Online Insect Forecast Tool Monitors Pests

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Corn, Insect Control, Insecticide, Monsanto, Soybeans

insectforecast-logoLast year, growers across the Midwest utilized the innovative insect forecast tool at insectforecast.com to help predict migration patterns of corn earworm, western bean cutworm and corn rootworms. This year, users additionally will be able to monitor soybean aphids, a pest that can significantly damage a crop and reduce yield if not dealt with effectively.

“Now insectforecast.com is the single-stop source for finding out about the latest migration patterns and research for soybean aphids along with other key pests,” says Tony White, soybean product development manager for Genuity. “It’s a fast, reliable way for growers to guard their crops against infestations and learn about helpful ideas for better insect protection for specific regions.”

The online insect forecast tool was developed by climatologist and meteorologist Mike Sandstrom, to help farmers understand their current pest pressure and make more accurate predictions of future migration. Due to daily monitoring of insect traps combined with weather patterns, the insect forecast tool is able to provide forecasts up to five days in advance.
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Raven Acquires SBG Innovatie BV & Navtronics BVBA

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, GPS, Raven, technology

ravenRaven Industries, Inc. today announced that its Applied Technology Division (ATD) has acquired SBG Innovatie BV and its affiliate, Navtronics BVBA. Headquartered in Middenmeer, Netherlands, SBG manufactures advanced GPS steering systems for a variety of agricultural applications. The acquisition broadens Raven’s guided steering system product line by adding high-accuracy implement steering applications. Additionally, SBG’s headquarters will become the new home office for Raven in Europe, expanding the company’s global presence and reach into key European markets. The purchase is not expected to have a material impact on Raven’s fiscal 2015 results.

“SBG specializes in very precise, real time kinematic, or RTK, GPS steering systems with a focus on high-value crops. Their highly accurate implement steering technology broadens Raven’s existing product line and integrates well into the Raven product portfolio.” said Matt Burkhart, ATD’s Division Vice President and General Manager. “We are proud to welcome the SBG organization into the Raven family. Our innovative cultures align very well, and SBG’s leading technology and strong team members will be a great compliment to further Raven’s position as a leader in the precision ag market.”

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2012 Ag Census Reveals Conservation Trends

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Conservation, renewable energ, USDA

2012-censusThe 2012 Census of Agriculture released today by the USDA reveals there are now 3.28 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States. Those numbers are all lower than 2007 when the census reported 3.18 million farmers, 2.2 million farms and 922 million acres.

Highlights of the new census include:
– 474,028 farms on over 173.1 million acres used conservation tillage or no-till practices.
– Farms with Internet access rose from 56.5 percent in 2007 to 69.6 percent in 2012.
– 57,299 farms produced on-farm renewable energy, more than double the 23,451 in 2007.

Among the conservation practices noted in the census, tiling was used on 48.6 million acres and nearly 218,000 farms; drainage ditches on 42.2 million acres and 216,000 farms; cover crops on 10.3 million acres and 133,000 farms; and conservation easement on 13.2 million acres and more than 76,000 farms.

The report also shows 2012 saw record high sales and production expenses for agricultural operations. U.S. producers sold $394.6 billion worth of agricultural products, but it cost them $328.9 billion to produce these products.

The top 5 states for agricultural sales were California ($42.6 billion); Iowa ($30.8 billion); Texas ($25.4 billion); Nebraska ($23.1 billion); and Minnesota ($21.3 billion).

Listen to a recording of the webcast release of the census data here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/usda/2012-census.mp3″ text=”USDA Releases 2012 Census Data”]

National APLU Report Outlines Research Challenges

Jamie JohansenAg Group, climate, Education, Energy, environment, sustainability

The national Association of Public and Land-grant Universities released a report outlining six “grand challenges” facing the United States over the next decade in the areas of sustainability water, climate change, agriculture, energy and education.

apluThe APLU project was co-chaired by W. Daniel Edge, head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University. The report is available online.

The “Science, Education, and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources” is the first comprehensive, nationwide report on research, education and outreach needs for natural resources the country’s university community has ever attempted, Edge said.

