ImpactZ™ Herbicide from AMVAC® Approved for Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

AMVAC Chemical Corporation has received federal registration from EPA for a new broad spectrum, low use rate corn herbicide – ImpactZ.

ImpactZ provides corn growers with a new solution for control of tough broadleaf and grass weeds, including glyphosate resistant species.

“Impact herbicide has long provided value to corn growers as an excellent tool for weed resistance management,” said Jim Lappin, AMVAC crop marketing manager, corn and soybeans. “ImpactZ herbicide provides safe, effective broad spectrum control in corn.”
ImpactZ herbicide provides excellent control of tough grass weeds, including barnyardgrass, crabgrass and foxtails. It also controls a broad spectrum of broadleaf weeds, including waterhemp, palmer amaranth, lambsquarters and velvetleaf.

ImpactZ herbicide is registered for use in field corn, seed corn, popcorn and sweetcorn, with no restrictions on soil type, tank mix partners or insecticides. ImpactZ herbicide contains both Impact® and Atrazine for highly effective control of grass and broadleaf weeds in corn.

Individual state registrations for ImpactZ herbicide are pending.

Click here to learn more.

AgWired Precision, Corn, Crop Protection, Herbicide

New TV Ad Recognizes President’s Support for Rural Communities

Chuck Zimmerman

President Trump’s support for biofuels is getting some recognition.

The nation’s top renewable fuel advocates have launched a new television ad recognizing President Trump’s steadfast support for rural communities, farmers, and workers in the biofuel sector. The ad responds directly to oil industry attacks on the president for his long-standing commitment to growth under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“Refining executives seem to think that attacking the president will undermine his support for rural jobs and homegrown fuels, but he’s consistently sided with voters across the heartland,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, a member of the Fuels America coalition. “There are over 200 biorefineries across the nation, each serving as a key manufacturing hub, supporting jobs and creating vital markets for countless farmers. This industry is creating low-cost energy right here in America, and those communities deeply appreciate the president’s commitment to U.S. leadership on biofuels.”

The new ad, which begins airing November 6th on Fox News, features footage of President Trump’s advocacy for homegrown fuels, noting that he “kept his promise, protecting farm and manufacturing jobs.” The ad urges viewers to thank the president for standing up to refiners who have attacked the White House for its support of clean, affordable fuel options for American drivers.


Biofuels, Energy, Ethanol, Video

SMART Farmer Jeremy Brown

Cindy Zimmerman

In this edition, we hear from a Texas farmer who grows both organic and traditional cotton and peanuts, as well as other crops.

Jeremy Brown is one of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) faces of farming, which has given him the opportunity to engage with the non-farm public on the highly emotional topic of biotechnology and GMO crops from the perspective of someone who grows both.

Learn more about Jeremy in this podcast – SMART Farmer Podcast with Jeremy Brown, Texas farmer

USFRA is also supporting a new film that takes on the biotechnology debate. Food Evolution, which is now streaming on Hulu, was commissioned by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy.

Subscribe to the SMART Farmer podcast

Learn more about USFRA and SMART Farm

AgWired Precision, Biotech, Cotton, GMO, Podcasts, USFRA

Animal Ag Bites 11/6

Carrie Muehling

  • Alltech will offer a live webinar on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. EST with Dr. Kayla Price, Poultry Technical Manager with Alltech Canada, discussing the essentials for a premium egg and the different factors affecting egg shell quality.
  • The Hereford Research Foundation sponsored $5,000 in cash awards for 29 young people participating in the inaugural National Junior Hereford Association Fed Steer Shootout. Molly Biggs of Dixon, Ill., was named the 2017 Fed Steer Shootout Junior of the Year.
  • Lester Schafer of Buffalo Lake, Minn., and Byron Bayers of Twin Bridges, Mont., were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame Oct. 27 during the American Hereford Association Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo.
  • The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board honored Jerry Messer of North Dakota with the 2017 Richard E. Lyng Award for contributions and service to dairy promotion.
  • Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has acquired Cumberland Dairy, a family-owned processor of ultra-pasteurized dairy products located in Bridgeton, N.J. The acquisition aligns with DFA’s strategy to expand the cooperative’s commercial investments and ownership into extended shelf life processing.
  • The European Swine Nutrition Roundtable included 16 participants from across Europe who discussed the obstacles between today’s producer and the next level of performance and profitability. The Roundtable is a partnership between Novus International, Inc. and Newcastle University.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

