RFA Ethanol Podcast

Record Crowd for Peanut Conference

Chuck Zimmerman

Southern Peanut Growers ConferencePeanut growers are in attendance in record numbers at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference. This morning is the final part of the program with formal presentations. Then things get social with a golf tournament prior to this evening closing banquet.

I’m leaving Cindy to finish things up on the SPGC Conference Blog while I go catch a flight to Indianapolis for the Ag Media Summit. Cindy will do a turn around at home this weekend before heading to St. Louis tomorrow for the InfoAg Conference. Yep, busy week coming up and we’ll have a lot to share.

2014 Southern Peanut Grower Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, Peanuts, SPGC

Opening Keynote at Intl. Conf. on Precision Agriculture

Jamie Johansen

Dr. Margaret OliverDr. Margaret Oliver was the opening keynote speaker at this week’s International Conference on Precision Agriculture. She is Deputy Editor of the European Journal of Soil Science (2011–present) and was Co-Editor of Precision Agriculture with John Stafford for six years until the end of 2010, but remains on the Editorial Board. On hand for ZimmComm was Sabrina Hill, AgNet West. Sabrina captured some presentations and interviews we’ll be sharing this week.

Welcoming everyone to the opening plenary session was Dr. John Stafford, President, International Society of Precision Agriculture. You can listen to his welcoming remarks here: Dr. John Stafford Welcome Remarks

Dr. Oliver spoke on the topic of “Precision Agriculture, Food Security and Geostatistics.” Her talk had two sections. The first linked precision agriculture to food security. The second got more specific dealing with the relationship of geostatistics to precision agriculture. If you’re a true agnerd using precision agriculture hardware and software you’ll like this topic.

You can listen to Dr. Oliver’s talk here: Dr. Margaret Oliver Keynote

We’d like to thank Sabrina for her help this week and the sponsor of our coverage of the ICPA, SST Software!

Coverage of the International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by
International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by SST Software
Agribusiness, Audio, Food, Precision Agriculture

Tecomate Enters Strategic Alliance With Pinnacle Ag Holdings

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 447Let’s talk food plots. You know what those are right? You sure do if you enjoy hunting. I do and want to try some good seed for the Crystal Pig Hunt Club food plots!

In this week’s program we’re going to learn about the just announced alliance between Tecomate Wildlife Systems and Pinnacle Agriculture Holdings. Tecomate excels at modern food plot management with Tecomate Seed products and Pinnacle is an agricultural distribution business you might know best under the Sanders brand.

TecomateI’m going to share a conversation with Gaines Slade, VP of Operations for Tecomate. The alliance is opening up new distribution channels for the company via all the Pinnacle retail outlets. Here’s what Tecomate President David Morris has to say about the deal

“This is a game changer for Tecomate and the wildlife food plot industry,” said Tecomate President, David Morris. “Pinnacle, best known for its flagship southern brand, Sanders, brings vast production, logistics and distribution resources to the table. No other company can match their vertical integration, in seed, fertilizer and chemicals. Our continued longstanding partnership with Barenbrug, USA for premium and proprietary forage seed, together with the unsurpassed strength of Pinnacle in the cereal and commodity seed market, will allow Tecomate to offer targeted, competitively priced wildlife seed products of every type to meet every need – from that of the casual food plotter to the most serious game manager planting hundreds of acres of year-round plots. Our relationship with Pinnacle also facilitates the possibility for Tecomate-branded fertilizer and herbicides aimed at meeting the specific requirements of the wildlife food plot market.”

And here’s what Tommy Jumper, Pinnacle’s VP had to say.

Pinnacle Ag Holdings“We are extremely excited to join forces with Tecomate and combine our individual strengths for mutual success in the agricultural input and wildlife markets,” said Tommy Jumper, Pinnacle’s Vice President of Seed Strategy and Procurement. “By name and reputation in our respective industries, Pinnacle and Tecomate have long known a great deal about one another and recently determined that the time was right to work as a team to further enhance the product and service offerings we bring to our valued customers. Together, we hope to build a business that is exponentially more significant than either of us has previously enjoyed, and one that further benefits our loyal customer base.”

Listen in to this week’s program to learn more about what this alliance means and the value and importance of well-managed foot plots here: Tecomate and Pinnacle


Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
Agribusiness, Audio, Hunting, ZimmCast

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

Zimfo Bytes

  • Wheat Growers has hired Mike Fillaus as the agronomy sales manager for the cooperative’s southern trade area.
  • Syngenta announced plans to broaden and scale up its PLENE® platform of integrated sugar cane solutions.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation together with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s StartupHoyas announced the Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge.
  • Great American Wheat Harvest documentary filmmaker Conrad Weaver of ConjoStudios, LLC, announced the current and NEW theaters to see the film.
Zimfo Bytes

Ag Leader at InfoAg Conference

Melissa Sandfort

Insights WeeklyJuly 29-31, growers, crop consultants and other industry representatives will be able to find Ag Leader experts at the InfoAg Conference at Union Station in St. Louis, Mo. On Thursday at 10 a.m., Luke James, Ag Leader Software Sales Manager, will be presenting a session on AgFiniti, Ag Leader’s new cloud-based platform. The event is free to all attendees.

Listen to James as he gives an overview of the learning session.