“The report identifies critical natural resources issues that interdisciplinary research programs need to focus on over the next 5-10 years in order to address emerging challenges,” Edge noted. “We hope that policy-makers and federal agencies will adopt recommendations in the roadmap when developing near-term research priorities and strategies.”

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Budding Conservation Practice Helps Farmers

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Conservation, NRCS, Video, water

Screen Shot 2014-05-02 at 11.47.22 AMAn up-and-coming conservation practice offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps farmers and ranchers manage water on their land, keep water clean and better cope with extreme weather like drought.

Drainage water management enables landowners to determine when and how much water leaves farms through underground tiles and drainage ditches. Underground tiles lay beneath fields removing excess water from the soil subsurface.

“Since landowners don’t need the same drainage intensity at all times during the year, this practice lets them use their drainage water in a way that’s most advantageous to them, their crops and the environment,” NRCS Senior Project Leader Paul Sweeney said.

Farmers can incorporate this practice, which involves installing a water-level control structure on tile lines or even in open drainage ditches.

The water-level control structure gives landowners the ability to manage the subsurface water level by turning on and off drainage systems. By doing this, landowners can improve water quality by minimizing unnecessary tile drainage and reducing the amount of nutrients that leave farm fields.

“There are so many aspects of farming that we cannot control, but this low-cost water control system really gives you more options to manage and control your water,” Sweeney said. “It puts that power into farmers’ hands.”

Farmers and ranchers can use drainage water management systems to retain water that crops can use for growth and production later in the season, which is helpful during times of drought. Water is important for crops to grow, but too much water can hurt them. Just as this practice allows farmers to bring water to crops, they can also use it to remove water

“With this practice, I’m in the driver’s seat with water and water levels on these fields,” said Dennis Braeuninger, a farmer in Illinois. “I control it; it doesn’t control me. That’s a good feeling.”

Drainage water management is best suited for flat, uniform cropland with a slope of 1 percent or less, but it may be considered for fields with slopes up to 2 percent, depending on the layout of the drainage system. For lands with steeper ground, NRCS can offer other beneficial conservation practices.

Results in on 2014 Corn Planting

Jamie JohansenZimmPoll

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Is corn planting underway in your area?”

I don’t believe I’m overstating when I say we are all seeing a late spring. After an unusually cold winter, it’s not surprising that it lingered longer then welcome. Our poll held true to this with few in the full swing of planting. Most have just started or are waiting for the ground to cooperate.

Our poll results:

  • Full swing – 12%
  • Not yet – 20%
  • Just started -33%
  • Ground not ready – 33%
  • Other – 2%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is the MOST important part of sustainability?”

Sustainability is the number one buzzword for all industries these days, especially agriculture, but the definition of the word varies. In general, it means the ability of a process or action to continue indefinitely without draining significant resources. Those resources can include everything from soil and water to inputs and labor. What do you think is most important to the long term sustainability of global agriculture?

Spring Insights Magazine Now Available

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights Weekly Al Myers, Ag Leader CEO, says:

Return on investment. On Wall Street, it’s a measure of the amount of money earned on the (hopefully) sound investments made. It’s easy to measure – even on a daily basis – as stock and bond prices are available by the minute.

Return on investment in agriculture isn’t always quite as easy to calculate. What is the return on your investment of a new tractor? A different hybrid? An additional 200 acres of land?

Without more information, these are impossible to calculate.

Ag Leader products are designed for two things: 1) To help provide the data you need to make decisions that maximize your return on investment; and 2) To make it easier to control the things that maximize your investment.

Best of all, while others are using tools and data to learn more about you and your operation for marketing purposes, we’ve taken a different approach. We want any investment you make in precision products to be 100 percent to YOUR benefit … not somebody else’s. So Ag Leader continues to invest in research and development of more great tools that work with the equipment and practices of our customers. We’ve found that’s where we get our best return on investment.

You can view the full issue of the Spring 2014 Insights magazine here.

