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.
Biofuels Voices Comment on RFS Rule
The comment period for the EPA’s proposed volume obligations for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has officially ended and stakeholders in both the biodiesel and ethanol industries made their voices heard.
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) submitted comments “urging the agency to finalize the RVOs that were included in EPA’s first draft of the proposal that was submitted for interagency review in May.” EPA’s initial draft proposed RVO requirements of 384 million gallons for cellulosic biofuel, 4.38 billion gallons of advanced biofuel; and 19.38 billion of total renewable fuel, higher than what the agency ultimately proposed in July.
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) comments emphasized the economic benefits of the RFS, use of the general waiver authority, the potential of a future “reset” of the RFS, and the advanced and cellulosic biofuel levels.
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) called for higher volumes of advanced biofuels and biomass-based diesel, which were cut or frozen in the proposal. NBB asked EPA to increase the advanced biofuel volume for 2018 to at least 4.75 billion gallons and the biomass-based diesel volume for 2019 to at least 2.5 billion gallons.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) comments asked EPA to maintain the proposed amount of conventional ethanol blended into the nation’s gas supply for 2018, and to raise the amount of cellulosic, advanced, and total biofuels.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association commented that EPA should “follow the law” and set a 2.75 billion gallon biodiesel level and a 384 million gallon cellulosic level in the final rule.
GROWMARK Leading in Nutrient Loss Reduction
Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey talks with GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin (L) and chairman John Reifsteck
Northey is particularly interested in growing adoption of cover crops. “For a farmer to go out there and spend a significant amount of money to start cover crops, you’ve got to figure out how it’s going to work,” he said.
Ben Nuelle with Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network and I had a chance to talk with Northey about that and various other topics.
audio file: Interview with IA Ag Secretary Bill Northey
The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Biennial Report was released this week at the Farm Progress Show, describing actions taken during the last two years to reduce nutrient losses and influence positive changes in nutrient loads over time. GROWMARK chairman and Champaign, Illinois farmer John Reifsteck says they have been very involved with making sure farmers do the right thing in their fields. “We’ve been using the science-based approach, the 4R program is really the cornerstone of what we are implementing,” he said.
audio file: Interview with GROWMARK chairman/president John Reifsteck
View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by 
House Ag Committee at #FPS17
LtoR: Reps. Glenn Thompson, Mike Bost, Mike Conaway, Darin LaHood, Collin Peterson, Cheri Bustos, Rodney Davis
“This was a terrific listening session that will benefit us as we write the next farm bill,” said Chairman Conaway at a press conference following the session.
“Today’s listening session was a continuation of the Agriculture Committee’s efforts to hear directly from the varied interests, across all regions of the country, who are impacted by the farm bill,” said Ranking Member Peterson.
Others who took part in the listening session were Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, and Illinois Representatives Mike Bost, Darin LaHood, Cheri Bustos, and Rodney Davis.
House Ag Committee presserView and download photos from the event here: 2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by
Versatility, Durability & Comfort from John Deere Gators
John Deere hosted ag media during the 2017 Farm Progress Show to give us a chance to get behind the wheel of their new Gator utility vehicles, highlighting a redesigned cab, three-wide seating, and heating and A/C.
Designed for customers who need all-day comfort with off-road terrain capability in all seasons, John Deere introduced the new gas-powered Gator XUV835 and diesel-powered Gator XUV865 Utility Vehicles. Chuck spoke with Michael Prada, a John Deere product engineer, who is the man behind this redesigned cab.
“We listened to our customers and realized they wanted to have three passengers, so we made it wider. In addition, we have a full cab built by John Deere including the doors and windshield rear panel. It also has HVAC which is a big step forward. We took a lot of time to develop the ceiling of the vehicles to make sure the performance of the air conditioning and heat is best in class,” said Prada.
Listen here to get the full scoop: Interview with Michael Prada, John Deere
Deere also introduced the gas-powered Gator HPX615E and the diesel-powered Gator HPX815E models that offer four-wheel drive for improved terrain capability and superior payload, cargo capacity, towing and overall stability.
Jamie was able to test drive the fully-loaded gas-powered Gator XUV835 and was a big fan of the power steering, A/C and adjustable seats. Join her for the ride.
