Precision Souffle’ Making at NAFB

Cindy ZimmermanNAFB, Video

Teamwork and precision helped a group of NAFB members chosen at random during last week’s convention in Kansas City to mix up an egg souffle to the tune of the William Tell Overture.

Missouri’s “Egg Lady”, Jo Manhart, orchestrated the egg souffle making demonstration by assigning four NAFB members separate jobs to get an egg souffle in the oven before the end of the William Tell Overture. The last time a team doing this demonstration made it by the end of the 3:40 piece of music was at an FFA meeting in 1989. NAFB got them beat!

Conducting the music was NAFB President Tom Steever, Brownfield Ag News and the souffle sous chefs were Bart Johnson (Ohio Ag Net), Greg Akagi (WIBW Radio/Kansas Agriculture Network), Mike LaPorte (KRVN-Lexington, NE), and Dave Russell (Brownfield Ag News). The broadcasters were egg-cited to wear different hats for a change and did an egg-cellent job.

Watch and see them “break an egg” to the music!

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

New Insecticide Spraying App

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Apps, Spraying, USDA

USDA scientists have released two mobile phone applications, or “apps,” to make things easier for anyone who needs to adjust insecticide spray equipment. The apps are designed to ensure that aerial and ground-based crews can hit targets and minimize pesticide drift by keying in specifics on the type of equipment and pesticide they are using.

The apps are designed to ensure that aerial and ground-based crews can hit targets and minimize pesticide drift by keying in specifics on the type of equipment and pesticide they are using.

With dozens of manufacturers producing dozens of different types of spray technology—each with its own nozzle type, flow rate, and pressure setting range—the equipment setup can get pretty complicated. Aerial sprayers also must factor in wind speed, air temperature, flight speed and humidity.

The apps incorporate the latest science of spray technology, including “spray nozzle atomization” models developed by ARS at College Station.

The apps are available online through the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Play Android Marketplace by searching for “Aerial Sprays” for the aerial application app and “Vector Sprays” for the ground-based sprayer app.

“Repurposing” Materials

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, environment

“Repurposing” makes sense both economically and environmentally.

Our company is focused on the creative reuse side of the famous three-sided reduce, reuse, recycle arrowed triangle. repurposedMATERIALS is the only company in America whose entire product line is made of “repurposed” items.

What is “repurposing”? Re•pur•posed Ma•te•ri•als (noun) Used assets that have value “as is” to a second, unrelated industry. Repurposing IS creative Reuse. It is NOT recycling that has gotten all the buzz since the 1970s. Remember, recycling requires huge amounts of energy to melt, grind, chip, or shred a waste stream into a useable raw material to manufacture something new. With “repurposing”, we deal with byproducts and waste that get a second life because they have value “as is”.

So, what are examples of “repurposing”?
Used rubber roofing membrane gets “repurposed” as pond liners…
Retired wine barrels get “repurposed” as trash cans…
Old street sweeper brushes get “repurposed” as back scratchers for livestock.

Visit our site for more!

5th Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness

The organizing committee of the conference and Korean Society of Precision Agriculture invites you to the 5th Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture (ACPA). The Organizing Committee of the 5th ACPA is honored to host this event in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, June 25-28, 2013.

Please visit www.precisionag.or.kr and submit your paper abstracts by Nov. 30, 2012.

The 5th ACPA is designed so Asian countries can learn from other continents, share experience among member countries, and discuss issues for better future of Asian agriculture.

Corn Growers Now Have an Anthem Option

Chuck ZimmermanAudio, Corn, FMC, NAFB

After years of planning, research and development, FMC finally received EPA registration on a new herbicide, Anthem. You can learn more about it from Roger Webster, FMC. Roger was available to members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting this week in Kansas City, MO.

Anthem is a “preplant, preemergence and early postemergence herbicide for corn. Anthem provides growers with an excellent weed management tool for broad-spectrum weed control and resistance management along with a low-use rate.” Growers now have a new tool that gives them application flexibility during the spring season

Listen to my interview with Roger here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb-12-fmc-webster.mp3″ text=”Interview with Roger Webster”]

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Precision.AgWired.com Profile

Jamie JohansenAudio, Dairy, Farmers, NAFB, Profiles

Here on Precision.AgWired.com we are starting a new series highlighting farmers from across the country who are utilizing precision agriculture. We found our first feature farmer, Steve Maddox, at the National Associations of Farm Broadcasting Convention. Checkout how Steve has increased profitability and sustainability on his California dairy farm.

