National Corn & BASF to Offer Scholarships

Kelly MarshallAg Group, BASF, NCGA, Scholarship

NCGA-Logo-3 The National Corn Growers Association and BASF Corporation are now accepting applications for scholarships. Five undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field will receive $1,000 towards their studies in the 2017-18 school year.

“NCGA members are invested both on the farm and off the farm to build a successful industry based on productivity, stewardship and profitability. However, we must also help to cultivate the next generation of agriculture leaders,” said Patty Mann, chairman of NCGA’s Grower Services Action Team. “Our partnership with BASF helps ease the financial pressures these students face in pursuing their degree.”

Applicants for the NCGA William C. Berg Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Program must be entering at least their second undergraduate year or any year of graduate study, and they or a parent or legal guardian must be an NCGA member. Scholarship applications must be postmarked on or before December 12, 2016.

Winners will be announced early in 2017. Those selected for this award will also earn a trip to the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas to be recognized at the NCGA Banquet.

It’s Always the Right Time for an #Ag Career

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Education

A career in agribusiness may not be high on your list of things to do, but if you have grown up in a farming community, it’s a natural route. While it helps to have a good understanding of the agricultural business, an in-depth knowledge is not necessary. People working in agribusiness pursue a wide range of different careers, from helping farmers in sub-Saharan Africa develop a sustainable business to managing cattle ranches in Virginia.

© Florea Paul Daniel | Dreamstime.com - Teacher and students in laboratory

© Florea Paul Daniel | Dreamstime.com – Teacher and students in laboratory

It’s never too early to start thinking about a career. Most people start to consider their options when they are making the transition from high school to college, so if you are currently weighing up whether to study for a science degree followed by a master of science in nursing, now is a good time to consider a career in agribusiness and open your horizons a bit wider.

Education vs. Practical Experience
There is no doubt that experience in agriculture will stand you in good stead, whether that comes from working on a farm or growing up in a farming community, but don’t dismiss the benefits of education. Formal education is the best route into a career in agribusiness. Practical hands-on experience is highly beneficial, but a strong degree in a related field of study combined with experience will help you achieve your career ambitions more quickly.

Different Career Pathways
There are several different degree pathways students interested in a career in agribusiness should consider, but a BS in Agribusiness, or a closely related field is a good place to start. For most degrees in agribusiness, courses last for four years and cover a wide variety of topics, including agricultural economics, farm product marketing and agribusiness management. This will give you a good grounding in the basics you will need if you want to start a new agricultural business or manage an existing business.

Career Advancement Opportunities
If you have ambitions to move up the management ladder within the field of agribusiness, it’s a good idea to study for a masters in agribusiness. As with any master’s program, you can expect to study related topics at a more in-depth level. Masters of agribusiness courses typically cover topics such as financial agricultural management, public policy and international marketing, so this would be a smart choice if you want to work for a global agribusiness company. Some data suggests that agribusiness job opportunities are in decline, but this is a highly diverse field of employment and there are always jobs available for the right candidates. If you have a talent for agribusiness and a willingness to work hard in your chosen field of study, you should have no problem earning a good annual salary, particularly if you strive for a senior management role.

Top universities offering degrees in agribusiness include Cornell, Iowa State, University of Georgia and Michigan State University. You may also wish to investigate online degree courses, such as a masters of science in nursing online, which are more flexible than traditional full-time courses. And for those already looking for agribusiness internships or jobs, be sure to check out AgCareers.com or AgExplorer.com.

New Holland Showcases Next Gen Balers

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, New Holland

Several years ago the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the Billion Ton biomass report and recently made an updated version available. The study shows that there is more than 1 billion tons of biomass available to be used for bio-products including biofuels. For many years, New Holland has been committed to growers who harvest biomass and when the biofuel industry was getting ready to make the move to cellulosic ethanol, New Holland was ready to go with their biomass baler equipment including the BigBaler. To learn more about the company’s technological evolution in the biomass space, I spoke with Jarrod Angstadt during the 2016 Farm Progress Show.

