Will you be investing in an Apple Watch?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How important is it to know about farming in other countries?”

This might be the most one-sided poll we have every had. It seems, and I definitely don’t disagree, that having a global understanding of agriculture is crucial. We may not all be able to learn about them first-hand, but thats where we come into play.

Here are the poll results:

  • Very important, global economy – 91%
  • Not important, who cares – 4%
  • Somewhat, simply curious – 5%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Would you buy an Apple Watch?

Apple’s roll out of a few clever and exciting new techie items has lead us to wonder if their new Apple Watch is something you plan on spending money on. It’s a no brainer that all Apple product enthusiasts will eventually be owning an iPhone 6, but do the product specs of the Apple Watch intrigue you enough to make the investment. Do you see it being a must have in years to come?

ZimmPoll

John Deere’s New ExactEmerge Planter

Leah Guffey

_DSC0130John Deere is breaking the planting speed and accuracy barriers of traditional row-crop planting with the introduction of a new seed delivery system. With the launch of their ExactEmerge row unit for the most accurate planting at speeds up to 10 mph and the new industry-leading MaxEmerge 5 row units for planting at traditional speeds, customers can now plant with greater speed, accuracy and ease than ever before. The John Deere ExactEmerge row unit incorporates new technology that gives corn and soybean producers the ability to plant at speeds up to 10 mph while maintaining superior seed placement. This exclusive seed delivery system cradles the seed from the meter down to the seed trench maintaining optimal seed spacing in varying field conditions. The new system ensures superior seed placement at faster planting speeds and offers a 10 percent improvement in seed spacing at traditional speeds.

fps14-jd-exactAccording to Kelby Krueger, product specialist, John Deere Seeding Group, the ExactEmerge row units are a perfect fit for producers who want to plant more acres in less time due to narrow planting windows, or to increase the size of their operations without adding equipment. “We know that accurate, timely planting pays off in improved stands and higher yields at harvest,” Krueger says. “Now row-crop producers will have the ability to place seeds at higher operating speeds with even greater accuracy in the field. They will be able to optimize their seed investment, reduce operational costs and generally increase productivity. This exciting new high-performance system is the most productive planting solution we’ve ever offered.” Some of the fields around Farm Progress Show this year were planted using the system.

You can listen to my interview with Kelby here:Interview with Kelby Krueger, John Deere

2014 Farm Progress photo album

Audio, Equipment, Farm Machinery, Farm Progress Show, John Deere

Food Prices Not Following Corn Down

Cindy Zimmerman

Just two years ago when corn prices were up due to the drought, critics were blaming higher food prices on the use of corn for ethanol. Today, corn prices are lower than the cost of production, but food prices are still rising.

RFA Corn Prices are plungingThe Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has released a new report that shows how false food versus fuel claims are when retail food prices have remained steady or increased recently as corn prices have fallen.

RFA Senior Vice President Geoff Cooper says the report compared corn prices to the price of dairy products, pork products, beef products, and poultry and egg products from January 2007 – July 2014. “We found no evidence whatsoever that volatile corn prices were reflected in retail prices for those products,” said Cooper. “For dairy, we actually saw an inverse relationship at times, when you had corn prices moving higher there were many periods where milk and cheese prices were moving lower.”

Beef and pork prices are up significantly this year due to higher demand and reduced supplies. “Those increases are happening at a time when we’re seeing corn prices plunge,” said Cooper. Corn prices went from a peak of $7.53 a bushel in August of 2012 to less than half that now. “Today September corn is selling at $3.36 a bushel,” Cooper said. “Farmers are losing money if their selling corn at that price.”

Breakeven is at least $4 a bushel and there are no deficiency payments anymore to make up the difference. “We are quickly moving into a situation that has a lot of people worried in farm country,” Cooper added. Interview with Geoff Cooper, RFA

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Food, RFA

2014 IFAJ Congress Wrap

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 450I’m calling on all AAEA, LPC, NAAJ and NAFB members to put the annual IFAJ Congress on your calendars. In October 2015 it will be in New Zealand!

Adrian Bell and Jane CragieBut let’s take a listen to some information about last week’s Congress in Scotland. First up in the program is opening remarks from the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Jane Cragie. Then you can get a wrap up interview with Congress Chair Adrian Bell. They are both pictured here at the closing Gala Banquet. You’ll have to ask Adrian about the cap.

This year’s Congress seemed to have more first-timers than I can recall. That’s a good sign. I don’t know what the exact final total of attendees was but approximately 220 is close enough.

Listen in to this week’s program here: 2014 IFAJ Congress

2014 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

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Audio, IFAJ

Bayer CropScience Expanding R&D

Cindy Zimmerman

bayer-bio-percyThe opening of the new Bayer CropScience research and development facility last week in Sacramento will allow the company to better leverage its full capabilities by consolidating and expanding its global R&D organization.

“The investment into this state-of-the-art facility creates an environment where our researchers and experts can find the best possible conditions to discover solutions that growers across the globe can depend on to produce high-quality food in a sustainable manner,” said Dr. Adrian Percy, Global Head of Research and Development at Bayer CropScience.

Percy says the new West Sacramento site is situated on 10 acres of land and features a 100,000-square-foot building and a 35,000-square-foot pilot plant to support research and development of biological crop protection products, as well as a 30,000-square-foot Vegetable Seeds research building. The facility will also include a 2,000-square-foot greenhouse and five acres of nearby land for future greenhouse space as well as the has the capacity to house up to 300 employees.Interview with Adrian Percy, Bayer CropScience

bayer-bio-margolisDr. Jonathan Margolis, Vice President of Biologics Research for Bayer CropScience, says there are a whole range of products that fall under the heading of biologics. “We focus primarily on beneficial microbes, bacteria and fungi, usually from soil,” said Margolis. “What we do here is characterize those to pick out the very best ones to use for agricultural products.”