Those interested in signing up for a free subscription to Insights magazine are encouraged to visit: www.agleader.com/subscription. The Ag Leader team will be on the constant lookout for interesting story angles, profile subjects and precision farming information, so please email your story tips to Info@agleader.com, subject line: Insights Tip.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Ag Sustainability Pledges Made for Walmart

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Monsanto, sustainability, technology

walmartKicking off a new Sustainable Product Expo this week, the CEOs from more than a dozen global companies gathered at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas Tuesday to pledge to increase sustainable food production.

Eight of the largest food companies announced pledges to help ensure that tomorrow’s food supply is affordable and sustainable for the nine billion people projected to inhabit the planet by 2050. The commitments aim to drive more collaboration and efficiency across the current food system. In total, this work is expected to bring eight million acres of farmland into sustainable agriculture programs and eliminate six million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Among the agricultural company CEOs participating in the event Tuesday was Greg Page of Cargill who talked about launching the next generation of their NextField precision agriculture platform. He said that Cargill will double its NextField acres by 2020, bringing them to “more than a million acres of total land being optimized for maximum productivity with minimum environmental impact.”[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/audio/walmart-1.mp3″ text=”Walmart Agribusiness panel”]

Monsanto chairman and CEO Hugh Grant announced two commitments at the event to help address challenges in the areas of water and nutrient efficiency. First, the company will work to increase water-use efficiency in irrigation across its own global seed production operations by 25 percent by 2020. Grant also pledged that the company “will continue to innovate and advance smarter seeds and precision management tools that enable farmers to use nutrients more efficiently and curb greenhouse gas emissions on one million acres in the United States by 2020.”

Grant held a telephone press conference following Tuesday’s event together with Illinois farmer and former National Corn Growers Association president Leon Corzine. [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/monsanto/walmart-monsanto.mp3″ text=”Monsanto Sustainability Commitments”]

USDA Announces New Conservation Initiatives

Cindy ZimmermanConservation, Government, USDA

USDA is now accepting applications for new, landmark conservation initiatives created by the 2014 Farm Bill.

nrcsThe programs will provide up to $386 million to help farmers restore wetlands, protect working agriculture lands, support outdoor recreation activities and boost the economy.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the new initiatives today at Kuhn Orchards in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania. The farm’s owners participate in the USDA Conservation Stewardship Program, have worked to encourage pollinator health through planting practices, and used USDA program support to construct a high tunnel.

The new programs include the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program (ACEP) and the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). Applications for ACEP funding consideration in fiscal year 2014 must be submitted by the individual state deadline or June 6, 2014, whichever is earlier. Applications and state deadline information can be obtained at your local USDA Service Center or at www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. Applications for VPA-HIP are due by June 16 and should be completed at Grants.gov.

Farm Bureau Wants EPA to Ditch Water Rule

Cindy ZimmermanAFBF, Audio, farm land, General, water

afbf-ditchThe Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed “Waters of the US” rule was published in the Federal Register last week – all 111,000 words of it. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) responded with just three words – “Ditch the Rule”.

AFBF Public Policy Director Dale Moore says the “ditch” part comes from the fact that a reading of the rule indicates it would greatly expand EPA’s authority. “Even things as small as ditches and wet spots in a field could fall under their jurisdiction the way they have this defined,” he said.

There are exemptions in the rule for farming operations, but Moore notes there are limitations that could impact beginning farmers and ranchers. “Most of these exemptions apply to farms and practices on those farms that were in place since 1977 forward,” he said, implying that new farmers and ranchers “may find themselves not having access to any of these exemptions.”

Because of the complexity and the length of the rule – more than 370 printed pages – Moore says the usual 90 day comment period is insufficient so part of the “Ditch the Rule” initiative is to get the administration to at least double that time period to 180 days. “This is a very complicated rule – it’s a massive rule,” said Moore.

That’s why Farm Bureau is calling on its members to bring the rule to the attention of local, state and federal lawmakers. “At a certain point this quits being about regulating navigable waters and becomes basically about EPA becoming the federal land use planning in the nation,” Moore added.

[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/afbf/afbf-moore-ditch.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dale Moore, American Farm Bureau”]