such as Northern corn leaf blight, grey leaf spot, frog-eye leaf spot, target spot, and white mold in soybeans, rust and head scab in wheat. “Number one would be just Topguard®, single mode of action triazole for corn, soybeans and wheat,” said Wiggins. From that, they have Topguard EQ that combines a strobilurin fungicide with FMC’s patented flutriafol, and Preemptor® SC.

Wiggins says FMC has other fungicides in the pipeline going forward. Learn more in this interview –
Interview with FMC's Matt Wiggins on fungicides

FMC at 2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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