Iteris ClearAg Prime

Chuck ZimmermanAgribusiness, agronomy, Audio, Iteris, Soil, weather

IterisIntelligence. It’s vitally important to national security and your crop’s security. Iteris has just released ClearAg Prime, which they call “Next Level of Intelligent Agriculture Decision Support.” To learn more about it I visited by phone with Tom Blair, Senior Vice President, Iteris.

He says that ClearAg Prime is the latest in a series of API’s that customers can readily integrate with third part agricultural software applications. It contains climatological and soil data information to augment the previous release of ClearAg Select.

“ClearAg Prime is designed to assist agribusinesses, crop consultants, advisors and agronomists with reliable, actionable, field-level information to optimize crop production, yield and field operations,” noted Abbas Mohaddes, president and CEO of Iteris. “This unique solution leverages our data analytics expertise to provide accurate land surface modeling, and our proprietary methods of big data assimilation delivers industry-leading precision weather information.”

ClearAg Prime allows single-platform customer access to soil condition modeling, field accessibility and climatology norms. This is in addition to 30 years of historical and forecast weather information, growing degree days, hail data, Nowcast and industry leading map visualizations that cover field-specific weather information to an industry-leading 1×1 kilometer resolution. ClearAg Prime’s soil condition modeling also incorporates data involving soil temperature, moisture history and forecast information, for a comprehensive planting intelligence platform.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/iteris/iteris-clear-ag-prime-blair.mp3″ text=”Interview with Tom Blair, Iteris”]

ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo Underway

Cindy ZimmermanAg Group, Agribusiness, ASTA, Audio, BASF

asta-css-14-openThe American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo kicked off Tuesday in Chicago and possibly may be a record crowd this year.

“We have a great participation this year,” said ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “Beginning of this week, we had over 2700 registrants and that’s almost 100 more than we finished with last year and we do get a lot of walk-ins.” ASTA also has a new media room this year, sponsored by BASF, and a number of agricultural media are attending the event for the first time.

LaVigne says key issues this year include intellectual property, seed treatments and pollinators, as well as what is happening in the corn, sorghum, and soybean industries – the core commodities which CSS represents.

In this interview, Andy talks about some of the other issues ASTA will be following in the new year. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-andy.mp3″ text=”Interview with Andy LaVigne, ASTA CEO”]

ASTA CSS 2014 and Seed Expo Photo Album

Changing of the Chairs at ARA

Cindy ZimmermanAgribusiness, ARA, Audio

ara-14-chairsThe Agricultural Retailers Association changed chairmanships of the organization during last week’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Outgoing chairman Gary Farrell (pictured left) of Ag Enterprise Supply passed the gavel on to the new Chairman, Dave DuFault of Simplot.

Farrell says that during his term he is most proud of the formation of the ResponsibleAg program, as well as the opening up of communication between the ag retail community and the USDA-NRCS. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ara/ara-14-farrell.mp3″ text=”Interview with Gary Farrell, Ag Enterprise Supply”]

In the coming year, DuFault says ARA will continue to move forward with the ResponsibleAg program that has just kicked so that retailers can now get registered via the website. He also intends to keep the communications momentum moving. “How do we take what we’re doing and just not keep it within our industry but also take it outside our industry to create a better image of what we do everyday,” said DuFault. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ara/ara-14-dufault.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dave DuFault of Simplot, ARA Chair”]

2014 ARA Convention & Expo Photo Album

GROWMARK Advocates for Nitrogen Management

Cindy Zimmermanagronomy, Audio, Growmark, NAFB, Nitrogen

nafb14-growmarkA farmer’s work is never done so now that the harvest is complete, it’s time to prepare for next season.

“We’re getting done getting the ammonia on because of the cold weather,” said GROWMARK Regional Agronomy Business Director Nate Pierce during an interview at the NAFB convention last month. “We need to start making our plans and working with the growers to figure out how we’re going to get it done this spring.”

Pierce says GROWMARK is a strong advocate with growers for nitrogen management as a system. “That is multiple applications of nitrogen and utilizing a 4 Rs approach,” he said. “That doesn’t mean putting on more nitrogen, it’s just doing it in split applications with different products in a tank.”

