Panther Pro Herbicide from Nufarm

Ag Media Summit, AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, Herbicide, Nufarm

Nufarm’s Panther® Pro herbicide for soybeans was on display during the Info Expo at the 2017 Ag Media Summit in Snowbird, Utah. Nufarm Communications Specialist, Emilia Villacis, said the product fights broad spectrum weed control in burndown, pre-plant and pre-emergent applications; and residual control of weeds in crop-fallow and non-crop bare ground uses.

Panther Pro will hit the market this fall in time for growers to start planning for the 2018 growing season providing residual control of more than 60 weeds.

Learn more about Nufarm and why they attended Ag Media Summit in Chuck’s complete interview with Emilia here: Interview with Emilia Villacis, Nufarm

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

Plant Growth Regulators – An Essential for Plant Growth

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Nutrient Management, Nutrition, StollerUSA

Chief Chemist and GLobal Director of Compliance for Stoller USA, Dr. Ritesh Sheth, was at the 2017 Ag Media Summit representing Stoller during the Info Expo. A new product they were spreading news about was their Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus, a plant growth regulator (PGR) for optimal yield production.

“The reason we are launching this product is that it is the only product on the market that has four plant growth regulators in a stable formulation. We are trying to educate farmers that PGR’s are essential,” Dr. Sheth said.

Farmers know seeds, nutrients and pesticides are essential, but likely don’t consider PGR’s. Dr. Sheth said that PGR’s regulate how well the nutrients are taken up. They are similar to a human bodies hormones, which control our overall health. He also stressed the beauty of this product – it’s good for all crops.

The PGR’s or hormones found in Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus are cytokinin (CK), gibberellin (GA), and two auxins (IAA and IBA) formulated in the ideal ratio of 2:1:1 which adapts through time: initially CK, GA, IAA for triggering plant growth, then: CK, GA, IBA for developing better yield characteristics.

Listen to Chuck’s complete interview with Dr. Sheth here: Interview with Dr. Ritesh Sheth, Stoller

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

PERC Announces New Propane Farm Incentive Program

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, propane

If you’ve been thinking about switching to propane, now is the time, says Cinch Munson, director of agriculture business development at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).  The Propane Farm Incentive program has been newly revised, taking it from a two-step process to one-step where farmers receive their application packet from the dealer when they purchase a piece of qualifying equipment.  “We wanted to make things easier,” Munson said.

The purpose of the program is to offset the costs of purchasing propane-powered equipment and to gather valuable information about increasing efficiency and the development of new equipment.  Currently propane equipment in the ag space includes irrigation engines, prime power generators, heating systems for greenhouses and animals, and a few grain dryers.  To find a list of qualifying purchases, visit www.propane.com/farmincentive.

Two new offerings have also been brought to market by Origins Engines.  The new 5.7 L and 6.2 L engines provide higher horsepower that was previously lacking.  “We’re pretty excited to see that come to market because more choices are always a benefit for the consumer,” Munson told Cindy.

As with all good things, this offer will come to an end.  Currently it’s set to continue through 2017, but if you’re thinking about it, do it now, Munson advised.  There are lots of positives and very few negatives.

“It’s a good size incentive on an engine that, in most every case, costs considerably less than the latest Tier 4 engines.  So by choosing propane you save money on the cost up front.  Participating in the Farm Incentive Program you save even more money, and then the operating costs on those engines- we’ve seen over the last five years- by using propane instead of diesel, an operation can save 30 to 50 percent on their operating costs.”

Listen to Cindy’s full interview with Munson here: Interview with Cinch Munson, PERC

Precision Ag Bytes 8/9

AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

Young Beekeeper Recognized by Bayer

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Bees, pollinators

Bayer recently announced the recipients of the fifth annual Bayer Bee Care Community Leadership Award for dedication to pollinator protection and educating their communities about bee health. This year’s winners are young beekeeper Jake Reisdorf, and Kirk and Heidi Tubbs of Tubbs Berry Farm in partnership with the Twin Falls County Pest Abatement District.

Bayer expanded the scope of its awards program this year to show support for the future of the beekeeping industry with a new young beekeeper award.

Jake is the first-ever beekeeper under 18 years of age to receive this award, which includes a $1,000 prize to support his school and community honey bee-focused initiatives. Among 20 entries, based on his standout application, 14-year-old Jake was selected for his diversified approach to pollinator health and commendable efforts to ensure that future generations understand the significant impact of bees on the ecosystem.

“It is so cool to receive the Bayer Bee Care Community Leadership Award for my efforts to educate the world about the honey bee,” said Jake Reisdorf, owner of the Carmel Honey Company. “With the money I’ve been awarded, I’d like to fulfill my dream of building an educational center called Pollination World to teach people about all types of pollinators including bees, bats, birds and butterflies.”

