Agricultural journalists had the opportunity to learn more about New Holland combines and other equipment at a media event last week in the company’s home town of New Holland, PA.

You may not realize it, but New Holland is kind of a big deal in combines. “New Holland was the first company to launch a rotary combine in the market,” Combine Market Manager Nigel Mackenzie told us. “That was back in 1975 with the TR70. That combine was built and designed in Nebraska and the latest evolution, the CR models, are still built there.”

The CR Combine was actually voted “Machine of the Year” last year at Agritechnica. “A lot of new features introduced on the model year 12 machines, primarily driven by greater fuel efficiency and emissions regulations,” Nigel says. “It was really great to be recognized by a group of journalists in Agritechnica for what we’ve done.”

Nigel says New Holland has six rotary combine models and three conventional models – he tells us all about it in this interview – Nigel Mackenzie Interview

New Holland Media Event album

Watch New Holland’s John Elliott give a short overview of their combine offerings with a CR8080 as a backdrop.

With planting now well underway and ahead of normal, we are definitely hearing that weed resistance is a major concern this year – all over the country now. Each year the problem is getting more challenging, so we want to know – how are you controlling resistant weed on your farm this year?

Core Market Plant Food Sales Director Joe Kilgus says the new facility was a good investment for GROWMARK to help support their FS members. “Obviously we need good distribution, having fertilizer in the right place at the right time,” he said during a recent tour of the terminal. “Teaming up with TGM gave us a location with capabilities of bringing in unit trains, which is valuable for purchasing fertilizer.”

Kilgus says GROWMARK’s Plant Food Division offers a variety of services for FS members that have become increasingly important in our global economy. “What happens in China, what happens in India, Europe, all around the globe, does have an affect on the prices of fertilizer here in the U.S.,” he said. “GROWMARK provides the service and the manpower to keep up on that world market. You have to be in that market every day and watch it. The price of oil, the value of the dollar, all of that affects fertilizer prices.”

GROWMARK also helps FS member companies and grower members by encouraging more efficient use of fertilizer. “GROWMARK’s a big supporter and promoter of precision farming. We also promote the 4Rs – right product, right place, right time at the right rate. We don’t want to see fertilizer over-applied, we want to see it put on correctly. We have a growing population to feed and we want to help farmers maximize what they produce.”

Listen to my interview with Joe here: GROWMARK's Joe Kilgus

Among the updates in SMS Basic/Advanced Version 12.0, updated tools allow growers to work with the latest file formats on the market from the following precision farming companies: Ag Leader, CNH, John Deere, Precision Planting, RDS and Trimble.

Ag Leader has also added a tool that allows for the exporting of information to a grower’s crop insurance provider. This includes information like dates planted, crop planted and acres planted. If growers would like to use the information collected by precision farming displays to help report to a crop insurance agent, contact Ag Leader’s software support team for this free tool unlock after updating to SMS Basic/Advanced v12.0.

Luke James, Ag Leader software sales specialist, says being able to provide specific crop and field information to insurance agents is on the minds of many growers this year.
Listen to James explain

Another function that’s helpful to insurance agents is the “Summary Report” from SMS. Growers can generate this type report by going to File – New – General Report in SMS Basic/Advanced.

As always, if growers have any questions after updating to SMS v12.0, contact Ag Leader’s software support team.

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.

“It is a 25,000 ton dry fertilizer blend facility and a 10,000 ton solution facility and this is the first spring we are using it,” said South Central FS CEO Randy Handel of the new facility which just opened at the end of February and is located on the same site as Total Grain Marketing (TGM). The fertilizer facility also benefits from being right on the rail line. “It’s a very good location being on the CSX track and it’s good sharing the resources with our grain elevator and it’s a very strategic location.”

Listen to my interview with Randy Handel here: South Central FS CEO Randy Handel

GROWMARK Southern Region Manager Brian Koenig says the liquid fertilizer terminal is fully automated and features around-the-clock load out capabilities. “It’s very efficient. We don’t need a lot of manpower here to operate the facility. It’s very technically driven,” he said during a recent GROWMARK media day tour.

