Bayer Campaign Focuses on Rural Health

Carrie Muehling

Bayer is partnering with American Heart Association to encourage wellness in rural communities. Statistics show 600,000 people die annually from heart disease, and about 20 percent of those people live in rural America. People in rural communities also have a 50 percent higher likelihood of having preventable heart disease.

In 2017, for every bag of LibertyLink soybean seed purchased, Bayer made a donation to the American Heart Association on behalf of that grower. Awareness is the goal, according to Allen Gent, strategic business lead at Bayer. “The intention was to really get out there and talk about something that’s impacting us as a society and ask how can we bring that message to rural America,” says Gent.

Bayer committed up to $500,000 to the American Heart Association’s Healthy For Good movement.

Learn more in Chuck’s interview with Allen Gent from last week’s Farm Progress Show: Interview with Allen Gent, Bayer

View Bayer photos here: Bayer CropScience at #FPS17 Photo Album

View all 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, Audio, Bayer, Crop Science, Farm Progress Show

Wisconsin Sends 17,000 lbs. of Cheese to Houston

Jamie Johansen

Driven by online conversations shortly after Hurricane Harvey, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s (WMMB) Social Media Specialist, Lizzy Schultz, wondered how they could help. After a team meeting, the idea became a quick reality. Wisconsin’s cheesemakers were contacted and more than 17,000 pounds of cheese was sent to Houston to help the victims of the hurricane.

“We are deeply saddened by the devastation facing Texas residents in the wake of Hurricane Harvey,” said Suzanne Fanning, WMMB vice president of marketing communications. “Our Wisconsin cheesemakers and dairy farmers are inherently focused on helping others so we offered them a way to get involved.”

The original goal was 200 pounds of cheese, but donors came through with more than 17,000 pounds of smoked string cheese, cheese curds, muenster, Parmesan, classic cheddar and more. The shipment also included 300 pounds of butter all in route to the Houston Food Bank.

Both Lizzy and Suzanne send a huge shout out to the dairy farmers and cheesemakers. They said they are always focused on what they can do to help people and students. The fact that Dairy Farm Families of Wisconsin wanted to fund this project and the cheesemakers willingness to come forward at such a short notice is another testament to the good people in the agricultural community.

You might remember Lizzy as one of our former ZimmComm team members. She often jumped on the agriblogging highway and we are very excited to see her passion and commitment to the agricultural industry shine in her short time at WMMB.

I had the chance to chat with both Lizzy and Suzanne to learn more about their efforts to give back and how excited they were to have so many join the force to help in relief efforts. Listen to our complete chat here: Interview with Suzanne Fanning & Lizzy Schultz, WMMB


Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Audio, Dairy

FMC Offers Freedom Pass Program

Chuck Zimmerman

FMC has introduced a new program for Very Independent Purchasers called the FMC Freedom Pass. Farmers are pretty independent and want freedom of choices as much as possible. According to Mike Harper, industry relations manager for FMC Agricultural Solutions in the U.S. and Canada, the company is giving them that opportunity. I visited with Mike in the Illinois Soybean Association tent during the Farm Progress Show.

The FMC Freedom Pass provides growers exclusive agronomic rewards, performance assurances, application innovations and product financing. And these valuable incentives aren’t linked to the purchase of any particular brand of seed. Mike says growers can contact their authorized retailer or visit www.fmcagus.com for more information on the program. The program dates are September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2018. Mike explains the pillars of the program during our conversation. When it comes to financing their are 0% options which you can find out more about here. With special purchase commitments growers may qualify to receive a free 3RIVE 3D application system.

Listen to my interview with Mike to learn more about the program: Interview with Mike Harper, FMC

2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show, FMC

Mid-Missouri Energy Goes John Deere Green

Cindy Zimmerman

Mid-Missouri Energy (MME) in Malta Bend, Missouri is home to a new piece of equipment that has helped make the grounds around the ethanol plant a little greener.

