Eric Swanson, Emerging Leader for CIRB

Kelly Marshall February 16, 2016

Eric Swanson is a Crop Underwriting Manager at Country Financial and one of the charter members of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau’s Emerging Leaders Program. The program, currently in its first year, is helping to build the next generation in the field of crop insurance through a better understanding of the way government and the private sector work together in the program.

According to Swanson, the program is excelling in that goal. As a participant he has had many experiences meeting with the many people who influence the world of crop insurance, like Congressmen and Senators, people at the USDA and Risk Management personnel. It’s eye opening, he says, to see the faces and meet the people who make it all run. And it wasn’t as intimidating as he expected.

“I think it’s broadened my perspective tremendously. Just understanding the breadth of what’s involved to make this program run. We can sometimes get caught in the day-to-day. Part of what my job is, is to pay attention to the day-to-day and can sometimes get lost in the weeds. So to come up for breath a little bit and take a much broader view of what’s involved to make this program successful, that I’ll take of the rest of my career.”

Swanson strongly urges others to participate in the program as well. He praises the staff, saying they created more than activities, but provided the group with meaningful events.

Hear more about the program here: Interview with Eric Swanson, CIRB Emerging Leaders Program

2016 CIRB Annual Meeting Photos

CIRB, Insurance

AFS from Case IH Takes Precision Tech to Next Level

Jamie Johansen February 16, 2016

Case IH’s Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) has added three products to it’s line-up: AFS RTK+, ElectriSteer and AFS Connect™ Data Sharing. Growers got an up close look into the technologies at the 2016 National Farm Machinery Show and benefits of precision agriculture.

Radio delivered based solutions for growers are no more. Cellular guidance correction signals alleviate line-of-sight issues offering consistent accuracy within the network. “AFS RTK+ allows producers to easily achieve sub-inch accuracy for farming practices that require the highest level of precision, such as strip till or bedding,” said Leo Bose, Case IH AFS Marketing manager. “Better yet, they can rely on this secure, Case IH network solution to support their entire fleet.”

AFS Connect™ Data Sharing provides a cloud-based, integrated data-sharing platform. “Gone are the days of handing off USB drives,” said Bose. “With AFS Connect Data Sharing, producers can collaborate with their trusted third-party providers to make real-time decisions — saving time and money.”

The third and final new offering to AFS is the ElectriSteer providing affordable, after-market autoguidance solutions.
The universal steering motor connects with the AFS Pro 700 monitor to provide autoguidance for both used and new machines across all equipment manufacturers. “ElectriSteer is a quick, easy and affordable way for producers to realize the benefits of autoguidance for all their vehicles,” added Bose.

Listen to my complete interview with Leo to learn more. Interview with Leo Bose, Case IH

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH, data, National Farm Machinery Show, Precision Agriculture

Ag Economist Talks Insurance Premiums at CIRB

Kelly Marshall February 16, 2016

Michael Swanson is a Chief Agricultural Economist for Wells Fargo with more information about the ag economy than most of us can wrap our heads around. He recently spoke at the 2016 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting and tried to break down some of his information in a seminar entitled “Challenges Facing the World Agriculture Market.” Chuck Zimmerman caught up with him afterward to talk about some of his key takeaways.

Swanson started off with the cost crop insurance premiums as part of a grower’s budget. “Crop insurance premiums, as measured by the government, are only 4 percent of the total spending in the ag sector, so when we talk about what’s too expensive and what we should cut money on, that’s way down the list,” Swanson says. Producers wanting to cut costs should take a look at areas such as cash rents, fertilizer and machinery as more effective ways to reduce spending.

For growers hoping to increase income, however, ethanol probably isn’t the way to go, Swanson cautions. With gas prices so low the consumer would pay more to increase the amount of ethanol. Since a vast majority of the population are drivers, agriculture should try to stay friends with them. But there are ways to make $4.00 corn work on a farm, Swanson reassures us. If prices settle there growers have the opportunity to make money if the set-up of the operation is designed accordingly.

Listen to more of Chuck’s interview here: Interview with Michael Swanson, Chief Agricultural Economist, Wells Fargo

2016 CIRB Annual Meeting Photos

Agribusiness, CIRB, Insurance

#ShowMeYFR Reaches Young Farmers & Ranchers

Kelly Marshall February 16, 2016

The American Farm Bureau Federation hosted their annual Young Farmer & Rancher Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Missouri this weekend. According to coordinator Marty Tatman, more than 1,100 attendees gathered from across the nation to learn, network, and be inspired.