2017 Deer Hunt – Can-Am Defender – Episode 1

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s my next episode in a series coming to you from the Crystal Pig Hunt Club (CPHC) in Georgia. In this episode the focus is going to be on a Can-Am Defender XT which has been provided to us to use and evaluate how well it is suited to some serious deer hunting.

CPHC member, Paul Zimmerman, my brother, has been doing most of the driving in this vehicle, although I have done some also. In the video below we chat about our first impressions while riding out of camp for a load of firewood. You might see in the bed of the Defender a short swivel seat stand that we strapped into it, making the Defender a mobile deer stand!

Some first impressions on using the Can-Am include:

  • It has lots of power but runs quiet
  • The suspension is amazing
  • The turning radius has made is easier to turn around on narrow trails than we expected
  • Some accessories like winch and side/back panels around bed have come in very handy

So, that’s a start. Paul has harvested two deer so far, one of them being the 8pt buck you see in the photo. So, in the points race (we don’t really have one) he’s in the lead. We’re liking the Can-Am but will have more to come.

You can see photos of the Can-Am Defender in the wild here: 2017 Deer Hunt – Can-Am Defender Photo Album


Can-Am, Hunting

Deere Celebrating 100 Years of Tractors in 2018

Cindy Zimmerman

In March of 1918, John Deere entered the farm tractor business through the acquisition of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, and the rest is history a century later.

Deere kicked off series of events to celebrate the centennial by hosting a Gold Key Tour for the Wade Purvis family of Florida and delivery of their new 8245R John Deere tractor – the first 2018 tractor made in Waterloo, Iowa. The new tractor includes a commemorative badge that will be appear on several models of 2018 John Deere tractors including the 6 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series and 9 Series machines.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will mark 2018 as the year of the tractor, installing a 1918 green, yellow and red Waterloo Boy tractor will at the entrance of the business history exhibition in January. Within the exhibition, a new display on “Precision Farming” will examine a more contemporary story of disruptive technology in today’s agriculture industry with the use of technology including a GPS antenna donated by Deere.

John Deere will be placing iconic tractors on display at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, the John Deere Pavilion and John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Ill., as well as at the John Deere Forum in Mannheim, Germany.

John Deere, Tractor

Zimfo Bytes 11/3

Kelly Marshall

  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announced four new farmer veteran tractor recipients in its 2017 “Geared to Give” program in partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Four recipients, one from each of Kubota’s four operating divisions, were presented with keys to new Kubota L-Series compact tractors in recognition of their U.S. military service.
  • Syngenta is proud to name Tori Streitmatter of Sparland, Illinois, as the Thrive 2017 #RootedinAg Contest winner. Streitmatter received a $500 gift card from Syngenta, along with a $1,000 donation in her name to the Midland High FFA Alumni.
  • Ken Magnum will be the new National Sales Manager for BRANDT’s turf business, which includes the BRANDT®, GRIGG™ and BRANDT® iHammer product lines.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation recently graduated 15 farm and ranch women from the organization’s eleventh annual Women’s Communications Boot Camp– an intensive three-day course featuring sessions on working with the media, public speaking, testifying and messaging.
  • House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-TX) announced that RFD-TV has been added to the House of Representatives Digital Channel Lineup on channel 122.
  • Signups for the annual FiberMax® Maximizer Club are now open. To qualify for the FiberMax Maximizer Club, cotton growers must produce an average of 1,000 lb/A on 20 or more dryland acres planted to FiberMax varieties and plant 100 percent FiberMax cotton seed on qualifying acres from January 1–December 31, 2017.
  • The National Corn Growers Association and BASF Corporation are accepting applications for five $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field during the 2018-19 school year. Scholarships are open to any NCGA members and their children or legal guardians; submissions must be postmarked on or before December 1, 2017.
Zimfo Bytes

Clovis Declines USDA Post as Northey Nomination Still Stuck

Cindy Zimmerman

Controversial USDA nominee Sam Clovis of Iowa has withdrawn his name for consideration as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics.

