Deere ExactApply™ Nozzle Control System Wins AE50 Award

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has recognized the ExactApply™ Nozzle Control System from John Deere with the AE50 Award for 2018. The award highlights the year’s most innovative designs in product engineering in the food and agriculture industry, as chosen by a panel of international engineering experts.

Introduced in 2016, the ExactApply Nozzle Control system provides sprayer operators a comprehensive solution that improves the coverage and control of spray applications due to an industry-exclusive Pulse Width Modulation (30 hertz pulsing) and automatic A/B nozzle switching from the sprayer cab. The system also offers operators turn compensation, individual nozzle on/off control, LED lights in each nozzle body for improved visibility, and smart diagnostics to improve, monitor and document sprayer applications at the nozzle.

Doug Felter, product marketing manager for sprayers at John Deere, says ExactApply enhances existing technology on the market and combines it into one innovative product completely integrated into John Deere R-Series Sprayers and rate control systems.

Listen to Felter talk about the nozzle system at the 2017 John Deere Product Reveal. Doug Felter, John Deere ExactApply Nozzle System

Audio, Equipment, John Deere, Technology

ARA Presents Distinguished Service and Lifetime Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agricultural Retailers Association recognized the 40-year career of William “Tip” O’Neill with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award, and presented the Distinguished Service Award to long-time board member Steve Nielsen during the ARA Conference and Expo in Phoenix this week.

Nielsen, most recently general counsel and corporate secretary for United Suppliers, joined the ARA board of directors in 2011. He has been an active board member during his tenure. In 2012, he participated in the Leadership at its Best program, and later served as chair of the Public Policy Committee. He frequently advocates on behalf of the industry in Washington, D.C.

O’Neill has been with International Raw Materials since its founding in 1979. Based in Philadelphia, IRM is an international marketing company specializing in the wholesale distribution of fertilizers and industrial chemicals. For many years, he served on the ARA Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and has been a steadfast supporter of the fertilizer industry’s advocacy and education efforts.

Listen to remarks from both honorees:
ARA Distinguished Service, Steve Nielsen
ARA Lifetime Achievement, Tip O'Neill
2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

AgWired Precision, ARA, Audio

Asmus Farm Supply Named ARA Retailer of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

The Agricultural Retailers Association this week presented Asmus Farm Supply of Rake, Iowa with the 2017 Retailer of the Year at the ARA conference and expo in Phoenix.

The operation is lead by second-generation owners Harlan and Amy Asmus, who accepted the award along with their sons Garrett and Holden and daughter-in-law, Billie. Mark Helt, National Sales Manager for Monsanto, and ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock (far right), presented the award.

“Asmus farm supply started in the 1950s by my late father Harvey,” said Harlan. “Our customer relationships go deep-decades and three generations.”

“The family business goes beyond the ownership of the business. Everyone who works for and with Asmus Farm Supply is really part of that family,” said Amy.

AFS has five locations serving farmers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Read more about the Asmus’ from ARA, and listen to Harlan and Amy’s comments here: 2017 ARA Retailer of the Year

2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

AgWired Precision, ARA, Audio

“Change not a Choice” for Agribusiness

Chuck Zimmerman

The recent merger of Dow and DuPont is just one of the high profile deals in the agribusiness world that mean significant changes for the industry going forward. DowDuPont Agriculture Division Leader Jim Collins addressed the current consolidation atmosphere in the industry as opening keynote speaker at the 2017 ARA Conference & Expo in Phoenix this week.

“I know this industry recognizes, perhaps more than any other industry, that change is not a choice,” said Collins. “We confront it almost every day, as Mother Nature presents us with new challenges.”

In his address, Collins discusses the factors fueling changes, and the “constructive consolidation” of DowDuPont: Jim Collins, DowDuPont, at ARA2017

2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

Agribusiness, ARA, Audio

Arizona FFA Leaders Welcome ARA Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

This morning the opening general session of the 2017 ARA Conference & Expo got underway. ARA President/CEO, Daren Coppock, introduced us to Anisa Hermosillo, Arizona State FFA President and Sarah Toth, State Secretary.

Our keynote speaker after Anisa and Sarah spoke said he hates having to follow FFA leaders on the stage. I think you will hear why since I recorded their comments and invocation. I hope you enjoy it.

Arizona FFA Welcome: Arizona FFA Welcome

2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

ARA, Audio, FFA

ARA Explores Lessons Learned From Dicamba

Cindy Zimmerman

Two respected weed scientists presented their views on the lessons learned from this year’s introduction of new dicamba formulations for control of resistant weeds at a pre-conference workshop for the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) this week.

