Post-Election Priorities for @GROWMARK

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Growmark

nafb-16-growmark-spencerMost of the discussion at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Convention was focused on the outcome of the Presidential election and what it means for agriculture. Chuck Spencer, Executive Director for Corporate and Government Relations at GROWMARK, provided his reaction to the election and how the outcome is shaping the policy priorities for 2017.

“Rural and urban interests need to come together, that is what I believe is most important, the dialogue between our differences in opinion needs to increase,” he said. “We need to understand our consumer base for finished products and make sure we understand what our responsibilities are on both environmental stewardship platforms and consumer product platforms.”

Spencer explained that the outcome of this year’s Senate and House races did not yield any major changes to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, but that the new administration will provide a distinct directional change from the standpoint of regulatory oversight. This change has the potential to significantly affect the next Farm Bill and many different areas of farming and production agriculture practices.

“There’s been discussion about whether or not the appointee for EPA administrator will have farm experience or a farming background, but I think what’s most important is that the individuals who take leadership roles in the development of the Farm Bill and the regulation of the administration have the ability to use science as the platform, that they engage all parties: agriculture, urban, and interest groups, and that we have outcomes that are able to be implemented at farm level,” said Spencer.

Learn more in this interview:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-growmark-spencer.mp3″ text=”Interview with Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK”]

BASF Engenia Close to Approval

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Weed control

nafb-16-basf-waldstein2Reporters at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting were eager to find out more from BASF about when Engenia™ herbicide will be registered for use.

“We’re expecting registration of Engenia herbicide within weeks and growers will have it in time for the 2017 growing season,” said BASF Technical Marketing Manager Chad Asmus.

Engenia™ herbicide is a technologically advanced dicamba formulation that provides an additional site of action for control of broadleaf weeds in dicamba-tolerant crops, including soybeans and cotton. “As a new and effective site of action for dicamba-tolerant crops, Engenia herbicide will control over 200 of the most difficult broadleaf weeds, including glyphosate-resistant species, giving growers back the weed control that they need,” said Asmus.

In this interview, Asmus also talks about what BASF has been doing over the past two years to prepare for registration of Engenia by educating growers on proper application stewardship. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-basf-asmus.mp3″ text=”Interview with Chad Asmus, BASF”]

A Year of Firsts for John Deere

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, John Deere, NAFB

nafb-16-deere-felterIt’s been a big year for John Deere, as Product Marketing Manager Doug Felter can tell you. For starters, there was the addition of the Nutrient Applicator – a first for Deere. Growers and retailers are already putting it to good use this fall, applying P&K, among other nutrients.

The exact apply nozzle is another advancement for the company. “It gives you a lot better control over the output,” Felter explained at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk. “If we think about conventional systems today, if you’re trying to maximize that sprayer you can go 20 to 25 miles per hour sometimes, but there are also those parts of the field where you have to go slower to turn around or maybe for a waterway. […]It’s very critical to get the right droplet, to make sure it gets to the crop and does what it needs to do, and also that it doesn’t go into another field or something with these chemistries we’ve got. So it’s a unique tool to help us manage that.”

Row Sense and Auto Track Vision are another upgrade to the sprayer. While auto track has become common place, the sprayer is a bit of a different animal, since it goes through the field after the crop is up. Auto Track Vision uses the crop to center itself in corn, soybeans or cotton. The joint venture with Hagie was a major step forward as well, since Deere customers now have access to pretty much any application equipment you could want. The tools are in the portfolio, Felter says, and a local John Deere dealer can help you find what you need for your operation.

Listen to Cindy Zimmerman’s full interview to find out more: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-deere-felter.mp3″ text=”Interview with Doug Felter, John Deere”]

View and download photos from the event here: NAFB Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the NAFB convention is sponsored by
NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC

Thanksgiving Blessings

Chuck ZimmermanCompany Announcement

thanksgivingAt this time of Thanksgiving we pause to count our blessings.

