USDA Unveils Strategy for Sage Grouse

Kelly MarshallConservation, USDA, Wildlife

USDA_logo_svgAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week announced a four-year strategy that will invest approximately $211 million in the next three years to conserve the habitat of the greater sage grouse. The Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, will continue the conservation efforts that began in 2010 to improve sage grouse habitat. The new plan gives ranchers assistance to make conservation improvements to their land.

“The Sage Grouse Initiative has proven itself as a model for how wildlife and agriculture can coexist and thrive in harmony, and that is why we are announcing steps today that will expand this important initiative throughout the life of the 2014 Farm Bill,” said Vilsack. “I applaud America’s ranchers for their initiative in improving habitats and outcomes for sage grouse and other wildlife, and for their recognition that these efforts are also good for cattle, good for ranching operations, and good for America’s rural economy.”

Since its launch in 2010, public and private partners engaged in the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) have conserved 4.4 million acres, an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park, using voluntary and incentive-based approaches for conservation. Between 2010 and 2014, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) invested $296.5 million into SGI, which partners matched with an additional $198 million. By the end of 2018 with implementation of the SGI 2.0 strategy, NRCS and partners will invest approximately $760 million and conserve 8 million acres, an area more than seven times the size of the Great Salt Lake.

The wildfires devastating Western communities also impact habitat for wildlife like sage grouse. Under the SGI 2.0 strategy, NRCS will focus on reducing the threat of wildfire and spread of invasive grasses after fires to restore wildlife habitat and quality livestock forage. 

“The Sage Grouse Initiative is making a difference because private landowners voluntarily work with us to produce results on the ground,” Vilsack said. “The decisions Western ranchers and other private landowners make every day about what to do on their land will continue to have a critical impact on sage grouse.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has deteremined the Bi-State sage-grouse no longer requires listing because these voluntary conservation practices work.  Success has also been seen with the Arctic grayling in Montanta, the black bear in Louisiana, and the Oregon chub.

Big Drop in Farm Income Forecast

Cindy ZimmermanUSDA

USDAFarm sector profitability is forecast to decline for the second straight year, according to the latest report from USDA.

Net cash income is forecast at $100.3 billion, down about 21 percent from 2014 levels. Lower crop and livestock receipts are the main drivers of the change in 2015 net cash farm income from 2014, while cash production expenses are projected down by 1.1 percent. Net farm income is forecast to be $58.3 billion in 2015, down 36 percent from 2014’s estimate of $91.1 billion. The 2015 forecast for net farm income would be the lowest since 2006 (since 2002 in inflation-adjusted terms) and a drop of nearly 53 percent from the record high of $123.7 billion in 2013. As a measure of profitability, net cash farm income is generally less variable over time than the broader net farm income measure. One explanation is that it is possible to exercise greater control on the timing of cash receipts and expenses and thereby moderate large swings from year to year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took a positive outlook on the report. “Today’s farm income forecast is heartening for all Americans,” said Vilsack in a statement. “The past several years have seen unprecedented highs in farm income, and despite the fact that farm income is forecast to be down from record levels, today’s projections provide a snapshot of a rural America that continues to remain stable and resilient in the face of the worst animal disease outbreak in our nation’s history and while the western United States remains gripped by drought. Thanks to its ability to be competitive through thick and thin, American agriculture remains fundamentally sound, supporting and creating good-paying American jobs for millions.”

Crop receipts for 2015 are expected to decrease by $12.9 billion (6.2 percent) this year, led by a projected $7.1-billion decline in corn receipts. Soybean receipts are expected to be down $3.4 billion wheat down $1.6 billion compared to 2014. Livestock receipts are forecast to decrease by $19.4 billion (9.1 percent) in 2015 largely due to lower milk and hog prices.

New John Deere Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters

Chuck ZimmermanAudio, Equipment, Forage, Harvesting, Hay, John Deere

John Deere Forage HarvesterQuite a few new products were put on display for those of us in ag media this week. That includes three new models of the 8000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters.

“We took the momentum from the 8000 Series rollout last year and added to an already stellar lineup of forage harvesters,” says Tim Meister, division manager, marketing with John Deere. “The three new models make the John Deere SPFH lineup even stronger with the ability to deliver optimal harvesting speed, reliability and forage quality.”

Growers can choose from three new models:

8300, 483-horsepower with a Tier-IV Final 13.5-liter engine
8700, 755-horsepower with a Tier-II, non-EGR 19.0-liter engine
8800, 832-horsepower with a Tier-II, non-EGR 19.0-liter engine
Each model can be equipped with HarvestLab™, an advanced crop analysis and documentation component that uses constituent sensing to improve forage quality.

