Analysis of Soil Samples Using LIBS

Joanna Schroeder October 14, 2014

Science is fun. Let me explain. During the Vedesian Life Sciences Los Alamos Media Tour we learned about a cool soil sampling technology coined Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LBIS). In an attempt to not use to much technical jargon, LBIS is a focused pulse laser beam that generates a microplasma (think spec or dot). From here, the emission from the plasma wavelength uses a computer to determine the elemental breakdown of the soil sample. In other words, tells you what is in the soil (i.e. carbon, nitrogen, etc.).

It is sometimes difficult to get others, including farmers, excited about science. That’s why Verdisian brought reporters to Los Alamos National Lab to learn about the science behind some of the greatest ag technologies ever discovered.

I learned about the LBIS technology from James Barefield with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The lab develops technology for the U.S. military and then looks for ways to modify the technology for other uses such as agriculture. This is why Verdesian and LANL have such a long-term, strong relationship. Verdesian’s core technology, Take-Off was first developed by LANL.

This system lives in a backpack and connects to a computer. So lets say you are worried about carbon levels in your soil. A farmer can point the laser on different areas of soil in his/her field and the soil breakdown shows up on the computer instantaneously. The farmer can then use this data to help determine his/her carbon plan. And once you’ve activated the plan, recheck the soil samples to see if the plan is working.

Here is a quick video of how LBIS works.

So let’s recap. The LBIS can be used to analyze carbon soil in samples. The preliminary data on carbon indicates similar trends when using high and low resolution LBIS systems. If there are variations in carbon between plots this can be analyzed. From here additional analysis will be needed to obtain quantitative answers but the technology provides a quick start to understanding the carbon in your fields.

View the 2014 Verdesian Los Alamos Media Tour photo album.

Agribusiness, Agronomy, Precision Agriculture, Verdesian, Video

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes October 14, 2014

DuPont Pioneer and Cargill announced that they will work with farmers near Cargill’s facility in Sidney, Ohio, to grow Pioneer brand soybeans with the Plenish high oleic trait in 2015.
Behind the theme of “Building Better No-Till Practices,” the 2015 National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) from Jan. 14-17 lands on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the fifth time in the conference’s 23-year history.
Don’t forget to register for the Livestock Publication Council Fall Regional Workshop October 23rd, 2014 in Fort Collins Colorado.
Farm Journal Media launched a significant upgrade of its award winning website, AgWeb.com.

Zimfo Bytes

Join the Farming Conversation on BeckAgConnects

Jamie Johansen October 14, 2014

In agriculture, we see a lot of pushback from consumers who are more and more removed from the farm. If you’ve not put yourself out there as an agricultural advocate, it might seem intimidating. What do you say about growth hormones or GMOs or pesticides? How do you get started?

To address this challenge, USFRA and Beck Ag collaborated to create an online forum for folks in agriculture to share their experiences, ideas and challenges in a secure community without noise and chatter from non-ag audiences. BeckAgConnects is an online community strictly for those who work in the agricultural industry. Almost 16,000 farmers, ranchers, retailers, consultants and other ag professionals currently participate in this unique environment to share information and ideas.

BeckAgConnects will launch the I AM FARMLAND Forum in October, corresponding to the digital release of “FARMLAND,” the film. The forum will feature one-on-one interviews and Q&A discussions with the farmers and ranchers featured in the film. In addition, you can pick up tips and ideas for how to share agriculture’s story with consumers and ways to encourage those not directly involved in agriculture to view the film.

We encourage you to join the conversation and help spread the message about “FARMLAND”, the film, which accurately depicts life as an American farmer and rancher. Stick around to learn about advocating for agriculture and share your own experiences. And because it’s on BeckAgConnects, rest assured that your discussions are among others who care about ag as much as you do.

Ag Groups, Media, USFRA

AEM Confident Despite Farm Equipment Sales Drop

Cindy Zimmerman October 14, 2014

Farm equipment sales are down significantly this year, but the head of the Association of Equipment Manufacturer‘s Ag Sector remains optimistic about the industry.

“We’re in the business of feeding and harvesting food and you need equipment to do that,” says Charlie O’Brien, AEM Senior Vice President and Ag Sector Lead. “Even though the numbers for this year are down, we’re still going to have a very good year – probably one of the top ten years we’ve had.”

According to AEM, sales of 4 wheel drive farm tractors and combines are down 15 and 17 percent respectively so far this year. But O’Brien says some categories are increasing. “Smaller horse power tractors, under 40 horsepower, are up 8.7 percent and horsepower at 40-100 are up seven percent,” said O’Brien, noting that the dairy sector is purchasing equipment with the higher price of milk.

