John Deere Takes On Another Year at #AgMedia

Jamie Johansen

ams16-146-editedFor 17 years John Deere has been a sponsor of the Ag Media Summit and Barry Nelson aka, The JD Magician, believes he has only missed one. That is true commitment to agriculture marketing and communications. I sat down with Barry, who serves as John Deere’s director of marketing, to learn why a partnership like this has such longevity and what events John Deere has coming up in the next month.

“This is a great time to meet all the ag editors and broadcasters out there. It’s important to meet face-to-face. If they have any questions about John Deere products and services, they know who to contact.”

Leading up to the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, John Deere will be hosting ag media for an opportunity to checkout their Des Moines Works factory. There they build cotton pickers, sprayers, tillage tools, etc. Barry said media will take part in a factory tour and have an up close and personal view of John Deere’s new products that will be on display for the pubic at the Farm Progress Show.

“At the Farm Progress Show we will have a lot of products we have introduced during the last two quarters on display for our farmer customers for the first time. We will have presentations along with each product and are looking forward to the big show.”

Listen to my complete interview with Barry here: Interview with Barry Nelson, John Deere

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 AMS Photo Album

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

Chromatin Advancing Sorghum Seed Technology

Lizzy Schultz

ams-16-cromatin Chromatin Inc., a sorghum breeding and improvement company based out of Chicago, made an appearance at the 2016 Ag Media Summit to highlight the company’s breeding programs, as well as its dedication to creating new hybrids and developing new planting seeds for use in both livestock and human food consumption all over the world.

“We’re committed to sorghum, we don’t focus on any other crop, so whenever we get up every day all we think about is how we can make sorghum better,” said Dr. Scott Staggenborg, Ph.D., Director, Product Portfolio and Technology Advancement at Chromatin in an interview during the event.

Chromatin’s breeding programs started up seven years ago, and the company just recently released sixteen new hybrids of both grain and forage sorghum. The new seed varieties come as sorghum’s environmental durability has been increasingly popular with growers, and as the non-gmo, naturally gluten-free ancient grain has increased in popularity among consumers as well.

“Sorghum’s been around a long time, and it is extremely drought tolerant and tolerant of high temperatures, so if we start to think about soils or environments where yields of the other major row crops aren’t what they would expect, we often see people have an interest in sorghum and are quite successful with it,” said Staggenborg. “A lot of people think that sorghum is really only for western Kansas, western Nebraska, and Texas, but we actually have growers in Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois. It seems like every year we have more and more Illinois growers showing interest in sorghum, and they usually end up pretty happy with the yields.”

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Scott here:
Interview with Dr. Scott Staggenborg, Chromatin

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC   Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, Audio, Farming, Research, sorghum, Technology

JCB Talks Benefits of Telescopic Handlers

Lizzy Schultz

ams-16-jcb JCB made an appearance at the 2016 Ag Media Summit to discuss the company’s commitment to quality material-handling equipment, and Ray Bingley, Agriculture Product & Sales Manager for JCB, sat down with Chuck to talk about the company’s line of telescopic handlers that are increasingly replacing tractors with loaders to stack, lift, load, power attachments and move things around the farm.

“In North America, telescopics are still relatively new, although they’ve been in the market for a long time, and right now, the main machine for materials handling on a dairy farm is a tractor with a front end loader, so the message we’re now trying to get out to the customers is really that telescopics are a more productive way of doing things,” said Bingley. “They not only allow you to lift more, but you can do it faster, and the one thing that’s always in short supply on a farm is time, so not only does it save them time but it makes farms more productive and will hopefully improve their bottom line.”

JCB’s line of articulated telescopic handlers includes the new, low profile JCB 525-60 Agri Plus, which features a 5000 pound loading capacity and offers 20 feet of lift with an incredibly compact size. The machine is designed to get into the smallest of buildings, making it appealing to poultry and hog producers who need to move materials in and out of barns.

The company’s full product line also features backhoe loaders, tracked excavators, wheel loaders, rough terrain forklifts, compact excavators, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders and the unique Fastrac tractor.

