Precision.AgWired.com Podcast: The need for high speed

Meghan GrebnerGadgets, Internet, Precision Pays Podcast, technology

I live in suburbia.  High speed internet is an after thought for me and sadly it is something I take for granted.  For those that live in rural America – it is a struggle.  In some places – dial-up is still the only option available.  As the technologies that we use on the farm continue to advance  – dial-up doesn’t cut it anymore and our need for high-speed internet increases.

In this Precision.AgWired.com Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, Brian McIntyre, VP Broadband for dishNET talks about how they are working to provide rural America with broadband internet.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/01/PPP-01-13.mp3″ text=”Precision.AgWired.com Podcast”]

You can subscribe to the Precision.AgWired.com Podcast here.

The Precision.AgWired.com Podcast is sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

AG CONNECT Expo Comes to Close

Chuck ZimmermanAg Connect Expo, Audio

AG CONNECT ExpoThe 2013 AG CONNECT Expo has come to a close but I have a lot more interviews to share in coming days.

To wrap things up for now I spoke with Sara Truesdale Mooney, Show Director. Here are a few of the statistics from the show this year.

The high quality of the attendees was evident in the average acreage of 7,700 for the producers. One company executive said, “The caliber of producer that comes here – this is the best of the best … the business producers that will be the growers of the future. You can see that in the show today.”

The show set records for exhibit space and number of exhibitors, scope of education programs and education session tickets reserved, and number of co-located industry conventions, meetings and events.

AG CONNECT Expo & Summit had nearly 400 exhibitors and more than 220,000 net square feet of exhibit space. More than 30 co-located events were held at the show, including 10 association conferences, eight educational conferences/seminars and more than 13 exhibitor events.

Show management reports that attendance at AG CONNECT nearly doubled in 2013.

Eleven percent of the attendees came from outside the U.S., with more than 50 countries represented. Eight Canadian provinces were represented at the show, along with all the states except Hawaii.

You can listen to my interview with Sara here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agconnect/agconnect-13-mooney-close.mp3″ text=”Interview with Sara Truesdale Mooney”]

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Soy Booster Plot Program Announced

Talia GoesAgribusiness, FMC, Soybeans

w2012pressreleaseheaderThe American Soybean Association announces a new partnership with FMC Corporation and NACHURS — the 2013 Soy Booster Plot Program. ASA is seeking 125 growers across the soybean-growing region to enroll by the March 2 deadline and conduct a Soy Booster field trial on their farm during the 2013 production season.

ASA, FMC and NACHURS will work with the participating growers to conduct field trials utilizing FMC’s Capture LFR (Liquid Fertilizer Ready) insecticide and NACHURS HKW6 liquid starter fertilizer on soybeans. These trials will give individual soybean farmers the opportunity to observe and measure for themselves how the application of Capture LFR insecticide with HKW6 starter fertilizer will enhance profitable production on their farm.

Growers will need to devote 20 acres treated with Capture LFR and NACHURS HKW6 liquid starter fertilizer and 20 acres untreated. Products for treatment will be provided free of charge and participants must be able to apply the starter fertilizer and liquid insecticide in-furrow to all row units as they seed soybeans. Growers who complete the Soy Booster plot program will receive a free 7” Kindle Fire HD, 16 GB with WiFi.

Record Opening Day at Iowa Power Farming Show

Cindy ZimmermanAg Leader, Audio, IA Power Farming Show

ia-power-13-3The first day of the Iowa Power Farming Show this week drew a record 11,185 visitors, and attendance was still strong on Wednesday despite the weather. The show is still open until 3 pm today.

The great attendance is the main reason why Ag Leader Technology is a premier sponsor at the event, according to sales manager Mike Olsen. “It’s kind of in our back yard, kind of our home town show here,” Mike said. “But the biggest reason is the quality of people that attend the show.”

ia-power-13-agleader-mikeMike says the farmers who attend are interested in learning about new products and one that Ag Leader had on display this year was the Intellislope™ tile installation system. “Ag Leader recently purchased Soil-Max and we integrated the Intellislope into our Integra display,” he said. “It’s a simple module to put on your plow and go in there and install your own tile.”

Find out more in this interview with Mike: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agleader/ia-power-agleader-mike.mp3″ text=”Interview with Mike Olsen”]

2013 Iowa Power Farming Show Photo Album

Sponsored by Ag Leader Technology

Soil Sampling and Remote Sensing

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Remote sensing, Soil Sampling

ClayThe 2013 Precision Ag Action Summit was held on January 21 & 22 in North Dakota. David Clay of South Dakota State University gave a presentation on “Precision farming, soil sampling, remote sensing for in‐season N recommendations”. In the presentation he asked the question “can we improve our management of an extremely variable system with remote sensing?”

Summary from his presentation:
— Reference areas can be used to reduce variety and water stress impacts on sufficiency index values.
— Reference areas can be place in a strip or within different management zones.
— Using a reference area in high yielding areas can result in diagnosing water stress as N stress.
— In low yielding areas N stress can be diagnosed as water stress.

