Crop Health Laboratories Puts Plants on a Diet

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Crop Protection

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 4.25.25 PMAvailable to U.S. growers for the first time, Crop Health Laboratories is providing diagnostics that reveal crop nutrition deficiencies 4-to-6 weeks sooner than conventional dry matter tests. This powerful predictive technology allows growers to adjust fertilization strategies quickly and precisely well before damage becomes visible.

The revolutionary plant sap analysis – developed by Netherlands-based NovaCropControl and distributed exclusively in the U.S. by Crop Health Laboratories – reveals important information about the health status of over 100 different crops by analyzing the actual uptake of nutrients by the plant. An optimal and balanced uptake of nutrients has a positive effect on the plant’s natural disease resistance, yield, and the quality, firmness and shelf life of fruits.

“Sap analysis carries the same diagnostic value of a blood sample,” explained Program Director Michelle Gregg. “The test provides a screenshot of nutrient content in the sap prior to metabolism by plant cells. Producers can anticipate crop needs and counter imbalance with fertility inputs before the plant expresses symptoms of deficiency.”

Crop Health Laboratories’ plant sap analysis allows growers to save on fertility inputs by generating a precise diet based on the plant’s actual demand. Growers using plant sap analysis realize savings on fertilizers as well as a fungicides and pesticides.

The plant sap analysis tracks nutrient flow throughout the growing season and compares the levels to established target values at each stage of development. Plant sap analysis should be performed weekly or biweekly, depending on the crop’s growing period. Crop Health Laboratories’ plant sap analysis is priced at $45-$75 per set, depending on volume.

Wheat Breeder Honored by World Food Prize

Cindy ZimmermanAward, biotechnology, International, wheat, World Food

wfp-rajaramThe selection of wheat breeder Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram as the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate was announced last week during a ceremony at the State Department where Secretary Kerry gave keynote remarks.

“This is the time for a second green revolution,” Kerry said. “That’s why Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram is being honored with the World Food Prize. We are grateful for the hundreds of new species of wheat Dr. Rajaram developed, which deliver 200 million more tons of grain to global markets each year and feed millions across the world.”

In announcing the name of the 2014 Laureate, Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize, noted how appropriate it is to honor Dr. Rajaram during the Borlaug Centennial Year.

“Dr. Rajaram worked closely with Dr. Borlaug, succeeding him as head of the wheat breeding program at (the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) in Mexico, and then carried forward and expanded upon his work, breaking new ground with his own invaluable achievements,” Quinn said, noting that Dr. Borlaug himself called Dr. Rajaram “the greatest present-day wheat scientist in the world.”

Born in India and now a citizen of Mexico, Dr. Rajaram developed an astounding 480 wheat varieties bred to offer higher yields and resistance to rust disease, that have been released in 51 countries on six continents and have been widely adopted by small- and large-scale farmers alike.

USDA Provides $8 Million for Honey Bees

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Bees, USDA

usda-logoThe USDA, announced $8 million in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentives for Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin farmers and ranchers who establish new habitats for declining honey bee populations. More than half of the commercially managed honey bees are in these five states during the summer. The announcement comes in addition to $3 million USDA designated to the Midwest states to support bee populations earlier this year through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

“American agricultural production relies on having a healthy honey bee population,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “In recent years, factors such as diseases, parasites, pesticides or habitat loss have contributed to a significant decline in the honey bee population. This $8 million is part of the Administration’s ongoing strategy to reverse these trends and establish more plant habitat on Conservation Reserve Program lands to restore the bee population.”

The new CRP pollinator initiative is designed to further enhance current CRP land, allowing it to provide better access to nutritious pollinator forage. The program allows for managing or replacing existing vegetation, known as ‘covers’, with lower cost, high nutrition seed mixes that can support distinct blooming cycles of plants that benefit pollinators. Honey bees, the pollinator workhorse of U.S. fruit and vegetable agriculture, will have more blooms from which to collect nectar and pollen to sustain and promote colony growth and honey production throughout the growing season. By assisting honey bees, the pollinator initiative helps USDA continue to secure the food supply. More than $15 billion worth of agricultural production, including over 130 fruits and vegetables, depend on the health and well-being of honey bees.

The honey bee population in the United States has been declining for decades. The number of managed U.S. honey bee colonies dropped from 6 million in 1947, to just 2.5 million today.

President Obama issued a memorandum directing U.S. government agencies to take additional steps to protect and restore domestic populations of pollinators, including honey bees. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will co-chair a new Pollinator Health Task Force to focus federal efforts to conduct research and take action to help pollinators recover from population losses.

The CRP pollinator initiative, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), takes advantage of the new pollinator seed mixes developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. FSA also recently announced the restart of continuous enrollments in CRP, including its Pollinator Habitat Initiative to enroll 100,000 acres of longer lasting meadows of high-quality native wildflowers that support honey bees, pollinators and other wildlife populations.