“We have a network of 63 dealers in North America, and we’ve almost doubled that in the past three years, there’s about 180 locations, and the plan for JCB is to double that again in the next five years to get to about 120 to 130 dealers and hopefully about 300 locations,” said Bingley. “We’re still relatively new to the North American market, but I think we can offer American farmers a great way to improve their operations when it comes to materials handling.”

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Ray here:
Interview with Ray Bingley, JCB

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC   Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, Audio, Equipment, Farm Machinery, Livestock

Syngenta Talks Product Launches at #AgMedia

Lizzy Schultz

ams-16-syngenta Syngenta will launch 16 new crop protection products in 2016, with multiple launches expected over the next five years, and Scott Culley, Research and Development Scientist for Syngenta, was on hand during the 2016 Ag Media Summit to discuss several of the company’s major new innovations.

Culley explained that the new products are due in large part to the three new active ingredients the company has registered in the past 18 months.

The new product lineup includes Acuron herbicide, which includes the 2015 introduced active ingredient bicyclopyrone. Another new product, Solatenol fungicide, offers residual disease control in corn, soybean, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, and various fruit and vegetable crops, and the new Orondis fungicide contains the active ingredient oxathiapiprolin. Orondis offers growers a new mode of action for controlling economically devastating soil and foliar diseases on a variety of crops.

“We’re still focused on a good pipeline and we will continue to introduce new products as time goes on, and I think each new AI that we do develop will stem several new products because we’ll be mixing and stewarding those products in a way to maximize their use and efficiency.”

More information can be found here.

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Scott here:
Interview with Scott Culley, Syngenta

2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC   Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by New Holland
Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, Audio, Crop Protection, Syngenta

ISPA Update at #13ICPA

Cindy Zimmerman

Dr. Ken SudduthAt the 13th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) in St. Louis this week, Dr. Ken Sudduth, USDA-ARS Research Agricultural Engineer and president of the International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA) welcomed the opening plenary session.

During Dr. Sudduth’s remarks he gives a report on the ISPA and encouraged attendees from 28 countries to help start affiliated groups in their countries and introduced the incoming officers for ISPA. There are over 380 people attending the ICPA this year which is being held in conjunction with the 2016 InfoAg Conference.

You can listen to Dr. Sudduth here: Dr. Ken Sudduth, ISPA Report

2016 ICPA/InfoAg Photo Album</a>

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere   Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak
Audio, Info Ag, Precision Agriculture

AEM and Agri-Pulse Team Up for Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

AEMThe Association of Equipment Manufacturers, in conjunction with Agri-Pulse Communications, is sponsoring a Rural Infrastructure Summit prior to the start of Farm Progress Show on Monday, August 29 in Ames, IA.

The Summit will address how we develop new, innovative ideas to solve the infrastructure challenges that rural America faces today and in the future; both in the day-to-day operations of the agriculture economy and in simply getting products moving around the world.

agripulseA cross-section of leading companies and organizations will be participating in the program that is structured for maximum discussion and input by the speakers and attendees. Leif Magnusson, AEM Chairman and President, CLAAS Global Sales – Americas will kick off the event.

The program will consist of two panels moderated by Sara Wyant, Editor of Agri-Pulse – “Rural Infrastructure and the Ag Economy: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Disruptive Innovation: Not Just for Silicon Valley.” The summit will be held at the Iowa State Center’s Scheman Building, in Ames from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm and followed by a networking reception.

AEM, Agri-Pulse, Equipment

Zimfo Bytes

Lizzy Schultz

Zimfo Bytes

Zimfo Bytes

#IFAJ2016 Bayer Tour – Part 4 – Bayer Bee Care

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Christian MausIn this part 4 of my series from Bayer CropScience tour stops during the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress in Germany this presentation at the Bee Care Center is done by Dr. Christian Maus, Global Pollinator Safety Manager.

Dr. Maus expands upon some of the topics brought up in episode 3 by Coralie van Breukelen-Groeneveld, Head of the Bayer Bee Care Center. He starts out with Feed A Bee. Next up is the Healthy Hives 2020 initiative which looks to find solutions to improve the health of honey bees. Then he turns to Sustainable Agriculture which is how Bayer looks at the research, development and stewardship of bringing a crop protection product to market while keeping pollinators in mind.