Click here to view his full presentation.

Bill to Eliminate EPA Permit Requirements

Talia GoesAgribusiness, environment, Government

Picture1Senators Pat Roberts and Mike Johanns have introduced legislation to eliminate a burdensome, costly and redundant Environmental Protection Agency permit requirement for applications of pesticides.

At issue is the January 2009, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion in National Cotton Council v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that requires pesticide applications to be permitted under the Clean Water Act. This National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is now in addition to any label requirements or restrictions already placed on the use of a pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

Since early in 2012, the EPA has enforced a now permanent rule in response to the Sixth Circuit Court ruling requiring approximately 35,000 pesticide applicators to get permits to cover about 500,000 applications per year.

Senator Roberts and Johanns’ bill ensures Clean Water Act permits are not needed for the applications of pesticides and amends FIFRA by stating that no permit shall be required for the use of a pesticide that is registered under FIFRA. Roberts introduced the same legislation in the last Congress where it was blocked from consideration on the Senate floor.

What to do With All That Data

Chuck ZimmermanAg Connect Expo, Agribusiness, Audio, Data Collection

Terry Griffin CrescoAg AG CONNECT ExpoAt a networking breakfast this morning at AG CONNECT Expo, sponsored by CaseIH, Dr. Terry Griffin, VP – Applied Economics CrescoAG, spoke on the “Making the Most of Precision Ag: I have all this data. Now What?” It is a good example of the type of sessions you’ll find at throughout the show.

I recorded Terry’s remarks which include a lengthy Q&A session for you to listen to. He does talk about some slides which I do not have to share but I think you’ll find some of the ideas he presented very interesting. Some of those that I took note of include. GPS guidance profitable with short payback. 3rd party help in the total precision ag system is needed. Without it there is a gap that provides an opportunity for companies right now. He said that “Data from single farm has finite value to that farmer. Greatest value is pooled community analysis.” Terry also talked about the whole concept of sharing data into a system for the benefit of all farmers. There was some disagreement in the audience about how this could work and concerns for what would happen with their local data.

You can listen to Terry’s presentation here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agconnect/agconnect-13-crescoag-griffin.mp3″ text=”Precision Ag Presentation by Terry Griffin”]

2013 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Monsanto Acquires Select Assets of Agradis, Inc.

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Monsanto

logoMonsanto Company announced it has purchased select assets of Agradis, Inc. Monsanto’s purchase includes the Agradis name and its collection of microbes that can improve crop productivity. Monsanto has also acquired the company’s R&D site in La Jolla, Calif.

Agradis was formed in 2011 by Synthetic Genomics Inc and Plenus. The assets of Agradis not purchased by Monsanto include castor and sweet sorghum breeding and genetic optimization technologies, as well as a novel product used to prevent fungal growth on fruits and vegetables. These assets will continue to be advanced by SGI and Plenus in a new company, AgraCast.

The announcement also includes an agricultural research agreement between Monsanto and SGI. The multi-year research collaboration will focus on the analysis of microbe-plant communities and screening for beneficial microorganisms that could be used to develop additional biological products to improve agricultural productivity. Monsanto has also made an equity investment in SGI. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Equipment Numbers on Farms

Talia GoesNew Holland, ZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”How many machines (tractors, etc.) does your farm own?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at thirty-five percent own 10+ machines and equipment. Twenty-five percent own 3-5, close behind was 6-9 at twenty-one percent, thirteen percent own 1-2, and six percent said other. As we suspected, every farm and farmer has a different way of doing things which means some need more machinery and some need less.

1.30.13graph

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?” Biofuel production of corn produces several types of biofuels such as biodiesel, biogas and different bioalcohols. This high octane mixture can be used in most of today’s modern traditional types of vehicles. Is this the way of the future? Let us know what you think.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

DuPont Pioneer IMPACT Trials

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Dupont Pioneer

EMH_News_Release_Header3ad95522There is no one size fits all solution for growers when it comes to corn and soybean performance. The uniquely designed DuPont Pioneer IMPACT trials collect results that provide accurate information about how potential new Pioneerbrand corn hybrids and soybean varieties perform in real-world field environments.

Pioneer products are targeted to meet specific grower needs and matched to local environments to provide the right product for the right acre.

IMPACT trials allow Pioneer researchers and agronomists to test genetic lines and evaluate dozens of products in more environments than with traditional research alone. Throughout the growing season, products are evaluated in reduced-stress conditions as well as poorly drained soils, drought-prone areas, corn-on-corn production, high disease pressure, and a wide variety of other conditions. The trials assess traits for stress resistance, yield, standability, herbicide resistance and insect protection. The IMPACT trials allow Pioneer to accurately advance and characterize the best products for local environments, ultimately helping growers achieve higher and more consistent yields.