Angstadt saidfps-16-big-baler New Holland has been a leader in hay harvesting technology for many, many years. But 10 years ago they launched a Clean Energy Leader initiative and their equipment has evolved to meet the needs of growers as the market changes. “It’s really exciting because there are a lot of opportunities out there and where this is going to go exactly is still the unknown and it’s really, really exciting for us,” says Angstadt.

I asked Angstadt how the feedback has been from growers who are using the BigBaler to harvest corn stover and he says the feedback has been very positive. He adds, though, that baling a crop like corn stover is harder to crop than say a crop like alfalfa or hay. So New Holland “beefed up” the equipment specifically for hardier crops and the results have been great. The BigBaler is working well in the fields. And with some additional add-ons, the BigBaler can be used for crops like miscanthus and corn stover and still harvest forage crops.

fps-16-jarrod-angstadtYet creating high-performance, long-lasting ag equipment is not only what New Holland is doing for the biofuels industry. They are the first and only company to come on board with Growth Energy to support American Ethanol. Angstadt adds, “We’re really proud of it. Going back to the clean energy leader strategy and our brand position and who we want to be, it made perfect sense. It made the growers understand we really care about them, our customer and we get that this affects them and ethanol is important to them so it’s important to us.”

Learn more about New Holland’s BigBaler by listening to my interview with Jarrod Angstadt: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps-16-newholland-angstadt.mp3″ text=”Interview with New Holland’s Jarrod Angstadt on the BigBaler”]

New Holland 2016 Farm Progress Photo Album

2016 Farm Progress Show Photos

John Deere Hagie Joint Venture Progressing Well

Chuck ZimmermanAgribusiness, Audio, Farm Progress Show, John Deere, Spraying, Video

Hagie SprayerIt was just over five months ago that John Deere announced a joint venture with Hagie Manufacturing. Since then Hagie sprayers are now selling via John Deere dealers. Kevin Marshall gave ag media a look at the Hagie DTS Sprayer which is a dual tank machine. The DTS has most of the same features of their STS Sprayers but is much lighter.

Here is some more information on the joint venture.

Equipment made by the joint venture will continue to carry the Hagie brand while sales and service for Hagie equipment will be integrated into Deere’s global distribution channel over the next 15 months.

“Hagie Manufacturing is known for innovation and its strong customer understanding in high-clearance spraying equipment,” said John May, president, Agricultural Solutions and Chief Information Officer at Deere. “High-clearance spraying equipment is a new market for Deere. The expertise at Hagie allows John Deere to immediately serve customers who need precision solutions that extend their window for applying nutrients.”

May said the joint venture investment allows John Deere to provide a broader range of sprayer options and integrate Deere’s precision technology into the Hagie equipment to help customers reduce costs and improve yields.

Listen to the presentation here or watch below:
[wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-media-16-hagie-sprayer.mp3″ text=”Kevin Marshall Sprayer Technology Presentation”]


Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience

U.S. to Take Action on Chinese Trade Distorting

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Government, trade

The Obama Administration announced last week they plan to launch a trade enforcement action against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge trade-distorting domestic supports.  The Administration plans to challenge three key crops: corn, wheat and rice.  In 2015 China’s “market price support” for these three crops was estimated to be almost $100 billion in excess of what they were when China committed to joint the WTO.

usa-rice“We compete with China in some important regional markets, and there’s no question that an economy as large as China’s can have major trade-distorting impacts in the global agricultural sector,” USA Rice CEO Betsy Ward said. “Despite years of work by USA Rice and USDA to open the Chinese market, we still have no access for U.S. grown rice. This enforcement action also sends a clear signal to other countries with whom we compete and who are not living up to their WTO obligations with regard to rice, such as Viet Nam, Thailand, and India.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation also supports the decision to begin the dispute settlement process.

Farm-bureau“The World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Agriculture applies to all members. Each country must follow agreed upon levels of domestic support. Violation of domestic support levels can lead to overproduction and price-depressing surpluses that affect farmers worldwide,” said President Zippy Duvall.  “Trade deals only work if they’re followed. It is good to see our government enforcing the trade commitments that already exist. This kind of accountability leads to stronger trade relationships with all our partners.”

