Farm Foundation Webinar: Data As Important As Ever

John DavisData Collection, USDA

Think about for a moment just how important having good information on your GPS device is. You need to know exactly where you are in that field, how fast you’re going, what the rate of distribution of your inputs are, right? Well, knowing exactly where you are obviously applies to the markets as well, and if you didn’t receive good data to make your decisions, you could be as far off course in your operation as a tractor without those satellites above to guide it. But that stream of data people at the USDA have been able to provide could be in trouble with budgets cuts constantly looming overhead. Our friends at the Farm Foundation recently held a webinar organized by the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE), in partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and Montana State University to address those possible information issues.

“The importance of data is a really critical matter for us today,” said Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin, who served as moderator for the event. “Data remains as important as ever to public and private decision makers and to the smooth functioning of markets.”

Conklin was joined by Joseph J. Prusacki, Director, Statistics Division, USDA National Agricultural Statisics Service (NASS), who provided an overview of data uses, user groups and the impacts of budget cuts; Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, who talked about the challenges USDA faces in data collection; Paul Hughes of Nestle Purina PetCare, who provided a private sector perspective on data collection issues; and Mark Seetin of the U.S. Apple Association, who addressed producer groups’ concerns on the issue.

It’s some excellent information, and you can hear more about what each one had to say during the entire hour-long webinar here:
[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agwired/ffdatawebinar.mp3″ text=”Farm Foundation Webinar on Data Collection”]

If you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing, check back here and on our sister website, AgWired.com, where over the next few days, I’ll be breaking down what each one had to say.

TeeJet Launches High-Precision GNSS Receivers

Melissa SandfortCompany Announcement, Equipment, technology

TeeJet Technologies is pleased to announce the availability of a new line of high-precision GNSS receivers for use in the most demanding ag applications. Both receivers utilize an integrated receiver and antenna packaged in a single, rugged enclosure for easy installation and long-term durability. These receivers are ideal for applications requiring high levels of accuracy such as strip-tillage, controlled traffic patterns and high-precision auto-steer.

The RX510 is compatible with OmniSTAR XP, HP and G2 services for 4” to 6” pass-to-pass accuracy. The RX610 features an internal cellular modem for use with CORS/Network RTK signals providing 1-2” pass-to-pass accuracy and year-to-year repeatability. The RX610 is factory configured for either GSM or CDMA signal to support the cellular provider of choice.

The RX510 and RX610 are compatible with both GPS and GLONASS constellations and support WAAS and EGNOS differential correction signals. Additionally, both receivers utilize ClearPath technology for consistent performance during periods of spotty DGPS coverage such as heavy tree cover or poor satellite geometries. These receivers are compatible with all TeeJet and many third party guidance systems. An optional quick release mounting bracket is available for both receivers for secure mounting and easy transfer between vehicles.

Watch a video of the RX510/RX610 receivers in action:

Unplanned Strip Trials

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights Weekly

Aaron Friedlein, Ag Leader Certified Crop Advisor and product manager, farms part-time in northeast Iowa and also helps on his parents’ farm. He notes that, “Each growing season presents itself with new challenges and an opportunity to learn something new — some of these challenges are planned, some are surprises.”

In this week’s special installment of “Insights Weekly,” Aaron shares with us some firsthand notes from his experience in the fields in mid-June:

“A few weeks ago I was side-dressing Nitrogen (N) and I noticed a section of the field where the corn was shorter and a bit pale in color. My father mentioned that while planting, he got a flat tire on the contact tire that drives the fertilizer pump (we put on about 30 lbs. of N at planting and side-dress the balance needed for the year), and had made a few rounds before he noticed, so a few acres were short on N. So I increased the rate for the section of the field to ensure we had enough N for the season.

On our farm, we call these situations unplanned strip trials. By recording where I applied more N at side-dressing, we can determine if the crop was held back by not having N applied during the early growing season. While these are not very structured tests in terms of replications, we can use this information to tell us if the way we apply N now with split application is worth our extra time and effort while planting.

