New TeeJet 7120 Nozzle Control Offers Better Spray Quality

John DavisAgribusiness, Spraying

DynaJet_Flex_1A new nozzle control system from TeeJet Technologies offers better spray quality. This company news release says the new DynaJet Flex 7120 nozzle control system has the DynaJet Console & Interface, Driver Modules, nozzle body mounted solenoid tip shutoffs and related harnesses, and it is modular able to be retrofitted onto a wide range of new or used sprayers.

Spraying crop protection products has traditionally been a compromise, requiring the operator to carefully balance ground speed and operating pressure. The DynaJet system controls the pressure and droplet size across a wide range of speeds, allowing the operator to choose the optimum speed that conditions allow while maintaining consistent droplet size. For ease of operation, the compact, touchscreen user interface features a complete nozzle database that allows for easy droplet size selection.

In addition to improved spray quality management, the DynaJet system provides instantaneous tip shutoff which helps to minimize waste and overspray. Additionally, the ability to adjust nozzle flow capacity from the cab allows growers to operate at a wider range of ground speeds or application volumes without having to change nozzles, which results in greater productivity.

“The days of simple, glyphosate-based weed control programs are largely behind us. Today’s variety of chemistries requires more intensive management of spray quality to ensure proper pest control while preventing damage to off-target crops. ” notes Tim Stuenkel, Global Marketing Manager for TeeJet Technologies. “The DynaJet Flex 7120 provides a solution that ensures optimum spray application while boosting the operating efficiency of the machine.”

More information is available on the TeeJet Technologies website.

FMC Offers Financing Through John Deere

John DavisAgribusiness, Financing, FMC, Herbicides, Insecticide, John Deere

fmc-logoPostemergent herbicides and insecticides can be a very expensive proposition for producers that do pay off in the long run. To help growers pay for that initial investment that pays big dividends, FMC is offering no-payment, no-interest financing through John Deere Financial on select crop protection products for corn, soybean and other labeled crops.

“Being in the business for more than a century, FMC understands that new threats are always on the horizon. We are dedicated to meeting these challenges by providing growers with innovative products and financing solutions that add value to their operation and their bottom line,” said Adam Prestegord, FMC Agricultural Solutions North America crop segment manager. “Growers have the opportunity to save money by taking advantage of delayed payment offers in order to purchase the FMC crop protection solutions they need.”

Between March 1, 2015 and May 31, 2015, growers can participate in no-payment, no-interest financing with a minimum purchase of $3,000 of at least one qualifying product. Eligible FMC products include Cadet®, MarvelTM or SolsticeTM herbicides or Hero®, Mustang® Maxx or Stallion® brand insecticides. Balance is due in full by December 2015. After the promotional period, interest charges will begin to accrue at the regular multi-use account rate. Growers can view all the available cost-saving finance options online at www.fmccrop.com/finance.

“We are excited to continue to offer FMC customers with financing solutions that help meet their unique needs,” said Greg Trapkus, John Deere Financial account manager. “With more than 25 years of serving farmers and growers, we are proud to deliver dependable financing for purchases of crop input products.”

More information is available at www.JohnDeereFinancial.com/Advantage or through local FMC Star Retailers.

Ag Groups Testify on WOTUS

Cindy ZimmermanAFBF, Audio, Cotton, Government

Representatives of agricultural organizations testified on how the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule would impact them during a hearing held Tuesday by the House Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.

hearing2American Farm Bureau Federation General Counsel Ellen Steen told the panel that “unless dramatically altered,” the rule will create enormous uncertainty and vulnerability for farmers and ranchers nationwide.

“It is impossible to know how many farmers, ranchers and forest landowners will be visited by [EPA] enforcement staff or will be sued by citizen plaintiffs’ lawyers—and it is impossible to know when those inspections and lawsuits will happen,” Steen said. “But what is certain is that a vast number of common, responsible farming, ranching and forestry practices that occur today without the need for a federal permit would be highly vulnerable to Clean Water Act enforcement under this rule.”

hearing1National Cotton Council (NCC) Chairman Sledge Taylor of Mississippi said the rule “creates confusion and risk by providing the EPA and the Corps of Engineers with almost unlimited authority to regulate, at their discretion, any low spot where rainwater collects, including common farm ditches, non-permanent drainages and agricultural ponds in and near farms across the nation.”

