Ag Innovations Honored at Commodity Classic
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers honored three companies with the inaugural Davidson Prize for Innovation at the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California. The Davidson Prize is named for J.B. Davidson, the father of modern agricultural engineering, and was created to celebrate breakthrough innovations in areas of agricultural, food and biological systems engineering.
“These three products deliver on solutions that truly represent the spirit of J.B. Davidson and the innovative legacy of agriculture,” said WEM Senior Vice President of Agriculture Curt Blades.
Listen to the press conference here:
AEM Press Conference
Case IH won for its Trident 5550 liquid/dry combination applicator, designed from the ground up to be changed between the two systems.
Audio – Interview with Mark Burns, Case IH
John Deere was honored for its S700 Combine featuring the Gen4 Command Center and Combine Advisor technology.
Audio – Interview with Matt Badding, John Deere
Also recognized with the Davidson Prize was the Robovator Mechanical Weeding Machine from F. Poulsen Engineering in Denmark, which determines the shape difference between the weed and the plant and replaces workers who can then be used in other areas. Accepting the award was Bartley Walker. President/CEO of Pacific Ag Rentals.
Audio – Interview with Bartley Walker, Pacific Ag Rentals
2018 Commodity Classic Photo Album
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Precision Ag Bytes 2/28
BRANDT has just completed the construction of a new 2,000 square foot formulations lab in its Pleasant Plains, IL production facility. The new lab will serve as a hub for new formulation development and testing, as well as quality control.- Golden Harvest seeds will be a major benefactor of Syngenta’s incremental $400 million investment over the next five years. This funding is in addition to the $1.3 billion the company already invests in research and development annually. Golden Harvest will double its seed breeding staff, increase trial testing by one-third and increase new corn chassis by 58 percent, giving farmers an even more differentiated portfolio of hybrids and varieties to choose from.
- John Deere recently became the tenth company to certify their Operations Center’s ag-data collection portal for privacy, security and transparency for farmers using this technology. Completing the Ag Data Transparent certification process — based on a third-party administered, not-for-profit evaluation — allows companies that engage in, and collect, agricultural data to align to industry-wide principles to build trust with users of ag precision technology.
- Advanced Biological Marketing is proud to announce and welcome Kade Haas as Regional Sales Manager for the Southeast United States. In his new position, Kade will be responsible for managing sales and accounts in his specified territory, with a high focus on building a strong network and relationship with current and potential clients.
- HELM Agro US, Inc. has hired Michael Hoger as its new national Sales Manager. In his new role, Hoger will be responsible for the leadership, planning and execution of crop protection product sales and channel partner programs for HELM Agro US distributor, retailer and grower networks.
- Helena Chemical Company has introduced four new products to their 2018 lineup, providing all agronomic solutions in one convenient service — the Helena Acre. The new product lineup includes Ele-Max® Sulfur LC, Sultrus™, N-Fixx® XLR and Antares® Prime.
Camso Adding Value with Smart Track Technology
By getting equipment to and from the field faster with new proprietary smart track technology, Camso is helping farmers to be more profitable.
“No farm equipment makes any money on the road. It makes money being in the field. We want to help them manage temperature so they know how warm the tractor is running. We want to make sure we can get the farmers from one place to another as fast as they probably can,” said Martin Lunkenbein, Service and Aftermarket Sales Executive Director for Agriculture at Camso. “Heat is the enemy of rubber. So we want to make sure we can help them manage that so they know how warm their track is running. So if they need to manage their speed, they can do it. If they don’t, they can run full out and get from one place to another as quickly as they need to.”
Sensors built into the tracks will communicate information back to a mobile device, helping farmers to lower operating costs and improve track durability. For more information, visit www.camso.co.
Learn more in the video below:
2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Sen. Cruz Allows Bill Northey Confirmation
Bill Northey is at last free to take the job at USDA that he was nominated for almost six months ago after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) lifted his hold on the nomination and allowed the confirmation Tuesday. The Senate confirmed Northey on a voice vote to become USDA’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation as Sens. Cruz, Pat Toomey (R-PA), Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa met with President Trump to discuss changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“We feel better today because we have Bill Northey,” said National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Skunes of North Dakota during a press conference at the kick off of the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim Tuesday. “We believe there was no deal struck at the White House meeting.”
Audio file: NCGA Classic press conference
Suffice it to say, every agricultural group in the country is happy to see Bill Northey approved and hopes that means the rest of the jobs at USDA can be finally be filled. Ethanol organizations are also pleased that Sen. Cruz released his hold without any apparent deal that would undermine the RFS. “The general assessment so far is there is no deal, there’s going to be continued conversation,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen.
Audio file: Gaggle with RFA CEO Bob Dinneen
Growth Energy Senior Director of Government Affairs John Fuher was also pleased to hear there was no deal made during the White House meeting. “Our senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst really stood up for us and really presented an alternative case,” said Fuher.
Audio file: Interview with John Fuher, Growth Energy
President Trump has reportedly called for another meeting on Thursday with representatives from the ethanol and refinery industries.
FMC’s Precision Platform Provides Choices for Growers
FMC is focusing on precision when it comes to crop protection. With current product 3RIVE 3D and newly acquired PrecisionPac from DuPont, the company is organizing itself around precision application technologies.
