Ag Leader Yield Monitoring System on AGCO Combines

John DavisAg Leader, Agribusiness

agleaderagco1Ag Leader‘s precision technology will now be offered on North American AGCO combines. Ag Leader says the 2015 Gleaner S8 Series combines, Massey Ferguson 9505 Series and Challenger 500E combines will feature a factory-installed Ag Leader yield monitoring system, with Ag Leader Integra and Versa displays also available to be ordered separately.

“Adding a yield monitoring system with Ag Leader display to your combine allows the operator to view yield and moisture maps in real-time for instant feedback on yield performance while in the field,” said Roger Zielke, Product Manager. “Our time tested yield monitor will be a perfect addition for growers purchasing an AGCO combine.”

Ag Leader’s founder and owner, Al Myers, is credited for developing the first widely used yield monitor just over 20 years ago and has led the industry in developing precision technology. Today Ag Leader offers a complete line of precision farming products from planting through harvest through a global dealer network.

“We know that it is increasingly important for farmers to collect and analyze yield data to use in making management decisions as it has a significant impact to yield and the bottom line,” Zielke added. “We’re excited to pair our yield monitoring technology with a leading manufacturer to assist more growers with harvesting both crops and information.”

ASTA Welcomes Economist Back for Outlook

Cindy ZimmermanASTA, Audio, Corn

asta-css-14-basseBack again by popular demand this year at the ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo was AgResource Company president Dan Basse giving his economic outlook for the year ahead.

Basse notes that this crop year is historic in that it’s the first time we’ve seen record world production for corn, wheat and soybeans. “So something agronomically is afoot here,” he said. “World producers are starting to pick up on some of the traits that American farmers are using – whether more seeds per acre, better seeds, better fertilizer…we’re not sure what it is but we’re impressed what the world is producing for grain.”

At this point, Basse thinks “we’re farming more and more for the government” and he stressed the importance of farmers looking carefully at their choices of farm bill programs for the coming year. “If you like the PLC decision, you would have a more bearish outlook on grains for the next five years,” he said. “ARC may give you some extra income for the nearby years.”

Lots more in this interview with Basse here – a condensed version of his one hour breakfast presentation at CSS. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-basse.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dan Basse, Ag Resources”]


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by
Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

BASF Provides Fermentation Education at CSS

Cindy ZimmermanUncategorized

css-14-basf-chrisFermentation education was going on at the BASF booth during the ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago.

The fermentation educator was BASF Biological Operations Manager Chris Feiden who explained and demonstrated for us the fermentation and filling process that takes place at BASF research facility in St. Joseph, Missouri and their quality assurance process. “We walk through multiple steps as part of the process of fermentation,” said Feiden. “The product has already gone through over 25 quality assurance steps before we reach our internal quality assurance department.”

The bacteria produced and manufactured into a rhizobium inoculant benefit crops by providing a nitrogen rich enhancement to the soil, explains Feiden, which ultimately increases yield for growers. “You’re looking at a three-to-one return on investment,” he said. “That’s a pretty good investment in my opinion.”

Here’s my interview with Chris, and below you can watch the demonstration of the fermentation process on display at the CSS 2014. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-basf-chris.mp3″ text=”Interview with Chris Fieden, BASF”]



2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by
Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

Corn Quality Good for the Record Crop

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, Corn

usgrainscouncil1The U.S. corn crop got high marks for quality from the record harvest. The U.S. Grains Council says the corn crop was good, with 88 percent of samples rating at grade No. 2 or better.

“This year’s report shows for the second year in a row that the United States has an abundant supply of high-quality corn available to export,” said Kurt Shultz, USGC director of global strategies. “The average values from the report indicate that the United States will have a crop that will store and handle well as it moves through the market channels to export.”

According to the report, the 2014 corn crop is entering the marketing channels with the following key characteristics:

– average test weight well above the limit for No. 1 grade corn, indicating overall good quality.
– low levels of broken corn and foreign material, with 96.2 percent below the limit for No. 1 grade corn.
– 100 percent of sampled corn testing below the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aflatoxin action level of 20 parts per billion.
– slightly lower moisture content than in 2013, as was the incidence of stress cracks. However, total damage levels were significantly higher, likely due to weather conditions, though 94 percent of samples were still below the limit for No. 2 corn.
– protein concentration lower than in 2013, likely due to higher yields in 2014.
– comparable starch concentration to 2013, indicating relatively good kernel filling and maturation.

You can read the complete report, which is based on 629 yellow commodity corn samples taken from defined areas within 12 of the top corn-producing and exporting states, here.

Monsanto One Step Closer to Next-Gen Trait Launch

John DavisAgribusiness, Genetics, Monsanto

monsanto1Monsanto is one step closer to getting regulatory approval for its next-generation trait technology used in its soybean and cotton varieties. This company news release says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), concluding that Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® 2 Xtend™ soybeans and Bollgard II® XtendFlex™ cotton should be fully deregulated.

“The final EIS moves us one step closer to the introduction of Bollgard II® XtendFlex™ cotton and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans, paving the way to provide access to dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton,” said Miriam Paris, Xtend System Launch Manager at Monsanto Company. “This is a significant milestone in providing farmers new tools to manage weeds and time more efficiently, which will help farmers have better harvests.”

Growers across the country are expressing excitement about these new weed management solutions. “This technology will be another tool in the farmer’s toolbox, enabling us to have another mode of action in the fight against resistant weeds,” said Wade Cowan, a farmer from Brownfield, Texas. “Weed resistance contributes to smaller yields, and this dicamba technology will help me better manage weeds.”