The freedom of this great country in which we live
Its opportunity for achievement and freedom to worship
The friendship and confidence you have show in us

For this and so much more we are deeply thankful.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving from the ZimmComm/AgWired team.

Everyone Wins with Pastures For Pollinators

Lizzy SchultzAudio, Conservation, Cover Crops, environment, Honeybees, NAFB, pollinators

pastures-for-pollinators-logoA new clover seed mixture developed by Grassland Oregon (GO) is a win-win for livestock producers and the environment.

Pastures for Pollinators is a seed blend including a variety of flowering annual clovers that could help enhance pollinator habitat nationwide, according to GO co-founder Risa DeMasi.

nafb-16-risa“There are 400 million acres of pasture ground in the U.S., and it happens to sit right in the corridor where pollinators are migrating,” said DeMasi during an interview at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual Trade Talk. “Using these clovers we can add things that are good for livestock, good for the soil, good for the pollinators, good for the environment and also can produce good returns for farmers.”

As part of their commitment to sustainable farming practices, DeMasi says Pastures for Pollinators will be donating the profits from the program towards sustainable pasture management research.

GO has been researching and developing pollinator-friendly varieties of cover crops for the past 15 years, and the company believes the products offer benefits for livestock, pollinators, and the environment while simultaneously producing good returns for growers.

“Products like our cold tolerant clovers are producing incredible amounts of nitrogen for farmers to help bring up nutrients from deep within the soil, and it provides an excellent habitat for pollinators,” said DeMasi.

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-risa.mp3″ text=”Interview with Risa DeMasi, Grassland Oregon”]

Learn more at PasturesForPollinators.com

2016 NAFB Convention

Coverage of the NAFB convention is sponsored by
NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC

BASF Provides Zidua® PRO Details

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Herbicides

basf-waldsteinBASF recently announced new Zidua® PRO pre-emergent herbicide for soybean farmers so we caught up with Technical Marketing Manager Daniel Waldstein to provide the latest details.

“It’s got three unique chemistries combined together that gives us three different sites of action,” said Waldstein. “That gives us broad spectrum weed control for grasses and broadleaves and it also gives us built-in resistance management for growers.”

Waldstein says the pre-emergent residual component of Zidua PRO herbicide provides a good starting point for season-long control of weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and marestail. “At BASF we have the motto ‘start clean and stay clean’ and there’s really never a good time to have weeds in your soybean fields,” he said.

Zidua PRO herbicide pairs with post-emergent herbicides containing additional sites of action, including BASF’s soon-to-be-approved Engenia™ herbicide. Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-basf-waldstein.mp3″ text=”Interview with Daniel Waldstein, BASF”]

California Court Ruling Favors Seed Treatments

Cindy ZimmermanARA, ASTA, seed

A California federal court this week ruled in favor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a coalition of agricultural industry organizations in a legal challenge to order the regulation of seeds treated with pesticides as if the seeds themselves were the pesticides.

asta-logoThe coalition included CropLife America, the American Seed Trade Association, the Agricultural Retailers Association, and several commodity groups as Intervenors in a lawsuit brought against EPA by a number of plaintiffs.

“The court decision is welcomed by ASTA and a broad coalition of farmers and the industries that support them,” said ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “The ruling will allow farmers to continue to benefit from the use of seed treatments which are a critical tool to minimize crop losses from pests and diseases in an economical and environmentally sustainable way.”

The Court found that the 2013 Bee Guidance document on which Plaintiffs had relied was neither an “agency action” nor “final” under the Administrative Procedure Act, and that Plaintiffs claims were not reviewable by a Court. The Court also denied Plaintiffs’ request to seek additional documents and information from EPA to support their claims.

Growers Urged to Diversify Weed Management

Lizzy SchultzAgribusiness, Audio, Bayer CropScience, Crop Protection, FMC, Herbicides, NAFB

nafb-16-fmc-quade-2 Low prices have many growers considering every opportunity to minimize production costs, but FMC’s message at the 2016 National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) Convention was clear: Investing in a slightly more costly diversified weed control program is critical for preserving new herbicide tolerant trait technologies, such as the new Liberty post-emergence technology for Liberty Link soybeans.