Taylor, who also grows corn, soybeans, sorghum and peanuts, stressed that if the agencies make significant changes to the rule it is important that the revised rule be released again.

[wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/government/wotus-hearing-house.mp3″ text=”House Ag Subcommittee hearing testimony on WOTUS”]

Next week, the full Senate Agriculture Committee on Agriculture will hold a hearing on WOTUS, 10:00 am, Tuesday, March 24.

TeeJet’s Aeros 9040 Field Computer Offers New Features

John DavisAgribusiness

Aeros_HO_Perspective MarkA1TeeJet Technologies is offering some new features in its Aeros 9040 Field Computer. This company news release has additional capabilities including tip flow monitoring, ISOBUS Universal Terminal (UT) functionality, and Wi-Fi data transfer.

Integrated tip flow monitoring detects plugged or missing spray tips and provides the operator with an immediate alert on the Aeros console and an illuminated LED on the boom for easy identification of the problem. Additionally, nozzle faults are recorded and mapped on the as-applied report.

ISOBUS UT capability allows the Aeros 9040 to integrate with other ISOBUS control modules on the machine and to provide a single console display. Aeros also offers the capability of displaying both guidance and application control on a single screen, further enhancing the operator experience.

The addition of Wi-Fi connectivity allows wireless 2-way job data transfer between the machine and the farm office when used with the TeeJet Fieldware Link application.

“We’ve had some great early successes with key sprayer and spreader manufacturers worldwide and we expect these new features to accelerate that growth,” notes Rich Gould, OEM Business Manager with TeeJet Technologies.

These new capabilities are in addition to existing features such as guidance, auto-steering, video monitoring, variable rate application control, as-applied mapping, automatic section control (ASC), and droplet size monitoring.

Climate Corp Free Offer for Farmers

John DavisAgribusiness, climate, Monsanto

climatecorp2To get more farmers to try its premium web and mobile service, Climate ProTM, Monsanto’s The Climate Corporation will offer it free for farmers’ first fields and the opportunity to use the service across their entire operation after their purchase of 500 acres.

“We’re excited about the value Climate Pro can provide farmers, with advanced nitrogen and field health insights to support the important management decisions farmers make throughout the season,” said Sarah Pierce, marketing lead for The Climate Corporation. “With their first field free, farmers can experience the service on some of their acres and can activate their entire farm after purchasing 500 acres, providing farmers with the opportunity to experience the full value of the service across their operation. While Nitrogen Advisor is only available for corn today, this whole-farm offer includes Field Health Advisor on all their acres, regardless of the crop.”

Climate Pro, The Climate Corporation’s premium web and mobile offering, delivers customized, field-level insights for farmers to help optimize their nitrogen use and identify problems in their fields early so they can focus their scouting efforts and take quick action to address pests and other issues that impact yield. Nitrogen Advisor helps farmers track the level of nitrogen in their soil across the entire corn-growing season. Field Health Advisor provides field-level insights that help farmers make scouting and management decisions.

“We are very excited to experience Climate Pro for free on our first 250 acres and potentially across our entire operation this season,” said farmer Shelley Finfrock of Clinton, Ill. “My family and I enjoy trying new technologies on our farm, and we are especially looking forward to trying the nitrogen and field health tools. Anytime we can receive actionable information that will keep us educated on how to better manage our crops and use inputs like nitrogen more efficiently, we are all for it. This is a great offer that we’ll be taking advantage of.”

Farmers wanting to try it out should contact their Climate Pro dealer.

Support Biodiesel This Planting Season

Cindy ZimmermanBiodiesel, Planting

rudolf-dieselNational Biodiesel Day is March 18, and the Iowa Biodiesel Board is suggesting that farmers ask for and use biodiesel as they head into spring planting.

“We’re challenging every farmer in Iowa to request that their fuel distributor offer biodiesel blends this spring,” said Grant Kimberley, IBB executive director and a soybean farmer who uses biodiesel on his farm. “A thriving biodiesel market helps everyone in the ag sector.”

March 18 is National Biodiesel Day because it is the birthday of Rudolf Diesel, the man who invented the engine that bears his name. He ran early models on peanut oil, and was a visionary for renewable fuel.

“I urge farmers to recognize the importance that renewable energy has in a strong and vibrant farming future,” said Ron Heck, an Iowa soybean farmer and IBB officer. “Those of us in the farming community must walk-the-walk by supporting clean energy solutions on the farm.”