Koenig says the new facility is very beneficial for FS member co-ops in the region. “It really helps Illini and South Central the most.” he said. “They’re able to retail right out of here. It’s a really key facility for them.” The facility’s location on the CSX rail line allows for nitrogen solution to be sourced from a number of points on the U.S. East Coast.

Koenig is pictured here during the media day doing an interview with Rita Frazer with RFD Radio Network.

Listen to my interview with Brian Koenig here: GROWMARK's Brian Koenig

“What is important about that is that it’s going to provide additional research dollars for stewardship programs,” Spencer said. “What we will see through this program is the ability to fund research projects in watersheds, looking at nutrient movement, and how we maximize efficiency, productivity and profitability for a producer. And when we do those things, we can feed the world.”

Spencer shared some of the cooperative’s top legislative priorities on both the state and national level during a media day tour last week on the day before Ag Day at the Illinois state capitol, where GROWMARK and other agricultural interests met with legislators to discuss issues important to the industry.

“Obviously everyone in Illinois is very concerned about budget, the cost of operations, consistency of policies, predictability of regulation in our business climate,” Chuck says. “We are seeing agriculture in the very fortunate position of being able to grow in this economy. We want to continue to do so.”

National priorities include the farm bill, of course, but also issues related to pesticide application permitting (HR872), transportation (limited exemption for hours of service for agriculture) and renewal of the Pesticide Registration and Improvement Act.

Listen to my interview with Chuck Spencer here: GROWMARK's Chuck Spencer

“It’s really an on-going process, especially with your customers that you’ve been doing business with for 25 years,” Dale says. “We’re in tune with a lot of the steps they do in their business. We’re like one of the family.”

Dale was among the first crop of crop specialists back in the late 1980′s when GROWMARK first developed the program. “When I became a salesman back in 1985, the general manager of Gateway, which was Randolph Service Center at the time, said he wanted to be the first company to have all certified crop specialists,” Dale said. “GROWMARK was a step ahead when they came out with the certified crop specialist to make sure that the people who were making recommendations were helping the farmer and not just putting money in their own pockets.”

Becoming a CCS requires testing in a number of different areas and frequent continuing education to keep up with the latest technological and crop protection advancements. “You have to keep that going with continued eds, on-farm discovery and contacts to make sure we’re doing it the right way,” said Dale. “I have to stay focused on what’s ahead.”

Dale says a lot has changed in farming since he first became a CCS, with less farmers and bigger operations, more focus on the environment and the advancement of precision technology. “The technology has really opened our eyes about drainage, backing away from the tree line,” he said. “Once you have a number off the yield monitor, it really gets farmers thinking about what he can do to better manage.”

Listen to my interview with Dale here: Dale Bermester Interview

Panel member Nancy Kavazanjian, a farmer from Wisconsin who grows corn, soybeans and wheat, talked about what the word “sustainability” meant to her. “When a farmer hears the word sustainable they kind of cringe,” she says. “It concerns them that they’re being forced to do something that they’re not already doing.” But she adds that most farmers are being sustainable since they are multi-generations on the farm and they have to be sustainable for that to happen. To become more sustainable Nancy says they use cover crops and precision ag to make sure they can strip-till and they definitely use new technology and that includes seed technology to get the best yields. The use of these technologies reduces the amount of inputs they have to use.

You can listen to an interview with Nancy from the Ag Issues Forum here: Interview with Nancy Kavazanjian

2012 Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum Photo Album

“It’s been a really weird winter and we just really don’t know what to expect,” says GROWMARK Weed Science Technical Manager Barry Nash, noting that the lack of any significant freeze may increase the weed pressure faster this year. “As a result we fully expect to see weed germination of the summer annuals by the end of March.”

That includes waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth (pictured), which is on the increase in the Midwest. “So, it’s very critical that we get on these weeds and start a weed control program early by using a pre-plant herbicide as well as a post-emergence program later in the summer,” Barry said.