The decision comes as the USDA considered nearly 5,000 comments submitted by farmers, academic and scientific experts and other key stakeholders, with an overwhelming majority of those who provided feedback during the public comment period voicing support for the trait technology.

Researchers Look to Develop Sturdier Rice

John DavisRice, USDA

weedyriceU.S. Department of Agriculture researchers are looking at genetic traits in weedy rice to develop a variety of the grain that flourishes in the face of climate change. This article from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service says the work hopes to develop sturdy, high-yield varieties of cultivated rice.

[Lewis] Ziska, who is with ARS’s Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, studied several rice cultivars to determine if changes in temperature and CO2 levels affected seed yields. He also looked for visible traits that could signal whether a plant cultivar has the genetic potential for adapting successfully to elevated CO2 levels.

The investigation included weedy red rice, which infests cultivated rice cropland. Despite the plant’s downsides, previous assessments indicated that weedy rice growing under elevated CO2 levels had higher seed yields than cultivated rice growing under the same conditions.

For seed yield, only weedy rice and the rice cultivar ‘Rondo’ responded to elevated CO2 levels when grown at optimal day/night air temperatures of 84 °F and 70 °F. In addition, only the weedy rice gained significant increases of aboveground biomass and seed yield under elevated CO2 levels at the higher temperatures expected for rice-growing regions by 2050.

The findings were published in Functional Plant Biology in 2013.

Poster Winners at ASTA CSS

Cindy ZimmermanASTA, Corn, seed, Soybeans, University

asta-css-14-poster-winnerThree students were awarded prizes sponsored by Dow AgroSciences for their winning poster presentations at the ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago.

First place was awarded to Adam Gaspar from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is pictured here explaining his presentation to one of the judges.

Second place went to Lillian Brzostowski, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for her presentation on Stacking Resistance Alleles from Three Sources to Increase Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode.

Adriano Terras Mastrodomenico, also with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, received third place for Characterization of Commercial Corn Hybrids in Response to Different Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates and Plant Populations.


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by
Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

New App Released for Commodity Classic

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, Commodity Classic, Corn, NCGA, Soybeans, wheat

commclassic2015Attendees of the upcoming Commodity Classic will have an easier time planning their schedules during the event. The mobile app, which can be downloaded from a variety of operating systems’ app stores, will give attendees fresh information on sponsors, trade show floor events, locations for sessions and exhibits, and other up-to-the-minute information on the nation’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention and trade show, Feb. 26-28 in Phoenix, Arizona.

“We expect to break a number of records in Phoenix in terms of both attendees and exhibitors as Commodity Classic returns to its roots,” said soybean farmer Sam Butler of Alabama, Commodity Classic Co-Chair. “With the new Commodity Classic app, attendees can easily keep track of the tremendous line-up of educational sessions, outstanding speakers and a huge trade show. And this year, we’ll be adding a number of special events and activities related to the celebration of the 20th Commodity Classic.”

For a complete listing of the 2015 educational sessions, conference information, and to register online, visit www.CommodityClassic.com. Money-saving early registration ends Jan. 15. “With the new app, people planning to attend Commodity Classic can begin creating their schedule right now—months in advance of getting to Phoenix,” Butler added.

Commodity Classic brings together the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Sorghum Producers.

Feds Approve Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Exemptions

John DavisAerial Application, Aerial Imagery, Agribusiness, Aviation, Government, UAS, UAV

uav-agIn what could be a real boon for agricultural applications, the federal government has granted five regulatory exemptions for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations to four companies. This Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) news release says the exemptions will benefit those using the aircraft for aerial surveying, among other jobs.

“Unmanned aircraft offer a tremendous opportunity to spur innovation and economic activity by enabling many businesses to develop better products and services for their customers and the American public,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We want to foster commercial uses of this exciting technology while taking a responsible approach to the safety of America’s airspace.”

The commercial entities that received exemptions today are Trimble Navigation Limited, VDOS Global, LLC, Clayco, Inc. and Woolpert, Inc. (two exemptions). The FAA earlier granted exemptions to seven film and video production companies.

The FAA found that these types of unmanned vehicles do not need an FAA-issued certificate of airworthiness because they do not pose a threat to national airspace users or national security.

Bayer CropScience to Open New Seed Growth Center

Leah GuffeyASTA, Audio, Bayer CropScience, seed, Soybeans

15812934358_cf8c215572_mBayer CropScience will open a bigger and better seed growth center at the end of January, according to company officials at the American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo last week.

“It’s going to have a state-of-the-art training center, a demonstration center, and a research center,” said Brad May, lead key account manager for seed growth and seeds.

May says the new center will actually manufacture for the international market. “Our international business is growing faster than the U.S. right now,” he said. “We actually have 11 seed growth centers now. This is the only one that manufacturers, this will be the major training center.”

May is excited to see how much the seed treatment industry has grown over the years. “To watch the seed companies be able to treat the seed and maximize yield with it,” he said, noting some of the Bayer products such as the newly approved Ilevo.

Listen to my interview with Brad May here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-bayer-may.mp3″ text=”Interview with Brad May, Bayer Crop Science”]

Brad also talks about the new seed growth center, Bayer’s competency areas, and Ilevo in this short presentation during a press conference at CSS: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-bayer-may-press.mp3″ text=”Presentation by Brad May, Bayer Crop Science”]


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album