Pierce also talks about some of the factors involved in decision making farmers the coming year in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb14-growmark-pierce.mp3″ text=”Interview with Nate Pierce, GROWMARK”]


2014 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of NAFB Convention is sponsored by BASF

More Farmers Adopting Variable Rate Seeding

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Planting, seed, Software

SST-Software-Tractor-Variable-Rate-SeedingLow corn prices are causing farmers to take a hard look at what new technologies will optimize inputs while minimizing costs. As farmers begin to plan for the 2015 season, SST Software is seeing an increased interest in variable rate planting recommendations. SST’s decision support technologies are used by ag service providers around the world to provide precision ag services to farmers.

Larry Tracy, founder of Precision Agronomics in Danville Illinois, has been using variable rate technologies for over fifteen years. Regarding variable rate planting, Tracy states, “Seeding prescriptions give us the opportunity to improve yield gains in areas where we lower rates and in the areas where we increase rates. Managing inherent yield variability throughout a field tightens the yield range and tends to raise the average.”

To create variable rate planting recommendations, agronomists enter unique agronomic equations into SST’s FarmRite® software. FarmRite® then computes the equation utilizing previously collected data to create new geo‐spatial maps that define productivity zones across the farmer’s fields. Different planting rates are then applied to the various zones according to the yield potential of the zone.

Many ag service providers are utilizing multi‐year yield analysis. This analysis normalizes multiple years of harvest data and then determines productivity zones according to areas of the field that consistently yield above normal, normal, or below normal. Since many parts of a field will yield different results according to whether it is a wet or dry year, FarmRite® also applies statistical measures to determine stability zones. These yield stability maps reveal areas that are highly stable, stable, or unstable from year to year.

In 2014, Patrick Sanders, an Illinois farmer and SST employee, generated impressive results on a test field using variable rate seeding coupled with variable rate nitrogen. Sanders explains, “We decided to try variable rate planting and nitrogen on a 155 acre field using multi‐year yield analysis logic as the foundation. The increase in inputs was two extra bags of seed, totaling $800. Total applied nitrogen was the same as flat rate N but distributed based on yield potential. The result was a 260 bu/ac average, approximately 15 bu/ac more than neighboring fields. At the March corn price of $4.62/bu, that’s a gain of $64 per acre.”

Climate Corp. Builds Data Platform with Labs Acquisition

John DavisAgribusiness, Data, Monsanto, Software

climatecorp1The Climate Corporation is beefing up its efforts to build the industry’s leading data science platform for farmers with its acquisition of 640 Labs, an agricultural technology startup based in Chicago. The Monsanto subsidiary made the acquisition announcement but did not disclose terms of the deal.

“At The Climate Corporation, we strongly believe that leveraging on-farm data can help farmers maximize yields and optimize natural resource use,” said David Friedberg, CEO of The Climate Corporation. “Turning that data into valuable tools for farmers requires a combination of top software engineers, statisticians and specialized disciplines, from agronomists to climatologists. The 640 Labs team brings a combination of engineering and agricultural expertise that will complement and enhance the capabilities of our existing team.”

640 Labs is a startup in downtown Chicago, Illinois, founded by Corbett Kull and Craig Rupp, two highly experienced engineers. The team works to leverage the power of analytics, mobile technologies and cloud computing to help farmers capture and store in-field data.

“We share The Climate Corporation’s vision of providing seamless data solutions for farmers,” said Kull. “We’re very happy to be joining an organization that is leading the development of unique data science solutions for farmers.”

The Climate Corporation is expected to announce new products or services to be offered as a result of this buy.

John Deere Acquires Sugarcane Automation Company

John DavisAgribusiness, International, John Deere

john_deere_logo_3623John Deere has acquired a South American company that should help Deere make more headways into the sugarcane industry. The company announced it bought Auteq Telematica, an onboard software and computer company located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and an outfit Deere previously work with to create a joint venture in 2009 to provide integrated, innovative technologies and solutions for sugarcane production.

“The acquisition of Auteq is another step to solidify our growth strategy in the sugarcane segment,” said Paulo Herrmann, president of John Deere Brasil. “This action also demonstrates John Deere’s continued commitment to development of Brazilian agriculture.”

Herrmann said the acquisition strengthens John Deere’s ability to provide customers with integrated solutions that enhance the performance and productivity of sugarcane plantations.