You can listen to the presentation here or watch below: Dr. Christian Maus Presentation


2016 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Coverage of the IFAJ Congress is sponsored by Bayer
Agribusiness, Audio, Bayer, Bees, IFAJ, Sustainability, Video

The #13ICPA Keynote is Dr. Margaret Zeigler

Chuck Zimmerman

Dr. Margaret ZeiglerThe 13th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) conducted by the International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA) is underway in St. Louis, MO. This year it is overlapping the InfoAg Conference which I believe is the 14th one. ICPA starts first with a plenary session that features an update on ISPA, a look ahead to other precision ag conferences and a keynote speaker.

Dr. Margaret Zeigler, Executive Director, Global Harvest Initiative, spoke on the topic of “Building Sustainable Breadbaskets, Fostering Inclusive Growth.” In her presentation she includes a lot of statistics regarding hunger around the world and makes suggestions for what can be done to alleviate it in light of challenges from the environment and public policy. I thought you might enjoy her message.

You can listen to Dr. Zeigler’s speech here: Dr. Margaret Zeigler, Global Harvest Initiative

I will be here for the ICPA and InfoAg until Wednesday morning but I am tag teaming with our Kelly Marshall who will complete our coverage until the end of the joint conferences on Thursday. Most of our coverage can be found on our Precision Ag News website – Precision.AgWired.com.

I’ve just started a photo album for your viewing and sharing pleasure – 2016 ICPA/InfoAg Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere   Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak
Audio, Info Ag, Precision Agriculture, Sustainability

AAEA Fellows Announced at #AgMedia

Lizzy Schultz

ams-16-fellows Seventeen longtime members of the American Agricultural Editors Association (AAEA) were announced as the inaugural class of Fellows Of The AAEA during an awards banquet at the 2016 Ag Media Summit, held last week in St. Louis Missouri.

The newly developed Fellows Program recognizes AAEA members for excellent service to the organization, and the inaugural class has an estimated 400 years of combined membership to the association. Twelve of the Fellows are AAEA past presidents, many have held multiple leadership positions in the past, and all have received awards and recognition for their talents.

“These 17 members represent about a small percentage of the total of more than 470 members of the association,” said Elaine Shein, AAEA president and deputy managing editor of DTN/The Progressive Farmer. “However, our entire membership has benefitted from their dedication and long-term contributions to make our organization the best it can be. They are among the best in the business on many levels, and they have spent years taking time from their busy schedules to serve our professional organization.”

The Inaugural class of Fellows to the AAEA:

JoAnn Alumbaugh, FAAE, editor of PorkNetwork, Farm Journal Media, Linden, Iowa.
Jim Dickrell, FAAE, editor, Dairy Herd Management, Farm Journal Media, Monticello, Minn.
Larry Dreiling, FAAE, senior field editor, High Plains Journal, Hays, Kan.
Betsy Freese, FAAE, executive editor, Living the Country Life, Meredith Agrimedia, Des Moines, Iowa.
Gregg Hillyer, FAAE, editor in chief, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, Lake St. Louis, Mo.
Greg Horstmeier, FAAE, DTN editor-in-chief, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, Omaha, Neb.
Greg Lamp, FAAE, editor in chief, CHS, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.
Holly Martin, FAAE, editor, High Plains Journal, Dodge City, Kan.
Christine McClintic, FAAE, freelance writer/photographer, Hollister, Mo.
Amy McDonald, FAAE, McDonald Marketing Communications, Dublin, Texas.
Karen McMahon, FAAE, freelance reporter, Lakeville, Minn.
Lyle Orwig, FAAE, chairman, Charleston Orwig, Inc., Hartland, Wis.
R. Kelly Schwalbe, FAAE, partner, Sage Communications, Kansas City, Mo.
Karen Simon, FAAE, president, Karen Simon Communications, Ames, Iowa.
Willie Vogt, FAAE, executive director, Content and User Engagement, Penton Farm Progress, Eagan, Minn.
Mike Wilson, FAAE, executive editor, Penton Farm Progress, Decatur, Ill.
Sara Wyant, FAAE, president, Agri-Pulse Communications Inc., Camdenton, Mo.

2016 AMS Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC   Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by New Holland
ACN, Ag Groups, Ag Media Summit, Journalism