Farm Progress Show field demos are underway this year. Some might say, “Finally!” That’s because they have been canceled the last couple years.
Here’s a New Holland CR combine in the field followed by a tractor pulling one of their new large round balers. Lizzy gets credit for this picture.
Jamie shot video of the combine for your viewing pleasure.
2015 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
With moderate temperatures and lots of rainfall, corn and soybean growers have had an environment fairly conducive to pathogen presence of diseases including gray leaf spot and southern corn rust said Nick Hustedde, FMC Technical Service Representative prior to the kick-off of the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois this week. He cautioned there are also wind-borne spores on their way in and as a result, growers are seeing some late season infections. Hustedde explained that when a grower plants early and there are cool, wet conditions, the environment becomes conducive for sudden death syndrome and growers began to see some symptoms show up in the past week.
Hustedde said fungicide applications are fairly crop specific. He explained that in the case of corn, for example, a grower can see late diseases that can infect early. In these cases, it’s important to have a fungicide option that has a flexible application window. That’s where In Fortix, which is a joint venture between FMC and Arysta LifeScience, comes in. Fortix allows for either ground or aerial application giving it the flexibility for the grower to apply based on what type of pathogen a grower is fighting.
Growers can apply Fortix proactively before symptoms of disease show up. In some cases, however, a grower may see a major epidemic and they may be a little more reactive. Regardless of the strategy used, Hustedde said Fortix is a one and done application and a grower can expect an average yield increase of 7 to 14 bushels per acre for corn and 4+ bushels per acre for soybeans versus untreated acres.
To learn more about application strategies and the role of Fortix, listen to Chuck Zimmerman’s interview with Nick Hustedde: Interview with Nick Hustedde, FMC
I’ve mentioned before all the different creatures that venture into our yard, or in the pasture behind our house. The amazement never ceases when the children see five deer from the back deck, or watch them walk up the freshly mowed path from the trees to our house. The two little ones get a kick out of saying, “Whoa, turkey!” as we drive to town, and most times, it’s because I have to stop on the lake road to let the turkeys cross.
My nephew, Jackson, is big into hunting and fishing. I’ve warned him though, if he’s going to shoot a gun by our house at 6 a.m. to please let me know so I don’t think we’re under attack. He has trail cams set up all through the pasture and down by the old camping grounds. You never know what may wander up to inspect the camera!
I thought it would be fun to share a few of those captured moments.
Until we walk again …
Matt Davis and his son Adam who farm near Mendota, Illinois are going home from the Farm Progress Show this week with a Meridian Seed Tender, courtesy of GROWMARK and Grainco FS in honor of the 50th anniversary of HiSoy soybeans.
“It’s fantastic, I didn’t actually believe it at first,” said Davis when he was awarded his prize at the show Wednesday. “It will fit in great with the operation I’ve got.”
GROWMARK seed division mgr Mark Thornsbrough, winner Matt Davis and son Adam; John Walsh and Mike Fredrickson of Grainco FS
GROWMARK Seed Division Manager Mark Thornsbrough said they came up with the sweepstakes to celebrate the golden anniversary of HiSoy.
“HiSoy was the first and the oldest continuous brand in the United States and we’re very proud of our brand,” said Thornsbrough. “We launched (the sweepstakes) about a year ago and wanted to finish it up here at the Farm Progress Show.”
Thornsbrough says one thing that makes HiSoy so special is the leadership behind the brand. “We’ve had four product managers and they’ve all continued to make the brand a leading brand in the industry,” he said. “The most important part from a farmer’s standpoint as a cooperative, it is the farmers’ brand – the farmers own this brand and we want to make sure that we give them the best opportunity for high yields and the ability to maximize their income per acre.”
The GROWMARK Seed Division plans to award three seed tenders to three participants in the HiSOY Golden Anniversary Sweepstakes – randomly selecting a winner from each sales region – Northern, Southern, and Western. Davis was the Northern region winner.
Learn more in this interview: GROWMARK HiSoy Sweepstakes Winner
2015 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
At the 2015 Farm Progress Show this week, Bayer CropScience launched #AgVocate, an initiative designed to inform, encourage and enable voices within American agriculture to engage in the public dialogue about agriculture, food production and the importance of innovation to tackle the massive challenges facing our world today.
“We’re asking people to pledge their time and their will into this campaign, and really try to understand the issues and the science behind the technologies we create,” says Bayer CropScience VP of Marketing David Hollinrake. “With their pledge, we’re also offering up materials to help them engage in dialogue with people who may not have as much information about how food is grown.”
Visitors to the Bayer tent at FPS can pledge join their hands to #AgVocate and learn new facts and techniques to help them #AgVocate throughout the year. “Our goal is to engage as many people as possible, and there’s 150,000 people who will be through these facilities over the next three days,” said Hollinrake. “If we can do our little part by asking them to be an #AgVocate and pledge their time then I think we can have a meaningful impact on shaping consumer sentiment in a positive way.”
