USDA Risk Management Agency administrator and Illinois farmer Martin Barbre attended the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) annual meeting this week to provide an update on his agency’s priorities. Barbre discussed a number of issues, including the Multi County Enterprise Unit, upcoming deadlines, a Farm Bill implementation listening session coming up February 26, disaster relief, and the Dairy Revenue … Read More
FMC Talks About the Danger of Reduced Herbicide Rates
At the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show I spoke with Drake Copeland, Technical Services Manager, FMC. Our topic was the danger of reduced herbicide rates. Drake talks about the importance of pre-emergence residual herbicides for weed control and what happens when a grower uses reduced herbicide rates. He also talks weed size and it certainly does matter. There’s a lot … Read More
Case IH Unveils AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractors
During the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show Case IH unveiled the new AFS Connect Magnum Series Tractors. Working with me here at NFMS is Laura Handke who took photos, recorded the unveiling presentation and interviewed Bill Webber, North America Marketing Manager for High Hp Tractors, Case IH Brand. Case IH is unveiling new AFS Connect Magnum series tractors, giving producers … Read More
Optimism in Crop Insurance Reinsurance Industry
This time last year, the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) was concerned about what might happen with the new farm bill. This year, members are pretty pleased with how it all turned out. CIRB chairman Zane Vaughn with ARMtech Insurance gives a lot of credit to the organization’s “Protect Crop Insurance” campaign. “It was very beneficial for staff on … Read More
New Holland Launches Genesis T8 Tractor with PLM Intelligence
New Holland used this year’s National Farm Machinery Show as the venue to unveil their new GENESIS® T8 Series tractor with Precision Land Management (PLM) Intelligence. I talked with two New Holland representatives, Ken Paul, product marketing manager for New Holland, North America and Luke Zerby, PLM product marketing manager for New Holland, North America, about the new machine. The … Read More
Precision Ag Bytes 2/13
Marrone Bio Innovations Inc., a leading developer of biological crop protection and plant health solutions, is offering a pair of products – Haven® for Plant Health and Regalia® Biofungicide – to serve California almond growers as market demand for almonds continues to boom around the globe. Valent U.S.A. LLC announced the launch of MycoApply® EndoPrime® SC – a liquid formulation … Read More
National Cotton Council Announces Leaders, Intentions
The National Cotton Council (NCC) named its leaders for 2019 and also shared planting intentions for the coming growing season at the group’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The group announced results of its 38th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey, which show that U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 14.5 million cotton acres this spring. That number is … Read More
Ag Retailers Have Busy Week on the Hill
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) held its annual Board of Directors and Committee Meetings in Washington, D.C. this past week, which included an intense day of visits with Congressional representatives. ARA also presented its Legislator of the Year award to members of Congress who champion legislation important to the agricultural retail industry and this year the organization recognized Senators Chuck … Read More
USDA Tracking Farm Bill Implementation
Now that the federal government is back at work, USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky says they are moving as quickly as possible to implement the new farm bill. During a Farm Foundation Forum on the realities of implementing the 2018 farm bill, Censky said USDA is using a “Fitbit” type of approach to tracking goals. “We have our own ‘FBit’ … Read More
Precision Ag Bytes 2/6
UPL Limited announced the completion of its acquisition of Arysta LifeScience Inc. from Platform Specialty Products for $4.2 billion. Airbus launched an innovative service called Verde that delivers detailed crop analytics from satellite imagery, perfectly clipped to the field and accurately de-clouded. Served as plug and play API to any precision agriculture portal, Verde provides reliable and quantified measures of … Read More