2012: A Stellar Year?

Melissa SandfortZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”What kind of Christmas tree do you have?”

Our poll results: Fifty-one percent said artificial tree; thirty-three percent said real tree; eleven percent said none and four percent said other. It looks as though the majority of you have allergies to real trees like my family!

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Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How would you rate 2012? 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent” There were a lot of big news items this year: the Olympics; Presidential election; Hurricane Sandy; the death of Whitney Houston; the new iPad and iPhone. But how did the headlines affect your year? Did it make it a stellar year or just a ho-hum kind of year? Let us know, and Happy New Year!

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

“More Power to You”

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Events, IA Power Farming Show

IowaWebBannerFINALThe Iowa Power Farming Show now has a powerful new look. Show organizers from the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association unveiled a new logo and newly redesigned website to complement the show’s new “More Power to You” theme.

The look is also representative of a new, more powerful approach to how show organizers will promote the show and connect with exhibitors and attendees. It will be featured heavily in the all of the show’s promotions and communications. This includes the annual 40-page show program and digital platforms like the new website, e-newsletter, and social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The Iowa Power Farming Show, the third largest indoor farm show in North America, runs from Jan. 29-31, 2013 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Sign up for the e-newsletter by visiting the newly redesigned website.

New Fieldwork Tool Unveiled

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Data Collection

chartA downloadable spreadsheet helps farmers estimate the probability of completing fieldwork in time based on the capacity of their machinery and the number of acres farmed.

The free spreadsheet is available for download at www.crops.missouri.edu/machinery. A link to the spreadsheet file is listed under the heading “Tools.”

The tool, developed by the MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and the MU Commercial Agriculture Program, lets farmers estimate how many days it will take to perform fieldwork. Farmers select one of nine crop regions in Missouri, enter the type, size and speed of farm implements being used, the number of acres being planted, and other variables to determine the number of hours needed to plant the crop.

The spreadsheet uses 30 years of historical data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

A guide to using the tool is available for free download at www.extension.missouri.edu/G363.

Ag Leader’s Holiday Hours

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights Weekly As 2012 comes to an end, we are so grateful to our loyal customers and hard-working dealers who have made this year so successful! We are excited to begin 2013, and are confident it will be even more bountiful than last year. 2013 Dealer Training is set to kick-off Jan. 7, and the Ag Leader Technical Support Staff is prepared to offer another excellent training season for our dealers and customers. If you are a dealer and have not been to the Ag Leader Academy to receive training, resolve to attend a few in 2013.

Technical Support will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24, 2012, through Jan. 2, 2013, during which time our phone system will not be accepting voicemails. We will resume our normal 8am-6pm, Monday–Friday working hours beginning on Jan. 2, 2013.

On behalf of Technical Support, we would like to wish a safe and happy holiday season to all of our customers and dealers! We look forward to another year of providing you with quality customer service!

You can reach Ag Leader Customer Support at 515-232-5363 or support@agleader.com.

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.

Spring into Planting with Seed SLIK

Chuck ZimmermanAgribusiness, Audio, Planting, seed

SeedSLIK GraphiteWinter is a time when farmers can look forward to spring planting, especially if stuck inside due to a winter blizzard! This next installment in our series of interviews about Superior Graphite agricultural products will get you looking ahead. In this post we’ll look at a product line called Seed SLIK. I spoke once again with Barry Lee, Product Manager, Coatings & Lubricants. We focused on Seed SLIK Graphite and Seed SLIK Talc. It is common practice to mix a seed lubricant with seeds for planting to make sure skips don’t happen where a seed does not get planted where it should. That can affect yield. Besides the seed benefit, these products are also beneficial to the machinery itself.

Graphite seed flow lubricants, are made from high quality powdered graphite powders from environmentally safe, natural mineral, and will not hurt seeds, or plantings as they grow. Small seeds benefit from the addition of graphite, allowing them to slide easily off the planter plates.

SeedSLIK TalcSeed SLIK Talc provides similar benefits and features as the Graphite product but has an added benefit of not affecting optical sensors, although it is susceptible to moisture. Barry says the best of both worlds is a blended Seed SLIK product which contains both graphite and talc.