Headers for the SPFH machines include the John Deere Small Drum Rotary Harvesting units from 6-12 rows, John Deere Large Drum Rotary Harvesting units from 6-10 rows, and the all-new 9 Series Hay Pick-ups. All the John Deere headers are automatically speed-matched to the length of cut.

You can listen to my interview with Tim here to learn more: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-reveal-15-meister.mp3″ text=”Tim Meister, John Deere”]

John Deere 2016 Product Reveal Photo Album

Topcon Technology Roadshow Kicks Off Tour

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Events, technology, Training

technology roadshowTwo companies have announced a joint event to kick-off the first all-agricultural technology roadshow.  Digi-Star will the be North American hub for Topcon Positioning Group as they begin the Topcon Technology Roadshow with a unveiling at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL.

The truck is a mobile display of products and solutions from Topcon Positioning Group. While the truck has been featuring solutions for construction, geopositioning and other industries, the truck will now feature brands from Topcon Precision Agriculture including Topcon, Digi-Star, NORAC, RDS Technology and Wachendorff Elektronik.

Topcon Positioning Group acquired Digi-Star in March, making the facility the ideal starting point for the new agricultural tour, said Albert Zalhalka, president of Topcon Precision Agriculture.

“Starting the tour here in Fort Atkinson allows us to share our vision of Topcon leadership in the precision ag movement,” Zalhalka said. “We are pleased to show producers how this partnership can provide them with tools to maximize efficiency and grow profits.

The event is part of Digi-Star University, an annual event to  help train the company’s manufacturing customers to use soon-to-be released technology.

UF/IFAS Help Unravel Complicated Water Policy

Kelly MarshallConservation, Education, water, Water Management

University of FloridaThe University of Florida/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education has a new program to help those who need information about water policies.  The mobile-friendly website provides people with access to the policies and aids them in deciphering complicated information.  In addition to several tools that help residents understand Florida policies, the website also contains ideas for thoughtful conversations about water use.

Users can find information on:

  • Basin Management Action Plans
  • Total Maximum Daily Loads
  • Florida Spring Initiative
  • Water Quality Assurance Act
  • Safe Drinking Water Act
  • Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
  • Clean Water Act

In addition to the policy information, users can search a comprehensive library of UF/IFAS research into water issues from the PIE Center, the UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, the UF Water Institute and EDIS documents.

PIE Center associate director Alexa Lamm, an assistant professor of agricultural education and communication, developed the mobile site as part of her Wells Fargo Extension Professional and Enhancement Award.

“We truly want this to be a one-stop shop for people wanting to know more about water issues in Florida,” Lamm said. “By taking this complex information and explaining it in a way that more people can understand, the policies can become part of the work people do every day.”

Check the site for instructions for add a shortcut to your smartphone’s home screen.

 

John Deere Adds to 6 Series Tractor Lineup

Chuck ZimmermanAudio, Equipment, John Deere, Tractor

John Deere 6MJohn Deere has added to its popular 6 Series of tractors and I got to discuss the features with Kory Ross, Product Manager, Waterloo Works.

John Deere adds the 6E Series Tractors to the 6 Family Tractor lineup, which features enhanced performance, added versatility and greater value to the existing family of high-horsepower utility tractors.

The design on the new 6E Series initially began with upgrading the pre-existing 6D line. “We took a solid, simple workhorse in the 6D and made it even better with upgrades, like easier operating functions,” says Kory Ross, product marketing manager for John Deere. “We improved it and added so much value that we felt it earned a whole new name – the 6E Series.”

You can listen to my interview with Kory here who also talks about a new 6M tractor: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-reveal-15-ross.mp3″ text=”Kory Ross, John Deere”]

John Deere 2016 Product Reveal Photo Album

Crop IMS Talks Data Security at InfoAg

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Data, InfoAg, Security

infoag15-29-cropims

“We have a lot a questions about data privacy,” says Tom Groves, Information Systems Engineer and Web Developer for Crop IMS.  “I’d say it’s our big one.”

Groves, along with Agronomy and Tech Consultant Dallas Shepherd, recently appeared at InfoAg to share what’s happening at Crop IMS. Their bread and butter is data management and record keeping and their customers’ biggest concern is security.

“We’ve been asked a lot of about big data.  I think at crop IMS, one of the things going forward we’re really looking into is data privacy.  Where is that data going?  Who has access to it? And that’s a big concern of ours,” Groves relates.

Listen to their interview with Jamie Johansen to hear more about data rights and how that data can translate to help growers.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/08/infoag-15-cropims.mp3″ text=”Tom Groves and Dallas Shepherd, Crop IMS”]

 

2015 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere   Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by Growmark

New Milestone in Sequencing of Barley Genome

Kelly MarshallBarley, Research, wheat

barleyIn 2000 a team of scientists at the University of California began work to sequence the genome of barley.  The work is time consuming since it is a large and highly repetitive genome that is difficult to fully sequence.

