The AgLaunch Startup Station Debuts at #MSFGS17

Chuck Zimmerman March 8, 2017

A new program that debuted during the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show was the AgLaunch Startup Station. This idea caught my eye as an entrepreneur and AgNerd because the potential for new technologies and startup companies is huge, I tell you, HUGE. I sat down with Pete Nelson, Chairman/CEO, Ag Innovation Development Group, to learn about the AgLaunch innovation platform. There is a lot to this effort that has been in development for years now.

There are three programs that AgLaunch is working on in 2017. These include an AgLauch Accelerator, AgLaunch Farmer Network and the AgLaunch Startup Station that is really the focus of this post. Pete and I sat down outside the room in which startup principals were giving presentations to a panel of judges. And in case you are wondering, there was money at stake.

BTW, my friend Bruce Rasa, AgVoice, was the first presenter in the AgLaunch Startup Station. You can find a lot more information about the three programs mentioned above here.

Listen to this week’s program here: ZimmCast with Pete Nelson, AgLaunch

AgLaunch™ continues to expand its farm-centric innovation platform to accelerate the process of bringing new ideas into agriculture. The organization offers a one-stop shop for researchers, farmers, logistic providers, processors, non-profits, investors and corporate partners to help validate and grow new ideas in the agricultural space. The initiative is focused on the Mid-South region with an international footprint through its open source programs and support network.

“With a growing world population, agriculture must advance and adapt to keep up,” Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Jai Templeton said. “Farmers are natural innovators. AgLaunch’s farm-focused model is matching farmers with new and improved technology and resources to help solve global problems, while catalyzing economic growth in our region.”

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3RIVE 3D Keeps up with Faster Planters

Cindy Zimmerman March 8, 2017

Keeping up with high speed planters like John Deere’s ExactEmerge can be a challenge for in-furrow applications of products like FMC’s Capture insecticide, but 3RIVE 3D application technology makes it happen.

Bill Voorhees of central Illinois has used 3Rive 3D system on his operation for three years. “We’re planting at eight miles an hour and we were surprised to see that it left a continuous ribbon of foam across the field,” he said during an interview at Commodity Classic. That foam is key to covering more ground in less time with fewer refills. “The insecticide system holds almost 500 acres of product,” says Voorhees. “It’s a simple, clean system.”

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Bill Voorhees, Illinois farmer

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Farm Economy, Tech & Legacy of John Deere

Jamie Johansen March 8, 2017

“I’m an advocate for agriculture because I think it’s the finest industry in the world.” Those words spoken by John Lagemann, Senior VP, Sales & Marketing for the Agriculture and Turf Division, who has 35 years with John Deere – which in itself is a true testament.

Lagemann had a busy schedule at the 2017 Commodity Classic, not only wearing his John Deere hat, but also representing the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Board of Directors as Agriculture Chair. However, he was not too busy to spend some time talking about the overall farm economy and how John Deere is helping their customers farm smarter.

“We believe the long term tailwinds of agriculture are still strong,” Lagemann says. “Agriculture is still a cyclical business. It’s cyclical because demand and supply on a world basis matters. Right now we are going through one of those cycles that is tough for people within the industry. Having said that, I believe the professionalism through our producers is better than it has ever been. They have learned to deal with variables in pricing of commodities, in interest rates, in input costs, etc. They have learned to manage those risks and as a result, the health of our producers is strong.”

Moving into the topic of technology, Lagemann said it really started in the early 2000’s with guidance. “Now you have the whole wave of communication. Technology and bandwidth has improved. Communication has become a lot more available. And you have the whole realm of agronomic data that helps our producers manage input costs more. If you understand your agronomic data and can measure those margins, then you can translate that into a better margin based on inputs and outputs.”

Deere has again been included in Fortune Magazine’s ranking of the World’s Top 50 Most Admired Companies. Listen to my complete interview with John to learn more about how they are instilling the legacy and admiration of John Deere into the future of agriculture. Interview with John Lagemann, John Deere

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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LibertyLink Real Yield Sweepstakes Winners at #Classic17

Kelly Marshall March 7, 2017

LibertyLink Real Yield grand prize winner Gary Tretter (center) with November cotton winner Andy Carthel and November soybean winner Mark Hardy

Last year was the second year for the LibertyLink Real Yield Sweepstakes, which gave away 200 acres of LiberyLink soybeans or cotton to two growers each month. The grand prize winner for the year was Gary Tretter from Illinois, who received the 500 acre grand prize and a trip to Commodity Classic in San Antonio last week, along with the other monthly winners.

“We were 100 percent soybeans last year with LibertyLink and they were great,” said Tretter. “LibertyLink fixed the problem we had with resistant weeds” especially waterhemp and marestail.

Tretter grows soybeans and wheat on his 4,000-acre farm in southern Illinois, primarily focusing on soy with no-till farming. He entered the Real Yield Sweepstakes at the Bayer booth during Farm Progress Show and is very excited to win more LibertyLink enabled soybeans for this year’s crop.

