Great American Wheat Harvest Premier

Cindy ZimmermanAg Day, Audio, Harvesting, wheat

Great American Wheat HarvestThe National Premier Screening of The Great American Wheat Harvest movie took place on National Ag Day in Washington DC this week.

On hand were the stars of the documentary – five custom harvesting operations from around the wheat belt – Jim Deibert; Jim & Tracy Zeorian; Dan, Kristy, & Emma Misener; Lee Petersen; and Eric Wolgemuth.

Listen to an interview with these folks and what went into making this amazing documentary that will be available for national distribution soon:[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agday/ag-day-14-gawh-harvesters.mp3″ text=”Interview with Custom Harvesters”]

2014 Ag Day Photo Album

Coverage of National Ag Day is sponsored by BCS Communications

Ag Day Celebration in DC Features Policy

Cindy ZimmermanAg Day, Audio, Conservation, Farm Bill, Government, USDA

The National Agriculture Day celebration in Washington DC has events spread across three days – and really it should be more because it is officially National Agriculture Week.

ag-day-14-sara-harden1Official events to celebrate agriculture kicked off Monday with the Farm to Fork politics session sponsored by Agri-Pulse. With a live audience of nearly 400, USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden sat down with Sara Wyant to discuss what they have been doing to implement the new farm bill. “Congress did give us a long time to plan, I’ll have to say that,” said Harden, who said the process really started when she took over the office last August, and continued as they waited and waited for Congress to finally get the bill passed.

Harden discussed the conservation title of the bill, which she says she is especially excited about. “Our goal is to really make sure that producers know all the opportunities they have as soon as possible,” she said. “I think farmers and ranchers will see it’s a good title with a lot of opportunities there.”

Listen to the conversation here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agday/ag-day-14-harden.mp3″ text=”Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden and Sara Wyant of Agri-Pulse”]
Agri-Pulse Ag Day Photo Album

Coverage of National Ag Day is sponsored by BCS Communications

Evolution of Prescription Farming

Jamie JohansenAerial Imagery, Agribusiness, Audio, Harvesting, Planting, seed, technology

LGSeeds_logo2012LG Seeds shares the evolution of prescription farming.

When we think about technology advancement over the past 20 years a good example is our electronic devices. Smart phones, hand held tablets, sleeker computers; all these devices having data/software storage by the gigabyte and increasing. We live in a technology driven age with demand for real time information. This technology is common place in our society, but has also incorporated itself quite extensively into production agriculture over the past few years.

Prescription Farming at the Beginning
When thinking about prescription farming, variable rate fertilizing and/or seeding, generally comes to mind. Variable rate seeding began with the advent of hydraulic motors serving as the drive or transmission on the planter, giving farmers the chance to change seeding rates on the go. They were also putting GPS receivers and equipment on and in their tractors and combines for auto-steer and yield mapping capabilities.

Prescription Farming Today – Nutrient Application
The evolvement of prescription farming has become more of a streamlined process in farming today. Incorporation of the “smart technologies” into the farm, along with modern GPS/rate controlling equipment
has led to more fine tuning of seeding prescriptions and nutrient application. Nutrient management has seen
an influx of aerial imagery from satellites, airplanes, and now unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s).

Prescription Farming Today – Variable Rate Seeding
With past history of yield maps, fertility tests/maps, and topography/soil information for a field, we now have the opportunity to layer different data points on top one another to create more precise seeding zones.

Recently, LG Seeds parent company, AgReliant Genetics, began to do additional hybrid testing beyond traditional strip tests and randomized research yield trials. Testing includes population trials in high, medium, and low yielding environments along with larger strip tests over multiple soil types and topography changes, allowing for multiple data points across hybrid entries at one location. In the future, this data can be coupled with the grower’s yield history and soil tests to get more accurate seeding rates, in the right locations of the field.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/03/032014-LG-Seeds-BTE-Evolution-of-Prescription-Farming1.mp3″ text=”Between the Ears – Evolution of Prescription Farming”]

You can view the entire release here.