“We have a 9,000 acre farm surrounding our dairy. We have 3,000 acres in wine grapes, 1,500 acres of almonds and we have the rest in feed crops. Seven years ago we started going to GPS trying to reduce paces. What we found was we were turning the fields 9 to 10 times. We knew we had to stop that. We went to a bigger implement 18 foot wide. We were able to cut our passes in half. In fact, we turned our fields in four days this year. Our fuel was cut in half and labor by two-thirds. On the dairy side of it we went to RFI ID tags for the cows and we are doing program breeding using our breeding tools. This increased our conception rates by 10%.”

Listen to my interview with Steve here: [wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/precision-farmer-steve-maddox.mp3″ text=”Steve Maddox – California Dairyman”]

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

AgGateway Annual Conference Draws Record Attendance

Melissa SandfortAgribusiness, Events

AgGateway’s seventh annual conference this week drew a record 230 professionals from more than 75 agricultural companies to discuss ongoing successes in implementing eBusiness within the agriculture industry. Attendance at the conference has doubled in just three years.

In addition to educational sessions, networking events and working sessions, the meeting featured the election of the new board, announcement of 2013 meeting dates, and recognition of individual and group efforts that are moving the industry forward in eBusiness.

AgGateway currently has more than 160 member companies working on projects within nine major industry segments. Each council has two representatives on the board.

Open seats include the Crop Nutrition Council Vice-Chair, and the Chair and Vice-Chair for the Ornamental Horticulture Council.

AgGateway also announced the following 2013 meeting information:
AgGateway 2013 Mid-Year Meeting — June 17-20, 2013; John Deere Financial Facility, Johnston, Iowa
2013 AgGateway Annual Meeting & Conference — November 12-14, 2013; Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Florida

Ag Leader with Farm Broadcasters

Chuck ZimmermanAg Leader, Audio, NAFB

Ag Leader Technology spent a day talking with farm broadcasters this week. Here’s Josh Rassmusson in their Trade Talk booth in Kansas City, MO. It’s the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention.

I picked up my Golden ZimmComm Microphone to take my turn interviewing Josh. We talked about GeoSteer, Ag Leader’s new automated steering system. It works with their Integra and Versa displays. If you don’t know much about it then click below to hear our discussion.

Listen to my interview with Josh here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb-12-ag-leader-rassmusson.mp3″ text=”Interview with Josh Rassmusson”]

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Honoring the Best at NAFB

Cindy ZimmermanNAFB

Well known and loved agricultural reporters were honored this week at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting with induction into the organization’s Hall of Fame. Both broadcasters honored this year are exceptional for their coverage of crops outside of the traditional corn and soybean sector.

NAFB first paid tribute to a past president who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Stewart Doan was well known for his coverage of southern agriculture, based in Arkansas through much of his career. He was especially interested in the policy side and covered agricultural issues in Washington DC for Agri-Pulse. Stewart’s wife Leslie and two daughters Lauren and Sarah were on hand to see the industry pay tribute to this great husband, father and industry professional.

The second NAFB Hall of Fame honor went to veteran broadcaster George Gatley of Western Agri-Radio Networks, who started his career in 1958. Gatley covers crops and livestock in California and Western Arizona on 20 radio stations. He also produced Farm and Ranch Television Programs for over 20 years, as well as writing farm articles for a bi-monthly farm magazine.

The NAFB Hall of Fame was created in 1986 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the farm broadcast industry and has inducted 36 members, both living and deceased, since that time.

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album

New Combine Features in Case IH’s Axial-Flow Cabs

Jamie JohansenAudio, Equipment, Events, Harvesting, NAFB, technology

During the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention in Kansas City, MO. I had the opportunity to talk with Nathan Weinkauf, Combine Marketing Manager for Case IH.

He was really excited to share about their new Axial-Flow Combines that will be coming out in 2013. This new option for making farming easier for producers is a redesign of the industry-leading cab. It also has a new folding auger with an industry-exclusive pivoting spout option.

“We are talking about the brand new Axial-Flow 30 Series combine that will be coming out to our dealerships next march. We have been working for the last few years with our customers developing the next evolution for our new combine cab. We know our operators spend a lot of time in these machines and we want to make sure comfort, convenience, intuitive operations and harvest control are some of the key things we put into this industry leading cab.”

This state-of-the-art cab has more fingertip controls, docking stations for laptop, iPad and iPod, as well as power outlets within arms reach. To top it all off the new Axial-Flow cab is equipped with a portable electric refrigerator. This new cab might be more comfortable than sitting in your recliner infront of the TV.

Listen to my interview with Nathan here: [wpaudio url=”http://agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nafb-12-caseih-weinkauf.mp3″ text=”Nathan Weinkauf – Case IH”]

2012 NAFB Convention Photo Album