MME General Manager Chris Wilson won the John Deere ZTrak Z925M Flex Fuel commercial mower during a raffle at the Renewable Fuels Association 2017 National Ethanol Conference. The E85 used in the mower comes from a local fuel retailer less than one mile away.

In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Wilson talks about the Mid-Mo Mower, the use of ethanol blends in small engines, and how much he appreciates John Deere’s support of farmers and the ethanol industry.

Ethanol Report with Mid-Missouri Ethanol

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Audio, Ethanol, John Deere, RFA

No Weed Left Behind with DiFlexx DUO

Jamie Johansen

Challenges with resistant weeds were still seen across the country this season. However, Bayer CropScience believes these resistant weeds have met their match with a new herbicide introduced before the 2017 season.

We visited with Frank Rittemann, selective corn herbicides product manager at Bayer, last week at the Farm Progress Show to learn more about the key benefits of DiFlexx® DUO to growers.

“Many growers who used DiFlexx DUO during its first season saw the same results we observed in trials,” said Rittemann. “It cleaned up weeds that other herbicides left behind. DiFlexx DUO provides powerful control against the particularly tough glyphosate-resistant weeds that many growers struggle with.”

Rittemann said they like to refer to DiFlexx DUO as a zero tolerance weed control. The simple goal for growers is ‘no weed left behind.’ A recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln trials featured an extensive look at broadleaf weed response to corn herbicides. DiFlexx® DUO demonstrated a complete control against the full spectrum of problem weeds, controlling up to 95% of waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, morning glories, cocklebur and lambsquarters.

Listen to my complete interview with Frank to hear the entire story: Interview with Frank Rittemann, Bayer

View all photos from FPS photos here: Farm Progress Show Photo Album
View Bayer photos here: Bayer CropScience at #FPS17 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 Precision, Audio, Bayer, Crop Science, Farm Progress Show, Herbicide, weed management

Precision Ag Bytes 9/6

Kelly Marshall

  • The American Soybean Association is seeking applications for the next Conservation Legacy Award.  This program honors soybean producers using environmentally friendly and profitable management practices on their farms.
  • The new Cat S41 smartphone is replacing the Cat S40 for users who put their mobile phones under stress.  The Cat phone offers an exceptional battery capability, rugged credentials, and great display technologies.
  • The EPA has granted registration to Dow AgroSciences‘s newest herbicide, Elevore.  It is labeled for burndown use on corn, cotton, and soybeans.
  • Dupont has released a new, extended residual control herbicide for ALS-, PPO- and/or glyphosate resistant weeds like waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and other pigweed specicies.  EverpreX mixes easily with other herbicides to offer residual control of an even greater variety of weeds.
  • AGCO Senior Vice President, Eric Hansotia, has published an open letter regarding the purchase of Precision Planting from The Climate Corporation.

 

AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Illinois Farmers Reach Out With GROWMARK 4R4U

Carrie Muehling

Illinois farmer Jack McCormick uses social media platforms to share information about projects that can fit into the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy with other farmers and the general public. The effort is part of the Illinois 4R4U program, launched in October 2016. The collaboration between GROWMARK and county Farm Bureaus in Illinois includes trials on cover crops, nitrogen and manure management.

“Sometimes farmers may be looking for a new practice but aren’t sure how to get started. If we can give them some examples in these pilot projects, other farmers can take those ideas and run with it,” says McCormick, who serves on the GROWMARK board of directors. “Plus, giving the general public an idea of the good things we are doing in agriculture. There are a lot of good things that go on every day, but we’re not very good at telling our story.”

McCormick and other farmers in Randolph County use Facebook Live to share short videos about agricultural topics, with thousands of views so far.

Learn more in Cindy’s interview with Jack McCormick from last week’s Farm Progress Show: Interview with Jack McCormick, Illinois farmer

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, Conservation, Farm Progress Show, GROWMARK, Nutrient Management

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