Clovis has been controversial from the start, since the position is also called chief scientist, and the talk show host/economics professor has no scientific background. But grand jury testimony on Russian campaign involvement put Clovis in the spotlight last week and made it likely that topic would be addressed in any confirmation hearing.

In a letter to President Trump dated November 1, Clovis said, “The political climate inside Washington has made it impossible for me to receive balanced and fair consideration for this position. The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases in intensity each day. As I am focused on your success and the success of this administration, I do not want to be a distraction or negative influence, particularly with so much important work left to do for the American people.”

Clovis will “continue to serve at the pleasure of you and the secretary of agriculture” within the USDA as senior White House adviser.

Meanwhile, Bill Northey is back on the job as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture as his nomination remains in limbo. He is hoping to complete his goal of visiting all 99 counties in the state, covering about ten more this week. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is continuing to hold up Northey’s nomination until President Trump agrees to a meeting with refinery state senators about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

politics, USDA

2017 Deer Hunt – John Deere Gator – Episode 1

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to episode one of a series of videos and posts I’ll be doing, along with other members of our Crystal Pig Hunt Club (CPHC), throughout the Georgia deer hunting season. Georgia has a rather long season for firearms which started October 21 and runs through January 14. Some of our group made it out for opening weekend and we’ve had some great early season success.

In this post I’m going to start letting you know how we are using a John Deere Gator XUV825i to test drive and evaluate its value to some serious deer hunting. The CPHC has been together for over 25 years and until this year has been comprised of my brother Paul, Gary Cooper and myself. We’ve hunted with 4-wheelers, trucks and more recently utility vehicles. John Deere has provided us with the use of this vehicle for most of the season and I have now had the opportunity to get some hours in and out of the woods and on the trails.

As you can see in the photo I have already harvested some deer and brought them out of the woods and back to our camp. My harvest so far consists of a 6pt buck, 2 does and a wild hog. They have all been bagged right near our trails fortunately for me. Speaking of trails, most of ours are freshly plowed by the U.S. Forest Service. They do a great job btw. But we’ve got some serious and deep sugar sand to run through and there are rough spots. You’ll be able to see that in the video below.

Some first impressions on using the Gator include:

  • All the power I need to climb steep hills on deep sand and with a load in the bed
  • Very simple controls and layout. Easy to switch between 2-wheel and 4-wheel
  • Suspension makes the bumps and pot holes almost painless compared to past vehicles I’ve driven
  • Plenty of light from headlights for night time on the trail
  • John Deere has some accessories I already know I’d like to add!

So, I’ll have more to say in upcoming episodes. I’m very satisfied with this unit and am not coming up with anything to complain about.

You can see photos of the Gator in the wild here: 2017 Deer Hunt – John Deere Gator Photo Album


Hunting, John Deere

Bayer and 4H Launch Why Science Matters Contest

Cindy Zimmerman

Science Matters to Bayer and the National 4-H Council and they are encouraging young people to consider how science impacts their everyday lives through a “Why Science Matters to Me” photo contest.

The winners of the contest will receive a trip for three to the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science, January 12-15, 2018. Held annually in Washington, D.C., the summit provides high school students from around the country with hands-on educational experiences that help them develop the skills and knowledge needed for the challenges facing agriculture, food security and sustainability.

Students may enter the contest through the 4-H website or Instagram by submitting a photo showing how science impacts their food, health, animals and everyday life. Each submission should also include the hashtag “#ScienceMattersContest” and a 300-word maximum caption telling why science matters to them. Entries must be submitted by November 26, 2017 and a panel of judges will review all entries and select 10 finalists. The public will then have an opportunity to help choose the winners by voting on the 4-H website for their favorite photo from November 9 – December 6, 2017.

Learn more from Bayer.

Bayer