Call 811 for Farm Safety

Cindy ZimmermanFarm Safety, Safety

811Despite knowing there is risk in digging, a recent poll conducted by Enbridge Energy Partners shows over 70 percent of farmers and ranchers have never called 811 to have pipelines marked before beginning a digging project, putting themselves and their operation at risk.

The survey suggests misconceptions about the 811 service discourage farmers from making the call. For example, two-thirds of farmers were aware of the 811 service, which marks pipelines on property. Of those who did know about the service, more than half didn’t know the call is free and provides pipeline markings that are valid for up to three weeks.

Survey data suggests farmers are aware of the risks associated with hitting buried lines, specifically the potential to ignite oil or gas released from pipelines and put operations and lives at risk, yet only 29 percent of polled farmers have ever used the service. Of those, less than half always use it.

“I was raised on a farm, and I know that farmers know their land well,” said Kesley Tweed, partnerships and public awareness manager for Enbridge. “However, I also know farmers want to make sure they’re doing everything they can to protect their family and employees. This survey showed us there are definitely some misconceptions about pipelines and the 811 service that we hope to clear up so farmers and others can work safely around pipelines.”

“I found this poll eye opening,” said Brad Shamla, vice president of U.S. Liquids Pipelines Operations. “We hope that by clearing up misperceptions, farmers along our pipelines will understand the importance and take a few minutes to call 811, have lines marked, and play it safe — for the safety of the community and the well-being of the operation.”

Among the common misperceptions, a majority (64 percent) were unaware that lines can be as shallow as 18 inches or less. (The depth of pipelines can vary due to erosion, digging projects and other factors.) Lines can be marked one-to-three days after the initial call and markings are valid for up to three weeks.

Visit call811.com for more information.

Hick Chick Chat: New Holland Offers New Combine

Leah GuffeyAudio, Equipment, Harvesting, Hick Chick Chat, New Holland

leahpro250New Holland introduces the CR6.80 Combine, a smaller combine with all the features of the larger models. The CR6.80, the newest addition to New Holland’s CR combine series, is a new model focused on the mixed farming operation engaged in both livestock and crop production. The CR6.80 provides a maximum 374 hp and is designed to work with grain heads up to 30 feet wide and 8-row corn heads. Offering the same advantages of the larger models in the CR Series – capacity, productivity, less grain loss and high grain quality. The CR6.80 is for the grower who demands the smart features that New Holland combines deliver, but does not require the higher capacity of the more powerful CR models.

CR6.80_thmbNigel Mackenzie is the marketing manager for combine harvesters, combines, and heads for the North American market. He tells me that they didn’t sacrifice any comfort or power while making a smaller combine. Mackenzie says listening to their customers and their needs was part of the drive to introduce the CR6.80. Designed in consultation with customers, the new Harvest Suite Ultra cab defines harvesting comfort. The cab has 131 cu. ft. of space, and the interior layout has been designed for ergonomics and comfort. The new force-based CommandGrip™ multifunction handle is intuitive to use and makes it easy to fine-tune harvesting speed, optimizing performance. The new cab features 68 square feet of glassed area, and with the floor sloping down into the front windscreen, the operator has excellent visibility all around with a clear view of the header.

You can learn more here with Nigel McKenzie, New Holland: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/podcast/hickchickchat-15-newholland-mackenzie.mp3″ text=”Hick Chick Chat with Nigel Mackenzie, New Holland”]

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New Propane Engine Alternative for Irrigation

Cindy ZimmermanIrrigation, PERC, propane, water, Water Management

perc-originThe Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and Origin Engines have released a new, emissions-certified, 9.1-liter propane irrigation engine as an alternative for producers to Tier 4 diesel models.

PERC invested in the development and commercialization of the engine and provided industry expertise to Origin, which has over three decades of experience designing and manufacturing engines for industrial, on-road, and irrigation applications. This is the third engine Origin has developed in its partnership with PERC.

“The need for efficient, emissions-certified, propane engine options has grown as Tier 4 diesel engines have become more expensive. One of PERC’s priorities is developing new technologies that advance energy efficiency in ag,” said Cinch Munson, PERC’s director of agriculture business development. “By working with leading engine developers like Origin, we can help ensure that farmers’ power needs are met as cost-effectively as possible.”

The 9.1-liter model, rated for 95-190 horsepower, was developed to fill the gap between Origin’s popular 8.0-liter and 10.3-liter propane engines. Like the company’s 8.0-liter and 10.3-liter engines, the Origin 9.1-liter is built for continuous use, high-power applications and is also compatible with remote telematics monitoring systems, though third-party installation is required.

The Origin 9.1-liter engine qualifies for a $3,640 incentive through the PERC Propane Farm Incentive Program. Producers purchasing new propane engines may also be eligible for additional purchase incentives through their state propane gas associations. The engine will be on display at the Western Propane Gas Association lot, W20-22, during the World Ag Expo, Feb. 10-12 in Tulare, California.

