Holland Picks New Holland

Cindy Zimmerman

BoerderijThe T6 AutoCommand™ tractor, from CNH Industrial brand New Holland Agriculture, has won the ‘Boerentrekker of the Year Award 2014’ in the Netherlands by leading Dutch farming magazine Boerderij.

cnh-t6-autoThe title recognizes the ‘Best Farmer’s Tractor’ for the year in Holland and was conferred at the Agrotechniek 2014 trade fair by the magazine. First published in 1915, this weekly independent farming magazine counts a readership of over one million.

New Holland’s T6 range is considered to be the tractor of choice for future-focused farmers who have mixed arable and livestock farms, as well as for contractors and specialist agribusinesses.

The jury ruled the T6 AutoCommand™ as winner based on a number of factors regarding its design, technology, comfort and quality. The tractor’s ergonomics, intuitive operation and high level of comfort are thanks to the multi award-winning SideWinder™ II armrest, that hosts the most frequently used controls, and the Horizon™ Cab, that offers high levels of operator comfort and outstanding visibility in all applications. This model also features the ECOBlue™ SCR technology for Tier 4A compliance to improve productivity and profitability. The optional SuperSteer™ front axle delivers outstanding manoeuvrability, while the optional Terraglide™ front axle (with fully integrated front suspension) makes for smooth driving both in the field and on the road.

International, New Holland, Tractor

GROWMARK Encourages Proactive Nutrient Management

Cindy Zimmerman

This is the third of a four part series on Nutrient Management sponsored by FS/GROWMARK

There are lots of good reasons to be proactive about nutrient management in agriculture, not the least of which is the threat of government regulation and litigation.

growmark-hobart“If we aren’t part of the solution, regulations and legislation will define agriculture and how we farm,” says GROWMARK Government Relations Manager Liz Hobart. “Agriculture does a very good job with production practices and I think we need to take ownership of that issue.”

Hobart says the regulatory landscape impacting agricultural practices continues to threaten with cases such as the Chesapeake Bay nutrient management program, which established a precedent with a judge’s ruling last year affirming the legality of broad federal authority under the Clean Water Act. Another case is the Mississippi River Basin Initiative, which would include some 7,000 streams. “We are definitely working on the federal, state and local levels to help growers be a part of the solution,” said Hobart, which includes minimizing the impact of regulation, legislation and civil litigation. “GROWMARK encourages the use of best management practices in all phases of farming.” Interview with Liz Hobart, GROWMARK

Our final segment of this series will look at developing nutrient management plans. Read the first post in the series on Illinois’ nutrient loss reduction strategy here and the second with Dr. Howard Brown on N-Watch.

Nutrient Management Series

sponsored by
Nutrient Management Series is sponsored by GROWMARK
Audio, Conservation, GROWMARK

Dupont Pioneer CASE Grants

Chuck Zimmerman

Dupont PioneerOnce again Dupont Pioneer is stepping up to work with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) to award grants to teachers who are implementing the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (pdf) but need resources.

Grants of $2,500 to $5,000 are available to help train teachers and supply equipment and resources to prepare students for careers in agriculture and food. Applications for CASE grants will be accepted through October 30, 2014.

The DuPont Pioneer grants will be available to help in three areas teachers have identified as cost barriers to implementing the program in their schools: teacher training, equipment and materials, and end-of-course assessments.

Agribusiness, Education, Pioneer

GROWMARK Makes VP Announcements

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK has made two new Vice President appointments for the cooperative’s executive team.

growmark-schmidtBarry Schmidt has been named GROWMARK Region Vice President effective Nov. 1, 2014. Barry will report to GROWMARK CEO, Jim Spradlin, and will serve on the senior management team Schmidt will support FS member companies in the northern portion of the Central Region. GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin called Schmidt “a proven and experienced leader with a strong record of performance.” Schdmidt has served as general manager at McDonough FS. McDonough FS merged with Hancock County Service Company to form West Central FS. West Central FS subsequently merged with RIVERLAND FS, which Schmidt managed. Schmidt is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Agri-Business.

growmark-woodsGROWMARK also announced its new Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mike Woods, effective December 16, 2014. Woods replaces Marshall Bohbrink who announced his plans to retire in early January 2015. Woods has more than 38 years of service to GROWMARK, and brings extensive finance and business experience to the new role. He joined GROWMARK in July 1974 as the potash supply manager in the Crops Division. Woods has served in various capacities throughout his tenure, including operations coordinator/manager positions for the Farm and Home Division, Feed and Structures Division, Mark II Agronomy, and the Seed Division; director of business analysis, and executive director, strategic research and information. In December 2013, Mike accepted his current role as vice president, finance and risk management. Woods graduated from Millikin University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance.

