Deere 0 Series Baler + Accumulator = Efficiency

Jamie Johansen

John Deere’s 0 Series Round Balers are the first North American-built round baler precutters with the industry’s first 5-foot precutter baler. The eight models that comprise the new series build upon the popular 9 Series Balers and include several new features that improve hay pickup and overall baling speed and productivity in the field.

During the recent Farm Progress Show, I spoke with Glenn Padgett, Sr. Marketing Rep, John Deere, to take me through the big machine and all its capabilities. “Now we will give our producers the ability to size crop between two and three-inch pieces as they put it into their bale. It’s also going to allow them to eliminate a tough grinding process. Now when they feed their hay, it will reduce mixing time by 75-80% and give cow more palatability at the bale ring,” Padgett said.

In addition, John Deere introduced two models of round bale accumulators to give customers the ability to carry up to two round bales behind the baler while making a third bale in the chamber. The new John Deere A520R and A420R Plus2 Accumulators are fully integrated into the design of the balers and can be used with 6-foot diameter John Deere 7, 8, 9 and 0 Series Round Balers.

Listen to my complete interview with Glenn here:Interview with Glenn Padgett, John Deere

View John Deere photos here: John Deere at #FPS17 Photo Album

View all our photos from FPS here: 2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, Forage, Hay, John Deere

USFRA CEO Urges Agriculture to Stand as One

Kelly Marshall

As the nation’s largest outdoor farm show was getting underway last week bringing thousands of agriculture industry people together in Decatur, Illinois, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) CEO Randy Krotz sent out an op-ed urging American agriculture to stand together against the threats facing farming and ranching.

“There are times when we in agriculture may not be understanding how serious the threat is.” Krotz said.  “Agriculture has a great story that we haven’t necessary told real well. The message that I want everyone to understand is that agriculture needs to stand together.”

Programs like USFRA need funding to be effective- to get the message into social media or pop culture spaces.  It’s important to keep the programs working together, rather than funding new, splintered groups every time something different comes along.

USFRA has been putting in the effort to share the message in many ways.  They produce 360 degree farm videos, push the concept of the SMART farm, and work through the program Straight Talk to converse with food companies. The movie “Food Evolution” looks at both side of the food story and inserts good science and USFRA is bringing that film to 30 non-agriculture colleges and universities this year.  They also host Food Dialogues– a balanced approach to issues like the conversation happening this Wednesday in Nebraska that will focus on GMOs.

Audio file: Interview with Randy Krotz, USFRA

2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Progress Show, USFRA

Dow-DuPont is Done Deal

Cindy Zimmerman

The “merger of equals” between The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) and E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (“DuPont”) became official on Friday, now operating as a holding company under the name “DowDuPont™” with three divisions – Agriculture, Materials Science and Specialty Products. Moving forward, DowDuPont intends to separate the divisions to stand within their own legal entities by the end of 2018.

The intended companies include a “leading Agriculture Company that brings together the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences to better serve growers around the world with a superior portfolio of solutions, greater choice and competitive price for value.”

The combined capabilities and highly productive innovation engine will enable the intended Agriculture Company to bring a broader suite of products to the market faster, so it can be an even better partner to growers, delivering innovation and helping them to increase their productivity and profitability. The intended Agriculture Company will be headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with global business centers in Johnston, Iowa, and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision

Methane Concept Tractor from New Holland

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 557Tractors running on alternative fuels are not new. But what is new is a concept tractor from New Holland that is powered with methane or CNG. The tractor was on display during the Farm Progress Show. Pictured with the tractor is Carlo Lambro, New Holland Brand President. We had a chance to visit and talked about the new machine as well as other products the company is bringing to the market.

“The new concept tractor powered by methane or CNG is the latest development in New Holland’s pursuit of sustainable and efficient technology through innovation,” said Carlo Lambro, New Holland Agriculture Brand President. “Its groundbreaking engine delivers the same performance and has the same durability as its standard equivalent, but with much lower running costs. It combines alternative fuels and advanced agricultural technology to create a vital link that closes the loop in the Energy Independent Farm™’s virtuous cycle by running on the energy produced from the land and waste products.”

Learn more about the concept tractor here. And listen to my conversation with Carlo to learn more about what is new and his thoughts on a slowly improving market.

I hope you enjoy the program and thank you for listening!

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with Carlo Lambro, New Holland

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

The ZimmCast

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Agribusiness, Audio, Biofuels, Farm Progress Show, New Holland, Tractor, ZimmCast

Animal Ag Bites 9/4

Kelly Marshall

  • Findings from the beef checkoff-funded 2016 National Market Cow and Bull Beef Quality Audit will be shared with media at a web broadcast featuring the study’s principal investigators on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. MT (3 p.m. CT). To register for the webinar, contact Jesse Fulton at jfulton@beef.org for an email invitation.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition begins September 10, 2017 with Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) as its largest supporter.  Sign up through October 1, 2017.
  • The August Dairy Market Report is now available from the National Milk Producers Federation.
  • Gail Lombardino, St. Joseph, Missouri, has joined Angus Media as a member of the print services team.  She began her new role in August.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

Northey and Two More Nominated for USDA Posts

Cindy Zimmerman

Three more nominations for key posts at USDA were made Friday as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue remains the only Trump nominee approved in the department.

“I’m hoping that the Senate can move very quickly on the ones before them when they get back,” said Perdue during a stop at Farm Progress Show last week. “I need some help and I hope we get it sooner rather than later.”