“Growers are under a lot of financial pressure right now, but saving ten dollars this year could create a nightmare for the following years if you let resistant weeds get out of hand in your fields,” said Tom Quade, FMC Technical Manager, in an interview during NAFB Trade Talk. “The best way to deal with weed resistance is to not let it start in your fields.”

Quade emphasized the importance of utilizing different modes of action and offered several different FMC products that fit exceptionally well into diversified weed control programs that utilize some of the new modes of action that are entering the market.

“Resolve for the next year to have a plan to use multiple modes of action, a good residual herbicide like Authority Brands for soybeans and Anthem Brands for corn, and use it in combination with new post-emerge technology like Liberty on Liberty Link soybeans,” he said. “This is fantastic new technology, but please let’s use it responsibly so we can preserve it.”

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Tom here:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-fmc-quade-resistance.mp3″ text=”Interview with Tom Quade, FMC”]

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 NAFB Convention

Coverage of the NAFB convention is sponsored by
NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC

GROWMARK Talks Future of Nitrogen at #NAFB16

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Audio, Growmark, NAFB, Nitrogen

nafb-16-growmark-lanceLance Ruppert is the Director of Agronomy Marketing for GROWMARK. Among his many other responsibilities, Ruppert participated in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk event in Kansas City earlier this month, talking about the GROWMARK Endure sustainability platform and how higher yields are being attained more sustainably with better agronomics.

With the genetic potential for crops is on the rise, technology and connectivity make it possible for growers to manage details, and understanding the levels of nitrogen and where they are in the field is a huge part of that.

“As we learn more and can manage nutrients better, especially nitrogen, spoon feeding the crop a little bit more and understanding how it all works, that helps tremendously to get to that genetic potential,” he says.

The 2016 growing season was a great example. Winter was warm and wet, leaving growers concerned about nitrogen applications. Soil samples proved that nitrogen had converted a little, but generally was still in fields and didn’t need another application. A dry spring meant quick planting for most, and rains beginning after the 4th of July into August built great yields. A good management system again became crucial late in the season, when warm temps until August prevented diseases from taking hold until late in the year. Growers adding a fungicide to crops saw between a 10 and 15 bushel boost, showing off the power of data-driven decision making.

This increase is technology and “smart” farming will certainly be the direction of the future, Ruppert says. “Five years from now we’ll probably look back and say ‘Wow, what a revolution with technology and smarter farming’.”

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-growmark-lance.mp3″ text=”Interview with Lance Ruppert, GROWMARK”]

NAFB Convention Photo Album

Coverage of the NAFB convention is sponsored by
NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC

Syngenta Unveils New Fungicide Product Line

Kelly MarshallFungicides, Syngenta

MIRAVIS_BrandSignature_CMYK Miravis will be the brand name of Syngenta‘s new fungicide product line.  It is the first in a new chemical group using the active ingredient, Adepidyn, to control some of the most destructive diseases.

syngetna-adepidyn

Photo from http://www.syngenta-us.com/p/adepidyn/

Once regulatory approval is granted, the product can be used to fight against leaf spots and powdery mildew, offer high efficacy for crops with limited options, and deliver groundbreaking control of Fusarium and Fusarium head blight in cereals.

“Not only will Adepidyn fungicide provide exceptional control of common yield and quality limiting diseases, but it will also deliver crop enhancement benefits in row crops that growers have seen with our other products,” said Eric Tedford, technical product lead at Syngenta. “This chemistry and its performance in field trials has been impressive and I think growers will be excited when they see the Miravis family of products in action at our Grow More Experience sites in 2017.”

The company will announce multiple brands in the Miravis line after registration is received. Look for specific formulations for corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, grapes and other crops in 2017.