Find out more from PERC here.

Mahindra Opening New Midwest Distro Center

John DavisAgribusiness, Equipment, Tractor

mahindra1The biggest seller of tractors in the world based on volume is opening a new distribution center in the Midwest. Mahindra USA announced the 15-acre facility will open in Lyons, Kansas and serve customers in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota with the ability to ship 150 tractors per month once fully operational.

The Midwest Authorized Distribution Center will employ 10-15 full-time employees that will ensure product quality, safety and offer the industry’s top-fulfillment lead time to Mahindra dealers. The Kansas facility will also have a dedicated Service and A/V training room to support Mahindra Service Training Schools, scheduled for completion in April 2015.

“The addition of a fifth distribution facility underscores our continued commitment to investing in infrastructure to support the Mahindra product line and brand growth. There is a focused effort to provide our dealers with fast response times to meet their growing market requirements,” said Mani Iyer, President, Mahindra USA. “Mahindra is the fastest growing tractor brand in North America because of our emphasis on dealer-first and customer-first philosophy.”

Mahindra officials say the new center provides the perfect distribution channel for Mahindra products, giving a competitive edge to the dealers.

This is Mahindra USA’s fifth distribution center in North America, with other facilities located in Texas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Georgia.

AgWizard Simplifies Farm Financial Decisions

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Financing

Screen Shot 2015-01-27 at 10.28.35 AMAgriFinance Advisors, Inc. announces the launch of AgWizard – an Online Financial Advisor for farmers. The #1 frustration farmers experience in managing their business is the complexity in knowing when to market their grain. With today’s extremely volatile commodity prices and razor thin margins, farming without a marketing plan in place becomes even more challenging.

Now, a farmer who logs in at www.AgWizard.com can gain insight and get answers to important questions that specifically affect the farm’s bottom-line, such as:
– What is my breakeven price?
– What price do I need in order to achieve my profit objective?
– Which farms are the most profitable?
– What is my return on investment for each farm?
– How much cash rent can I afford to pay on each farm?
– How does changing my crop insurance from enterprise to optional units affect my claim?

AgriFinance Advisors, Inc. is a technology-based financial planning firm helping farmers and farmland investors make more informed decisions. Additionally, the company licenses the AgWizard platform to ag lenders, accountants, crop insurance agents; or any agribusiness that wants to differentiate their business and deliver added value. AgWizard will enable farm customers/prospects to manage their finances with greater predictability and accuracy.

Soybean Growers Announce Conservation Legacy Awards

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, ASA, Soybeans

Conservation-Legacy-Awards1The American Soybean Association (ASA) has announced the regional winners of its 2015 Conservation Legacy Awards. This news release says Steve Berger, Wellman, Iowa (Midwest Region); Mike Starkey, Brownsburg, Indiana (Northeast Region); and Jimmy Thomas, Timberlake, North Carolina (South Region), are the regional winners and will be recognized at the ASA Awards Banquet, Feb. 27, 2015, at Commodity Classic in Phoenix, Arizona, where one of them will be chosen as the national winner.

One of the first conservation measures Berger remembers experiencing as a child is building terraces. He helped build 15 miles around his fourth generation farm at Dennis Berger & Son Inc., to slow down the impact of the rainfall on soil erosion. Berger farms with his mom, dad and wife on their 2,000 acre soybean and corn operation with 20,000 head swine…

“It is important to have the farmer teaching, learning and working with cover crops in modern-day systems,” he said. “It is challenging in today’s farming environment to blend economics and esthetics, but is very rewarding.”

The sixth generation Starkey family farm lies in an urban area just west of the metropolitan area of Indianapolis. In addition to a dramatic reduction of commercial fertilizer, Starkey has used no-till soybeans since 1989 and introduced cover crops in 2005. He also entered in a NRCS field grant study to monitor tile and stream water.

“My legacy as a conservationist is to improve and protect the borrowed living soil that God has given us and to keep our water clean and pure as the raindrops that fall from the sky,” Starkey said.

Thomas Family Farms Inc. is a traditional, diverse North Carolina operation incorporating corn, soybeans and wheat, tobacco and swine production. There are now three generations working together at Thomas Family Farms: Pete and Levon Thomas; their sons Jimmy and Timmy; Jimmy’s wife Janine and two grandsons.

“There will always be new generations of the family, new employees, and new technologies and new knowledge about the environment, and we have to be prepared to keep up,” Thomas said.

The Conservation Legacy Awards Program recognizes the outstanding environmental and conservation achievement of U.S. soybean farmers.

Videos featuring each of the regional conservation winners can be viewed online here.