When it comes to research, Margolis says they always start with the problem “because that means we’re starting with the customer in mind” then they design a project around that. “We have a major new initiative, for example, around crop efficiency, the idea of developing particularly seed treatments for broad acre crops to increase yield.”Interview with Jonathan Margolis, Bayer CropScience


Bayer CropScience Biologics Center Photo Album

Audio, Bayer, Crop Protection, Research

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • broadhead, a leading marketing agency based in Minneapolis, announces the hiring of Emilie Hitch as Vice President of Planning and Insights.
  • Over 88 Iowa farm families, named Iowa Farm Environmental Leader award recipients, were honored at a special Recognition Luncheon hosted by Hagie Manufacturing at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday, August 13.
  • Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., a leading provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products for the agriculture, turf and ornamental and water treatment markets,announced that Scott Peoples has joined the company as its Vice President of Marketing.
  • Three recipients will receive the Demeter Award of Excellence recognizing their outstanding efforts in support of women in agribusiness at this year’s third annual Women in Agribusiness Summit in New Orleans, October 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency.
Zimfo Bytes

Get Your AgCatalyst On

Chuck Zimmerman

Ag CatalystPerhaps you’re wondering what an AgCatalyst is? Josh Lysne can tell you about it. I will be attending the event this year following the Advanced Biofuels Conference in Minneapolis. Isn’t that convenient?

This video might help you understand what you want to participate in.


This is not the first AgCatalyst. In this video AgCatalyst attendees discuss how the 2013 AgCatalyst conference gave them the opportunity to learn about social media, share ideas, help grow the agricultural industry and offered plenty of networking opportunities.


Register here.

Agencies

Farm Foundation to Discuss WOTUS

John Davis

farmfoundationlogo3As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes public comment on their proposed “Waters of the United States” or WOTUS regulations, Farm Foundation is offering a forum on the issue. Next Wednesday, Sept. 17th from 9 am-11 am at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Farm Foundation hosts a free forum on how the regulation would expand EPA and Corps authority and could impede land-use decisions and farming practices near the waters in question.

The perspective of the regulator will be presented by Tracy Mehan, with Gene Schmidt providing perspectives of farmers/landowners.

Mehan is currently the National Source Water Protection Coordinator for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. He is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law, a member of the Environmental Law Institute and a former assistant administrator for water at the EPA.

Schmidt is an Indiana grain farmer and past president of the National Association of Conservation Districts. In addition to his work at the national level, Schmidt is a member of the Board of the LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District, and has served in numerous leadership position in the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

More information and registration are available here. If you can’t attend in person, Farm Foundation will provide an audiocast of the event on its website.

Farm Foundation, Water

House Says Whoa to WOTUS

Cindy Zimmerman

EPA Ditch the RuleWhile everyone else in the world was watching the new Apple products roll out Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives was rolling over a proposed rule that would greatly expand regulation of waters in the United States.

A parade of Congressional representatives from both parties spoke up for the bill that would stop the controversial rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify regulated “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.

southerlandRep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) sponsored the bill, called the “WOTUS Regulatory Overreach Protection Act”, which would prohibit the government from “developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing” the WOTUS rule. It passed by a vote of 262 to 152. The legislation also would block a companion interpretive rule, which includes what agricultural practices would be exempt from the WOTUS rule.

“Our bipartisan bill draws a line in the sand…we are providing a safeguard against federal government overreach into regulatory decisions best made by officials at the state and local levels,” said Southerland. “This bill is not anti-environment, it’s not anti-clean water, our bill preserves the partnership we’ve had for years to strengthen the health of our waterways and manage our water quality.” Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) on his bill to stop WOTUS

Agricultural organizations that have been fighting the proposed rule were pleased to see the bill pass the House. “Today’s action is an unmistakable signal that the tide is turning against those who ignore the constitutional separation of powers in the United States,” said American Farm Bureau president Bob Stallman. “We will ditch this rule.”

Meanwhile, the bill is expected to go nowhere in the Senate and the White House has already promised to veto it if it does make it that far.

AFBF, Audio, Water

Apple Announcements

Chuck Zimmerman

Apple WatchIf you missed it you can still see it. It is today’s Apple Live event announcing the new iPhone 6, Apple Pay, Apple Watch and more. It is a seriously big announcement and AgNerds should take notice.

Not only will the new iPhone 6 be available in two new larger sizes but the Watch (available early 2015) is more than what all the rumors suggested. There are three different versions/sizes of Watch and an infinite number of customized colors, bands, etc. Watch the movie that describes it to learn more. Apple calls it their most personal device yet.

So when it comes to new hardware this is a significant launch. Just look into the specs and you’ll see why.

But on the software side it may be even bigger. The new Apple Pay system which will allow you to purchase items without having to even carry credit cards anymore is a game changer. The new iOS 8 coming out Sept. 12 is a major overhaul that includes many new developer tools. With the new devices, screen sizes and operating system plan to have your ag app updated to take advantage of them. The AgWired App has just been updated by the way and I hope you’ve upgraded or installed it on your iOS device.

Wearable technology got a big boost today. Even if you don’t like Apple and its products today’s announcement gave the industry a shot in the arm. Just wait and see if we don’t have new farming applications come out of this next year!

Technology