“Because the sugarcane industry is vertically integrated, it is important for John Deere to offer solutions to manage data captured by agricultural equipment to allow for the connection from the field to the sugar mill,” Herrmann said.

Auteq will continue to operate under its own name.

Get Year-End Savings by Upgrading Propane Equipment

Cindy ZimmermanEnergy, Equipment, propane

propane-incentiveNow is the time to take advantages of year-end tax deductions by upgrading your on-farm propane equipment.

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has three incentive programs where farmers can get up to $10,000 toward the purchase of new propane equipment for the farm and home.

The Propane Farm Incentive Program offers up to $5,000 on eligible propane irrigation engines, grain dryers, ag heaters, generators, and more.
The Propane Mower Incentive Program, now extended through March 31, 2015, is offering double incentive dollars, up to $2,000, toward the purchase of a new propane-powered mower, and up to $1,000 toward a qualified conversion.
The Propane Heat & Power Incentive Program offers financial incentives of up to $10,000 for eligible propane-powered products, such as standby generators and combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

“Post-harvest is the perfect time to consider equipment upgrades for cutting input costs and increasing profits — and that’s where new fuel-efficient propane technology comes in,” said Cinch Munson, PERC’s director of agriculture business development. “PERC incentives reduce costs for new equipment, so farmers will see a return on their investments in a shorter amount of time and be set for a productive and cost-efficient 2015.”

PERC recently released a suite of cost calculator tools to help producers estimate fuel savings and ROI for propane irrigation engines, work trucks, and commercial mowers in comparison with their running on conventional fuels like diesel and gasoline. The calculators are available for use online, as a desktop tool, and as mobile applications for phones and tablets available in app stores for iOS and Android devices.

Farm Foundation Group Celebrates Int’l Year of Soils

John DavisAg Group, Soil

soil-renaissanceThe United Nations has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS) to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions. Soil Renaissance, a group led by our friends at Farm Foundation, is celebrating IYS and its first year in existence as a movement to make soil health the cornerstone of land use management decisions, as well as bring attention to the critical role of healthy soils in vibrant natural resource systems.

In its first year, farmers, ranchers, educators, researchers, suppliers, NGOs, foundations and government agencies have joined the Soil Renaissance with their expertise and support. “Collaboration has been the linchpin to our success so far,” said Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “The multitude of challenges in understanding healthy soils requires many hands at work. No single person or organization can fully address the diverse and complex issues of soil health across the nation and the world.”

The Soil Renaissance has begun implementing a Strategic Plan that focuses on four foundational issues key to all aspects of soil health work: a standard for measuring soil health; economic tools to assess the value of soil health; identifying research needs; and education and outreach. Teams of experts from across the United States have formed working groups around these four areas, and are working to accomplish important goals.

“Soil health is a key factor in any agricultural production system, whether conventional or organic. Yet soil is too often ignored or overshadowed by other factors,” said Noble Foundation President Bill Buckner. “It is critical that we listen to the producers who are earlier adopters of soil health initiatives, and work closely with researchers, policymakers and industry experts to ensure our soils are protected and sustained for future generations.”

Soil Renaissance is partnering with the Soil Science Society of America to bring attention to the importance of soil and soil health.

ResponsibleAg for Ag Retailers

Cindy ZimmermanAgribusiness, ARA, Audio, Dealers, Fertilizer

Billy PirkleResponsibleAg Inc. is a non-profit organization founded this year to promote the public welfare by assisting agribusinesses as they seek to comply with federal environmental, health, safety and security rules regarding the safe handling and storage of fertilizer products.

Billy Pirkle of Crop Production Services was chosen as the first chair of the organization and he says one of their main goals is to create a stewardship program that offers credentialing of facilities. “The tool is actually a web portal that allows any participant to register into the program and we’re going to do outreach so that all ag inventory points are aware of the process,” he said in an interview at this week’s Agricultural Retailers Association Convention in New Orleans.

Pirkle says once a participant registers, an auditor will perform an assessment of their facility and once that is complete and any needed changes made, the facility will be certified.

Find out more at ResponsibleAg.org and in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ara/ara-14-pirkle.mp3″ text=”Interview with Billy Pickle, ResponsibleAg chair”]

2014 ARA Convention & Expo Photo Album