To put some additional numbers to it, we can also use SMS Mobile and the OptRx sensor from Ag Leader to track the changes in crop health as the season progresses.

Some of the questions we need to ask are:
• Since I applied more N later in the season in this area, will it stay greener, longer as the crop matures?
• Since the rest of the field has always had N during the growing season, will the ears be more consistent and/or larger in diameter?
• Will there be any yield difference with these two areas? If there is no difference in yield, was it due to the weather this year?

Whatever the results, we will continue to do additional trials to keep learning.”

Watch the following video to learn more from Ag Leader about SMS Mobile and OptRx Crop Scouting.

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.

Precision.AgWired.com Podcast: The future of farming

Meghan GrebnerBASF, Equipment, GPS, Precision Pays Podcast

The future of farming is evolving.  It’s changed a lot in the mere 30 years I have been around the industry.  I can only imagine how my father or my grandfather feels when they take a step back and look at how life on the farm differs today from when they first began.  My great-grandfather worked for a seed company in Illinois many years ago – and while he worked there he built their first mechanized detassling machine.  My grandma says he thought he was pretty big stuff back then.  If he were alive today – I think he would be in awe of the technologies we embrace on our farming operations. 

Earlier this month, BASF held their Agricultural Solutions Media Summit in Chicago.  One of the panel discussions talked about the future of farming and even speculated about the technologies we could see just a few years down the road.  In this Precision.AgWired.com Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we’ll hear Christophe Pelletier’s take on the agriculture industry.  In addition we’ll learn how Kip and Kyle Tom, Indiana farmers, are using technology to benefit their farming operations.

As Bob Dylan once said – “The times, they are a-changing”…

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2012/06/PPP0612.mp3″ text=”Precision.AgWired.com Podcast”] 

You can subscribe to the Precision.AgWired.com Podcast here. The Precision.AgWired.com Podcast is sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

MyJohnDeere.com Announced Today

Chuck ZimmermanAudio, Equipment, John Deere, Precision Ag in the News

Today John Deere announced MyJohnDeere.com and to learn a little about it I spoke with David Everitt, President, Agriculture and Turf Division. Dave has just announced his retirement from John Deere after a long career with the company. The announcements are being made at the John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit. You can follow tweets using the hashtag, #JDTech.

David says this is the most exciting time to be in agriculture. He says the company has created a “cloud” with infrastructure in 43 countries for information sharing with over 50,000 pieces of equipment already connected. They’re adding about 3,000 pieces of equipment a month. He says it’s all about productivity and managing information and data.

Developed as part of the John Deere FarmSightTM strategy, the MyJohnDeere toolbox gives customers a centralized online portal to access, view, archive and manage a wide variety of business information.

Nathan Greuel, product manager, John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, says users can log into MyJohnDeere.com and access key applications such as JDLink which allows them to view real-time information about their farm operations, field locations and important performance data from their equipment. Other applications include AgLogicTM, JDParts, John Deere Financial, Stellar Support and My Equipment.

You can listen to my interview with Dave here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/john-deere/jd-tech-everitt.mp3″ text=”Interview with David Everitt”]

I’ll have a lot more news from the John Deere FarmSight Tech Summit but we’ll be in the field most of tomorrow and then it’s time to head on back to ZimmComm World Headquarters for a break.

When Will Congress Pass a Farm Bill?

Melissa SandfortZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Will you buy E15 for your MY2001 or later car if it’s offered?”

Our poll results: Nearly half, forty-nine percent, said Yes; twenty-nine percent said No; and twenty-two percent said it depends on price. Looks like consumers are in favor of having a choice at the pump, and are fans of ethanol!

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” When do you think Congress will complete a Farm Bill?” On June 20, the Senate voted 64 to 35 to pass the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012. When do you think — given that it’s an election year and amidst all other “big” news items — we will have a new “Farm Bill?”

