Ethanol Production Good For All Agriculture

Chuck ZimmermanZimmPoll

A significant majority believe that ethanol production is a good thing. In answer to our question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” 64% said yes and 36% said no. That still shows a large group who aren’t on board the ethanol bandwagon. If you’re in the “no” group let us know why by posting a comment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “What is your Christmas/Holiday entree?” The holidays are almost here and I’ll be you’ve got plans made already. We sure hope you have a happy holiday time with family and friends.

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

Mush! Giddy-up! Haw!

Melissa SandfortAgricultural Anthropology

Oh, that’s right, there are no horses in front of this wagon – it’s just for decoration. Every year, my Grandparents pull this wagon out of the shed and into their front yard for Christmas and decorate it with running white lights on the wheels.

Horse-drawn wagons such as this were used to transport anything and everything on the farm. From being used when husking corn to hauling grain to the bin or hauling hogs to the butcher, this wagon was put to work.

One year, the lights were on the wrong way and the wagon was going backward. It was quite comical.

Until our next history lesson …

OptRX Helps Farmers Choose Nitrogen Rates

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights WeeklyChoosing how much nitrogen (N) to put on corn fields isn’t something farmers take lightly. Many factors go into the decision, including past experiences, the timing of application, yield goals, and results from soil tests.

That’s where crop sensor products such as OptRX from Ag Leader can help. When the OptRx sensors detect healthy plants, the system will call for less N to be applied. When the OptRx sensors see plants that need some help, the system will recommend more N. According to more than 50 on-farm demonstration projects conducted in Missouri from 2004 to 2008, crop sensors can select N rates for corn that outperform those chosen by farmers. Data from the study shows that sensor-selected rates increased yield by almost 2 bushels per acre, on average, while reducing by 25% the amount of excess N that was applied to fields but not removed in grain. (Read the full abstract study here.)

As concerns about N pollution continue to increase, products such as OptRX offer a way to more efficiently apply fertilizer without hurting yield or profits.

Ag Leader helps answer your questions about variable rate N application here.

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.

USDA Incorporates 4R Nutrient Stewardship in New Nutrient Management Standard

Melissa SandfortCompany Announcement, USDA

TFI Fertilizer Institute (TFI) commended the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for embracing 4R nutrient stewardship (the right nutrient source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place) at the national level with its December 13 release of the national conservation practice standard for nutrient management.

4R Nutrient Stewardship is an innovative and science-based approach to fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) to help achieve agricultural sustainability. The 4Rs imply there are four aspects to every fertilizer application and it provides a simple framework to assess whether a given crop has access to the necessary nutrients. Asking “Was the crop given the right source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place?” helps identify opportunities to improve fertilizer efficiency and prevent nutrient movement from each field. The four aspects of this system for fertilizer management are interconnected, and none of the four can be right when any one of them is wrong.

Over the past year, TFI has been working with the NRCS to provide input on their revision of this important standard. The nutrient management standard is an important tool in the NRCS conservation toolbox.

Food Not a Christmas Gift Choice

Chuck ZimmermanZimmPoll

Gadgets – 28%, are tops on the Christmas gift list according to our lates ZimmPoll, followed closely by Paying Bills – 25%. Those choices were followed by Clothes, 19%; Other, 14%; Farm Equipment, 9% and Tools, 5%. I find it very interesting that no one chose Food! Wow. Food makes a great gift don’t you think? Maybe we’re all so well fed that our focus has turned to other things? What do you think?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “Is Ethanol production good for ALL of Agriculture?” There’s a huge amount of on-going rhetoric about this subject and it seems to be a very divisive issue within the ag community. Let’s put it this way, the most heated arguments/debates I’ve heard or participated in this year were on this subject! What do you think?

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

Ag Aviators Facing Unnecessary Regulations

Cindy ZimmermanAerial Application, Audio, Farmers, Regulation

Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are facing potentially onerous regulations that could ground them if they are allowed to continue.

naaaThe biggest issue they are dealing with right now is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which National Agricultural Aviation Association executive director Andrew Moore told me just went into effect on Halloween. “It’s kind of a scary regulation,” said Andrew of the regulation which impacts pesticide application near water. “The problem is that it’s duplicative of everything that already exists to protect the environment in regard to pesticide regulation.”

Moore says the NPDES would require a great deal of paper work on the part of applicators. “FIFRA already regulates the safety of pesticides to water, so this is a completely unnecessary burdensome rule.” In addition, he says they are very considered about lawsuits under the new regulation.

naaaSo, NPDES was a big topic at the NAAA convention in Las Vegas last week, where workshops were held and applicators were educated about the current status of the federal rule and where it stands at the state level. Andrew says they are also urging aerial applicators – and really anyone in the agriculture industry – to contact their senators about the issue. “Because we’ve been successful in passing legislation that would exempt pesticide applications over water for FIFRA approved pesticides,” said Moore. The measure has been passed by the House and has gone through the Senate Agriculture Committee. “We believe we have the votes in the Senate but it’s not being brought to the floor for a vote,” he added.