Cooperatives, GROWMARK

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new peanut revenue policy that will be available for eligible peanut producers.
  • Monsanto is expanding the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Program to include projects on insect pests that can significantly impact all row crops across the U.S.
  • AgReliant Genetics LLC and Spensa Technologies Inc. signed an agreement that will help growers integrate innovative and precision planting tools with AgReliant hybrid information to improve overall crop production.
  • CHS hosted the National Teach Ag Day celebration at its headquarters in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. which included the announcement of a $1.5 million gift over the next three years from CHS to further agricultural education in the United States.
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NACD Meets With EPA on WOTUS

Cindy Zimmerman

nacd-logoRepresentatives of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) met with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials last week to express concerns on behalf of member conservation districts regarding the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule.

“We thought is was a very good meeting and we appreciated the opportunity to express some concerns,” said NACD President Earl Garber, a licensed crop consultant and rice, soybean, and hay producer from Louisiana.

nacd-garberThe main concerns addressed by NACD were the need for EPA to take more time to finalize the rule and the need for more clarity in definitions under the rule. “We referred to it as fear because, as a crop consultant, I face that daily with my producers. When they hear this type of information, there’s actually a fear on their part “will this possibly put this out of business as a producer?”

Garber says they met with the EPA representatives for nearly four hours. “They said that they will absolutely take our comments into consideration,” he said. “There was no promise they would necessary use what we recommended but all we can ask is that they would consider (them).”

Garber says they were disappointed that representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were unable to attend the meeting, but he hopes that another meeting will be set up in the future. “We see the Corps of Engineers as a very important part of this because they’re involved in the implementation,” he said. “We think it’s important that they hear how we would anticipate this being implemented based on what we’re reading and we are interested in hearing how they would implement it.”

NACD also plans to submit formal comments on the proposed rule by the deadline of October 20.

Listen to my interview with Garber here: Interview with Earl Garber, NACD president

Audio, Conservation, Water

Embarking on #NHAgWorld Adventure

Chuck Zimmerman

New HollandThe AgriBlogger will be on the road this week to work side by side with agricultural bloggers from around the world. It will be all about where in the world we are at #NHAgWorld. Follow that hashtag which will become more active on Wednesday.

So to give you at least some clues until then, let’s just say this involves New Holland and Turin, Italy. I’m hoping it includes some good red wine, making new friends and learning new things. Of course I’ll be sharing as much as I can.

Agribusiness, International, New Holland, Sustainability

Waitrose Educating Supermarket Customers

Chuck Zimmerman

John GregsonOne of the largest employee-owned businesses owns Waitrose, their supermarket division. Representing them as a sponsor of the 2014 IFAJ Congress was John Gregson, Sr. Director of Public Relations. I met him during one of our tour stops and talked about his business and how important it is to communicate and educate their customers.

John says education is really important to them. Waitrose has its own farm and they are in the process of building an education center there. He says they spend a lot of time on the road at shows telling people where their food comes from and letting people meet the farmers they work with. John also talks about the value and importance of his relationships with agricultural media.

You can listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Gregson

2014 IFAJ Congress Photo Album

Audio, Education, Food, IFAJ

Florida Fishing MisAdventure

Chuck Zimmerman

Gulf FishingActually, misadventure is probably not the best term to describe the last few days at Pensacola Beach, FL. Gary Cooper, Kelly Schwalbe and I had put together an overnight fishing trip out to the oil rigs to fish for tuna, something that has been on our bucket list for a while. We had ten guys lined up to go with us. But Mother Nature had another idea. It was windy and unsettled weather all week and the boat had to cancel. Eight to ten foot swells is not good for that kind of fishing!

Robert, the AgWired web guru, and I decided to do a half day trip on the boat yesterday though because the weather forecast was showing declining wind and seas. The boat captain thought it was worth a try so he got about 12 people together for the trip. We tried it and I wish we hadn’t. We wound up with strong wind and 4-5 ft. seas. That is just too rough in my opinion to comfortably bottom fish in. In the picture the boat mate is giving a lesson in how to use the reels.

Vermillion SnapperIt was not a fun day of fishing but we did catch a mess of mingos. Vermillion snapper don’t get very big but the taste just like a red snapper which is out of season. We did catch some other out of season fish like triggerfish and hard tails. So, it was not a loss but I’ll keep a closer eye on the forecast before I go out again.

I just thought I’d update you on this since some of the AgWired community members were going to go on our trip and I’ve been receiving messages asking how it went. There you have it. Now it’s back on the agriblogging highway starting Monday. More on that then.

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • Recently, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam and research assistant Amy E. Young completed the most comprehensive study of genetically modified (GM) crops ever, set to be published in the Journal of Animal Science after Oct. 1.
  • Farm Journal Media and its client New Holland shared the stage with brands like Forbes, Sports Illustrated, Jaquar and Delta at min’s annual Integrated Marketing Awards breakfast in New York City this past Friday.
  • A new University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) report on climate change predicts Nebraska’s climate will change dramatically in coming decades.
  • Yield is of primary importance to soybean farmers across Minnesota and is a key focus of research funded by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC).
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