Learn more about how Jake got started in beekeeping and how he gives back to the community in this interview.
Interview with young beekeeper Jake Reisdorf

Tubbs Berry Farm began beekeeping 10 years ago due to pollination issues and have since become a local resource in Twin Falls, Idaho, for anything related to beekeeping. They were recognized for their pollinator-supportive partnership in the Pacific Northwest for its positive impact in the realm of honey bee health.

Soil Health Institute Endorses 19 Soil Health Measurements

AgWired Precision, Conservation, Soil, Soil Health Institute, sustainability

After three years of industry collaboration, the Soil Health Institute (SHI) has endorsed 19 national soil health measurements that will help answer the question “Just how healthy (or unhealthy) are the nation’s soils?”

“We can’t really know the answer to that question until we have a set of common soil health measurements that scientists and farmers can compare and track over time,” said Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, CEO of the Soil Health Institute. “But we believe our endorsement of 19 measures will help us seek and track that common ground – and ultimately answer that important question.”

Over the last three years, scientists from public and private sectors, farmers, field conservationists, soil test laboratories and many others provided input to develop a “Tier 1” list of recommended soil health measures, considered effective indicators of soil health. These specific measurements are regionally defined, have known thresholds, and help define management strategies to improve soil function – like providing nutrients and water.

“Many of these Tier 1 measures have proven effective to help producers achieve high yields for decades,” Honeycutt said. “Consequently, many of the soil test laboratories and field conservationists are already using these measurements. Currently, the Soil Health Institute is reaching out to those organizations to explore additional implementation opportunities.”

Work continues with the agricultural industry to add more measurements to the Tier 1 classification – currently being researched as Tier 2 and Tier 3 measurements. They require additional research to elevate them to Tier 1 usefulness. Such research may involve understanding regional differences in interpretation, establishing thresholds, and developing management recommendations to improve soil functioning.

Learn more from SHI.

USDA Getting #BackToOurRoots

AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, USDA

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been on a five-state “Back to Our Roots” Tour to gather input on the 2018 Farm Bill, meeting with farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, students, governors, USDA employees, and other stakeholders. This is the first of two RV tours the secretary will undertake this summer.

This first RV Tour features stops in five states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. “The ‘Back to our Roots’ Farm Bill and rural prosperity RV listening tour will allow us to hear directly from people in agriculture across the country, as well as our consumers – they are the ones on the front lines of American agriculture and they know best what the current issues are,” Perdue said.

Secretary Sonny held a press conference this morning to talk about his trip, with reporters’ questions including issues with Sam Clovis’ nomination, dicamba concerns, and drought in the Dakotas.
Sec. Perdue presser on Back to our Roots tour

CropTrak Continues Steady Success

AgWired Precision, CropTrak, Info Ag, Precision Agriculture, Software, technology, Video

In an industry where tech start-ups abound, CropTrak is a self-made success story in the precision ag space by simply selling a good product that people want to buy.

The company started in 2009 and has just continued to grow year after year “with a little rinky dink booth at InfoAg” and little to no marketing, as VP of sales Jonathan Sherrill told attendees during a session at the 2017 InfoAg Conference. “Most people don’t know that we are entirely self-funded and have been self-funded since 2009,” said Sherrill.

CropTrak creates software that focuses on improving customer efficiency in data collection, management, reporting, and results while helping produce safer food and Sherrill says they have never offered a “freemium” product to attain over 500 paying customer companies with a software and services renewals rate of 96 percent. “We’ve maintained that for 6-7 years running,” Sherrill said.

Learn more about CropTrak in the video below of Sherrill’s session at InfoAg.

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak

Fall Weed Control Ideas From FMC

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, weeds

I’ll bet you want to talk about fall weed control right? Good. Because during the Ag Media Summit I spoke with Tom Becker, FMC, on this topic.

One of the reasons this is important according to Tom is the need to protect new traits that you might be using in a crop like soybeans. There are some very problematic weeds out there that make a good residual product key to helping you protect your investment. Multiple modes of action and multiple application timings are also key to a good fall weed control program.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here to learn more: Interview with Tom Becker, FMC

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

AgriEdge Excelsior Farm Management From Syngenta

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Software, Syngenta

Syngenta has brought their farmer-customers a farm management program through AgriEdge Excelsior. AgriEdge Excelsior delivers software, on-farm service and innovative products. We met up with Stacey Shaw, AgriEdge Specialist, Syngenta, during the 2017 Ag Media Summit in Utah to hear more about the programs focus on technology, service and risk management.

“The big picture of the AgriEdge Excelsior program is centered around helping farmers make better decisions in the field. We look at costs of inputs and if it’s profitable for them to run a piece of ground. We also help with planting and better record keeping. We help growers get better at what they do,” Shaw said.

The Land.db software utilized is cloud-based and helps growers digitally organize their data across devices. Shaw said it was developed by growers for growers, making it user-friendly and enabling all growers to collect and analyze data.

Listen to my complete conversation with Stacey as he takes us through the farm management programs entire package. Interview with Stacey Shaw, Syngenta

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC