Precision | Page 327 | News and reviews from the precision agriculture industry

Eco Agro Resources on Fast Growth Pace

Chuck ZimmermanFebruary 13, 2015Agribusiness, Audio, Eco Agro, Fertilizer, Nitrogen, Nutrient Management

As we’ve seen in two big announcements this week alone, Eco Agro Resources, which was founded in 2013, is on a fast-paced growth curve. I talked with Andrew Semple, President/CEO, about how his company is having so much success.

By the way, Eco Agro Resources’ home office is located in my hometown of Sarasota, FL, although they already have offices around the country and the world. I hope to stop by for a visit later this spring.

Andrew says the company was started by a group of experienced ag industry individuals who share a common goal which is “a passion to feed the world.” Their products are geared to making food production more efficient in ways to help achieve that goal.

The announcements this week include the fact that Eco Agro Resources is now the exclusive North American marketers of the Ekote line of eco-friendly controlled-release fertilizers by Netherlands-based Ekompany. Additionally, Andrew says they have entered into a partnership with Solvay Novacare to develop market and product portfolio opportunities in North and South America. The partnership is part of larger discussions aimed at leveraging the companies’ combined enhanced efficiency fertilizer products (EEFs) for agricultural distributors and customers.

Learn more about Eco Agro Resources in this week’s program: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/zimmcast/zimmcast465-2-10-15.mp3″ text=”Growth of Eco Agro”]

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

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FieldView® Upgrades from Precision Planting®

Jamie JohansenFebruary 13, 2015Agribusiness, Apps, Planting

FieldView from Precision Planting enables farmers to capture and visualize their farm data, providing the tools they need to make data-driven decisions that can increase yields and improve efficiency. FieldView, available on iPad and online, allows growers to view real-time planting and harvest maps in the cab, improve scouting with mobile field maps, and drive decision making with automated yield-by-hybrid reporting and more.

“Farmers know precision ag practices can bring incremental yield gain and operational efficiency,” said FieldView Lead User Interface Designer Kyle Plattner. “Field-level data is essential to enable farmers to micromanage their operations. This year’s FieldView upgrades build on our industry leading software by providing simple tools for farmers to take their field-level management to the next level.”

Key upgrades in this year’s FieldView Plus 4.0 include:
– RemoteView to help farmers stay on top of details even when they aren’t in the cab. With this new feature, farmers can connect to their machines from their iPad to view planting speed, hybrid, population and other key planting metrics in real-time.
– Planting Plan helps farmers eliminate critical errors during planting. With this feature, farmers can build their planting plan before the season starts, logging the field’s crop, hybrid, and planting rate information. The planting plan appears as soon as the planter enters the field, allowing the operator to confirm with a single tap and go.

The FieldView website now offers a simple, do-it-yourself variable rate planting prescription tool. “The planting prescription tool offers farmers an easy way to give variable rate planting a try if they are new to the practice,” said Plattner. “Farmers don’t need to mess with transferring data on flash drives or use complex software, and the planting prescription is seamlessly transferred into the cab and executed in the field using the 20/20 SeedSense® monitor and vDrive® or RowFlow® from Precision Planting.”

USDA Works with Ranchers to Save Sage Grouse

John DavisFebruary 13, 2015Conservation, USDA

A program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working with ranchers in the Western United States to preserve habitat for sage grouse. This USDA news release says the agency, through the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), has partnered with private landowners to restore 4.4 million acres of habitat for sage grouse while maintaining working landscapes across the West, and USDA will invest in new sage grouse conservation work over the next four years.

“We’re working with ranchers who are taking proactive steps to improve habitat for sage-grouse while improving the sustainability of their agricultural operations,” Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie said. “Thanks to the interest from ranchers and support of our conservation partners, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working to secure this species’ future while maintaining our vibrant western economies. Since 2010, we’ve worked with ranchers to conserve, restore, or maintain more than 4 million acres of habitat on private lands – an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.”

In the past five years, NRCS has invested $296.5 million to restore and conserve sage-grouse habitat, and has pledged to extend these efforts by approximately $200 million over four years through the conservation programs funded by the 2014 Farm Bill. Additionally, NRCS is piloting use of its Conservation Stewardship Program to broaden the impacts of SGI by targeting up to 275,000 acres to enhance sage-grouse habitat in 2015.

“American ranchers are working with us to help sage-grouse because they know they are helping an at-risk bird while also improving the food available for their livestock,” Bonnie said. “As the saying goes, ‘What’s good for the bird is good for the herd.'”

SGI is an NRCS diverse partnership that includes ranchers, state and federal agencies, universities, non-profit groups, and private business. Some of the initiative’s efforts include establishing conservation easements that prevent subdivision of large and intact working ranches to improving and restoring habitat through removal of invasive trees.

John Deere ExactEmerge One Year Later

Cindy ZimmermanFebruary 13, 2015Audio, John Deere, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS, Planting

The big deal at the Farm Machinery Show last year was the big reveal of the ExactEmerge planter by John Deere and the revolutionary seed delivery system that allows for accurate planting at speeds up to 10 mph was still an attention-getter at the exhibit this year.

“Last year was an exciting time,” said Deere’s ExactEmerge expert Kelby Krueger. “We have now put the 1775 and 1795 in full production for the 2015 season.”

In 2014, Deere put out 36 planters for use on about 75,000 acres across a pretty wide geography. “We actually planted from Nebraska over into Ohio and up to Canada,” said Krueger. “All those different soil types, different terrains, different seed types. We learned and we made some adjustments to improve the product for 2015.”

Next year, Krueger says they plan to add ExactEmerge to the John Deere DB lineup – 60, 80 and 90 foot – and also putting it on a 1725 CCS integral, “which is for customers who need the planter right behind the tractor.”

The ExactEmerge planter was honored with a 2015 FinOvation award from Farm Industry News presented last night.

Listen to my interview with Kelby here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms15-deere-planter.mp3″ text=”Interview with Kelby Krueger, John Deere”]

2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

Farm Incomes Continue Slide in Midwest, Midsouth

John DavisFebruary 13, 2015Agribusiness, Financing, Government

Farm incomes continue their declines in the Midwest and Midsouth. A new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis says that agricultural bankers in the regions reported farm incomes dropped during the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the previous year. At the same time, the lenders reported a slight increase in quality farmland and a modest decline in pastureland values relative to a year earlier.

Noting that farm income is highly volatile and subject to seasonal patterns, the report revealed a decline in farm income, farm household spending, and capital equipment expenditures during the fourth quarter of 2014 relative to the same period a year earlier. In addition, lenders indicated they expected further declines in all three categories during the first quarter of 2015.

Based on a diffusion index methodology with a base of 100 (results above 100 indicate proportionately higher lender values compared with the same quarter a year earlier; results lower than 100 indicate lower lender values), the fourth-quarter index value for farm income was 78, while first-quarter expectations for 2015 showed an index value of 61.

“Excellent yields have helped offset lower grain prices for most producers for the 2014 crop, but future incomes are expected to be reduced based on average yields and projected prices for the 2015 crop year,” a Missouri lender noted.

The survey also showed quality farmland values across the area were up 0.8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2014 from one year ago. However, proportionately more bankers indicated they expected prices to decrease over the next three months.

Tractors Pulling for 47 Years at NFMS

Cindy ZimmermanFebruary 12, 2015NFMS, Tractor, Video

The Championship Tractor Pull held in conjunction with the National Farm Machinery Show is just a few years younger than the show itself, making this the 47th year for the event which has become one of the world’s premiere competitions.

The event, which is sponsored by Syngenta, runs through Saturday – so if you’re looking for that special place to bring your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day, tickets are still available!

2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

NFMS Honors Charter Exhibitors

Cindy ZimmermanFebruary 12, 2015Audio, John Deere, NFMS

Photo credit – Scott Henson

The National Farm Machinery Show this week honored a baker’s dozen of companies that have exhibited at the event for all of its 50 years of existence.