View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by
Satshot’s Platform Improves Farm Efficiencies
Airbus Defense and Space is now providing high-resolution SPOT 6/7 satellite data as part of the Satshot platform. The imagery coveres a large portion of the corn and wheat belt of the United States and can be used for deep analysis of specific farmland to improve operations and efficiency.
SPOT 6/7 data provides 1.5 meter high resolution natural color and near infra-red information with daily collection opportunities making the data a valuable source for analysis and decision-making in the ag industry. The large swath and coverage capabilities of the twin satellites allow for mapping from a national level down to fragmented farmland parcels at a very competitive price point. This trade-off between resolution, coverage and revisit is key to monitor crop growth and needs more closely and make better informed decisions.
“We are thrilled to have a partner like Satshot, who is leveraging the SPOT 6/7 sensors for information collection in the US agriculture industry” said Francois Lombard, Head of the Intelligence Business Cluster at Airbus Defence and Space. “Disseminating imagery and data into the hands of our partners that can provide near real time solutions for farmers, agribusinesses and others will have a positive impact on food production and sustainability.”
Satshot President and founder, Lanny Faleide, says this level of quality and resolution is the first for the agriculture industry. Airbus and Satshot plan to continue the partnership and provide more imagery and data in the future.
Crop Water Use App Makes Farmers More Efficient
Matthew Rhine from the MU Fisher Delta Research Center presented information about a new app at the recent Missouri Rice Council annual Rice Field Day at the Rice Research Farm in Campbell, Missouri. The Crop Water Use app, available from CropWater.org, is helping growers make the best use of their irrigation systems.
“What we’ve done with the development of the Crop Water Use app is, we want to make it more efficient for farmers to irrigate each of their crops. So they can put each of their fields into the app, they can put in the soil type, the crop they’re using, planting date, rooting depth that they want to use and it’s going to essentially give us the soil/water balance for that particular field, so they can monitor what they’re loosing in evaporation, transportation, and what they’re putting back with irrigation. So it’s going to tell them exactly the day they’re going to trigger their irrigation for that crop,” Rhine explained.
The app takes into account water lost through evaporation, transpiration of the plant, and ground water. It factors in how much water the plant can use based on the growth stage of the crop and it triggers a signal for irrigation.
In addition, researchers are working to establish ideal root depth for various crops. Roots that grow longer can wait longer for water, but at what depth is the yield optimal? Trials last season suggested irrigation necessary to keep cotton roots near the 6 inch mark caused a loss of yield, while 18 inches may be too inefficient for rice.
Learn more about the Crop Water Use app and irrigation scheduling in Jamie’s full interview here: Interview with Matthew Rhine, MU Fisher Delta Research Center
View and download photos from the event here: Missouri Rice Field Day Photo Album
Verdesian Life Sciences Introduces FlexConnect™
Verdesian Life Sciences introduced FlexConnect™, the first closed transfer system for soybean inoculants, at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois this week.
Combined with a mixing port, FlexConnect enables applicators to handle and mix inoculants of any volume straight from the packaging, without transferring to a separate tank. This saves applicators time and money by minimizing the waste normally associated with inoculant mixing.
If a picture is worth 1000 words, here are 69,000 words worth of photos from the FlexConnect launch:
Verdesian FlexConnect Launch photo album
And a video must be worth at least a few pages, so watch and learn more about FlexConnect from Verdesian Life Sciences.
Secretary Sonny Visits Farm Progress Show
It was a packed house for our Secretary of Agriculture as he was hosted by WGN and ADM during the 2017 Farm Progress Show. Sec. Sonny Perdue visted with ag and local media prior to taking the stage. Naturally, trade was a hot topic followed by Hurricane Harvey and an update from D.C.
Listen to or download the complete press gaggle here: Sec Sonny Talks w/ Media
Then the Secretary joined farm broadcasters Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong on the ADM stage to record a segment for this weekend’s episode of This Week in Agribusiness. Listen to their chat here: Orion & Max Chat w/ Sec Sonny
View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by
Stoller Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus
Stoller’s Rob Jerek
During a press conference at the show, Stoller Market Development Agronomist Rob Jerek explained that the product contains a proprietary blend of four bio-identical growth-regulating hormones for optimal yield production. “These hormones are naturally in the (soybean) plant,” said Jarek, showing the difference in two different soybean plants. “What we find is we create a plant with a much-improved plant physiology.”
Learn more in the press conference and video below:
Stoller USA presser
2017 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by