AgCompass Helps Make Tax Time Easier

Cindy Zimmermantechnology

If you are ready to make tax time easier, a virtual desktop and your accounting software hosted by AgCompass may be just what you need for secure sharing.

“Security and data independence are important concerns for farmers,” says Nick Chambers, Business Manager for AgCompass. “With a virtual desktop, while your data is technically in the cloud, unlike web-based applications, your personal data is securely stored in your own licensed software – like how it is stored on a personal computer.”

The advantage of hosting your software with AgCompass is that they provide all the software updates, conduct daily backups, and your data is stored in a world-class data center making it less vulnerable to hardware failure. AgCompass can host any windows-based software including QuickBooks, FBS, RedWing, Microsoft products, and many more.

“We work with a variety of software companies and work with farmers and CPAs who use their products,” said Chambers. “It has never been easier to collaborate with others through the software you already use.”

To learn more about AgCompass and to download “3 Farm Business Management Tips for Tax Time,” go to agcompass.com/taxtime.

Ag Tech Start-Ups Picked for The Pearse Lyons Accelerator

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Alltech

A total of 183 startups from 38 countries applied to be a part of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, a late-stage, agri-tech accelerator run by Alltech and Dogpatch Labs. The accelerator will commence with 10 startups that have been chosen to take part in a mentorship program for agri-business innovators with a proven technology that is ready for market.

The accelerator is a 15-week, mentorship-driven program aimed at collaborative learning and seeking new business and/or partnership opportunities. The program will culminate with the startups presenting on the main stage at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, May 21–24, 2017.

Startup participants will receive access to Dr. Pearse Lyons. In addition, participants will receive free space for three months in Ireland’s leading startup hub, Dogpatch Labs, located in the heart of the Dublin Docklands, a €15,000 cash fund and mentoring covering a range of areas, from product development to strategy and international expansion. Additional benefits include software perks worth more than €300,000 from companies such as Google, Facebook, Softlayer and Amazon.

“We had a great selection week in Dublin, and I’m really impressed with the startups’ ideas, their engagement and the talent,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer at Alltech. “We were especially looking for emerging technologies in agri-tech, such as drones, sensors, the internet of things and artificial intelligence, and I’m excited to see those are all represented within the 10 companies that were chosen.”

GROWMARK Encourages Sustainability with N-WATCH

Kelly MarshallAudio, Growmark, Nitrogen, Nutrient Management

nafb-16-growmark-lance Farmers know that every year is different, so GROWMARK is helping producers make the best choices for their fields both environmentally and economically through the N-WATCH program.

“It’s a tool that allows us to better manage nitrogen, so we’re doing what’s best for the crop from an economic standpoint, but also from an environmental standpoint, so we’re not over applying,” says Lance Ruppert, Director of Strategic Agronomy Marketing for GROWMARK.

Soil samples from a 3 inch grade around the cutter bar’s 30 inch application are analyzed to understand where nitrogen is across the field, what form it is in, and how deep it has traveled– information that is always important, but especially when conditions vary from average, Ruppert explains. For example, soil sampling provides information about the necessity of additional applications after a warm winter with big rains . In a drought year sampling can help determine if leftover nitrogen can best be utilized by planting a cover crop.

Understanding the movement and placement of nitrogen is critical for good management and to make the most of the investment, Ruppert emphasizes. It’s how you build better soil, a better business, and a better environment.

Learn more about how N-WATCH fits with GROWMARK’s overall sustainability initiatives in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/growmark-nwatch-ruppert-2-17.mp3″ text=”Interview with Lance Ruppert, GROWMARK”]

Growers Urged to Comment on Pyrethroids

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, EPA, FMC, Insecticide, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

Farmers at the National Farm Machinery Show are being encouraged to submit comments to the Environmental Protection Agency to protect widely used class of insecticide being targeted under a routine regulatory review.

Pyrethroids are used to control insects in 120 different crops, as well as turf, lawns and gardens. But an EPA assessment released at the end of last year found that use of the chemical was a risk for aquatic insects, a claim the industry says is based on models instead of actual use data.

“FMC is a member of the Pyrethroid Working Group industry consortium which has developed a lot of additional data that we consider more real world…and EPA has chosen not to use that at this stage in the risk assessment process,” says FMC Registration and Regulatory Affairs Manager John Cummings. FMC’s Capture LFR and Brigade are two products that would be impacted under the review.

The comment period on the review opened at the end of November and originally closed at the end of January but has been extended now until the end of March. “Obviously the industry will be submitting very technical comments,” said Cummings. “But it’s important that EPA hears from the growers how these products are actually used…EPA is required to consider not only the risks but also the benefits to society.”

FMC has an easy way for growers to comment without having to navigate the government websites – just click here.

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nfms17-fmc-cummings.mp3″ text=”Interview with John Cummings, FMC”]

2017 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC

Camso Brings CTS Up to Speed at #NFMS17

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Equipment, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

Quebec-based Camso is back at the National Farm Machinery Show this year with some new track products for the North American agriculture equipment market.

One of those products is a Conversion Track System (CTS) with suspended frame and integrated final drive system for combines. Track Systems Business Line Executive Director Martin Lunkenbein says Camso’s new CTS High Speed allows tracked harvesting machines to reach road speeds similar to wheeled combines with its integrated final drive system. “Less ground compaction, more flotation, and full speed – so when you’re going from field to field you’re getting there when you want to,” he says.