Lower commodity prices are the main reason for the drop off in sales this year, but O’Brien says farmers are still carrying strong balance sheets from previous years and there is always a need for increased productivity and efficiency. “We continue to need the technology that our equipment offers,” he said.

O’Brien adds that they are also optimistic that the Section 179 deduction and bonus depreciation will be reinstated providing farmers the incentive to purchase new equipment.

Listen to O’Brien discuss more reasons not to panic about lower farm equipment sales this year: Interview with Charlie O'Brien, Association of Equipment Manufacturers

AEM, Audio, Equipment, Uncategorized

Using CAFOweb on Your Dairy Operation

Joanna Schroeder October 13, 2014

Dairy farmers in New Mexico are using a great new tool called CAFOweb. The online data management tool allows dairy farmers to better manage nitrogen. As Tara Vander Dussen and Jay Lazarus explained, nitrogen from manure solids and/or effluent can leach into the ground water is not applied at agronomic rates. In other words, said Lazarus, most dairies were not meeting ground water specs. Because of this dairymen requested a web-based predictive tool to manage their nutrients in real time and thus was born CAFOweb.

I learned about this tool and saw it in action during Verdesian Life Science’s Los Alamos Media Tour. While the tool was in development it was beta-tested at eight dairies across New Mexico and Nevada. When the diary farms were combined, the test represented 25,000 cows and 2,600 acres of land application fields. Today CAFOweb is a proven nitrogen tracking tool and the only commercially available web-based nitrogen tracking tool.

Vander Dussen explained that the tool was developed with record-keeping requirements in mind and the software is designed to implement CNMPs and the plan and track nitrogen and nutrient applications rates and timing. She said there are various reports available such as a greenwater application report, greenwater forecasting report and soils report. To generate information, a consult or dairy inputs sampling data and monitoring data. The two combined allow a dairyman to track data trend via the reports as well as predict when applications should take place.

While the tool is only available in four states: New Mexico, Nevada, California and Washington, Vander Dussen said that they plan on rolling it out nationwide. In the meantime, they are working with Los Alamos National Lab on the technical specs to expand capabilities and add modules.

View the 2014 Verdesian Los Alamos Media Tour photo album.

Agribusiness, Apps, Dairy, Verdesian

Farm to School & Cooperative Efforts

Jamie Johansen October 13, 2014

In celebration of the United Nations’ 2014 International Year of Family Farming, this month National Farmers Union (NFU) is highlighting the importance of family farmers and local communities, as well as some of the tools available to help family farmers increase their economic footprint and clout. A great deal of emphasis is placed this month on cooperatives and farm to school efforts, as October is also both Farm to School Month and Cooperative Month.

“Family farmers are the engines that drive rural America, pumping millions of dollars into local communities as they purchase the inputs they need for their farms,” said NFU President Roger Johnson.

Johnson noted that as a result, farm output continues to rise, with market values of crops, livestock and agriculture products reaching record highs in 2012. According to the recent Census of Agriculture, 87 percent of U.S. farms are owned by families or individuals, and in 2012, there were 2.1 million farms in the U.S, with an average farm size of 418 acres. But according to that same census, those numbers of farms are falling, down more than four percent from 2007, while the average farm size has continued to grow.

“Clearly, NFU has a role to play in ensuring that family farmers remain competitive and productive in the ever-changing and increasingly competitive environment they operate in.” Johnson explained that one of the best tools available to family farmers to pool their resources and multiply both their buying and selling powers is through their involvement in farm cooperatives.

Ag Groups, Education, Farming

Talking Advanced Biofuels in Minneapolis

Chuck Zimmerman October 13, 2014

Hello from Minneapolis and the National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo. This is the first of two stops for me this week before heading back to ZimmComm World Headquarters.

The first panel of the conference is moderated by Tim Portz, VP of Content, BBI International. This panel, talking about “Assessing the Health of Federal Biofuels Policy and Its Long Term Prognosis,” includes Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board, Mike McAdams, Advanced Biofuels Association and Matt Carr, Algae Biomass Organization. I’ll have more from their comments later on DomesticFuel.com.

I spoke with Tim to get a preview of what we’ll be doing here. He says it is an interesting time for the industry with some great successes happening in the advanced biofuels category. However, the industry is still struggling with the on-going uncertainty with the RFS. He is interested to hear from industry members who will be participating on panels and talking about this topic.