Listen to Gary talk about the LibertyLink system here: Interview with Gary Tretter

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Credenz Going Big from #Classic17

Kelly Marshall March 7, 2017

Monty Malone was in San Antonio for Commodity Classic to talk to growers about the latest in Credenz soybeans. Last year more than 500 trials in 6 states showed that, when compared head-to-head, Credenz LibertyLink soybeans offered a 2.2 bu/A yield advantage over Asgrow Roundup Ready 2 Xtend beans. Next year the company is going even bigger with 10 new varieties of smart genetics soybeans, and 2018 promising even more.

The new portfolio will offer a good mix of characteristics and traits, Malone explains.

“We very aggressively want to keep as broad as possible mix of trait within our portfolio, so we encourage growers to rotate those herbicide traits where they can sustain that tool on their farm. If they go wall-to-wall with their production system and don’t have any rotation then they will eventually loose that tool.”

To learn more listen to Cindy’s full interview with Malone here: Interview with Monty Malone, Bayer

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Bayer/Monsanto Excited About the Future

Kelly Marshall March 7, 2017

Adrian Percy, head of research and development at Bayer CropScience, and Robb Fraley, Monsanto chief technology officer held an informal press conference at Commodity Classic to discuss the proposed nuptials of their companies. Both Percy and Fraley spoke highly of Monsanto’s seeds and traits and Bayer’s chemistry, but took pains to point out how much better they will be when those strengths are combined.

“One of the problem with those systems is the coordination of those systems has never really been enabled,” Percy pointed out. “So we’ve consistently had herbicides arriving on the market and traits arriving perhaps a decade later. With this combination we have the opportunity to co-develop, to do this kind of work consecutively, so we can develop on one side the trait and on the other the herbicide.”

“One of the things we’ve come to the conclusion of in the last three or four years is, that as a company we just needed to invest more if we’re going to bring these innovations to farmers,” Fraley says of Monsanto. “As we’ve gone through [the merger proposal] and looked at it– we’ve had a long history of working together, we admire their innovation and their capabilities. It’s that combination that’s going to allow us to invest more. It’s that combination that’s going to let us invest smarter and it’s that combination, really importantly, that’s going to bring integrated solutions together, which, I think, is really key to brining product enhancements to farmers.”

Promising integrated solutions has been a hallmark of this merger from the beginning, but Fraley paints of picture of what that will truly mean. He compares these solutions to what Amazon offers, lots of choice, lots of options, plenty of transparency, suggestions for better future shopping, reduced costs and a simplified process.

Listen to the full press conference here: Bayer/Monsanto Merger Press Conference

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USFRA Offers Unique 360˚ Look at Farming

Jamie Johansen March 7, 2017

At the recent South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a national event showcasing the talents of some of the world’s most renowned chefs and culinary personalities, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®) shared a one-of-a kind experience with event goers. Through USFRA’s new 360-degree video, which utilizes a virtual reality (VR)-style headset, booth visitors had a chance to experience life inside an Illinois pig farm – from the beaches of south Florida. This effort was a part of USFRA’s “SMART Farm” initiative aimed at bridging the gap between acceptance of everyday innovation in consumer’s lives with science and technology on today’s farms.

At its booth, USFRA gave away VR viewers to those who watched the 360˚ video, which highlights several of the many ways farmers are using technology to grow and raise food sustainably. Farmers were also be on hand to talk about modern food production on today’s SMART Farm.

“U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance was excited to be at South Beach Food & Wine Festival for the first time ever,” said Randy Krotz, USFRA CEO. “Because the event ties back to food, it’s a great venue for us to showcase the innovation and technology farmers and ranchers are using to produce food in a sustainable way, without compromise on cost, quality or taste.”

While at the 2017 Commodity Classic, Cindy caught up with Randy. Listen here has he shares more about their SMART Farm initiative and how they are sharing the message of tech on the farm to consumers everywhere. Interview with Randy Krotz, USFRA

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#Classic17 General Session

Cindy Zimmerman March 7, 2017

A time-honored tradition of the Commodity Classic general session is the talk show style interviewing of the sponsoring organizations’ representatives – a panel which has grown to five now with the addition of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers last year.

Appearing on the stage with emcee Mark Mayfield this year were:
American Soybean Association president Ron Moore of Illinois
National Corn Growers Association president Wesley Spurlock of Texas
National Sorghum Producers chairman Don Bloss of Nebraska
National Association of Wheat Growers president Gordon Stoner of Montana
Association of Equipment Manufacturers board member John Lagemann of John Deere

Listen to the conversation: Commodity Classic Sponsoring Organizations

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Facebook Live at #Classic17

Cindy Zimmerman March 6, 2017

Facebook Live was clearly THE thing at Commodity Classic this year – everybody was doing it! We did eight live videos during the event and have been getting them posted here on AgWired. It is definitely a cool and easy way to go live from an event and get it out quickly.

The trade show opening has already been viewed almost 500 times! Watch it below.

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Sorghum Partners Powered by Chromatin

Cindy Zimmerman March 6, 2017

Sorghum is gaining in popularity thanks to new and improved hybrids being developed by Chromatin, your Sorghum Partners. We had the opportunity to chat with Chromatin Vice President for Research & Development Scott Staggenborg at Commodity Classic last week to find out what is new with sorghum and how the crop is being grown in new areas from a company that is all about sorghum.

Listen to my interview with Scott here and watch the Facebook Live video from Classic below: Interview with Scott Staggenborg, Chromatin

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