Valley Irrigation Offers Soil Moisture Monitoring

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, agronomy, Irrigation, Soil

valleyValley® Irrigation is putting the latest soil moisture monitoring technology into the hands of growers with Valley SoilPro™ 1200, powered by AquaSpy™.

SoilPro 1200 delivers the most detailed soil moisture data in an easy-to-understand format. With just a few clicks, growers can see the depth of their crop root zone, soil moisture levels by depth, soil electrical conductivity, temperature, and water penetration from rainfall and irrigation. This real-time data give growers the information they need to make smarter decisions and irrigate more efficiently.

Nebraska grower Tim Schmeeckle said SoilPro 1200 is an important link in learning how to grow more corn with less water, which is a key aspect in farming right now.

“I use it just like a fuel gauge in a car,” Schmeeckle said. “If SoilPro tells me the field is three-fourths full, I can wait another day to water. Or, if the numbers are low, I know I need to keep watering. Basically, it takes the guesswork out of irrigating. You monitor what you’re putting on and what the corn is using. It’s just a great tool.”

SoilPro 1200 has 12 sensors at 4-inch increments that communicate with crop roots and collect in-depth data from the soil about how much water the crop needs and how much it has used, according to Valley Product Manager Cole Fredrick.

The information gathered by the sensors is analyzed and converted into simple, straight-forward reports and recommendations delivered to growers via computer, tablet, or cell phone.

“The user interface is what really makes our product stand out,” Fredrick said. “The interface is extremely user friendly and easy to navigate. It allows growers to easily see when and where water is needed to maximize yields and use water to its fullest potential.”

SoilPro 1200 allows growers to become more efficient in their watering practices, and that efficiency allows them save money and grow a more productive crop, Fredrick said.

Monsanto Research Program Announces Grants

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, agronomy, Corn, Crop Protection, Monsanto, Research

MonsantoMonsanto Company has announced that six new recipients will be awarded research grants as part of the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Research Program. The program, which started in early 2013 and recently was extended to 2016, provides merit-based awards of up to $250,000 per award per year for up to three years for outstanding research projects that address specific aspects of corn rootworm biology, genomics and management issues.

“The program is extremely beneficial to the research and academic community as its goal is not to examine product-specific issues, but rather look at the broader challenges farmers face when dealing with corn rootworm,” said Dr. Spencer, entomologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, who received one of this year’s grants. “I’m honored to receive this grant, which will help further my research into the behavioral, physiological and ecological factors that contribute to the western corn rootworm’s adaptations to a variety of pest management strategies.”

The CRW Knowledge Research Program is guided by a 10-person Advisory Committee that is co-chaired by Dr. Steve Pueppke, Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and AgBioResearch Director at Michigan State University, and Dr. Dusty Post, Monsanto’s global insect management lead. Additional committee members include experts from academia and agricultural organizations, and were selected based on their expertise in corn rootworm biology and insect management practices.

“The valuable research that is being generated through this program is continuing to improve our understanding of this challenging pest and provide economical, practical and sustainable solutions for farmers,” said Post.

The six awards granted focus on a number of items from evaluating how best to manage corn rootworm under current production practices to evaluating strategies to delay the onset of resistance evolution. The award recipients are:

Joseph Spencer, University of Illinois
Nicholas Miller, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Paul Mitchell, University of Wisconsin
Blair Siegfried, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Douglas Golick, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mike Caprio, Mississippi State University
Christian Krupke, Purdue University

GEA Adds Eating Time Analysis to CowScout™

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Animal Science, Dairy, technology

GEA_CowScoutS_Neck Tag_Eating Time_PR_032414Electronically monitoring cows for activity helps to automate the heat detection process, and supply more accurate breeding information for increased pregnancy rates. Activity monitors can also alert producers to health challenges ahead of clinical signs being visually observed, allowing for earlier treatment and avoiding a potential drop in milk production. To increase monitoring capabilities, GEA Farm Technologies has added eating time to the CowScout™ activity monitoring system.