Listen to my interview with Andrew Moore here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/basf/naaa11-andrew.mp3″ text=”NAAA executive director Andrew Moore”]

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 NAAA Convention is sponsored by BASF.

2012 Ag Events Calendar

Cindy ZimmermanCompany Announcement, General

zimmcomm calendarZimmComm New Media is proud to announce the very first (that we know of) Ag Events Calendar.

This slick 10×15 wall calendar includes dates for all the major ag-related events in 2012, along with photos each month from the 2011 events that we covered. There’s photos from the Iowa Power Farming Show, National Farm Machinery Show, Commodity Classic, Farm Progress Show and lots more.

We ordered a limited number of the calendars to give to some of our clients for Christmas, but then discovered that there are lots of other folks out there who would like to get a copy, so we are ordering more and offering them for sale.

For just $20 each plus $2 shipping/handling, you can get your very own 2012 Ag Events calendar here:

Order 2012 ZimmComm Ag Events Calendar.

Soybean Seed Treatment Growing

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Farmers, Growmark, seed

Seed treatment can be classified as a precision application for growers because it allows crop protection to be used more precisely right at planting within the seed itself.

Seed treatments have actually been around for decades and it’s reached the point that virtually all of the corn seed planted today is treated with some type of crop protection technology. However, GROWMARK product manager Dave Gentry says that while use of soybean seed treatment is growing, it is not yet as pervasive as corn. “Seed treatments on soybeans have not been quite as accepted until the last 4-5 years,” he said.

Gentry identifies four key reasons for a dramatic increase in the popularity of soybean seed treatments recently. “One is the improved active ingredients,” he said. “They are very effective at a much lower use rate.” The second reason is pushing the planting envelope. “As we’ve become more aggressive in our planting, soybeans are going into soils that are cooler and wetter, there’s more stresses early in the season and so seed treatments can reduce the impact of some of those stresses.”

Gentry says another reason is the value of the seed itself, which makes it worth investing in the treatment to protect it. And finally, the range of products to treat the seeds with has expanded, with additional offerings such as growth stimulants, inoculants, microbials and nematicides.

He notes that about 60% of soybean acres are currently being planted with treated seed, although percentages vary between regions with the east coast and the deep south lower and the eastern corn belt closer to 85%. As for the future, Gentry expects to see most soybean seed treated with products in the pipeline to control Sudden Death Syndrome and soybean cyst nematode. “I think the percentage of treatment will continue to grow and, like corn, start to approach 100%,” he says.

The big difference he sees between corn and soybean seed treatments is that soybeans are moving more to the local dealer level, “allowing them to respond to local situations and local disease and insect pressures.”

Listen to Dave’s thoughts on soybean seed treatment here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/growmark/gmk-gentry.mp3″ text=”Dave Gentry Interview”]

Find out more about seed treatment options in your specific area at FSSeed.com.

Ag Leader Announces Planter Down Force Monitor and Control

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Company Announcement

Ag Leader Technology is excited to announce the INTEGRA™ display will soon feature planter down force monitor and control capability, allowing the display to monitor and adjust down force based on field and soil conditions. Planting seed at the optimum row unit down force is an important factor in good crop germination, and ultimately, yield. The system will be available for the 2013 spring planting season, with field test systems in operation during the spring 2012 planting season.

The heart of the system is a hydraulic down force actuator, engineered by Dawn Equipment. The actuator is the fastest on the market, allowing the INTEGRA display to make quick row unit down force adjustments. Ag Leader will be selling and supporting a branded version of the actuator.

“Soil conditions encountered by the planter change fast,” says Ag Leader Product Manager Roger Zielke. “Other down force pressure systems that rely on air compressors and air bags can’t respond like this hydraulic system. The planter can be a long way past a different soil condition before air bags fully respond. The hydraulic system reacts as soon as the planter enters a different soil condition, providing consistent seed depth without seed trench compaction. Plus, hydraulic systems hold up better in dusty, rigorous field conditions compared to air-compressor systems.”

Novariant Hires Rick Wesch

Melissa SandfortCompany Announcement

Novariant, a leading provider of precision steering products for the agricultural market, has hired Rick Wesch to fill the newly created position of Vice President, Emerging Markets and lead the company’s global growth initiatives. Wesch will report to Chris Ragot, Novariant’s Chief Executive Officer, and will initially focus on China and the Asian markets.

“Rick brings international agricultural strategy and business development experience that will accelerate our growth in these rapidly expanding regions of the world,” said Mr. Ragot. “He and our emerging markets team will seek and develop new opportunities for distributing our industry-leading precision steering products, ParaDyme and OnTrac2 branded under AutoFarm as well as partner brands, into growing agricultural markets.”

Wesch has 20 years of experience in Agribusiness sales and marketing and has spent the last seven years in a variety of roles with John Deere and Company. He has a MS degree in Agronomy from Texas A&M and a MBA in Strategic Management and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.