Those companies are:
Case IH
Danuser
Daughtery Companies
Dupont Pioneer
Hutchinson/Mayrath
Parrish Implement Co.
Rhino/Earthmaster
Stockyard Farm & Dairy Supply
Townsend’s Sales & Livestock Equipment
Manitou Americas
John Deere
Allis Chalmers/AGCO
Moridge Manufacturing/Grasshopper

I talked with John Deere’s Barry Nelson about being a charter exhibitor at the NFMS: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms15-deere-barry.mp3″ text=”Interview with Barry Nelson, John Deere”]

2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

Top 10 Tractors of All Time

Jamie JohansenFebruary 12, 2015ZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Farm & Ranch Magazine compiled a list of the Top 10 Tractors of All Time. Which is your favorite?”

Farm & Ranch Magazine gave us a long list of classic tractors to select from and it is clear we all have our favorites. However, the rising star in our poll was the John Deere Model 4020.

Here are the poll results:

FARMALL Model H – 4%
FORD Model 8N – 11%
FARMALL Model M – 10%
John Deere Model B – 11%
John Deere Model 4020 – 33%
John Deere A – 10%
FARMALL A – 0%
FORD NAA Golden Jubilee – 3%
Allis Chalmers WD-45 – 4%
Allis Chalmers WC – 3%
Other – 10%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Which crop insurance option will you be choosing?

The new farm bill has been in place a year now and one of the most talked about issues it addresses is crop insurance. As the bill brought about a few changes, many farmers are still in a quandary as to which crop insurance policy will be best for their operation. Have you decided if you will be selecting price loss coverage (PLC) or agriculture risk coverage (ARC)?

Farm Machinery Show Point of Kentucky Pride

Cindy ZimmermanFebruary 12, 2015Audio, National Farm Machinery Show

The National Farm Machinery Show ranks right up with bourbon, bluegrass, and horses in Kentucky.

“The National Farm Machinery Show is a point of great pride for Kentucky,” said Lt. Governor Crit Luallen, who took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday marking 50 years for the NFMS. “It has a tremendous impact on our tourism economy as the show brings people from so many different places, but most importantly, it’s a showcase for all the best products and services that agriculture has to offer.”

Luallen still lives on her family farm near Frankfort where they raise tobacco, soybeans, and hay. “I’ve lived there all my life and I understand personally the value of agriculture,” she said. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms15-lt-gov.mp3″ text=”Interview with Kentucky Lt. Governor Crit Luallen”]

The Kentucky State Fair Board owns and operates the NFMS and president Rip Rippetoe says it has grown from very humble beginnings in 1966. “It literally started with 40 to 50 10-by-10 booths,” said Rippetoe. “We’re now at 860-plus exhibitors and 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space and have a waiting list of people wanting to get in. And it’s because the leadership over the past 50 years has kept it relevant and kept it in the public awareness.”

Rip adds that the Championship Tractor Pull, held in conjunction with the NFMS, celebrates 47 years this year. “It was a grassroots effort that’s grown in to being probably the world’s most recognized competition in terms of tractor pulls,” he said. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms15-rip.mp3″ text=”Interview with Rip Rippetoe, Kentucky State Fair Board”]

2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by

Dow AgroSciences Expands Operations in Puerto Rico

John DavisFebruary 12, 2015Agribusiness, Dow AgroSciences, seed

Dow Agrosciences is expanding its operations in Puerto Rico. This news release from the company says its wholly owned subsidiary, Mycogen Seeds – Puerto Rico Corporation, opened a new seed research and development facility on the island.

The new Salinas/Guayama site is a corn and soybean breeding and parent seed facility, and will meet additional agricultural research needs with increased capabilities.

The new site includes 16 buildings containing office spaces, seed labs, equipment storage and several fields. Together, the buildings cover more than 70,000 square feet. With the growth at the Salinas/Guayama site, a number of new, full-time and seasonal positions were added in 2014 with plans to continue to increase employment over the next five years.

“This expansion is one of many projects we have completed around the world to bring farmers the best technologies and traits in corn and soybeans,” said [Rolando Meninato, Dow AgroSciences Global Leader, Seeds Global Business Unit]. “Dow AgroSciences’ research efforts in corn and soybeans concentrate on the development of innovative technologies that will provide solutions for the growing world.”

Local officials say the new station will draw a strong talent pool to Puerto Rico and act as an economic development tool for the island.

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