So, if you’re at the FPS this week, stop by the Bayer tent – if not, you can learn more here.
Listen to my interview with David here: Interview with David Hollinrake, Bayer CropScience
GROWMARK and the FS System are the folks who make the Farm Progress Show grow and go – so you definitely should stop by and visit them on the corner of Central and Eleventh before the show ends on Thursday afternoon.
“We are the official fuel and agronomic sponsor of the field demonstrations here,” says Rachel Moore with the GROWMARK Marketing and Communications division, pictured here on the right with Bev Long, manager of that division.
Inside the exhibit, there are lots of interactive games related to the FS member companies, including grain systems, agronomy, and energy with the diesel fuel branded as Dieselex Gold. “We’re doing a Dieselex Gold challenge where people can sign up for that in our booth,” said Moore.
New to the exhibit this year is a way for visitors to not only have fun, but also make a difference in the local community by helping to feed those in need. “Farming Forever is a way we wanted to pair up with two food banks – Midwest Food Bank and Feeding America,” said Long. “For every person that plays Farming Forever, the GROWMARK Foundation on behalf of FS Member Companies will give a dollar. We’re looking for 10,000 people to come in and play, so that’s $5,000 to each of those organizations.”
Find out more in this interview with Rachel and Bev – and better yet, stop by and play the game so they can meet their goal! Interview with Rachel Moore and Bev Long, GROWMARK
New Holland was extremely fortunate to welcome their Italy-based Global Brand Manager, Carlo Lambro, to their booth at this year’s Farm Progress Show.
Lambro came to see the show, the booths, and observe his brand, but none of those items were his top priority this week: “The brand was born in the US, in 1895 in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and we are proud of the position we hold here. I came this week above all to see the customers,” Lambro said in an interview with AgWired.
Lambro also came to see the leaders of the North American branch of the company, and to observe how the team is working after the recent appointment of Bret Lieberman as the new Vice President of New Holland North America.
“It’s important that we provide the team with the right leadership. It is the team that is doing the job, it is not only one man,” explained Lambro, “The current mood of the staff is good. We are working well together as a team. At the end of the day, New Holland is a big family.”
Of Lieberman, Lambro had a glowing description: “We are combining not only his expertise and his long history of success in the company, but Bret is also originally from New Holland, PA. He knows the culture, he knows the people, and it is really bringing added value to the team.”
Listen to Chuck’s Interview with Lambro here:
Interview with Carlo Lambro, New Holland
Caterpillar Inc. is in their second year back to the Farm Progress Show and have a growing presence in the agriculture community. I met up with Cat’s Agriculture Industry Manager, Dustin Johansen, during the event to learn more about their product line and their new partnership with American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) that will provide members up to $2,000 in purchase incentives on Cat machines.
“Farm Bureau members can now receive additional discounts on Caterpillar construction products. In addition, we are excited for our Cat dealer network from across the country to work hand in hand with their county and state Farm Bureau’s.”
Caterpillar Inc. is confident that equipment like their skid steer loaders, compact track loaders and mini hydraulic excavators can help get the job done on the farm.
“In the last five years we have really upped our focus on the agriculture market segment. We have continued to see the industry for construction products being used by agriculture producers grow year after year. This year the industry is up 10% from the previous year. It is a testament to the growth of ag producers needing more equipment to get more done as their operations grow.”
Listen to my complete interview with Dustin to learn more about Cat’s investment in the agriculture community here: Interview with Dustin Johansen, Caterpillar Inc.
View and download photos from the press conference in the 2015 Farm Progress Photo Album.
The current status of the EPA’s Clean Water Rule, formally known as Waters of the United States or WOTUS, is a big topic of discussion at the 2015 Farm Progress Show in Illinois this week.
The rule was blocked by a federal judge last week in response to a lawsuit filed by 13 state attorney generals, but National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling of Maryland says EPA’s contention that the rule is only blocked in those 13 states just muddies the waters even more. “I don’t think the judge in North Dakota that gave the injunction just thought it was for the 13 states,” said Bowling during an interview at FPS. “That’s what National Corn Growers thinks also.”
NCGA is part of another lawsuit against the rule which would be national in scope. “This is a national program with national ramifications and means the same thing for a corn farmer in Ohio as it does in Texas, as it does in Maryland,” he said.
In this interview, Chip also discusses the RFS, the corn crop, and growing markets for corn: Interview with NCGA president Chip Bowling
American Soybean Association president Wade Cowan of Texas says they just wish they did not have to deal with this issue at all. “We’re going to see the negative effects on agriculture that comes from the states that are being impacted and the farmers that are being impacted,” said Cowan. “We’re in a tough environment already with the prices and farm incomes being down and this is just a level of uncertainty that we don’t need.”
Wade also takes about other issues important to soybean growers in this interview: Interview with ASA president Wade Cowan
2015 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