Advocates at World Conservation Congress for Ag

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Conservation

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 12.04.43 AMThe World Conservation Congress for Agriculture is being held for the first time in North America this week in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The event started on Sunday with David Montgomery, author of Dirt, who sees no-till farming as “the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.

Monday featured Howard G. Buffett, Central Illinois farmer, philanthropist and author, who operates a 1,500-acre family farm and oversees three foundation-operated research farms. Buffett travels the world documenting the challenges of preserving biodiversity and providing resources for the growing population.

Today the keynote was Dwayne Beck who manages the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, a unique cooperative arrangement between South Dakota State University and farmers demonstrating how producers can profitably adopt conservation practices.

The event is sponsored by platinum sponsors Dow AgroSciences, Monsanto, Mosaic, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Seed Hawk. Gold sponsors include Agrium, Syngenta, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.

Doctor App Provides Advice for Tomato Growers

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Apps, Vegetables

tomatodoc-coverHome gardeners needing some quick, expert advice about their tomato plants will find it right in their pockets with Purdue Extension’s Tomato Doctor mobile app.

The app will help gardeners diagnose problems and offer solutions to get their plants back to a healthy condition, said Janna Beckerman, a Purdue Extension plant disease specialist and content specialist for the app.

“Even people who don’t consider themselves gardeners grow tomatoes,” Beckerman noted. “And every year, all of us tomato growers confront different problems. This app is designed to help home tomato growers identify problems and find a useful solution so they can thoroughly enjoy more tomatoes.”

The Tomato Doctor covers more than 80 common – and not so common – insect, disease and environmental problems that occur throughout the United States and around the world. It includes nearly 500 high-quality images to help users identify problems involving their plants.

Correctly identifying problems will help gardeners avoid using pesticides on their plants unnecessarily, Beckerman said.

“Not every problem needs a pesticide to manage it,” she said. “But when they are needed, we always start with the least toxic approach, and we try to recommend common varieties that are more resistant to certain problems. Sometimes, switching varieties is all that is needed. But for some people, they have to grow Brandywine or Speckled Roman, which may require a bit more protection. We included some common beneficial insects so growers don’t mistake a helpful insect for a harmful one,” she said.

Find the app on iTunes and Google Play.

BRANDT Releases Tank Pro™ App

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Apps

Screen Shot 2014-06-22 at 9.28.42 PMBRANDT, a leading manufacturer of agricultural specialty products, has launched its first app, BRANDT Tank Pro™, which is now available for download from the iTunes store.

BRANDT Tank Pro was developed to help growers and agricultural applicators check product compatibility before making critical purchase and application decisions. It focuses specifically on the compatibility of post-emergent herbicides and BRANDT SMART SYSTEM® foliar micronutrients. The app prompts users to select a herbicide and a BRANDT SMART SYSTEM formulation. The app then indicates whether it is safe to proceed with the tank mix, whether to mix with caution or whether to perform additional jar tests.

“BRANDT Tank Pro helps growers and applicators identify possible compatibility issues before they occur,” explained Vatren Jurin, Agronomy Director for BRANDT’s Specialty Formulations division. “We always recommend jar testing before tank mixing, but the app adds an extra layer of protection.”

Historically, many foliar micronutrients formulations were incompatible with glyphosate and other post-emergent herbicides. BRANDT SMART SYSTEM was created specifically for compatibility and can be mixed with herbicides, as well as most fungicides, insecticides and PGR’s.

BRANDT SMART SYSTEM is available at leading ag retailers throughout the United States and through distributor partners in select countries. To locate a BRANDT distributor or dealer in your area, call 800-300-6559 or email info@brandt.co.

Farmers Awarded for Natural Resource Conservation

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Conservation, Farm Bureau

Screen Shot 2014-06-22 at 9.48.39 PMLike most agricultural producers in Florida, farmers and ranchers help maintain the quality of life we all enjoy. Their daily work maintains freshwater recharge areas, wildlife habitat and greenspace even they produce food for consumers here and across the world.

The families have earned top recognition under the County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program. Created by Florida Farm Bureau Federation more than a decade ago, this program involves an alliance of more than 60 state and federal agencies, county commissions, water management districts, businesses, organizations and individuals.

CARES award recipients have implemented state-of-the-art systems for natural resource management. Outside experts have verified the effectiveness of their good efforts. Nearly 600 farm families in Florida have been designated as CARES awardees.

According to Suwannee River Water Management District officials, agricultural producers within the agency’s service region conserve more than one billion gallons of water each year by employing such systems.

Profiles of CARES award winners and video features highlighting their operations can be found here.

