Martin Barbre – Precision.AgWired.com Profile

Jamie JohansenNAFB, Profiles

nafb12-ncga-martinMeet another one of our farmers working hard to take advantage of new technologies to make feeding the world just a little bit easier. Martin Barbre farms with his son in a partnership raising corn, soybeans and wheat. He calls southeastern Illinois home and has farmed there since he was 19 years old.

Cindy talked with him during the National Association of Farm Broadcastings’s Trade Talk. He explained how grid sampling was his farms first step into using precision agriculture allowing them to apply fertilizer according to need.

What has changed over the years?

“When I started we were sitting on an open tractor, breathing the dust, listening to the noisy muffler. I am lucky I didn’t get 40/20 hearing, for some reason my hearing is still good. But it has changed so much, we have adopted new tillage practices, we no-till quite a bit more, saving soil and conserving our resources. The technology has changed a lot. The seed technology has just been great, not only the technology but the genetics have changed. We use yield mapping, grid soil sampling and try to maximize the most out of every arce. That’s our goal.”

What do you see in the future of precision agriculture?

“I think just further enhancements of what we are doing now. More precise, better tools then what we started with. Now we just need them to be precise and we are looking forward to that.”

Martin also shared his excitement for the iPad. He said sometimes on the farm the smartphone is just not big enough and the computer is simply too big. But the iPad he uses is just right.

Listen to Cindy’s complete interview with Martin here: [wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/01/nafb12-martin-precision.mp3″ text=”Martin Barbre”]

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

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Get Precision Ag News On Your Website

Chuck ZimmermanApps

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NACD Statement on Farm Bill Extension

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Conservation, Farm Bill

farmbill
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Gene Schmidt made the following statement regarding Congress’ passage of a short-term Farm Bill extension rather than a five-year comprehensive bill.

“It is extremely unfortunate that farmers and landowners will be left without the certainty of a five-year policy and the assistance of critical programs to protect America’s land, air and water and to ensure proactive planning for a sustainable food, fiber and fuel supply for the future.

“In total, the fiscal cliff bill does not address deficit reduction, whereas the 2012 Farm Bill as passed by the full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee would have saved taxpayers $23 billion and $33 billion respectively, while maintaining needed funding for important conservation programs. This bill does not raise the debt ceiling, so in two months Congress will be fighting the same budget fights that led to this deal, including the expiration of the Continuing Resolution funding the government through March 27, 2013.

“When Chairwoman Stabenow and Chairman Lucas saw the writing on the wall during the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations, they worked together to form a 78-page thoughtful farm bill extension, tailored to the needs of the landscape. However, their work was disregarded in this deal, just as the 2012 Farm Bill was never given the opportunity to come to the House floor. In a time of tremendous drought in the West and hurricane damage in the East, the $850 million in disaster aid included in the extension plan agreed to by Senate and House Agriculture Committee Leadership was not included in this deal.

“The shortsighted extension leaves farmers and landowners without the certainty they need to plan for your future food needs as well as the resource needs of the landscape. Now that Congress has dealt with the “fiscal cliff,” we are urging House and Senate Leaders to make the passage of a long-term Farm Bill a top priority.”

Your Thoughts on Fiscal Cliff Compromise

Talia GoesAgribusiness, New Holland, ZimmPoll

Rhea + KaiserBefore we get to results and a new poll we’d like to thank Rhea + Kaiser for being the inaugural sponsor of our ZimmPoll two years ago! We started a trend as we soon saw a number of other entities begin regular online polling!

New Holland AgricultureNow let’s welcome and say thanks to our new ZimmPoll sponsor, New Holland Agriculture. We’ll be working closely with New Holland to develop timely and industry pertinent questions throughout 2013. Please feel free to chime in with your ideas and participate when you can. So, let’s get started.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”How would you rate 2012? 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent”

Our poll results: Thirty percent said 3; twenty six percent said 4; seventeen percent said 5; seventeen said 1; eleven percent said 2. By the looks of our poll most of you thought 2012 was a pretty good year. Hopefully, you will feel the same about 2013.

1.2.12graph

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” How do you feel about the fiscal cliff compromise?” Most early industry comments we’ve seen express disappointment since we only have a temporary extension of the farm bill among other things. What do you think?

GROWMARK Purchases B-G Fertilizer

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Fertilizer, Growmark

Growmark_logoGROWMARK, Inc., Bloomington, Ill., announced it has agreed to purchase Bunge North America’s interest in B-G Fertilizer, LLC.

B-G Fertilizer, LLC owns and operates the former CF Industries terminal located in Cincinnati, Ohio to serve the needs of retail customers that provide fertilizer to farmers. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

GROWMARK and Bunge also announced that GROWMARK will lease Bunge fertilizer assets located in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Fulton, Illinois. These facilities will be incorporated into the current GROWMARK portfolio to expand the cooperative’s scope and reach.

Overall, the acquisition and lease agreements represent approximately 130,000 tons of dry and liquid plant food storage.

