ZimmPoll Says Knowledge of Global Agriculture Crucial

Jamie JohansenZimmPoll

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?

Latham Field Day Features Drone Giveaway & Demo

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, agronomy, Events, seed

Screen Shot 2014-09-11 at 8.58.16 AMSome people say “drone on” like it’s a bad thing. At the high-tech field day September 19 at Latham Seeds in Alexander, attendees are more likely to say “Drone On!” with excitement.

“What’s more exciting than seeing today’s hottest technology in action?” asks John Latham, president of family-owned Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. “Someday soon, farmers will be able to scout and manage crops with the precision of a camera flying 400-feet above a field. That’s why we’ll be demonstrating this emerging technology at our Seed-2-Soil® Field Day.”

Several types of drone equipment will be demonstrated by Chad Colby of AgTechTalk. Colby, one of the most respected and well-versed individuals in the UAV field, spends much of his time traveling the nation. He talks with growers about the newest drone technologies. Following Colby’s presentation, a drone sponsored by Greenleaf Genetics will be awarded to one attendee.

This Seed-to-Soil Field Day is open to the public at Latham headquarters, 131 180th Street, Alexander, Iowa. Programming begin at 9:00 a.m. Tours will include introductions to Latham® brand corn and soybean products and an introduction to Latham Seeds’ hallmark Seed-2-Soil, which has 4 main components: Crop Planning; Nutrient Management; Agronomic Resources including TheFieldPosition blog; and Research. Latham’s research team also will be on hand to give tours of stress wheel studies, cover crop trials and population/row spacing studies.

Hick Chick Chat with Bill Northey

Leah GuffeyAudio, Farm Progress Show, Government, Hick Chick Chat

11326519286_c9a07ae0bf_oDuring the 2014 Farm Progress Show I got to Hick Chick chat with Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey.

_DSC0113We talked about the importance of having the Farm Progress Show in Iowa, how the corn and soybean crops look this year, his hope of being elected to another four year term as agriculture secretary for the state, and what he learned serving as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for 2011/12.

You can listen to my chat with Bill here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/podcast/hickchickchat-14-northey.mp3″ text=”Hick Chick Chat with Bill Northey, Iowa Ag Secretary”]

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House Votes to Stop WOTUS

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Government, water

EPA Ditch the RuleThe U.S. House of Representatives voted 262 to 152 Tuesday to override 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. 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.” [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/government/wotus-southerland.mp3″ text=”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.

Wheat Growers Pleased with Documentary

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Harvesting, New Holland, wheat

nh-harvest-14-fisherThe North Dakota Wheat Commission is one of the sponsors of the documentary “The Great American Wheat Harvest” which had a special showing in Bismark last month, and they seemed pretty pleased with the outcome.

“It’s primarily focused on the harvest element,” said NDWC administrator Neal Fisher after watching the finished product. “(But) there’s a very human, family element in it and they all refer to how they’re helping to feed their fellow man.”

Fisher thinks the film will be a great educational tool for schools and just the average person. “It’s entertaining and it has that family element … and I think that will be appealing to a good segment of the population,” he said. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/new-holland/nh-harvest-14-fischer.mp3″ text=”Interview with Neal Fisher, ND Wheat Commission”]

nh-harvest-14-movieJim Bahm, a NDWC member and farmer from just west of Bismark, is pictured here at the film showing with producer/director Conrad Weaver and Rebecca Gunderson of New Holland, which is also one of the movie sponsors.

He was very excited to finally get to see the movie and was also very impressed by the family element and thinks that is one of the main takeaways. “It’s not just a business, it’s family,” said Bahm.

[wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/new-holland/nh-harvest-14-jim.mp3″ text=”Interview with Jim Bahm, ND wheat farmer”]


New Holland 2014 Harvest Support

$7M Raised by Ag Data Company aWhere

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, computers, Data

Agricultural data analytics company aWhere has raised $7 million with the help of Elixir Capital and AgFunder, an online investment company. The investment will help aWhere bring its data analytics platform to international markets and help farmers increase yields and profitability as they incorporate cutting-edge technology into their growing operations.aWhere data screen

“aWhere’s big data platform brings tremendous value across the agricultural value chain,” said John Corbett Ph.D., President and CEO of aWhere. “To the world’s 570 million farmers, we offer access to down-scaled, localized weather driven content. These data then aggregated over trade areas and across the value chain provide insight from corporate planning to food security and policy.”

Corbett notes that with the unknowns of how climate change will affect agriculture, investor interest in data collection has soared. aWhere is meeting this need through various tools that provide field-level, actionable data such as weather and climate information, agronomic recommendations, pest and disease alerts, and other information that can make the practice of farming more efficient. aWhere’s data is tailored to the location and needs of the individual farmer and has significantly increased yields for rice, soybean and maize. The company is targeting rice and palm oil crops as it expands into Southeast Asia.

AGFUNDER LOGO“Our investment in aWhere highlights how we seek to apply technology innovations to underserved markets. Outside of North America and parts of Western Europe, the application of big data analytics to agriculture is almost unknown. aWhere’s entry into Asia allows one of the largest agricultural production regions in the world to take advantage of the power of data analytics to increase yield, efficiently allocate resources and significantly lower the industry’s environmental impact.” said Abrar Hussain, Managing Director of Elixir Capital. “AgFunder was an important partner — although there are numerous crowdfunding sites which focus on small investments from individual contributors, AgFunder’s platform proved itself to be an excellent source for institutional investors like Elixir to find growth-stage investment opportunities.”

Rob Leclerc, CEO of AgFunder noted that the deal demonstrates how an online investment marketplace and can investor identify new opportunities while bridging geographical boundaries.

PENSXCEL Fertilizer Tech Launched by Eco Agro Resources

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Fertilizer

Eco Agro Resources has expanded its fertilizer product portfolio with the announcement of a new a delivery system for active ingredients: PENXCEL™ Technology. The unique formulated system was announced during The Fertilizer Institute annual meeting in San Francisco, California and was developed to deliver fertilizer additives for dry and liquid fertilizer. The delivery system drives active ingredients to penetrate deeper into the prills or granules of solid fertilizer and allows the use of active ingredients previously deemed “impossible to be coated” on fertilizer. Patents have been filed for this formulation breakthrough.

Eco Agro Resources Penxcel Tech logosPENXCEL has low viscosity, so it pours quickly even in the cold and easily coats fertilizer. It blends faster than other industry standard formulations, saving time during the critical application season. The end result is consistent fertilizer product that flows freely and performs in the field.

West Texas A&M Research shows that the PENXCEL system excels in the challenging field conditions of Texas, providing consistent results that are amplified under tougher conditions. The benefits of PENXCEL were demonstrated in the positive results with N YIELD™ nitrogen stabilizer. The researcher attributed the better activity to the more consistent application of the product to the fertilizer and to deeper penetration of urea prills.

Andrew Semple, chief executive officer of Eco Agro Resources observes, “Our PENXCEL Technology platform is a launching pad for a full line of innovative new products for improving the efficiency of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. Our fertilizer additive products, including N YIELD, N-BOUND™ and PHOS GAIN™ utilize PENXCEL Technology. It provides superior performance, blending and handling.” Semple concludes, “While Eco Agro Resources is a small, innovative U.S.-based company among a field of giants in the global fertilizer industry; we believe in innovation and remain committed to developing new and improved products for the benefit of the agricultural market.”

New Holland Introduces New Product Innovations

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, Hay, New Holland

fps-cnh-goldIn 2014, New Holland will introduce 25 new product innovations to the market, from award-winning, revolutionary engine technology meeting Tier 4B emissions requirements, to the latest advancements in harvesting technology and precision farming.

The Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa set the stage for New Holland to introduce the new products. There Chuck spoke with New Holland’s Mark Hooper, he shares some of the key products they had on display for farmers to see for the first time.

A few of the products launched include:
– All new Roll-Belt Round Baler was on display replacing the BR7000 and will deliver capacity increases up to 20%.
– The T8 SmartTrax tractor matches the overall versatility of a wheeled tractor with the high traction and flotation of rubber tracks.
– CR Combines give up to 15% more productivity and carry new Harvest Suite Ultra cab that is larger, offering more glass.
– Speedrower Self-Propelled Windrower provide best-in-class comfort, horsepower and efficiency.

“In addition to the products. We are celebrating quite a few milestones for the brand. Model year 15 will be our 120th year as a brand. 40 years in the round balers business. 40 years in the rotary combine business. New Holland was the first one to launch a rotary combine. With our windrowers, it’s 50 years. To celebrate our golden anniversary, we have a Golden Windrower to promote that 50th year in business.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Mark here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/new-holland/nh-mark-hooper.mp3″ text=”Interview with Mark Hooper, New Holland”]

“Pollinator Preserve Project” in Full Bloom

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Education, Planting, pollinators

NufarmColorLogoSunflowers planted as part of the “Pollinator Preserve Project” between Nufarm and students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Science (CHAS) are now blooming, providing food and safe haven for pollinators and birds at the Nufarm site in Alsip, Illinois.

The sunflowers were planted in late May. One group of plants was replanted in early July. The objective of the Pollinator Preserve Project is to provide a beautiful view for drivers on Interstate 294 and also double as a valuable tool for teaching consumers about pollinator preservation and conservation.

At the planting ceremony on May 28, Nufarm representatives and CHAS students planted two varieties of sunflowers in a 5,000 square foot plot. Today, the sunflowers can be seen easily from interstate 294. In addition, the sunflower plot is filled with bees of several varieties busily pollinating flowers and birds are beginning to feed on the earlier maturing flowers that are already bearing seeds.

“It’s terrific to see this project coming along so well,” says Darryl Matthews, General Manager for Nufarm in North America. “Our promise to our partners and customers is to ‘grow a better tomorrow’, and by providing food and shelter for pollinators and birds, and educating the students and consumers about the importance of pollinators and conservation, I think we’re performing an important community service.”

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Conservation Easement Program Investments

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Conservation, USDA

vilsack-usdaAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that $328 million in conservation funding is being invested to help landowners protect and restore key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands across the nation. The funding is provided through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which was created in the 2014 Farm Bill to protect critical wetlands and encourage producers to keep lands in farming and ranching.

Vilsack says approximately 380 projects nationwide were selected to protect and restore 32,000 acres of prime farmland, 45,000 acres of grasslands and 52,000 acres of wetlands. “Conservation easements help farmers and ranchers protect valuable agricultural lands from development, restore lands that are best suited for grazing, and return wetlands to their natural conditions,” Vilsack said. “These easements are making a dramatic and positive impact for our food supply, rural communities and species habitat.”

ACEP consolidates three former Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) easement programs – Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, Grasslands Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program – into two components. One component protects farmlands and grasslands, and the other protects and restores agricultural wetlands.

[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/usda/vilsack-9-8-14.mp3″ text=”Ag Secy Tom Vilsack comments on conservation easement”]