The new CTS features a frame suspension system and double oscillating wheels that improve ground contact on uneven surfaces, improve machine stability and header placement for more efficient harvesting and provide better overall operator comfort – all with a 12 percent larger footprint to further reduce ground compaction and field damage.

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nfms17-camso-martin.mp3″ text=”Interview with Martin Lunkenbein, Camso”]

2017 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC

Texas A&M Study Investigates Strip Tillage

Kelly MarshallFruit, Research, Tillage

Drs. Daniel Leskovar, Yahia Othman and Xuejun Dong at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center have been researching conservation tillage methods that may offer benefits to high-value crops and the effect of strip tillage on soil biological activity.

The study, titled “Strip tillage improves soil biological activity, fruit yields and sugar content of triploid watermelon,” investigated the influence of strip and conventional tillage practices at different water levels on the morphology, physiology, yield and quality of the seedless Majestic watermelon variety. The results showed strip tillage not only had a positive effect on watermelon quality and yield, it also had a positive effect on the soil’s biological activity.

“Research has been done on the use of conservation tillage for traditional crops, but there’s not much out there on using conservation tillage to produce high-value crops,” said Dr. Leskovar. “Despite the economic importance of watermelon in the U.S., which the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates $483 million annually, no study we know of has assessed the influence of strip tillage on this crop.”

4-H Clubs Eligible for Pollinator Gardens from GROWMARK

Kelly MarshallUncategorized

GROWMARK is providing an opportunity for 4-H clubs to be a part of sustaining and increasing the honey bee population. 4-H clubs in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin with a public space and secure permission are eligible for enough seeds to plant a 700 square foot pollinator garden and educational signage.

“Last year, we had nearly 40 clubs participating in the program,” said Karen Jones, GROWMARK Youth and Cooperative Education Specialist. “Growing the number of pollinator gardens this year will help provide even more habitat for bees and other beneficial pollinator species.”

Applications are due online by March 31, 2017.

Water for Food Conference Registration Open

Cindy ZimmermanEvents, water

Registration is now open for the 2017 Water for Food Global Conference April 10-12 at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The conference, organized by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, will examine the work being done to ensure water for food security from local to global scales. The three-day event will bring together experts from around the world to explore “Water for Food Security: From Local Lessons to Global Impacts,” a theme inspired by the notion that global breakthroughs come from local action.

Among this year’s speakers are A.G. Kawamura, former California Secretary of Agriculture and third generation fruit and vegetable grower; and Marlos De Souza, Secretary, Water Platform Land & Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

A discount of $100 is available to those who register on or before March 10. Conference details, including how to register, are available at waterforfood.nebraska.edu/2017wfc.

AEM to Help Manage NFMS

Cindy ZimmermanAEM, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

Kentucky State Fair Board CEO Jason Rittenberry and AEM President Dennis Slater sign agreement

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers joined with the Kentucky State Fair Board on the first day of the National Farm Machinery Show for a big announcement.

Kentucky State Fair Board CEO Jason Rittenberry and AEM President Dennis Slater signed an agreement during the opening of the 52nd annual show in Louisville that AEM will assist with management and co-production of the show beginning in 2018, and will have an equity position in the future growth of the show.

“Every year, hundreds of exhibitors are wait-listed for America’s largest indoor farm show,” said Kentucky State Fair Board President and CEO Jason Rittenberry. “This partnership will bring new opportunities for current and future exhibitors, and expand the experience for our attendees.”

“This is a first step in a partnership that will benefit all the stakeholders in the National Farm Machinery Show and the Ag industry,” said Dennis Slater, president of AEM. “AEM’s commitment to its core services like public policy and our success in leading tradeshows, naturally lends itself to our new partnership with the Kentucky Fair Board and the National Farm Machinery Show.”

Hear more from Kentucky State Fair Board CEO Jason Rittenberry and AEM President Dennis Slater:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nfms17-aem-comments-1.mp3″ text=”AEM/NFMS press announcement”] [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nfms17-aem-comments.mp3″ text=”Additional comments from Rittenberry and Slater”]

2017 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC

MZB Brings Precision Tech to Three Kansas Co-Ops

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Data, Variable rate

Last year Garden City Co-op (GCC) began using MZB Technologies on their precision ag platform. The program has been so successful GCC has been added as a mapping center and two more Kansas cooperatives have also selected to use the MZB software package.

The new agreements with Great Bend Co-Op and Frontier Ag will allow MZB to work closely with advisors to offer customers efficient field data, variable rate fertility prescriptions and multi-hybrid prescriptions.

“Great Bend can now offer MZB to our customers as a perfect fit with our precision ag program,” Mark Bauer, Precision Manager, Great Bend Co-op, says. “Our customers are our most important asset, and we are always working to make sure we have the tools to help them be the most efficient with their inputs.”

“MZB will take Frontier Ag’s precision ag program to the next level,” Katie Harness, Frontier Ag Precision Specialist, says. “With MZB’s zone-based management, we can assist our growers to maximize crop production in the most economical and precise way possible.”