Those resistant pigweed species can produce “an absolutely crazy number” of 400,000-500,000 seeds per plant. “With that kind of seed production, it becomes a serious, serious weed especially when it becomes resistant to glyphosate,” he said, adding that giant ragweed is the other big concern.

The battle plan to fight these resistant weeds is multiple modes of action. “That includes not just different modes of action, but overlapping modes of action,” said Barry. “That makes resistance much less possible to happen.”

GROWMARK works with the various university specialists in the Midwest to find out the latest information in the war on weeds and pass that along to the farmers.

Listen to my interview with Barry Nash here: Barry Nash Interview

Among those who attended was Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee. During brief remarks, the Congressman talked about his desire to do what he can to support the effort to communicate the importance of agriculture to the general public and those who implement policies in the nation’s capitol. “People think that they know better than farmers how to do things. Most of them have no clue what they’re doing,” he said.

He says the farm bill process will begin in earnest over the next few weeks. “Our goal is to try and get this done by May or early June. It will not be easy, given the climate around here.” the congressman said. “We’re determined to work together and try to do what’s best for agriculture and for America.” He added that agriculture is “the only part of the economy is working.”

Listen to remarks from Congressman Peterson here: Remarks from Congressman Collin Peterson

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the Celebration of Agriculture Dinner for National Agriculture Day activities.

The secretary talked about the establishment of USDA by President Lincoln 150 years ago, noting that it had two major missions at the time – collection of information about crops and research. “The president established it as “the people’s department” and the idea was that this would be a forward-thinking, futuristic department, constantly looking for ways that we could be stronger agriculturally,” he said. “I wish President Lincoln and those that were in Congress could come back now and see what they created – see the extraordinary story of American agriculture.”

Listen to remarks from Secretary Vilsack here: Remarks from Secretary Vilsack

2012 National Agriculture Day Activities Photo Album

CTIC Executive Director Karen Scanlon says they will host the event on May 31 near Tunica, Miss., which will include educational field visits, technology demonstrations and opportunities to speak directly with growers about their on-farm solutions to natural resources issues. “We’ll be meeting producers who are leading the way with water conservation, water quality protection and wildlife habitat management on their farms,” Scanlon said during an interview at Commodity Classic.

Scanlon says CTIC has partnered with Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (Delta F.A.R.M.) to host the Conservation In Action Tour 2012. Delta F.A.R.M., an association of growers and landowners who strive to implement recognized agricultural practices that will conserve, restore and enhance the Northwest Mississippi environment, recently celebrated 1 million acres enrolled in its conservation programs. “We’ll be getting an academic perspective, a government perspective, a legislative perspective, as well as the producer perspective on some of these critical issues in the lower Mississippi River basin,” she said.

The Mississippi Delta is one of the largest contiguous coastal ecosystems in North America, boasting both ecological and economic value. The Delta hosts the United States’ largest fishery, by weight, and its port activity rivals those worldwide. The region also generates a significant portion of the United States’ energy and provides critical wildlife habitat.

On-line registration for the event is now open for anyone who would like to attend. Coverage of the event will be provided here on Precision Pays and on AgWired.com, thanks to support from both CTIC and AGROTAIN, just as we have the last two years.

Listen to an interview with Karen about the event here: Interview with Karen Scanlon

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

“By focusing 1 million acres of CRP on grasslands and wetlands, this initiative will have enormous benefits for farmers, sportsmen, and all Americans,” said Vilsack. “CRP is one of our nation’s most valuable and vital conservation efforts, ensuring cleaner air and water, preventing soil erosion, and enhancing economic opportunity in rural America by supporting recreation and tourism. With high crop prices, this approach to target our most sensitive lands is essential if we want to maintain the substantial benefits of CRP while ensuring that productive farm lands continue to produce the food and fiber Americans and the world needs.”