On Friday, President Trump announced Gregory Ibach as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP), Bill Northey as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), and Stephen Vaden as USDA’s General Counsel. They join the previous three nominees announced in July – Steve Censky for Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretaries Ted McKinney for Trade and Foreign Affairs, and Sam Clovis for Research, Education, and Economics.

Audio file: Perdue comments on need for Senate confirmations

It was reported in May that Northey would be nominated for the newly created Farm Production and Conservation mission area to oversee FSA, RMA, and NRCS.

During an interview at Farm Progress Show two days before he was officially nominated, Northey said he hoped the Senate approval process will move forward soon. “It’s been a slow process,” said Northey. “Hopefully there will be three more here pretty soon.”

Northey is a farmer from Spirit Lake, Iowa who has served as Iowa ag secretary for three terms and is a former president of the National Corn Growers Association. Greg Ibach has been Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture since 2005, and Vaden has been serving as Acting General Counsel at USDA since March.

Audio file: Northey comments on need for Senate confirmations

2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Progress Show, USDA

Rice for Today and the Future

Kelly Marshall

Dr. Chrisitan De Guzman, Southeast Missouri State University, spoke to attendees of the Missouri Rice Council Field Day about varieties in the trial plots answering their questions about his research.

“I believe they are looking for which varieties are most suitable to them because most of our resourceful research here- they try to evaluate it and see if it is applicable to their farms,” De Guzman told Jamie. “So I believe for my specialization, which is rice breeding, it more about which varieties are preforming best here in our region.”

De Guzman also spoke about the future of rice breeding, noting that he looks forward to having technologies that allow for more DNA markers. Being able to look at a plant’s gene sequence and understanding how it will preform in the field without the need to plant it will really reduce time and expenses to bring new varieties to market. The computational part of managing data is another aspect he sees playing a large role in the future.

To learn more about which varieties grew well in Dr. De Guzman’s trials, listen to Jamie’s full interview here: Interview with Dr. Christian De Guzman, Southeast Missouri State University

View and download photos from the event here: Missouri Rice Field Day Photo Album

Ag Groups, AgWired Precision, Audio, Rice

USDA Allows Dairy Farmers to Opt Out of Program

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that, starting today, dairy producers can enroll for 2018 coverage in the Margin Protection Program – or opt out, a new option granted by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

To opt out, a producer should not sign up during the annual registration period. By opting out, a producer would not receive any MPP-Dairy benefits if payments are triggered for 2018. Full details will be included in a subsequent Federal Register Notice. The decision would be for 2018 only and is not retroactive.

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) CEO Jim Mulhern called the news “a welcome development, in that it acknowledges the widespread dissatisfaction among farmers enrolled in the program. Simply put, the way the program was enacted in the 2014 Farm Bill, it does not meet the needs of America’s dairy farmers today, and declining participation levels amply illustrate farmers’ disenchantment with the MPP. Farmers who choose to opt out of the MPP will then be able to enroll in the Livestock Gross Margin program for 2018.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation was also pleased with the action. “Dairy farmers need access to effective risk management tools,” said AFBF president Zippy Duvall. “Approximately 24,000 dairy farms, representing 80 percent of the U.S. milk supply, are currently enrolled in the program, however, this year only 2 percent of the milk enrolled participated at levels above the basic coverage option. The low participation rate is due to the poor performance of MPP in providing a viable safety net to dairy farmers.”

AFBF, AgWired Animal, Dairy, USDA

Credenz Soybeans Launch New Varieties for 2018

Cindy Zimmerman

Soybean growers visiting the Farm Progress Show this week got the news that Bayer is introducing 15 new Credenz® variety options to fight against key agronomic issues in 2018.

The new Credenz® varieties include LibertyLink® traits and feature Bayer smart genetics. In addition, six new Balance® GT varieties have been developed for maturity groups 2.1 to 4.1. Upon approval, the Balance® GT system will give growers the flexibility to use Balance Bean herbicide for burndown or pre-emergence applications. Growers will have access to additional powerful solutions that continue to maximize performance, boost profit potential and increase yield efficiency.

At the show, we got more details Marc Hoobler, soybean seed product manager for the Credenz brand, in this interview. Interview with Marc Hoobler, Bayer

2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Farm Progress Show, Soybean

Zimfo Bytes 9/1

Kelly Marshall

  • The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska welcomes Howard W. Buffett to the board of directors.
  • To date, 33 corn mazes in 19 states have joined together with Culver’s Thank You Farmers initiative and have planted more than 7 million seeds of gratitude for the hard work of America’s farmers. These mazes are just one of the many ways Culver’s shows charitable support for the future of farming.
  • The Farm Foundation is hosting a forum on the role of innovation in U.S. agriculture and changes needed for global competitiveness.  It will be held Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 9 a.m. EDT at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C.  Register here to attend in person or here to participate online.
  • Performance Food Group Company (PFG) and DuPont Pioneer have announced PFG is introducing a new high-performance soybean oil that is helping expand the market for U.S. soybean growers. The primary ingredient in the new oil is Pioneer® brand Plenish® high oleic soybean oil, which has been shown to have superior longevity and taste.
  • Farm Computer Usage and Ownership report released on August 18, 2017 by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is being reissued due to a correction on page 10. The percent of farms in 2017 that purchase agricultural inputs over the internet has been updated.
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