Drones Take Center Stage at IDEAg Dakotafest

Jamie JohansenAerial Imagery, Agribusiness, UAS, UAV

Screen Shot 2014-08-19 at 1.13.25 PMDay 2 of the IDEAg Dakotafest show will focus on the latest technological break-through in agriculture: drones. The IDEAg Group is teaming up with Measure, A 32 Advisors Company, to discuss Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and their uses in the field, and to display a sophisticated device, the ScanEagle from Boeing/Insitu.

Measure will begin Wednesday August 20th at 7:30 a.m. with a special session, A Game Changer if Managed Properly: Drones for Precision Agriculture, held at Mitchell Technical Institute. The session will discuss potential use cases for drones in agriculture and critical issues to be aware of when considering this technology, including when to operate, how to finance drones, and ensuring all regulatory requirements are met. Boeing/Insitu will join Measure on the panel.

“We are pleased to be the drone sponsor for Dakotafest by IDEAg. Measure provides Drone as a Service for our clients; we’re the general contractor who ensures that all aspects of drone use are handled, and that operational gains more than cover the cost. We look forward to sharing our insights with the industry but, more important, learning from farmers at Dakotafest,” said Justin P. Oberman, President of Measure, A 32 Advisors Company.

Later in the day, SDSU Extension will be partnering with Measure, for a presentation and demonstration of the future of unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture. The 3 p.m. panel will focus on the almost limitless applications for agriculture drone use and how, within the next decade, farmers & ranchers will be able to monitor crops and cattle with precision, efficiency and at a fraction of the costs and time.

“IDEAg is proud to have Measure as the Official Drone Sponsor at Dakotafest,” says Raymond Bianchi, Senior Director of Expositions & Events for IDEAg Group, “We think that their insights and information will be invaluable to our attendees on this important topic”

Delta Plastics Launches ‘H20 Initiative’ For Water Conservation

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Conservation, water, Water Management

delta_plasticsDelta Plastics of Arkansas, the world’s leading manufacturer of irrigation polytube, launched a regional initiative for water conservation that includes one very ambitious goal. The “Delta Plastics H20 Initiative” is a commitment to reduce irrigation water use within the Mississippi Delta by 20% by the year 2020.

Standing with state, regional and national leaders in agriculture and conservation, Delta Plastics said the initiative was motivated by declining water levels in the Delta and a need for the agriculture industry to embrace new sustainability practices on the farm.

“This initiative is the most important conservation effort we have ever launched,” said Dhu Thompson, Delta Plastics Chairman. “‘Preserving our farmland’ has been our company slogan for nearly 20 years. But conservation and sustainability is so much more than a slogan for us. It is a principle that has driven every major operational decision that we have made.”

The foundation of the Delta Plastics H20 Initiative will be to provide the company’s irrigation management software, Pipe Planner, free to all farmers immediately. Pipe Planner is a user-friendly, web-based application designed to help farmers create the most efficient polytube irrigation system for their crops. Pipe Planner’s innovative program dramatically reduces irrigation time, water usage and energy costs for growers through uniform water application across fields.

Delta Plastics estimates average water savings of 25 to 50 percent in addition to an average 25 percent reduction in energy costs when using Pipe Planner.

The Delta Plastics H20 Initiative is supported by a diverse group of stakeholders from the agriculture, conservation, academia, government and private sectors. Official partner organizations will assist with education efforts to enhance Pipe Planner utilization across the Delta Region.

In addition to providing Pipe Planner for free, the Delta Plastics H20 Initiative will accomplish the following items:
– Create a public/private partnership between Delta Plastics and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Mississippi State University and other universities within the region.
– Host educational forums for farmers, university extension agents, and private consultants focused on Pipe Planner implementation.
– Allow participants to collaborate on the most efficient water use practices.

Soybean Groups Hold Biotech Roundtable

Cindy ZimmermanAg Group, ASA, biotechnology, Soybeans

il-soyThe American and Illinois Soybean Associations teamed up last week to gather more than 100 farmers, researchers, leaders of agricultural organizations and federal officials for a discussion on the worldwide benefits of agricultural biotechnology.

“It is critical that agriculture let policymakers and regulators in Washington know how much farmers need biotechnology to sustainably produce food for the world’s population. Scientists and regulatory agencies have established that agricultural biotechnology is safe for humans, animals and the environment. It is crucial science that helps farmers use fewer resources to produce more food,” said Illinois Soybean chairman and farmer Bill Raben.

asaDarci Vetter, chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, delivered the keynote address. Other speakers included Dan Kenny with the Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Deputy Administrator for Biotechnology Regulatory Services Michael Firko, and Jack Bobo with the State Department. Additional speakers included David Zilberman, University of California-Berkeley; Jim Sutter, U.S. Soybean Export Council; MAIZALL’s Floyd Gaibler; and Gary Martin of the North American Grain Exporters Association.

Firko talked about the progress the agency is making in clearing the backlog of approval of new biotechnology designed to help crops withstand pests, disease and harsh climate and to use crop nutrients more efficiently. Zilberman noted that approvals for new biotechnology traits for soybean seed can take 10-15 years, pushing costs as high as $160 million to commercialize new biotechnology.

Equipment Dealer Groups to Merge

Cindy ZimmermanDealers, Equipment

canada-westThe joint membership of SouthWestern Association (SWA) and Canada West Equipment Dealers Association (CWEDA) have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a merger to form the new Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA).

sw-assn“We appreciate the overwhelming level of support that we have been given by our members,” stated Bruce Coleman, SWA President. “Now that our members have ratified the merger resolutions, we will start consolidating our resources – taking the best of both organizations to enhance our value proposition to members.”

“A major reason for proceeding with this merger is our members will benefit from a larger, financially strong association that will provide more services to address the needs of today’s equipment dealers,” stated CWEDA President Cameron Bode. “I am very pleased with the confidence that our members have shown in this consolidation.”

The effective date of the merger is September 1, 2014.

Good News for Bees from Bayer

Cindy ZimmermanBayer CropScience, Insecticide, pollinators

bee-careIt may have buzzed right past you, but August 16 was National Honey Bee Day and there’s some sweet news about the health of our busy pollinator friends, according to Bayer CropScience.

Despite concerns about bee losses, two recent studies show that after the recent long winter, hives in Europe and Canada are actually stronger than in previous years and honey bee populations are stable or increasing globally. Here in the United States, a White House initiative was started this summer to find ways to improve honey bee health and new public/private partnerships are addressing forage and nutrition challenges.

Bayer CropScience has undertaken several initiatives of its own this year toward increasing honey bee health, including opening the North American Bee Care Center in North Carolina in April. The company also launched a new product named Fluency Agent that was used to help reduce potential pesticide dust exposure to honey bees during the planting season on more than 3 million acres in North America. Bayer also held its 2nd Bee Care Tour, which traveled coast-to-coast ending in Washington, D.C. during National Pollinator Week, and educated thousands about honey bee health in the middle of Grand Central Station in July.

Find out more on the Bayer Bee Care website.

Soil Renaissance Website

Cindy ZimmermanConservation, Soil

soil-renaissanceA new website highlights work of Soil Renaissance introduced recently by Farm Foundation, NFP and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Launched on World Soil Day 2013, the Soil Renaissance brings attention to the critical role of healthy soils in vibrant natural resources systems.

“The new website is a tool for people involved in the Soil Renaissance to stay up-to-date on the work of our four focus groups, as well as a great way for people new to this vital effort to learn what we’re all about,” says Project Coordinator Brook Gaskamp.

The Soil Renaissance Strategic Plan, which is available on the new website, defines objectives and strategies for work in four areas: measurement of soil health; the economics of soil health; research needs and priorities; and education. Updated information will be posted on the new website as the focus groups work in their respective areas, or as events are scheduled.

The new website, which is mobile-friendly, provides access to the complete Strategic Plan, as well as information on the people involved in the four areas of work. A feature of the site is a listing of organizations working in the soil health arena.

Find out more here.

STAR Energy Powering up for Farm Progress Show

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Energy, Farm Progress Show, Growmark

fps12-starIt takes a lot of energy to power the annual Farm Progress Show and that’s where GROWMARK FS STAR Energy shines.

Retail fuel manager Jason Stauffer, who we talked with at the 2010 Farm Progress Show in Iowa, says it takes them awhile to prepare for the event. “It starts about the second or third week in July,” he said. “We offer both the gasoline and the diesel fuel, which is our premium Dieselex Gold, during the construction of the Farm Progress Show, during the show, and then during the tear down part of it.” Which adds up to about eight weeks total.

How much fuel they use actually depends on the field demonstrations, which you might recall were cancelled last year in Illinois and a few years ago in Iowa. “You have a good show where we’re able to do field demonstrations, consumption can be in excess of 16-18,000 gallons,” said Stauffer. No demos cuts that total about in half.

Attendees at the show this year will be able to learn more about STAR Energy. “We’ve expanded our booth… to show the public what really STAR and the FS companies are about here in Iowa,” he said. “We’re bringing the energy games aboard which allows us to use technology to interact with different energy lubricants and fuels that we provide.” They are also bringing in the fuel trailer to demonstrate the system they’re using to power the show.

The FS STAR Energy exhibit will be located on lot 1302 this year, featuring digital farm games and a Nitrogen Management display with representatives from Iowa’s Water Quality Initiative on site.

Learn more about STAR Energy and what they will be doing at Farm Progress Show here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/growmark/growmark-starenergy-fps14.mp3″ text=”Jason Stauffer interview”]

Drones & Smartphones from UAS, Inc.