Vilsack highlighted the announcement later in the days at the Interior Department during the White House Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy conference, which emphasized the link between conservation and strong local economies through tourism, outdoor recreation, and healthy lands, waters and wildlife.

The secretary discussed a variety of issues during his address at the 2012 Commodity Classic, including some tough talk for lawmakers on getting a new Farm Bill done. “As Congress works on this farm bill, the country needs them to have the political courage and spine to work on immigration reform and get that done and get it done now,” Vilsack said, noting that even if Congress thinks it’s a tough time to do it, “that’s not what America does. We don’t make excuses, we solve problems and we expect our leaders to do that.”

Listen to or download Visack’s address here: Secretary Tom Vilsack at Commodity Classic

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

It was the main question that the presidents of the four farm organizations that participate in Classic answered during their time on stage during the general session with emcee Mark Mayfield. It was also the subject of a joint press release issued during the convention by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), American Soybean Association (ASA), National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and National Sorghum Producers (NSP) expressing the unanimous opinion that their farmers want to see a 2012 Farm Bill in 2012.

“Commodity Classic provides our organizations an opportunity to come together to discuss important policy issues facing our industry. As Congress continues work on the next farm bill, our organizations agree that an affordable crop insurance program is our No. 1 priority. We also stand ready to work with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders to create farm programs that provide risk-management tools to growers when they are facing a loss beyond their control.

“Our organizations represent more than 70 percent of all crop acres in the United States. Agriculture is a bright spot in our nation’s economy, sustainably meeting the expanding demands to provide food, feed, fuel and fiber to the world. We are pleased to see the Senate and House Agriculture Committees have produced such an aggressive schedule and we thank them for their efforts.”

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Listen to or download audio from each organization’s president below:

Dr. Wolf says the program focuses on research and education of applicators to “maximize control of weeds and minimize spray drift.”

One of the educational tools he uses is a spray table that is designed to allow applicators to actually see the differences between spray nozzles, the droplet size and drift produced. “I encourage them to put water in their sprayer on a day when they’re not busy, turn the sprayer on, get out and walk along and do some comparisons,” he said.

On Target Application Academies will be held throughout 2012 at industry and state events. Sessions will be about two hours long and cover a number of topics including best practices for self applications, nozzle selection, adjuvants, calibration, sprayer set up, equipment clean out, and more. More information on dates and locations will be available from BASF representatives and on the BASF website.

Listen to or download an interview with Bob Wolf here: Dr. Bob Wolf

Watch Dr. Wolf’s demonstration of the spray table during the BASF “Science Behind” event held in conjunction with Commodity Classic in Nashville:

2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album
2012 BASF Science Behind Photo Album

Final Tier 4/Stage IV regulations for off-highway diesel engines begin as early as 2013 for engines 55 kW (74 hp) and below. Regulatory dates for engines 56 kW (75 hp) and above will be implemented in stages starting in 2014 and 2015, and require particulate matter (PM) levels established by Interim Tier 4/Stage III B regulations to be maintained while requiring an additional 80 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) from previous regulations.

For more information on John Deere’s Final Tier 4/Stage IV engine technology, check our web site at www.JohnDeere.com/tier4.

Listen to or download the press conference here: John Deere Tier 4 Press Conference

You can find photos from this year’s Commodity Classic here: 2012 Commodity Classic Photo Album

It’s the Ag Leader Technology VERSA display, which has all of the most popular year-round precision tools – including guidance, auto-steering control, SeedCommand planting control, DirectCommand application control, yield monitoring and mapping – in one small package.

“For growers who are just getting started in precision ag or for growers who need a second monitor, this is definitely a great option,” said Ag Leader’s Russ Morman at last week’s National Farm Machinery Show. It was the first time most farmers at the show had been able to see the monitor, because it is basically brand new. “We introduced it late last year and we actually just started shipping them in the last week or so.”

Russ says response to the new monitor has been very good. “I’ve had numerous guys come by and say “hey, I ordered one of these I just wanted to see what they looked like in person.”