You can listen to my interview with Tim to learn more about what’s going on at this year’s conference: Interview with Tim Portz

2014 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo Photo Album

Coverage of The Advanced Biofuels Conference and Expo is sponsored by

Audio, Biofuels, Energy

Support Your Local Student NAMA Chapter

Chuck Zimmerman October 12, 2014

Hopefully all you members of the National Agri-Marketing Association are finding ways to support your student chapter. Here’s an example of how Florida NAMA just got involved at an event to support our students, Gator NAMA. Gator NAMA is tied in with the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Ag Econ Club. They set up a promotional booth during this weekend’s TailGATOR before the UF-LSU football game.

The booth had specially made cards to promote Gator NAMA, information about joining NAMA and our students and professionals who could make it to man the booth. The folks who attend are college alums involved in agriculture all over Florida. Florida NAMA and Gator NAMA donated a basket of Gator items to the silent auction that was held during the TailGATOR too.

You can learn more about Student NAMA and ways to support the chapters on the NAMA website. They are our future after all.

Education, NAMA, University

Cheese, Cheese & More Cheese

Jamie Johansen October 11, 2014

A gourmet breakfast was prepared for us during the media talk event at the 2014 World Dairy Expo by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s executive chef, John Esser.

The meal was of course full Wisconsin cheeses. Chef Esser also prepared an omelet full of morel and leek jack cheese and a pancake packed with foenegreek gouda cheese and bacon. Another option for guests included a flatbread with a garlic and herb cream cheese spread with smoked salmon, roasted red peppers and capers. On the far side of the table was another option. John called it a Bavarian breakfast, which was a selection of meats, cheeses served on hard rolls.

“My favorite cheese depends on what I am doing. And also if I’m having a glass of wine or a beer. There are a lot of different varieties involved. Right now on this table, I really like the morel and leek jack because it is so smooth, creamy and also has those great flavors.”

I am sure I have made your mouth water just a bit as I painted a picture of our Wisconsin breakfast. If you attend any of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board events in the future I am sure you will run into Chef John Esser and won’t walk away disappointed or hungry.

Listen to my complete interview with John here: Interview with Chef John Esser

Find all photos from the event here: 2014 World Dairy Expo Photo Album.

Coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by

Ag Groups, Audio, Dairy, Food, World Dairy Expo

Innovation Will Meet Needs of America

Joanna Schroeder October 10, 2014

Dave Pesiri is the director of the Feynman Center for Innovation. He defines innovation as taking a new technology of idea into a new market. Los Alamos National Laboratory is a place where a lot of new technologies emerge, and the Center dedicates much of its time to working with others to deploy the technology from the pages of a notebook to the hands of consumers.

One such profitable “innovative” relationship as been LANL with Verdesian Life Sciences. Dating back to the 1990s work from the lab, with the help of Verdesian, was transformed into a unique and highly successful product called Take-Off. The foundation of the nitrogen enhancing product is various formulas that allow it to be used by growers simultaneously with other products such as fertilizers or herbicides – there is no other product on the market. Today, the research teams continue to work together to improve the product and in the next few weeks, Take-Off next generation will be released.

“Innovation I believe is going to be critical in how we are going to need to meet the needs of the country,” said Pesiri. “The need for continual innovation has changed how we think.” Today, innovation has become a core ethic of how they met the lab’s mission.

Pesiri noted that how the Center innovates must be more effective because the pace and complex threats from adversaries is evolving much faster then the lab. “As a lab, if we are not working with the best in the private sector then we will have a problem with relevancy going forward.”

The lab does face some challenges when it comes to research. For example, Perisi said they can only budget one year in advance and this makes long-term R&D funding challenging at times. “But what we’re finding is that the ability to leverage the best of industry in a lot of sectors,” said Perisi. We need to understand how to use private companies understanding of markets and then leverage this knowledge so we can get smart and then figure out how to put stuff in place to be a better partners.”

They have put this into action and run a small accelerator program for small businesses in New Mexico. To date, they have deployed $2.5 m in funding and seen a $50 million return on investment. The goal of the program is to help businesses focus on technical funding and today that have positively impacted every county in New Mexico.

Perisi said they lab is committed and looking forward to extending its relationship with Verdeisan. They have been a great partner and serve as a strong example of how they would like other private partnerships to evolve.

To learn more about the Feynman Center for Innovation, listen to Dave Perisi’s remarks: Remarks from Dave Perisi, Feynman Center for Innovation

View the 2014 Verdesian Los Alamos Media Tour photo album. *Note: due to national security concerns, the media tour participants were not allowed to take photos in the lab on on the lab’s premises.

Agribusiness, Audio, Fertilizer, Herbicide, Research, Verdesian

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