Jamie JohansenAerial Imagery, Apps, UAV

Screen Shot 2014-08-18 at 7.39.19 AMUnmanned Aerial Systems, Incorporated announces a new project to develop a software application that will downlink drone imagery to a customer’s laptop or smartphone. The developer has launched an Indiegogo campaign to provide funding for the writing and testing of the software, as well as making hardware adjustments on the latest commercial drone aircraft. With a goal of $40,000 and a project end date of September 11, 2014, the company will include its customers in the advancement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

James McDonough, CEO of UAS, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia explains, “In the last four years we have succeeded in integrating advanced aerial photography into our UAV technology. As full integration of commercial unmanned air vehicles in United States airspace begins in 2015, UAS, Inc. will introduce customers to the next generation concepts-of-operation for commercial UAVs and their communication systems.”

UAS, Inc. drone cameras will uplink videos directly to the company’s secure website. Supporters of the new technology will be able to view videos and other images using the proprietary software application on their desktops, laptops, tablets, smart phones, and other devices. The viewer will have the ability to zoom in on the images and read the geo-referenced latitude and longitude off of the screen.

When the imaging system is complete, supporters of the campaign and customers will be able to view live drone missions on their own smartphone or computer. The images will be in near real time and may include search and rescue operations, precision agriculture, security operations, and pipeline safety operations. Unmanned Aerial Systems, Incorporated expects to deliver a full imaging downlink system to their customers by summer of 2015.

Supporters may also have the opportunity to become beta testers of the software. The company appreciates any pledge amount. With a
minimum pledge of $100, backers get to own the 1.0 version of the drone imaging downlink software application.

New Holland Supporting Wheat Harvest

Chuck ZimmermanHarvesting, New Holland, wheat

New HollandI’ll be off to Bismarck at the end of next week to watch a special showing of The Great American Wheat Harvest. You can find it at the Grand 22 movie theatre at 7pm on the 22nd.

The screening of this important documentary is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture, one of the many companies and agricultural organizations who provided support for the production of the film.

“New Holland is pleased to sponsor the showing of this important documentary film in North Dakota, the state that leads the nation in hard red spring wheat and durum production,” says Mark Hooper, New Holland Director of Marketing, North America. “As an advocate for agriculture, we feel this film is a smart way to connect consumers with the North American wheat growers and custom harvesters who produce their food.”

AgWired is also a sponsor of this great movie. Have you seen it yet? While I’m in North Dakota I’m hoping to catch up with the New Holland Harvest Support team out in the field.

Feds: Propane Supplies Below Average But Increasing

John Davispropane

Propane uses, especially Midwestern farmers, are hoping to avoid a repeat of last winter’s high prices, low inventories and logistical and infrastructure challenges that caused some real problems last year. The latest information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that while inventories are below average, they’re above the numbers from a year ago and are trending upwards in the last few weeks.

While inventory levels in the Midwest remain below the five-year average, above-average builds over the past six weeks are an encouraging trend. Last year, propane inventories in the Midwest (PADD 2) for the week ending August 9 were 21.5 million barrels, 3.4 million barrels below the five-year average. This year, PADD 2 propane inventories for the week ending August 8 are 23.4 million barrels, 1.9 million barrels higher than last year, but still 1.6 million barrels below the five-year average. However, in each of the past six weeks, PADD 2 propane inventory builds have surpassed their five-year averages, leading to a steady improvement in stock levels relative to their historical norms…
propaneAug2014a
Last year, demand for propane used to dry crops in the Upper Midwest surged just before the start of winter and, as a result, propane inventories at distribution terminals were low before the start of winter heating season. In addition, distribution infrastructure challenges, pipeline maintenance, and rail delivery delays reduced supplies. This year, inventories are building earlier; however, there have been changes in infrastructure that could impact supply. The Cochin Pipeline, which delivered propane to the Upper Midwest from Canada, has been reversed and repurposed, removing a major source of propane supplies to the region.

Propane market participants have responded to the events of last winter and the Cochin reversal by diversifying supply sources. Instead of relying on propane delivered from Canada via Cochin, the region will now rely more on several existing pipelines to deliver propane north to the Upper Midwest from Conway. Additionally, propane rail capacity in the region has expanded via new propane rail terminals throughout the region. Finally, existing distribution terminals have added tanks, thus expanding storage capacity.

The report goes on to say that there will be continued infrastructure challenges for winter propane deliveries in the Midwest and the Northeast will have to rely on imports from Canada. In addition, an expected record corn harvest this year could put pressure on supplies again in the form of propane used for crop drying, but that will depend on fall weather patterns and harvest timing. How cold the winter is will as be the the most important and most difficult-to-predict factor influencing the propane supply-demand balance this winter.