Seed SLIK™ has the highest quality powdered seed flow lubricants available on the market. Talc powder is an environmentally safe, natural mineral, that will not hurt seeds or plantings as they grow. Talc seed flow lubricants are used in mechanical plate and vacuum planters for increased lubricity and wear protection. Talc is a good alternative to graphite for planters with new electronic seed meters that sometimes give false readings with graphite. Small seeds benefit from the addition of talc allowing them to slide easily off the planter plates.

You can get more information on these products on the Slip Plate website or connect with the company on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Listen to my interview with Barry here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/superior-graphite/slip-plate-seedslik-12-19-12.mp3″ text=”Interview with Barry Lee”]

Innovations in Your Own Backyard

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Agribusiness, Equipment, Events

IowaWebBannerFINALWant to see the latest and greatest innovation in farm equipment? You don’t have to leave the Midwest. The Iowa Power Farming Show is the first and best opportunity to get the scoop on new products that can boost your operation to greater
efficiency and profitability.

More than 750 ag-related companies will be on hand to receive the expected 20,000 visitors in the heart of farm country. Knowledgeable sales staff at 1,840 engaging exhibitor booths can show you the latest in farm equipment and precision ag electronics. Put on your walking shoes and explore three state-of the-art facilities with six floors of displays.

The 2013 Iowa Power Farming Show is January 29-31 at the Iowa Events Center located in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Ag Leader Technology will sponsor ZimmComm coverage of the event.

NSP Announces Contest Winners

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness

sorghumNational Sorghum Producers is proud to announce the winners of the 2012 NSP Yield and Management Contest. Farmers from 22 states entered to win this year’s contest. Producer yields are highlighted in 11 different categories, including the new Double Crop Irrigated and Non-Irrigated categories, with this year’s top yield at 213.33 bushels per acre.

The national winners will be further recognized at Commodity Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., on March 1, 2013.

To see a complete list of the NSP Yield and Management Contest national, state and county results or to learn more about the contest, visit www.sorghumgrowers.com.

Precision Laboratories Talks Volare DC with Aerial Applicators

Chuck ZimmermanAerial Application, Agribusiness, Audio, NAAA, Precision Labs

Precision Laboratories at NAAAHere’s the Precision Laboratories team during the recent National Agricultural Aviation Association convention. On the far left is Jim Reiss, vice president of agricultural chemistries. We talked about what the company offers aerial applicators. He focused on Volare DC™, a recently launched adjuvant technology. Here’s a description from their website.

Volare DC, briefly known as Avianis DC, delivers improved drift control, deposition and coverage when applied through aerial application equipment. Unlike ordinary drift retardants designed for ground application,Volare DC optimizes droplet size and deposition by “right-sizing” spray droplets to resist wind stream shear that ruptures oversized droplets formed from ordinary drift retardants.

“Aerial applicators are under ever increasing pressure to cover more acres while delivering timely and on-target applications of crop protection products,” said Jim Reiss, vice president of Agricultural Chemistries at Precision Laboratories. “Oversized spray droplets can break apart at application speeds above 125 mph, creating smaller droplets that are more susceptible to drift. Volare DC is specifically designed for aerial applicators to optimize droplet size and resist breakup at high speeds.”

You can listen to my interview with Jim to learn more about what they offer aerial applicators here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/naaa/naaa-12-precision-labs-reiss.mp3″ text=”Interview with Jim Reiss”]

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

Is your tree real or artificial?

Melissa SandfortZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”How do you plan to travel this holiday?”

Our poll results: Fifty-seven percent said car; twenty percent said people are coming to my house; nine percent said I’m boycotting the holidays; six percent said other; three percent said plane, bus and walk; and no one is taking the train. Looks like the roads will be full of travelers this holiday season so be safe as they’re talking about the possibility of a white Christmas!

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Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What kind of Christmas tree do you have?” If you have family at your house that are similar to mine, they’re allergic to real trees so ours is, and has to be, artificial. Let us know!

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.