NCGA-Logo-3“The National Corn Growers Association is committed to the development and maintenance of fair and open global trade practices and policies as part of our efforts to feed and fuel a growing world,” adds Chip Bowling, President of the National Corn Growers Association.  “We believe in both strong trade policy and market development.  As a facilitator and arbitrator of global trade, the World Trade Organization provides structure and accountability to the process. We welcome USTR’s and USDA’s trade enforcement action, and will closely monitor these developments.”

The process is expected to take up to a year and a half to complete, but the ag groups are overwhelmingly pleased with the start.

“USA Rice has asked our government for years to challenge countries who don’t play by the rules, and we’ve provided them concrete evidence of harm being done by these countries to America’s rice industry,” she said. “It’s gratifying to finally see some action.”

Precision Ag Bytes

Kelly MarshallPrecision Ag Bytes

  • precision bytesS&W Seed Company has created a new position in the company- Chief Marketing and Technology Officer, and they’ve promoted Dan Gardner to the position.  Gardner has been with S&W since 2012, most recently as Vice President of Breeding and Genetics.
  • Vonnie Estaes is joining the developer of CRISPR-Cas technologies, Caribou Biosciences, Inc., as the Company Group Leader, Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnology.  She brings decades of experience in both agriculture and industrial biotech to the position.
  • Crop Enhancement Inc. has closed $8.5 million in a Series B financing. As part of the transaction, Greg Young from Spruce Capital Partners and Andrew Chung from 1955 Capital, both investor companies, joined Crop Enhancement’s board of directors.  Crop Enhancement focuses on innovation of sustainable chemistry formulations for agriculture applications.
  • IntelinAir, Inc., an aerial imagery analytics company that provides high resolution images, advanced agronomic science and proprietary algorithms to offer a comprehensive health analysis to farmers, has announced it has closed its series seed funding comprised of $3 million in equity and $500,000 in venture debt.

Veris Tech Offers #Soil Sensing Platforms

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Farm Progress Show, Soil, technology

fps16-verisVeris Technologies, which recently announced a new partnership with The Climate Corporation to make high resolution soil maps from Veris on-the-go soil sensors available in the Climate FieldView™ platform, had two of their most popular soil sensing platforms on display at the recent Farm Progress Show.

“We’ve got the MSP3, which does three depths of soil connectivity mapping, organic matter and pH, all on the go,” said Veris Technologies president Eric Lund.

Also on display was the U3, a smaller and more compact soil sensor. “It does it behind a side-by-side or UTV-type vehicle so it lowers the price point that a consultant or a retailer has to invest in to get going doing Veris mapping,” Lund says.

Learn more about Veris Technologies soil sensor options in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps-16-veris.mp3″ text=”Interview with Eric Lund, Veris Technologies”]

2016 Farm Progress Show Photos

Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience

Ag Groups React to Bayer-Monstanto Merger

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Bayer CropScience, Monsanto

Reaction from agricultural organizations on new of a deal between Bayer and Monsanto on Wednesday expressed some concern about what this trend of consolidation will mean for farmers in the long run.

nfu_logo2From Capitol Hill where National Farmers Union members have been meeting this week, NFU President Roger Johnson “condemned” the merger and called for a “critical review” of consolidation in ag.

“Consolidation of this magnitude cannot be the standard for agriculture, nor should we allow it to determine the landscape for our future,” said Johnson. “The merger between Bayer and Monsanto marks the fifth major deal in agriculture in the last year, preceded by an approval of the Syngenta/ChemChina acquisition and proposed mergers between Dow/DuPont, Potash Corp./Agrium and John Deere/Precision Planting LLC….We underscore the importance that all mergers, including this recent Bayer/Monsanto deal, be put under the magnifying glass of the committee and the U.S. Department of Justice.”

AFBFAmerican Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Bob Young agreed that the deal should be examined closely. “This deal between Monsanto and Bayer comes close on the heels of the proposed Dow-DuPont merger. Farm Bureau believes the Department of Justice should undertake a close review of the overall business climate that has encouraged these combinations, rather than evaluating them in isolation,” said Young. “Farmers and ranchers, in particular, are interested in how these deals will impact research and development budgets for companies like Bayer and Monsanto. We depend on access to enhanced technology, and would hate to see agricultural innovation suffer at the cost of business decisions.”