USDA Offers Conservation Innovation Grants

John DavisAgribusiness, Conservation, Government, NRCS, USDA

usda-logoThe federal government is offering up to $20 million in grants to help develop new, innovative markets for carbon credits. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it wants applications for the grant money through the Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program that will provide new, additional revenue sources for producers, while addressing natural resource conservation challenges.

“USDA has been a leader in supporting market-based solutions to improve water quality and reduce carbon pollution,” [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack said. “With this opportunity, we are supporting the next generation of projects that will help mature these markets and bring them to scale to benefit both producers and the environment.”

For 2015, approximately half of the $20 million is available for environmental markets and conservation finance projects that engage agricultural producers. In past years, CIG has helped fund the development of the basic infrastructure of these markets. This year, USDA, through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking applications for projects that will build on these efforts by maturing and scaling markets and accelerating efforts to leverage private capital and investment in private lands conservation. Improved quantification tools, multi-resource crediting, and projects that substantively engage corporate or financial partners are the types of activities NRCS is pursuing.

The NRCS is accepting pre-proposals for initial review before applications for full proposals are submitted. Pre-proposals are due February 24, 2015. To apply electronically, visit www.grants.gov or contact a local NRCS office.

Nominate a Bee Leader for Bayer Award

Cindy ZimmermanBayer CropScience, Bees

bayer CropScienceBayer CropScience is seeking nominations for its third annual Bee Care Community Leadership Award. The award recognizes beekeepers and others who use their commitment and interest in honey bees for the benefit of their communities.

“Honey bees play an important role in supporting our food supply, pollinating as much as a quarter of all plants consumed in the U.S. and $15 billion of American crops,” said Dr. David Fischer, manager of the Bayer North America Bee Care Center. “Beekeepers not only care for these important insects, but also provide a positive influence in their communities by encouraging others to explore innovative ways to incorporate honey bee colonies in their work.”

The award, an initiative of Bayer’s North American Bee Care Program, provides a $5,000 grant to the winner to be used in support of a community beekeeping project and the winner will also receive an all-expense paid trip to a reception in Washington, D.C. during National Pollinator Week.

Any beekeeper or individual with a focus on honey bees may apply. Activities the beekeeper or individual may be engaged in include, but are not limited to, the use of beekeeping in therapy, such as with at-risk youth or veterans, bee care education for children or adults and community events that allow non-beekeepers to understand the inner working of a bee hive and more. Individuals interested in applying for the award can obtain an application at www.pollinatorweek.bayer.com. The deadline for submission is April 3, 2015.

John Deere App Center Available

Chuck ZimmermanAgNerd, Agribusiness, Apps, Audio, John Deere

ZimmCast 463AgNerd Cloud alert! Appy Monday to you. How about a program could focusing on Apps? As in the new John Deere App Center.

John Deere App CenterTo learn all about it I talked with Nathan Greuel, John Deere Mobile Technician.

The John Deere App Center provides users the ability to search and find apps most useful to their business or operations. They will also be able to share the apps on social media and provide feedback to improve the applications and develop additional apps for the future. The App Center is actually an app itself which allows you to search within it for the right kind of John Deere app you’re looking for. A version for Android is in the works too.

As we learned in last week’s ZimmCast the faster mobile technology on the horizon will only increase the number of apps for farmers allowing them to transfer and utilize more and more data in a mobile fashion. I think that this is just the start of increased app efforts like this. Learn more in this week’s program.

You can listen to this week’s program here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/zimmcast/zimmcast463-1-26-15.mp3″ text=”AgNerd Cloud – John Deere App Center”]

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

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Have Good Conversations With Consumers

John DavisAFBF, Ag Group, Agribusiness, Farm Bureau

afbf15-arnot1Having good conversations with consumers will be key if farmers want to build long-term trust in today’s food system. That was the message attendees of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show heard from Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity (CFI).

“Farmers are accustomed to fixing things in the next production cycle. Building trust with consumers has a longer horizon,” said Arnot, who presented findings from CFI’s 2014 consumer research into consumer skepticism, trending attitudes and trust-building transparency. The research was sponsored, in part, by AFBF.

The survey of 2,005 people looked into the concerns and attitudes of three groups of people: moms, millennials and foodies. Millennials are described as those ages 18-34. Foodies are people who are more likely to seek out information about food and food ingredients and to share information about cooking, food safety and nutrition. CFI’s research showed that keeping healthy food affordable is a high priority for all three segments. Arnot called that finding “very good news” for those involved in food production when it comes to talking with consumers. “Everything you do can be talked about in that context,” he said. “If we address consumer concerns in that context, our messages will be better received.”

Arnot went on to say that demonstrating shared values is more effective than demonstrating competence when it comes to building trust with consumers, and farmers need to realize the “goal is not to win a scientific argument, but to find meaningful and relevant ways to introduce science and technology.”

2015 AFBF Convention photo album