“Advocacy, Leadership, and Motivation were the three key areas that the committee wanted to focus in on this year. So we picked three keynote speakers that would be able to speak on behalf of each of those topic areas. Another thing we try to do with the conference is create a lot of opportunity for networking and sharing ideas,” Tatman told me.

It seems the committee, made up of 26 young farmers & ranchers representing various farm backgrounds, has worked hard and achieved the goals they set. Keynote speakers included former NFL player, Jason Brown, motivation speaker Kelly Barnes, and founder of Voices in Advocacy, Roger Rickard. Breakout sessions covered topics from public speaking to big data. Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell made an appearance to focus on healthy children, and participants even got to spend time in a Q&A with President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal.

And while being on the committee is no small task, member Katie Farley assures me it is all worth it.

You can hear the full interview with Marty Tatman here:Interview with Marty Tatman, American Farm Bureau Federation

Listen to the story of committee member Katie Farley here: Interview with Katie Farley, AFBF Young Farmer & Rancher Committee

AFBF, Ag Groups, Events

#NFMS16 ZimmCast with FMC

Cindy Zimmerman February 15, 2016

The 51st annual National Farm Machinery Show held last week in Louisville, Kentucky featured 880 exhibitors covering 1.2 million square feet of floor space. As the name of the show implies, the focus is on equipment, but FMC Corporation has continued to increase its presence at the show about the past 30 years, making the company really standout to exhibitors, media and attendees.

During the show, I sat down with FMC portfolio manager Rick Ekins to talk about why they have made NFMS a priority show through such activities as sponsoring the media room and exhibitor lanyards and hosting customer receptions. “We’re happy that we’ve been able to increase our presence here,” Rick says. “This is where you engage face to face with growers, with customers. This is where you get to establish connections with other businesses that help us carry some of our projects forward.”

FMC’s decision to sponsor the NFMS media room a few years ago gave it a real upgrade and allowed the show to provide an even better working environment for the media than ever before – which we really appreciate!

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: ZimmCast from #NFMS16 with FMC

2016 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

The ZimmCast

sponsored by

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Audio, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show, ZimmCast

Case IH Reveals 2000 Series Early Riser Planter

Jamie Johansen February 15, 2016

The 2000 series Early Riser planter has been re-thought from the ground up and was revealed last week at the 2016 National Farm Machinery Show by Case IH. The planer is the first to factory-integrate industry-leading seed placement technologies from Precision Planting® into a completely new system featuring a best-in-class rugged row unit.

“From all-new cast iron components to an electrically driven low maintenance metering system to the entire toolbar, we redesigned every inch of the new Early Riser planter,” explained Tony McClelland, Case IH planter marketing manager. “It was all based on direct customer feedback and field-testing. We made sure that this new planter is not only extremely accurate, it’s also robust enough to deliver precise placement across all terrains, crop types and speeds for faster, more uniform emergence.”

Designed for modern seed types, treatments, populations and conditions, the new planter can be easily customized to a range of soil types, terrain, fertilizer/chemical application needs and varying crop residue management practices. Plus, a streamlined design and tool-free crop changes and adjustments result in simpler maintenance.

McClelland said the planter is built for three things. Accuracy, durability and simplicity. Learn more by listening to my complete interview with Tony here: Interview with Tony McClelland, Case IH

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH, Equipment, National Farm Machinery Show, Planting

AFBF Outlines the Struggle for Crop Insurance

Kelly Marshall February 15, 2016

The American Farm Bureau Federation had the opportunity to address the 2016 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting with Congressional Relations and Senior Director, Mary Kay Thatcher.

We’ll have to be on our toes this year, she said to Chuck Zimmermann about funding for crop insurance and other ag programs. There has been talk about going back to regular order, which would mean passing a budget and 12 separate appropriations bills. This approach makes agriculture more of a target, and we would have to be ready quickly because those votes will happen fast.

The coming year is also full of challenges as an election year. In addition to fewer days in session and being out because of the upcoming conventions, many members of congress don’t want to make any major moves with the turning over of administrations.

“You have a whole lot of members of Congress who just don’t want to do something like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would give this president a victory– even though they may be very pro-trade, etc.. And that certainly won’t be the only issue, but it gives you a good example of the struggles we’re going to face,” Thatcher says.