Recently researchers announced they have unlocked nearly two-thirds of the barley genes.  This information is expect to not only expand our knowledge of barley’s DNA, but also to help scientist understand the closely related wheat grain as well as other sources of food.  The code will also give a boost to plant breeding efforts.

“What we have now is much finer resolution of genetic information throughout the barley genome,” said Timothy J. Close, a professor of genetics at UC Riverside and the corresponding author on the research paper. “This is an improved resource used throughout the world. Prior to this work, a long-held view was that the distribution of genes in the genomes of barley, wheat and their relatives is such that the gene-dense regions are only out near the ends of chromosomes where there is also a high rate of recombination. Our work revealed clear exceptions, identifying deviant regions that are gene-rich but low recombination.”

For more information, please visit: http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/31060

Non-Corrosive N-BOUND™ Stabilizer

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Eco Agro, Nitrogen

5759cba2-f8f1-4da3-a099-1f4e23fb8047Eco Agro Resources (EAR) introduces N-BOUND™ nitrogen stabilizer as an alternative to current nitrapyrin formulations to control denitrification and leaching. Unique PENXCEL technology delivers a proven nitrogen stabilizer, Dicyandiamide (DCD), in a non-corrosive liquid formulation. This product is not classified as a restricted use pesticide, and does not impact soil bacteria in the same way as the industry standard product.

Fertilizer dealers have the flexibility to introduce N-BOUND directly into the tank or use metering systems. Eco Agro Resources conducted tests with manufacturers of pumps for filling tanks and metering devices for anhydrous equipment. All tests have confirmed that the product is non-corrosive and works well with these the systems in field tests.

Norm Davy, Chief Marketing Officer for Eco Agro Resources explains, “Anhydrous ammonia users like to stabilize their nitrogen, but have experienced corrosion of their equipment and would prefer a product that wasn’t a restricted use pesticide. Now they have an option to use non-corrosive N-BOUND stabilizer in their fall and spring applications. In all tests conducted with various anhydrous equipment manufacturers, N-BOUND stabilizer has proven non-corrosive and was accurately metered through standard systems.

N-BOUND stabilizer is a breakthrough liquid formulation that makes handling easy. Davy has heard from retailers and growers who have witnessed nitrogen losses due to wet weather in 2015 that they want a new option. “N-BOUND opens up possibilities for growers and retailers never available before. Our liquid formulation blends fast, provides a safer alternative than the current restricted use treatment, and eliminates the hassle of corrosion.”

The N-BOUND product can also be used on urea and in liquid UAN. This provides extra flexibility to retailers who offer a range of nitrogen fertilizer options with nitrification inhibitors.

Senate Yet to Deal with WOTUS & GMO Labeling

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Audio, environment, GMO, Government, water

msf-15-72-editedTwo hot button issues Senate has yet to tackle include GMO labeling bill and the final ruling on Water of the United States (WOTUS). At the Missouri State Fair’s legislator day policy makers spoke on these issues that have a huge impact on agriculture across the country.

Missouri Senator Roy Blunt says we really need to look at science enhancement and how we make food to feed a growing global population. “There are too many standards involved in the process of how we produce food in the country and how it goes into other countries. I do think it is appropriate to have a discussion about what that one standard should be.” He added that you can’t be anti-science and still meet the food needs around the world and a world that has a growing interest in diverse food. “Once you have better food with more choices, no one wants to go back to fewer choices.”

On WOTUS, the Senator said the jurisdiction of the EPA cannot expend to the point they want it to. “All the water in the country is not navigable. Everyone understood that in 1972, only the EPA wants to suggest that all the water that could run into all the navigable water is navigable. This is a jurisdiction the federal government couldn’t possibly exercise if they get it.” He believes until the American people have had time to understand this rule, we need to continue to stand in the way of implementing it.

msf-15-101-editedLearn more about the Senator’s stance on other ag issues here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/msf-15-blunt.mp3″ text=”Interview with Senator Roy Blunt”]

Missouri Congresswomen Vicky Hartzler who sits on the House Ag Committee also had comments on both issues. When it comes to the GMO labeling she feels it will stop the current patchwork system of individual states with various labeling requirements. “I think it will be good for everybody. It will allow consumers to have information without a set of confusing regulations that is in the works right now.”

On to another form of government regulation, WOTUS. “We need the government to get out of mandating how we manage our property. This is a huge federal land grab. We need to get the EPA to resend the rule. In the House we passed a bill to do that and unfortunately it is sitting in the Senate. But we are going to try and stop it through other ways like defunding the EPA.”

Listen to my complete interview with the Congresswomen here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/msf-15-hartzler.mp3″ text=”Interview with Congresswomen Vicky Hartzler”]