Dr. Ford Baldwin, Practical Weed Consultants, was extension weed scientist at the University of Arkansas for 28 years. Dr. Stanley Culpepper is a professor and Extension Agronomist in the Crop and Soil Science Department at the University of Georgia. Each had very different experiences with dicamba products in their states this year and shared their stories with ag retailers with the goal of applying the lessons learned to next year.

Arkansas led the nation in dicamba complaints in 2017 with over 1000, while Georgia had none. Listen to their presentations below.

Dicamba Lessons Learned, Ford Baldwin, Arkansas
Dicamba Lessons Learned, Stanley Culpepper, UGA
2017 ARA Conference and Expo Photo Album

AgWired Precision, ARA, Crop Protection, Herbicide, weed management

AdFarm Announces Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

AdFarm has made some organizational changes for the future, including the appointment of Ben Graham as president of the agency.

Graham moves into his new position after a 20-year tenure with AdFarm in various strategic roles. Hailing from a third generation Alberta farm family, Graham brings to his role more than 20 years of experience in leading strategic brand and communications efforts on behalf of leading companies in crop protection, equipment and technology, animal health and commodities.

Julia King has been named as Director of Client Services (U.S.) and Tracy Clark as Director of Client Services (Canada). King joins AdFarm with more than 15 years’ experience in account planning, research and strategic planning. Clark has been with the agency in Canada since 2014.

Agencies

Precision Ag Bytes 11/29

Carrie Muehling

  • Join seed industry leaders from across the world for the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) 57th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, January 27 – 30 in San Diego. The annual Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference brings nearly 1,000 registrants from over 30 countries for education, policy discussions, and a Trading Room featuring the latest in seed-industry innovations. The conference will be held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.
  • Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group announces the launch of the United States business division. As China’s largest manufacturer of fertilizers made from seaweed, Seawin Biotech Group is the industry leader in China, with a 17-year history of providing high quality products. Producing nearly 100 seaweed-derived fertilizer and bio-stimulant products serving the plant nutrient needs of Chinese agriculture, the company has significant production resources; two seaweed harvesting and processing vessels with a total displacement of 10,000 tons, three world-class production platforms and a nationwide distribution network covering the entire Chinese domestic market.
  • Italpollina, a world leader in the production of organic fertilizers, biostimulants of natural origin
    and beneficial microbials, announces that they will build a U.S. science and technology park
    around the sustainability and innovation principles of agriculture. Located in Anderson, Indiana, the park will begin construction in early 2018 near the new Purdue Polytechnic Anderson facility, a direct extension of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute of Purdue University.

  • The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska has released its 2017 Annual Report highlighting projects, initiatives, impacts and achievements to advance the institute’s mission to create a more water and food secure world.

AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Valagro Showcases Innovation at Biostimulants Congress

Cindy Zimmerman

One of the gold sponsors at the 3rd Biostimulants World Congress in Miami this week is industry pioneer Valagro.

“Valegro started in business in 1980…so for the past 30 and more years, we have been developing biostimulants,” said Mario Mastrangelo, Valagro USA country manager. The company is headquartered in Atessa, Italy with a product distribution network covering more than 80 countries. “Our main geography in the USA is California, Florida, and the Midwest.” Valagro is using virtual reality at the Congress to showcase the company’s strong commitment to research and development with a virtual tour through their facilities.

This is the first time the Congress has been hosted in the United States, which Mastrangelo says is significant because the use of biostimulants is growing significantly here. “We are seeing an increase in the adoption rate and U.S. farmers have started asking about biostimulants,” he added. “The North America market is projected to become the biggest market for biostimulants in the near future.”

Learn more about Valagro and the biostimulants congress in this interview. Interview with Mario Mastrangelo, Valgro USA

The 3rd Biostimulants World Congress is being held through November 30th, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Miami with more than 1,200 delegates from around the world expected to participate.

AgWired Precision, Audio, Biologicals, Events

StollerUSA Offering New Formulations

Carrie Muehling

New formulations from StollerUSA are helping growers to unleash the power of the plant with products like Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus. The refresh of StollerUSA’s very successful Stimulate product offers an early start with a key growth hormone of the plant and an overall longer lasting effect through the growing season.

We provide and develop products that allow the plants to manage stress, also to improve efficiencies through the root uptake of nutrients,” said Larry Lintner, regional sales manager for the Central Plains region. “In doing that, we are allowing the plant to convert its power that it normally uses and energy that it uses to fight those issues, to actually turning that power into yield production. So we are allowing that plant to unleash its full power and its full genetic potential so that yields can be achieved.”

Lintner said plant health becomes even more important when margins are slim, but products like Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus and BioForge Advance can increase yields by 8-12 bushels per acre when used correctly.

Listen to Chuck’s interview from NAFB Trade Talk: Interview with Larry Lintner, StollerUSA

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
AgWired Precision, Audio, NAFB