Both the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association released similar statements saying they planned to study the impact of the merger. “Our primary concern with respect to any merger is how it may affect input costs – particularly given the current farm economy,” said NCGA president Chip Bowling. “With respect to a previously announced merger, we completed a thorough analysis that informed the comments and information we provided to the US Department of Justice during their investigation into the merger. We would anticipate following a similar path with respect to this merger so that we can truly understand the merger’s impact on agricultural research, innovation, and competitive pricing of farm inputs.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing next week on consolidation in agriculture. It’s scheduled for Tuesday, September 20, at 10 am Eastern time.

AcreValue Adds Comp Sales to Website

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Land, Website

acrevalueAcreValue is a free online farmland valuation tool created by Granular.  Now the company has announced the addition of Comp Sales to their platform.  This program will allow users to view land prices for the past two and half years in more than 2,500 U.S. counties, making AcreValue the first ever map-based tool to display land sales from county public records.

The site keeps users in the know on land prices without the need to visit the courthouse to view public records, rely on a broker’s published information or hearing about prices via word of mouth.

“AcreValue has very quickly become the go-to place to access information about farmland, anywhere, anytime. Our registered user base has grown more than 700% this year. With Comp Sales, we’re able to give our users one more tool to help them make important land purchase and rent decisions, especially as we hit the time of the year when sales activity starts to pick up,” said Tamar Tashjian, General Manager of AcreValue.

Accessing Comp Sales on AcreValue is simple and straightforward. Users interact with the map to get a quick view of the sale prices of land in a particular area. They can also generate detailed reports with more information about each individual sale, including price, the location and boundaries of sold parcels, and the names of the buying and selling parties. This data is now available alongside the information that users are already routinely access on AcreValue: soil productivity, soil and aerial maps, and 5-year land use history.

Land prices are a critical piece of information for farmers and landowners.  To learn more about AcreValue, visit https://www.acrevalue.com.

Case IH Rolls Out Changes to Balers

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Case IH, Hay

case-ih-square-balerCase IH is improving efficiency with a new LB434SL 3×4 large square baler.  The baler lets high-volume hay and forage producers get over more acres per day, leaving consistent, uniform bales behind it.

They’re also adding ISOBUS Class 3 functionality to most of their baler options and all Maxxum CVT, Puma and Optum tractors.

“Not only are we meeting the demand for heavier bales with greater density through our LB434XL balers, we’re giving producers the technology they need to more efficiently harvest each crop at its peak nutritional value,” said Cole Carling, Case IH hay and forage marketing manager. “From tractors to balers and the latest precision technology, the growing lineup of innovative Case IH equipment at dealerships across North America truly offers a one-stop shop for today’s producer.”

From the beefed-up bale chamber to the rugged frame, the LB434XL is designed from the ground up for large-scale hay and forage operations with a lot of ground to cover and a short time to do it. Operators will immediately notice a 31.5-inch longer bale chamber. This 31 percent increase over current LB434 balers delivers up to 10 percent higher bale density. Greater density means more crop per bale, decreasing bale count as well as handling, wrapping and transportation costs — helping producers economically reach new markets.

ISOBUS Class 3-enabled Feedrate Control technology makes the dense, well-formed bales produced by the LB434XL easy to achieve for operators of all skill levels. This technology allows the baler to run at optimal performance and capacity by controlling the speed of an ISOBUS Class 3-compatible tractor, such as the versatile Optum. Feedrate Control includes two running operations: charge control to automatically adjust the tractor’s speed for optimal capacity and slice control that decides in favor of bale slice thickness.

“Today’s commercial operations must produce dense, perfectly shaped bales,” Carling said. “Whether transporting down the road or across the globe, importers demand top-quality feed value. Equipped with the latest technology, producers will experience less fatigue, along with greater peace of mind knowing that each bale they produce is consistent in quality, flake size and shape.”

“We look forward to helping our customers rethink just how productive their operations can be with these latest baler enhancements and technology,” he added.

For more information, visit your Case IH dealer or caseih.com.