While traits are important, FMC’s Rick Ekins said they’re not the only answer. Other modes of action like precision crop protection products help to further protect the grower.
“The capability is certainly there to get very precise with the application rates, to be able to change rates on the fly, things of that nature. We’re trying to think ahead as far as we can and be compatible with the software that’s out there or the software that we can see coming and make sure that no matter what brand of planter a grower is using, they can still use our 3RIVE 3D application system,” said Ekins, who works on Precision Platforms for FMC.
Ekins said FMC is unique in agriculture because they are not constrained or tied to a seed brand, allowing growers the freedom to make decisions that are right for their crop. The new FMC Freedom Pass program is built around that concept. New products will soon expand FMC’s presence in the soybean, wheat and sunflower markets.
Learn more in the video below:
2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Restoring Consumer Trust
Rob Schrick, strategic business lead, broad acre crops, Bayer CropScience, took the stage at the 2018 AgVocacy Forum with Global Head R&D, Adrian Percy, to have a candid conversation about restoring consumer trust. We spoke with Rob following the on-stage Q&A to hear about his excitement for future digitalization and how Bayer’s Forward Farm is connecting with consumers globally.
“Forward Farm is simple in nature. It’s highlighting growers who are utilizing technology to grow a crop sustainability and more efficiently. We are partnering with them in areas like Washington D.C., Brussels, Belgium and Paris. We bring in legislators, regulators and consumers to visit these farms and see how growers use technology, how they grow the crops, what goes into growing the food supply we all enjoy,” Schrick said,
Listen to my complete chat with Rob here: Interview with Rob Schrick, Business Lead, Broad Acre Crops, Bayer CropScience
Listen to the complete on-stage discussion with Rob and Adrian here: Q&A with Adrian & Rob, Bayer CropScience
View and download photos here: 2018 Bayer AgVocacy Forum Photo Album
Photos, video, and audio interviews from Bayer at Commodity Classic 
FMC Managing Resistant Weeds With New Herbicide
Controlling resistant weeds is an ongoing challenge for growers, especially when it comes to the pigweed family including waterhemp and Palmer amaranth.
Technical Service Representative Nick Hustedde covers Illinois and Indiana for FMC. He said it’s important to use residual herbicides with multiple sites of action to manage these prolific seed producers that can germinate over a long period of time.
“The residual herbicide is going to provide that early season weed control, and that’s not only going to preserve yield potential, but it’s also going to reduce the selection pressure on the herbicide technology in combination with the trait the grower is using,” said Hustedde. “So, if we’re utilizing those pre-emergence herbicides with multiple sites of action and we can minimize the number of individuals that are exposed to that post treatment, we’re going to preserve the life cycle of that particular technology.”
Hustedde recommended using a herbicide like the new Authority Supreme from FMC along with other cultural practices like narrowing row spacing, increasing seeding rate to facilitate a quicker canopy, deep tillage where it makes sense, and maybe even cover crops to maintain weed control.
Listen to Chuck’s interview with Nick Hustedde here: Interview with Nick Hustedde, FMC
2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
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Industry Groups Anxious About White House RFS Meeting
Biofuels and agricultural groups are anxiously awaiting the outcome of a meeting today between President Trump and four Republicans senators over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
Trump will be meeting with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), who want to see changes in the RFS to protect refiners, and Iowa Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst, who want to protect the RFS. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue are also expected to attend the meeting.
In advance of the pow-wow today, a group of six leaders from farm and commodity organizations sent a letter to President Trump yesterday voicing support for the Renewable Fuels Standard. “The RFS, which sets targets for blending ethanol and biodiesel into our nation’s fuel supply, created new markets for our farmers, created new jobs in rural America, gave consumers more fuel choices, and improved our nation’s air quality,” reads the letter. It is signed by the leaders of the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Sorghum Producers, and National Association of Wheat Growers. The commodity organizations are all meeting this week for the annual Commodity Classic in Anaheim, where the White House meeting will be a major topic of discussion today.
The Renewable Fuels Association will be holding a press conference today at the Classic trade show to address the meeting.
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said he was pleased to see the agricultural groups’ support. “Never before have U.S. farm groups spoken with such a unified and clear voice that they don’t want EPA or Congress messing with the Renewable Fuel Standard,” he said. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor is optimistic the industry will prevail, “Refinery owners are circulating the same old wish list, but their proposals to undermine our agricultural economy will never fly under a president who is truly committed to policies that protect America’s hardworking farmers.” And Fuels America has been running a television ad on FOX News this week urging ethanol supporters to thank President Trump for his promise to protect the RFS.
30 Second Oil Change on John Deere 100 Series Mowers
John Deere has just released a new line-up of 100 Series Lawn Tractors. The new models provide side-by-side pedals and other operator convenience upgrades. Especially notable, some of the new models offer a revolutionary 30-second oil change system that makes machine maintenance easy for every owner.
That 30-second oil change is what caught my attention. So, I spoke with Melissa Lycan, Customer Segment Manager at John Deere, who walked me through the process to make a chore into a very simple process.
Learn more in the video below:
2018 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
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