“CowScout™ provides instant activity updates on a herd and with the addition of eating time it uniquely monitors the amount of time a cow’s head is in the eating position,” said Chris Genal, U.S. national sales manager for milking equipment products at GEA Farm Technologies. “The CowScout™ neck tag continuously monitors movement patterns related to forage intake and records the total time each day an individual animal takes in feed. The system compares the daily total eating time with totals from the previous 10 days, alerting a producer to changes in a baseline.”

The CowScout™ activity monitoring system brings convenience and efficiency to herd management. When a cow or heifer has reduced average eating time, the CowScout™ herd database sends a message to a computer, a mobile device, or both – depending on pre-set preferences – alerting herd managers precisely when a cow has changed eating patterns. CowScout™ data is transmitted continuously from the tag, to the receiver, to the database, so dairy producers always have the latest information to monitor herd health.

“CowScout™ eating time monitoring is especially beneficial before and after calving, when monitoring intake is vital to a healthy transition period,” said Genal. “CowScout™ not only provides dairy producers a simple, accurate and flexible heat detection program, but the added eating time analysis also provides dairy producers the ability to monitor eating behaviors and intervene when health challenges arise, avoiding a potential drop in milk production.”

“The addition of eating time to CowScout™ increases an already robust system that fits any management style – and works with any brand of milking equipment or parlor configuration. It is also an excellent choice for heifer raising operations. Installation components are minimal and there is no complex software,” adds Genal. “No other system on the market compares.”

The CowScout™ activity monitoring system with eating time is fully-supported and installed by GEA Farm Technologies dealers, carrying the WestfaliaSurge product line; a professional network with unsurpassed dairy equipment experience – available to local dairy operations 24/7.

Expert Habitat Advice Provided to Land Managers

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Conservation, Farmers, Government, NRCS

prairie-chicken copy 2Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Robert Bonnie, announced today a renewed and expanded partnership to provide expert habitat advice to farmers and ranchers managing land within lesser prairie-chicken range.

“Our goal is to deliver a win-win for agricultural producers and wildlife,” said Bonnie. “We want to help farmers and ranchers succeed for the long term while also protecting and improving habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken and protecting the region’s ecosystem. Often, what is good for prairie-chickens is good for ranching.”

As part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI), the agency is partnering with Pheasants Forever, a national wildlife conservation organization, to jointly invest $5 million over three years to support technical assistance, including hiring non-federal field conservationists to help farmers and ranchers voluntarily maintain and improve lesser prairie chicken habitat in the Southern Great Plains.

In addition, NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently finalized a plan that can provide regulatory predictability for farmers and ranchers improving lesser prairie-chicken habitat, should the species be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

As agreed to by NRCS and USFWS, farmers and ranchers voluntarily applying lesser prairie-chicken-friendly conservation practices may be protected from additional regulations under the Endangered Species Act for up to 30 years.

“The partnership between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, state fish and wildlife agencies and others is will provide crucial tools and resources for voluntary conservation on lands that can benefit the lesser prairie-chicken,” Bonnie said. “It’s partnerships like these that can find solutions for some of our country’s most challenging conservation issues.”

New Holland Sponsors Great American Wheat Harvest

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Harvesting, New Holland, wheat

New Holland AgricultureNext week I’ll finally get to see The Great American Wheat Harvest! AgWired has been a sponsor of this fantastic project since the beginning and now we get to see the fruit of that investment during National Ag Day Activities next week in Washington, DC. Conrad Weaver, ConjoStudios, the film producer is happy to announce another silver sponsor for the project, New Holland. Two of the harvesting crews featured in the film use New Holland equipment.

The Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking of Manley, Nebr., and the L. Petersen Farms of Hodgeville, Saskatchewan, both run New Holland combines on the wheat harvest route from Texas and Canada. The Great American Wheat Harvest follows three other farm equipment crews and kicks off its national premiere screening at the 2014 National Ag Day on March 25 in Washington, D.C.