Appy New Year from Precision.AgWired.com

Chuck ZimmermanApps

Appy New Year from ZimmCommAppy New Year from the ZimmComm Team here on Precision.AgWired.com.

We’re betting that many of you now have a new smartphone or tablet. So whether it’s an iPad of any version or an Android you can get your Precision.AgWired.com on it most easily via the AgWired App! Within the app you’ll also find the news feeds from our other ZimmComm News Network websites, energy.agwired.com; AgWired.com and animal.agwired.com. You’ll also find our main Twitter feeds and the feed from our YouTube and Flickr accounts.

Best of all it’s Free!

So click here to find out where you can get the AgWired App and have an Appy New Year.

Precision.AgWired.com Podcast: Preparing for 2013

Meghan Grebneragronomy, Education, Precision Pays Podcast, Risk Management, weather

Part of producing efficiently is also being prepared for the unknowns.  As farmers 2012 began – there were hopes of high yields and a bountiful harvest.  As the drought set in – the crops started to deteriorate and it became more obvious this would be a year where we would need to expect the unexpected.  As we enter a New Year – we again have hopes for a good growing season and high yields.  

In this Precision.AgWired.com Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, Purdue University ag economist Chris Hurt talks about his thoughts on the markets and what growers can expect as we enter in to 2013.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2012/12/PPP-12-12.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.

Hemisphere GPS Talking to Aerial Applicators

Chuck ZimmermanAerial Application, Aerial Imagery, Agribusiness, NAAA

Greg Guyette Hemisphere GPSI had my first opportunity to learn about Hemisphere GPS during the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention when I spoke with Greg Guyette, General Manager, Air & Imagery Business. Greg says that their systems are “moving to data management, data movement, real time systems.” It’s becoming all about being able to immediately move a file or access a file to be more efficient as an aerial applicator or farmer. He mentions their purchase of Ag Junction which he says have had the best record of handling data in the past ten years.

The product Greg talked with aerial applicators the most about was their new Satloc G4 aerial guidance system.

The Satloc G4™ is the most complete and advanced aerial guidance system for aerial applicators. Satloc G4 is built with the top-of-the-line processing power of Intel® Dual-Core™ i7 processor and includes Windows® 7 64-bit operating system.

The Satloc G4 features a new 9-inch, 16:9 ratio touchscreen capable of providing faster video graphics as well as the latest in touchscreen technology. Use multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, rotate and press and drag to access information. Experience improved connection speeds for downloading job and shape files and prescription maps. The Satloc G4 features video capabilities including Skype™ and Ethernet connectivity for cell-based modems.

You can listen to my interview with Greg Guyette here to learn more about Hemisphere GPS: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/naaa/naaa-12-hemisphere-gps.mp3″ text=”Interview with Greg Guyette”]

You can find photos from the 2012 NAAA Convention here: 2012 NAAA Convention Photo Album

Ag’s Appetite for Mobile Information Grows

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, technology

syngentaAgriculture is no ordinary business. People in other industries may spend their days in front of a computer, but not the folks who make their living from the soil. That’s what makes the latest innovations in mobile technology particularly suited to this traditional profession.

Studies show that ag professionals in general have a stronger-than-average appetite for mobile devices. In a recent Successful Farming survey, 94 percent of respondents said they had a cellphone — 11 percent more than the general public.

In keeping with the trend, ag companies are upping their mobile offerings to provide more resources. Syngenta recently relaunched the mobile version of its FarmAssist website to provide a better user experience that allows visitors to navigate through information more easily.

Like the website, the mobile version is a one-stop resource offering timely agricultural news and ag market commentary, local weather, product information and labels, agricultural commodity prices, crop yield, planting calculators, and more.

Recent upgrades include the addition of product rates, worker safety recommendations, restricted-entry intervals (REI) data, as well as the Syngenta corn and soybean seeds portfolio. Users also can access local updates on pests and more detailed product information specific to their areas.

Corn, Soybean Guide Now Available

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Corn, Soybeans

gerber-guideA popular Purdue Extension pocket reference guide for corn and soybean producers has been updated and is now available.

The 2013 Corn and Soybean Field Guide is an in-field reference to help farmers quickly identify and manage crop problems, such as weeds, diseases and insects.

The 324-page guide has information useful from planting to harvest and features color photographs and reference tables to help farmers make fertilizer and pesticide application decisions. Other topics include crop development, nutrient deficiencies, planting decisions, soil fertility and herbicide injuries.

Growers can use the guide to help them apply appropriate amounts of fertilizers for soil nutrient deficiencies or pesticides for pest management, which could save them money, said Corey Gerber, director of Purdue’s Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center.

Updates from last year’s guide include improved photographs and new information about soybean vein necrosis virus, which was first confirmed in Indiana in 2012.

Guides are available individually or in bulk from Purdue Extension’s The Education Store. Individual copies are $7 each, or boxes of 25 can be ordered for $157.50.