Heck noted he has used biodiesel on his own farm for many years. But a poll of more than 360 Iowa farmers conducted this winter by the Iowa Soybean Association finds room for increased biodiesel use. About 41 percent said they use biodiesel in their farming operations. “Not readily available” was the primary reason cited for not using the fuel. However, availability has improved the last several years due to favorable state legislation.

Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine in blends of up to 20 percent (B20). All of the major Original Equipment Manufacturers producing engines and equipment for the U.S. agricultural market support B20 or higher in their warranty position statements.

GMO Answers at SXSW

Cindy Zimmermanbiotechnology

gmo-sxsw-1GMO Answers took its live show to Austin this week at the SXSW Trade Show.

The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals is billed as the “unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies” so GMO Answers decided it would be a good place to reach an audience with the real story about agricultural innovation.

GMO Answers has been conducting live demos, featuring “How to Make a GMO” and “DNA 101” in a field of corn and cotton, and this evening they will be having a Get to Know GMO Marketplace during the block party at the show.

The SXSW show runs through Wednesday afternoon.

EPA Chief Talks WOTUS at NFU

Cindy ZimmermanAg Group, Government, water

nfu15-ginaAppearing at the National Farmers Union convention in Wichita Monday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy admitted that her agency was “in the hot seat” over the Waters of the United States rule released last year and still under review.

“I really wish we had done a better job of rolling out the clean water rule,” she said and “I’m really concerned that we weren’t crystal clear not only about what we intended to do but also what we weren’t intending to do,” she said.

McCarthy thanked National Farmers Union (NFU) and its members for their helpful feedback during the process and thanked NFU President Roger Johnson for his handling of the situation “I want to thank you for not having a knee-jerk reaction,” she said and noted that EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers were working hard to finalize the act by this spring.

McCarthy told the crowd that the agency’s definition of tributaries in the initial draft was far too vague and that would be corrected. “We are considering appropriate ways to narrow that definition.”

On the subject of ditches, she said that EPA needs to make the definitions clearer. “Most farm ditches were never covered before, and they won’t be in this new rule,” she promised.

Mississippi State University Utilizes Drones

Taylor TruckeyAudio, drone, technology

mid-south-15-moorehead Robert Moorehead, Director of Geosystems Research Institute and Northern Gulf Institutes at Mississippi State University, was at the 2015 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show to showcase the research being done on harnessing UAV technology on farm.. Moorehead had a chance to chat with Chuck Zimmerman about their use of UAVs and drones.

Geosystems Research focuses on agriculture; they utilize UAV technology to determine plant development, particularly in early-plant corn. Using one of the drones that they had on display, they “can view down to 1/8″ resolution to determine growth problems” or animal impacts, especially from feral hogs.

The number of producers using UAV technologies has steadily grown over the last 2-3 years; it has increased the demand for research that shows cost benefit information in addition to ways to utilize UAV usage on farm.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Robert here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/farm-gin-show/mid-south-15-moorehead.mp3″ text=”Interview with Robert Moorehead, Mississippi State University”]

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC

USA Rice Federation at 2015 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Taylor TruckeyAudio, Rice, trade

mid-south-15-jemisonThe USA Rice Federation is the commodity association that represents all industry aspects (growers, millers, merchants) of the rice industry; they have members in all 6 major rice producing states. While at the 2015 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, Randy Jemison, Director of Louisiana Field Operations for USA Rice Federation, spoke with Chuck Zimmerman about their role in supporting rice production.

When asked about current priorities for USA Rice Federation, Jemison said, “Our #1 priority is to make all of our industry aspects viable, and profitable. On our production side, it’s important to maintain markets and improve marketing via trade.”

When Trade Promotion Authority came up in conversation, Jemison stressed the importance of trade for rice growers in the USA: “Anything dealing with trade that will allow our government to make sure we are dealing on a level playing field is always part of our focus.”

Jemison mentioned price slide being a major concern due to rice overstock around the world. “Our growers are growing the best rice in the world but they’re fighting a tough battle right now with low prices so we’re doing our best to protect and expand our markets.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Randy here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/farm-gin-show/mid-south-15-jemison.mp3″ text=”Interview with Randy Jemison, USA Rice Federation”]

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC