SMART Farmer Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare

Cindy Zimmerman

Our latest SMART Farmer podcast episode – and the first of three from Commodity Classic – features Illinois farmer and U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) board member, Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare. In the craziness that is Classic, Roberta and I found a quiet corner to sit down and talk about what being a SMART farmer means to her.

Roberta says she and her husband are first generation farmers, with their daughter and son-in-law recently joining the operation, so farming smart is important to them. “We’ve had to buy our own (land) so it’s nice to think of passing that on to a next generation,” she said.

Listen to the podcast here: SMART Farmer Podcast with Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare

Subscribe to the SMART Farmer podcast

Audio, Commodity Classic, Podcasts, Soybean, USFRA

Grants for Pollinators Available from Feed A Bee

Kelly Marshall

Dr. Becky Langer attended last week’s Bayer #Advocay Forum and we caught up with her there to get more details on Bayer’s latest Feed a Bee announcement.

To promote their new goal of providing pollinator forge in all 50 states, the Bayer Bee Care program is offering a total of $500,000 for grant projects over the next two years. Proposals should come from organizations and request either $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 for innovative and creative projects. For example, a 4-H club may request money to put in an orchard, or a utility company could submit a proposal to plant forage in their power line right of way. Everyone qualifies for this grant, Langer says. Proposals are judged on what they can do for pollinators.

To learn more Langer suggests heading to FeedABee.com and checking out the “Impact” tab, or listen to her interview here: Interview with Becky Langer, Bayer Bee Care

2017 Bayer AgVocate Forum Photos

Audio, Bayer, Bees, pollinators

Soybean Growers: Crop Protection Pays Off

Lizzy Schultz

While weed and pest management remains a priority for growers across the country, the latest and most comprehensive crop protection technologies are not cheap to purchase or implement, and many growers have begun to question whether or not it’s going to be possible to see returns on the costs associated with seed treatments, especially with prices remaining so low.

Shawn Conley, State Soybean and Small Grains Specialist from my home state of Wisconsin, spoke during the Bayer #AgVocacy Forum on the many reasons why crop protection is an investment worth spending and what growers could stand to lose financially without a strong investment in weed management.

“Even at eight dollar beans we’re seeing a seventy percent probability of return on investment (ROI) from utilizing seed treatments,” he said in an interview during the Forum. “It’s an opportunity for growers to possibly cut back on their seeding rate, save some dollars there, and re-invest those in seed treatments and multiple modes of action to deal with the glyphosate resistant weed problem we have in Wisconsin.” Interview with Shawn Conley, University of Wisconsin Read More

Ag Groups, Agronomy, Audio, Bayer, Crop Protection, Research, Soybean

Bayer Opens Texas Cotton Breeding Station

Cindy Zimmerman

Southwest cotton growers will benefit from a new $16.7 million Bayer breeding and research station near Lubbock, Texas that celebrated its grand opening this week. The facility will focus on developing drought-resistant cotton varieties and traits for limited-input situations.

Pictured in the ribbon cutting photo are:
Tom Speed, Bayer cottonseed and traits; Tim Timmis, Bayer project execution;  Margaret Shields, US cotton breeding manager;  Cory Mills, Bayer station manager; Steve Oswalt, Bayer station manager; Lee Rivenbark, head of seeds, Bayer North America;  David Becker, global cotton breeding lead, Bayer; Dan Pope, mayor of Lubbock, Jason Wistehuff, Bayer Product manager; and Mike Gilbert, Bayer global breeding and trait development lead.

The facility builds on the Bayer history of developing premium quality varieties for Southwest cotton growers through the FiberMax® and Stoneville® brands. The grand opening of the facility, which began operating in October 2016, is being celebrated as researchers prepare to plant the facility’s first research crop. The Lubbock facility will employ about 25 people as well as many area residents who will be hired each year to assist with planting and harvesting activities.

In addition to the Lubbock Station, Bayer also built a cotton breeding station in Dawson, Georgia and multi-crop research and development facilities in Marion, Arkansas, and White Heath, Illinois last year.

Learn more in this interview with Margaret Shields, Bayer Cotton Breeding Manager, about the new facility and what it means to cotton growers: Interview with Margaret Shields, Bayer Cotton Breeding Manager

Audio, Bayer, Cotton

Culver’s Commitment to Farming Community

Jamie Johansen

Culver’s CEO, Joseph Koss, sat on a U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) panel during the 2017 Commodity Classic to discuss the role GMO’s play in sustainable farming. Over the last few years we have all seen how Culver’s has gone out of the way to support agriculture and Cindy sat down with Koss to learn more about their efforts.

“We have a belief at Culver’s that we need to have a strong connection with the farming community. Over the past few year we have been able to strengthen our ties through our Thank You Farmers initiative and affiliation to the FFA. Now we are getting involved with more industry groups and that includes USFRA. We believe we need to continue to educate ourselves about farming and where our food comes from so we can better educate our guests,” said Koss.