Big Data, Drones & Next Decade’s Drivers of Ag Profit

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Data, Farm Bureau, technology, UAV

IFBFvertcolorAs intense summer storms continue to trek across the state, Iowa farmers know that weather is one factor they can’t control, but emerging technology is helping today’s farmers scout fields, spot and fix rain-washed areas of their field and can even help them make more efficient use of fertilizer or pesticides. The upcoming 2014 Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit, ‘Finding the Next Set of Market Drivers for Agriculture,’ brings the nation’s leading drones, big data and agriculture technology and marketing experts to the Scheman Center, July 21-22, in Ames to help Iowa crop and livestock farmers make the most of emerging technology.

“We are on the cusp of change in a lot of technologies and we don’t know all of its potential yet. In fact, in a lot of cases, we don’t even know yet what questions to ask about technology, so it makes sense to bring in some of the experts at the IFBF summit to provide insights into the potential opportunities and pitfalls of the drone and big data technology,” says IFBF Director of Research and Commodity Services Dave Miller.

The 2014 IFBF Economic Summit brings in national experts to help Iowa farmers explore a number of areas which have potential to greatly influence profitability of Iowa-grown commodities. The two-day IFBF Economic Summit features several national experts, including: David Oppedahl, economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Mary Kay Thatcher, farm policy expert for the American Farm Bureau Federation; Kevin Price, a national expert on the use of drones in agriculture; and Will Zhang, an Iowa-based expert on China. Summit registration, which includes access to all presentations and lunch on both days, is $50 for Farm Bureau members. For non-members, registration completed before July 11 is $150. Registration costs increase after July 11 to $75 for Farm Bureau members and $175 for non-members. For more information or to register for the event, log on to www.iowafarmbureau.com or call Lavonne Baldwin at 515-225-5633 or email lbaldwin@ifbf.org.

BASF Schedules Summer Stewardship Training

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Crop Protection, Weed control

BASF Ag Products is planning what is expected to be the largest training effort in the company’s history for this summer, reaching 24 states and focusing on weed management, application best practices and overall stewardship of BASF herbicides.

basf-media-14-luke“We are committed to ensuring growers’ success with new technologies,” said Luke Bozeman, Technical Market Manager, Herbicides, BASF. “The more knowledgeable growers are about precise stewardship practices, the more successful they will be in their applications.”

The educational training and plot tour series will include an introduction to BASF’s Engenia™ herbicide, which is expected to be registered for use next year. The series will provide information about best practices for stewardship of future Engenia herbicide applications in dicamba-tolerant (DT) crops.

basf-media14-johnfAt many of the summer training events, attendees will also have the chance to participate in the On Target Application Academy, a BASF spray application training led by industry professionals which has reached more than 4,000 growers in 21 states since it was started in 2012, This training is focused on proper application techniques – including the importance of boom height, weed size, nozzles and equipment cleanout – and their impact on the desired application.

The summer training series will be held in 24 states across the country, with the largest training events occurring at BASF research farms in Story City, Iowa; Pine Level, North Carolina; Beaver Crossing, Nebraska; and Seymour, Illinois. To participate in a training event in your area, contact your local authorized BASF retailer, your BASF Innovation Specialist or visit the On Target Application Academy website for more information.

At the BASF Ag Media event last week I visited with both Luke Bozeman and BASF herbicide group agricultural biologist John Frihauf about some of the what farmers will learn during these summer field days.

Bozeman (pictured top right) talks about the On-Target Academy and the importance of targeted application with dicamba formulations. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/basf/basf-media-14-bozeman.mp3″ text=”Interview with Luke Bozeman, BASF”]

Frihauf (above left) discusses the status of Engenia and the importance of developing new herbicides to fight weed resistance. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/basf/basf-media-14-frihauf.mp3″ text=”Interview with John Frihauf, BASF”]

2014 BASF Ag Media Summit Photo Album

What Is Another Word For Simple?

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Data, InfoAg, MapShots, Software

mapshots-2The AgStudio line of agricultural software redefines the word “simple”. For well over 15 years, the MapShots vision of developing software for agricultural professionals so that it not only captures the data you need to make those key decisions, but it does it in a very simple manner.

AgStudio PRO is a fifth generation agronomic data management software application designed for the agricultural retailer and service provider. AgStudio PRO provides a high degree of task automation, simplifying working with large volumes of data. You can create variable rate prescriptions, streamline workflows, automate soil test routines, wireless data integration, generate customized reports, perform data analysis, provide direct data access to customers and design the exact agronomic data gathering and report system for your business needs.

To further educate agricultural professionals on the AgStudio line of software, MapShots will hold its 2014 MapShots AgStudio Expo to demonstrate and answer questions concerning all its software products. This event will be July 28 at the Union Station Hotel, St. Louis Mo. This is the day before the InfoAg Conference held at the same location. Plan now to attend to learn how to make complex crop management simple.

Register online for the MapShots AgStudio Expo or call MapShots at 678-513-6093.