Listen to James explain

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Ag Leader, Agribusiness

Southern Peanut Growers Blogging

Chuck Zimmerman

Grilled PBJ SundaeHello from Panama City Beach, FL. This is the location of the Southern Peanut Growers Conference. Cindy and I are on the scene.

Things started out as usual with Mr. Peanut, Tyron Spearman, grilling PBJ’s (with grape jelly). There was also a make your own ice cream sundae bar. According to Mr. Peanut, a young man told him that the grilled PBJ’s were very good dipped in melted ice cream. Hmm. Sounds like it’s time for grilled PBJ toppings for vanilla ice cream. Cindy and I had ’em and they are awesome.

Over the next couple days we’ll be SPGC blogging. This is our 7th year! Whoo Hoo! Thank you Southern Peanut Farmers Federation (FL/GA/AL/MS)! Follow along on the SPGC Blog. BTW, the conference Twitter hashtag is #2014SPGC.

Here is where you can find photos: 2014 Southern Peanut Grower Conference Photo Album

Ag Groups, Peanuts, SPGC

Can Farming Become More Techie?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What are your thoughts on cellulosic ethanol?”

As the possibility of cellulosic ethanol grows it looks like popularity will as well. We may be far from buying it at the pump, but people still seem to be excited about the technological innovation.

Here are the poll results:

  • Innovation making it happen – 43.2%
  • Very important renewable fuel – 21.6%
  • Still years away from commercial market – 27%
  • Will never work – 2.7%
  • What the heck is it? – 5.4%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, How can technology make farming even better?

We’ve been covering lots of precision farming conferences this summer, from the recent Precision Aerial Ag Show in Illinois, to this week’s International Conference on Precision Ag in California, to next week’s InfoAg Expo in St. Louis. Sometimes it seems like farming can’t get any more technological – but can it? What would you like to see on the farm that has yet to become commercially available?

ZimmPoll

Meet the Grandparents

Melissa Sandfort

IMG_5642I took the first “AgWalk” on June 22, 2010. Since then, we’ve walked 246 times. I honestly can’t believe I’ve found that much to write about, but just like the weather, every day changes and is a new day with something new to share with our readers. As most of you know, my Aunt Jeanette has joined in the fun and it truly has become a family affair.

But I got to thinking the other day that as many stories as we’ve told about my grandparents, I’m not sure you’ve ever seen them. That happens with my work, especially since my office is out of my home. I speak with people on the phone, conduct interviews and “meet” them via email, but never see their faces. You’ve heard my grandparents’ voices but here they are for you to meet! This photo was taken soon after my daughter was born, just about exactly two years ago.

I hope in June four years from now, I’m giving you yet another update on my grandparents, and that I’m still sharing their stories. And I hope you have come to enjoy and cherish our stories, our history and my family.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Farm Aid 2014 in North Carolina

Cindy Zimmerman

farm-aid-14The year was 1985 when the first Farm Aid concert was held – the height of the farm crisis. It was thought to be a one-time event, but it has been carried on over the years by organizers Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp and this year’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, N.C.

“In North Carolina and across the Southeast, family farmers have struggled to stay on the land, but they have also pioneered new roads to economic sustainability. This region knows the value of its farmers and offers increasing opportunities for new farmers to build a strong regional food system,” said Farm Aid President Willie Nelson. “On the Farm Aid stage Saturday, September 13, we’ll celebrate family farmers and the healthy communities they’re growing for all of us.”

Farm Aid 2014 will feature Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews — with Tim Reynolds — as well as Jack White, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jamey Johnson, North Carolina’s own Delta Rae, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Carlene Carter, Pegi Young & The Survivors, and Insects vs Robots.

Tickets go on sale August 1.

Find out more here.

Events, Farming

Ag Leader Focuses on Seed, Water, and Nutrient Management

Leah Guffey

The first Ag Leader Technology Tech Meets Dirt Road Tour around Illinois is now history now and it seems like it was a big success. I attended the event near Peoria and was able to chat with presenters in each of the main focus areas – seed, water, and nutrient management.

_DSC0034Matt Cannon, a farmer from central Iowa, talked about planter performance and how to get the most out of your planter. “Two of the biggest issues we run into on the farm are seed meter performance, getting seed singulated so each seed has the best opportunity to grow and also placement – what adjustments we can control on the planter to get the best seed depth and even emergence,” he said. Interview with Iowa farmer Matt Cannon

_DSC0024SMS Software Product Manager Aaron Friedlein discussed the benefits of tiling for farmers in the Midwest. Ag Leader water management solutions like Intellislope® Tile Plow Control System makes installing tile easy, eliminating the need for complicated laser surveying equipment. “Tiling gets rid of the excess moisture that’s in a soil profile,” he explains. “That allows the plant to have more oxygen in the soil which helps it better utilize nutrients and get deeper roots.” Interview with Aaron Friedlein, Ag Leader

_DSC0063Finally, Ag Leader North America Sales Manager Mike Olson talks about the ability to apply nitrogen more efficiently with the latest Ag Leader technology, which allows farmers to really determine where to apply while running throughout the fields for the most accurate rate of application and most cost effective opportunities. “The thing we showcased the most was our Opt-Rx crop sensor technology,” Mike told me. “The sensors will go through and measure the crop health and we will put more nitrogen down where the crop is not as healthy and back down on the areas that are healthy.” Interview with Matt Olson, Ag Leader


Ag Leader Technology Meets Dirt photo album

Ag Leader, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Seed, Technology, Water