“We appreciate the New Holland sponsorship and the collaboration of all our sponsors who have made our national premiere screening possible,” Weaver says.

“We’re pleased New Holland, and two of our customers, have the privilege of playing a role in this important documentary. As an advocate for agriculture, we feel this film is a smart way to connect consumers with the people who harvest a crop that feeds the world,” says New Holland Vice President Abe Hughes.

New Holland now joins other Great American Wheat Harvest major sponsors, including: Legacy Sponsor, John Deere; Platinum Sponsor, U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc.; Gold Sponsors, C & B Operations and North Dakota Wheat Commission state ag and commerce collaboration; and Silver Sponsors, MacDon Industries, Case IH, Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters, TMCO/National Manufacturing, Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, and media partner, AgWired.com, an online media service.

For more information about sponsorship packages, media interviews, speaking appearances of the filmmaker and questions, contact Jody L. Lamp, GAWH National Executive Co-Coordinator, call (406) 698-9675(406) 698-9675 or by email at jody@greatamericanwheatharvest.com.

FMC Expands Web Series to Offer New Content

Jamie JohansenAudio, Contest, FMC

fmc-watch-winStarting this month, Authority Minute, an online web series offered by FMC Agricultural Solutions, will transition to a new name. The Minute by FMC will feature an expanded territory covering more growing topics, more crops and more issues. Episodes of The Minute can be viewed online at www.news.FMCMinute.com.

“Since launching Authority Minute nearly a year ago, we’ve received numerous comments from growers and retailers who want information beyond soybeans and weed management,” said Paul Redhage, FMC Agricultural Solutions North America strategic communications manager. “By adding more content for a wider audience, others will be able to learn from experts around the country.”

Host Jake Turner will continue to lead viewers as he travels across the country talking with experts on topics from insect resistance and starter fertilizers to tank mixing and sprayer calibrations. Upcoming new episodes will feature a weed identification challenge and the topic of tackling summer annuals.

The transition also includes a Watch and Win Sweepstakes. Account holders who view the online episodes will automatically be entered to win the grand prize – a dream vacation of their choice from one of six destinations, valued up to $5,000. Five first-place winners will receive $500 airfare vouchers and 20 additional winners will receive digital cameras. The sweepstakes entry period ends May 30, 2014. Winners are selected at random and will be notified in June. Sweepstakes rules and regulations are posted online.

For more information on FMC crop protection products, please visit www.FMCcrop.com. Like us on Facebook.

Chuck spoke with Paul at the National Farm Machinery Show about FMC’s Watch and Win Sweepstakes. Listen to the complete interview here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-14-fmc-redhage-watch-win.mp3″ text=”Interview with Paul Redhage”]

New Holland’s Tier 4B Solution

Chuck ZimmermanAgribusiness, Audio, New Holland, Tractor, Video

David KohuthTier 4B. We’ve all heard about it but how many of you understand it? If you watch this presentation that was done by New Holland’s David Kohuth during Operation Blue Force you’ll have a much better understanding. It’s the best explanation I’ve heard so far. New Holland has settled on ECOBlue™ Hi-eSCR technology as their final solution and David walked us through it and also compares it to other options in the marketplace.

New Holland introduced their first Tier 4B compliant tractors at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL, last fall.

“The launch of the Tier 4B compliant T7, T8 and T9 tractor ranges at Farm Progress represents an important milestone in our emissions reduction roadmaps,” stated Abe Hughes, Vice President, New Holland, North America. “The ECOBlue™ Hi-eSCR solution delivers consistency, performance, simplicity and efficiency. Furthermore, our longsighted approach is paying consistency dividends, as SCR is now universally accepted as the industry standard for high horsepower machines.”

You can listen to David’s lesson here or watch it below: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/new-holland/nh-blue-force-14-tier4b.mp3″ text=”David Kohuth Tier 4B Lesson”]

New Holland Operation Blue Force Photo Album