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Free Webinar on Data Collection Offered by Farm Foundation

John DavisData Collection

As anyone in precision agriculture can tell you, you have to have good data to make those machines operate exactly how and where you need them to. The folks at Farm Foundation understand this and are offering a free one-hour webinar this Friday at 2 p.m. EDT on how the ag industry needs to respond to changes in data collection systems:

This webinar is organized by the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE), in partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and Montana State University. Farm Foundation, NFP is a sponsor.

The free webinar will review how federal budget cuts are changing the nature of data collection and data use. Four speakers will provide perspectives on how agricultural statistics are used by the food and fiber sectors, and how the changing nature of data collection, distribution and availability will impact the industry.

Speakers will include Joseph J. Prusacki, Director, Statistics Division, USDA National Agricultural Statisics Service (NASS), providing an overview of data uses, user groups and the impacts of budget cuts; Paul Hughes of Nestle Purina PetCare, looking at perspectives from the grains and oilseed sectors; Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, focusing on how data collection changes will impact the livestock sector; and Mark Seetin of the U.S. Apple Association, offering perspectives from the fruit and vegetable industry.

To register, CLICK HERE and to join the webinar on the day of the event, click on this link. When you are asked to log in, use the “Enter as guest” option. Type in your name and click the “Enter Room” button.

USFRA Looking for Faces of Farming

Cindy ZimmermanUSFRA

When it comes to today’s agriculture, there are many examples of great farmers and ranchers all over the country doing wonderful things to bring food to the table for those around the world. But few of those farmers and ranchers are recognizable by consumers, mainstream media and influencers. In fact, the pictures and perceptions of farmers and ranchers often do not match reality.

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) wants to change that.

The organization is looking for the “Faces of Farming and Ranching” to help put a real face on agriculture and shine a light on the heart, personalities and values that are behind today’s food.

USFRA is looking for standout farmers and ranchers who are proud of what they do, eager to share their stories of continuous improvement with others and who are actively involved today in sharing those stories. Farmers and ranchers who raise a variety of foods differently, at differing scale and in all areas of the country are encouraged to apply as it is important to show American agriculture and all of its diversity.

Entries will be accepted through Sept. 8, 2012. Ten to 15 finalists will be announced at the November 2012 Food Dialogues event in New York City. This national announcement will open a public online voting period where visitors can vote for their favorite candidates. Those votes will be factored into the decision to determine “The Faces of Farming and Ranching.”

Winners will be announced in early January 2013 based on votes and the recommendation of a panel of judges.

Farming and I Grow It

Cindy ZimmermanFarmers, Video

“I’m Sexy and I Know it” has to be one of the most parodied songs ever. Here is one with an agriculture theme – “I’m Farming and I Grow it” by the Peterson Farm Bros in Kansas. Funny guys!

GROWMARK is Celebrating

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Growmark

GROWMARK has two reasons to celebrate this year – the International Year of the Cooperative and GROWMARK’s 85th anniversary.

“The cooperative obviously has evolved a lot over those 85 years,” says Dan Kelley, Illinois farmer and president of the GROWMARK Board of Directors. “Energy is still a main part of GROWMARK’s product distribution. Nearly half of our sales continue to be in the energy area, but we’ve also branched out into agronomy products, and we also handle primarily corn and soybeans through our grain division.”

The history of GROWMARK is charted from the time its predecessor Illinois Farm Supply was incorporated as a cooperative in 1927 and you can follow that history through the years in the “Our History” section of the GROWMARK website. Dan says they will be celebrating the 85th anniversary at the cooperative’s annual meeting in August. “We are focusing a lot of our promotion around the annual meeting toward the 85 year history of GROWMARK,” he said.

Dan says they are pleased that the United Nations coincidentally chose this year as the International Year of the Cooperative. “We have adopted the logo of the International Year of the Cooperative logo,” he said, noting that the design illustrates the principle of cooperatives, showing how individuals working together can do what no one can do by themselves.

Listen to my interview with Dan Kelley here. [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/growmark/gmk-kelley.mp3″ text=”GROWMARK President Dan Kelley”]