He added that Culver’s wants to be transparent. That means being honest and sharing accurate, science-based information to consumers. Listen to our complete conversation with Koss here: Interview with Joseph Koss, Culver's CEO

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

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Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, USFRA

Live with Smart Nitrogen at #MSFGS17

Chuck Zimmerman

We’re hearing a lot about SMART Farming today so Smart Nitrogen makes a lot of sense don’t you think? That’s what ESN is all about – Smart Nitrogen. It is a urea granule comprised of 44% nitrogen, contained within a flexible polymer coating. This coating protects the nitrogen from loss mechanisms and releases nitrogen in response to soil temperature. ESN gives crops all the nitrogen they need, when they need it.

I sat down with Kelly Dupont, ESN, during the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show to talk about how important this nitrogen product is to growers in the Delta Region. One big advantage ESN offers is the ability to put out nitrogen one time and not be completely dependent on the weather for the exact timing of the application. Learn more about ESN, Smart Nitrogen in our conversation.

Listen to my interview with Kelly here: Interview with Kelly Dupont, ESN

I also went live on Facebook with Kelly to give you a look at ESN on the show floor:


Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
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Audio, Farm Shows, Fertilizer, Video

Engaging Urban Youth in Ag

Lizzy Schultz

Engaging youth in agriculture is an important part of fueling the future of the industry, and a presentation surrounding this necessary, complex concept took the spotlight during the 2017 Bayer #AgVocacy Forum last week.

One of the presenters was Bev Flatt, a young farmer from Tennessee who seeks to share her passion and knowledge of farming with other young people.

Flatt only began farming two years ago, when she and her husband started Flatt Rock Farms. The couple raises beef cattle, meat and dairy goats, chickens, horses, and honeybees. She also supports the Metro Nashville Public High School System, where she works with four specific agricultural education programs. “We really have a great time together helping young urban students understand where their food comes from and how they can be involved in agriculture moving forward,” Flatt says.

Interview with Bev Flatt, Flatt Rock Farm Read More

Ag Groups, Audio, Bayer, Commodity Classic

Farmers Edge Generates Major Buzz at #Classic17

Kelly Marshall

Farmers Edge had not one, but two major new product launches at Commodity Classic in San Antonio last week and their Vice President of Marketing, Marina Barnes was on hand to tell us about them both.

FarmCommand takes precision agriculture to decision agriculture, Barnes said, with it’s easy to use, all-in-one system. It eliminates the need for multiple passwords and unusable data. “Farmers don’t have time, they have to seed, they have to harvest, they don’t have time for that,” Barnes exclaims. “What we do is we make technology work and we make it so easy for them – that all they have to do is just open their Farm Command on a mobile device, on their tablet, on their laptop. It’s just so easy.”

Rest assured that data is safe with Farmers Edge. As an independent company they don’t sell inputs and they won’t compromise a farmer’s privacy. The information is there for farmers to make decisions and to make themselves profitable, says Barnes.

Corn Manager is the company’s other exciting release. It’s a break-through product, offering a three-in-one solution of zone-based nitrogen management, satellite imagery, and crop staging. The integrated, decision-support tool set can manage and maximize high-yield corn production,to help growers visualize overall crop health and variability.

If interest at Commodity Classic is any indication, these new products are set to make a real impact on the ag industry. Learn more in Cindy Zimmerman’s full interview with Marina Barnes here: Interview with Marina Barnes, Farmers Edge

2017 Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Market Outlook from Farm and Gin Show

Kelly Marshall

Richard Brock of Brock Associates spoke to attendees of the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show about commodity prices and why they are shaping up in a way most didn’t expect.

“You’ve got two crops to harvest every year- one is the one you grow and one is the speculator. I think the speculator is going to allows us an opportunity to sell corn and beans, in fact they already are, at higher prices than they were two months ago,” Brock explains.

This year shows an increase in intent to plant cotton, making it not quite king, but doing very well, Brock says. Cotton costs slightly less per acre to plant than corn, but costs to get back into cotton will be a factor. Cotton pickers come more dear than combines and growers who got completely out of the game will have a hard time jumping back in.

Brock looks for this year to be one of change. While the conditions have many differences from the mid-80s, the transitions agriculture will go through will similarly provide growers an opportunity. It may be good, it may be bad, but it will be different Brock believes.

Listen to his full remarks to Chuck Zimmerman here: Interview with Richard Brock

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Audio, Markets

FMC Supports #MSFGS17 and Cotton Growers

Kelly Marshall

Mid-South Farm and Gin Show took place last week in Memphis, Tennessee and FMC is a big part of making that happen as a long-time sponsor. Chris Reat says the show is a lot of fun; a place where relationships are built and reconnected as members of the industry gather to learn about a commodity which plays a lesser part in many conferences– cotton.

Things are looking up for this southern favorite, Reat says, and for growers who may have had to move away from the crop in the past, the mood is brighter. Of course, most farmers want to know what the weather or the markets will bring this season, but FMC is ready to help with what they can: insecticides and fungicides they’ll need for a great year.

“Lots of positive conversations about the markets,” Reat comments. “They are what they are, but I still need to maximize my return on investment and maximize the production I’m getting on my individual acres, so it’s been very good.”

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Reat here to learn more: Interview with Chris Reat, FMC

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, Audio, Cotton, Farm & Gin Show, FMC