A big part of winning the fight in these efforts will be education, for Congress, for those in the middle, and even for farmers. Educate yourself by listening to Chuck’s full interview: Interview with Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau Federation

2016 CIRB Annual Meeting Photos

AFBF, Agribusiness, Farm Bill, Insurance

Camso Debuts New Narrow Track System At #NFMS16

Taylor Truckey February 15, 2016

Last week at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Camso unveiled the new TTS 40 series narrow track system. Martin Lunkenbein, Product Director of Agriculture Systems at Camso, gave AgWired the details on the new track.

The TTS 40 series is available in two different widths: 15 inches for 20-22 inch rows or 18 inches for 30 inch rows, and can run at speeds up to 15 mph.

“We added the 40 series this year because applications are getting heavier and people are wanting to fit more between the rows. That takes down the surface area to distribute the weight. We came out with a 15- and 18-inch system for large applicators to help reduce the ground pressure and help people get through their fields.” said Lunkenbein.

A narrow track solution for row crop application, the TTS 40 series allows growers to have heavier equipment, such as high capacity planters or fertilizer applicators, in the field with less compaction and a reduction in ground pressure.

“This system reduces the ground pressure by 70% compared to tires and increases our contact area by about 10-fold. It really has a direct impact on the ground reducing any damage or any compaction.” Lunkenbein explained. For more on the series and how growers can a 5% yield increase, listen to Martin’s full interview below.

Interview with Martin about the new TTS 40 series:
Interview with Martin Lunkenbein, Camso

2016 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

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Audio, Equipment, Farm Machinery, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

2015 NCGA Yield Winner Speaks At #NFMS16

Taylor Truckey February 15, 2016

Attendees at the National Farm Machinery Show had the chance to hear from Randy Dowdy, a 2015 NCGA Yield Contest Winner. Dowdy farms in southern Georgia and claimed the first place prize in the irrigated category with a high yield of 486.1594 bushels/acre.

During his presentation, Dowdy explained that a near 500 bu yield doesn’t happen overnight. For years, he has been focused on being a student of the crop. Through trial-and-error, with a lot of on-farm research, Dowdy began to put the pieces together that would help him boost yields while maximizing his return on investment.

“Corn yield is lost or captured on stress management, so you have to understand what stress is. The hardest thing for me to ever do was figure out what the stress was.” Dowdy said. He explained that growers need to be asking themselves, “What am I doing today that induces stress, and what am I doing today that prevents stress?”

Stress on any crop can come in many forms, but for corn, compaction, emergence, water, heat, and disease are a few of the examples that Randy listed as being key factors in affecting corn yields. Managing stress and having consistent emergence are two areas where Randy says growers can start making small changes with big results.

“If you want to make 350-, 400-, 500-bu corn, it starts with a 350-, 400-, or 500-bu stand. If it doesn’t all come up at the same time, you’ve got a problem.” Dowdy advised. “The first thing a grower needs to address is consistent emergence.” As Dowdy explained, there are is no sense in fertilizing for 350-bu corn when you only have 200-bu corn in your field.

For more insight from Randy, listen to the full 5 minute interview here: : Interview with Randy Dowdy, NCGA Yield Winner

2016 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

and

Audio, Corn, Farm Shows, National Farm Machinery Show, NCGA, NFMS

Climatologist Shares Predictions at CIRB

Kelly Marshall February 15, 2016

Few things fascinate farmers more than weather– and it interests crop insurance agents quite a bit too! Chuck Zimmermann managed to sneak in a few minutes with the historical climatologist who presented at the 2016 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting.

James Garriss of the Browning Report not only studies the history of climate and weather, but also has a background in business, making him the right fit for translating the climate data and explaining how it will affect the industry. In his interview with Chuck he explains weather patterns growers can expect for their area this season, and touches on what crop insurance agents might be busy doing if La Nina visits in August or September.

Garriss also addresses the issue of excitable headlines proclaiming statistics like, “Hottest Summer on Record.” While climatologists can study factors that allow them to look at patterns going back throughout history, scientists have really only been recording weather in the manner we do now since the 1970s.

“When you see those headlines it’s always good to keep in mind that most of those headlines are covering the last 50 years, not the last five hundred,” he reminds us.

Hear more about Garriss’s climate analysis in Chuck’s interview: Interview with James Garriss, The Browning Report

2016 CIRB Annual Meeting Photos

Agribusiness, Insurance, Weather

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