Response to all things Ag Leader has actually been very good from farmers everywhere. “We’ve expanded our presence everywhere,” said Russ, noting that Ag Leader is celebrating its 20th anniversary in precision ag this year. “Canada, the south, east and west – and all over the world, for that matter. We’re actually opening offices overseas right now.”

Find out more about VERSA and Ag Leader in this interview with Russ: Russ Morman Interview

Thanks to Ag Leader Technology for helping us provide coverage of the 2012 NFMS and for their support of the agriculture industry!

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg (left) and Vice President of Agronomy Jim Spradlin both attended the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) grower event last week in Collinsville, Illinois. Solberg says the program is designed to help growers meet the challenges of feeding a growing world population. “We believe that the production that we have to have to feed the world is so important,” says Solberg. “The way that you go about it is through good, sustainable, environmentally-sound practices which allow us to farm with freedom, to do it in the right way, and to make sure that we get the yields to feed all the people we’ve got coming at us in the next 30 years.”

Listen to my interview with Jeff Solberg here, where he also talks about the International Year of the Cooperative and GROWMARK’s big anniversary this year: GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg

Instead of taking a bird’s eye view, one-size-fits-all approach, the POMY program works with individual farmers to find out what works best in their own operations. “That’s been a very exciting concept,” said Spradlin. “Our crop specialists, which number between 400-500 throughout our system, have really embraced the idea of seeing what we can do on farmer fields, answering farmer questions.”

Spradlin says the growth in the system has been tremendous since it began just three years ago, starting with just about 200 trials to over 600 in 2011.

Listen to my interview with Jim Spradlin here: Jim Spradlin Interview

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Dale Dobson, Safety Administrator for the Department, and Scott Cedarquist, Director of Standards & Technical Activities, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), were working the exhibit at NFMS to provide a very visual farm safety message.

Dale says the message is pretty simple – “Roll bars and seat belts work only if you put the roll bar up and you click the seat belt. It’s your choice. It’s life and death.” Scott says that ASABE has a major focus on safety as the standards setting organization and they have committees for specific safety components like lighting and marking.

Listen to an interview with both Dale and Scott here: Promoting Farm Safety Interview

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

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 heart of the system is a hydraulic down force actuator (as compared to other pneumatic airbag systems), 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 was giving growers a preview of the new system at the National Farm Machinery Show this week, where we spoke with Russ Morman about when it will be available, how it works, and the benefits for growers. “The adjustments we’re going to be able to make to our down pressure will be a lot quicker than the other systems on the market and this being a metal system rather than an air bag it won’t have the risk of puncturing,” said Russ.

Listen to Russ explain the new system here: Interview with Russ Morman

Watch Russ do a little video demo at NFMS here:

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

So what does this mean to you, the grower? You can now make nearly instantaneous changes to the down force while airbags can take several seconds to make an adjustment. This equates to improved planting because seed will be in the ground at exactly the right place at the right time, since field conditions can vary even just several feet down the line. And seconds can really count.

The INTEGRA is also capable of advanced seed monitoring and controlling In-Furrow and Starter fertilizer applications, variable rate population control and other planting functions.

Some advantages of hydraulics:
1. Instantaneous response time allows the system to react to the constantly changing field conditions much faster than pneumatic systems.
2. The Ag Leader system will have very low hydraulic requirements (3 gallons/minute or less vs. hydraulic driven air compressors that can require 8 gallons/minute.)
3. Durable and rugged cast enclosure, so growers don’t have to worry about failures such as airbags that get punctured or wear out over time.
4. Two channels of control allows the system to tailor the down force on the rows at the center of the planter near all load bearing wheel tracks where more down force is needed due to greater soil compaction, as opposed to the wings of the planter.
5. Competitive systems average the needed amount of down force needed regardless of location of the rows on the planter.

Ag Leader is conducting final product evaluations this spring in real-world conditions. Pricing will be released June 1 and the product will be available for purchase in November.

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.

The new products list includes:

• New Holland Narrow Row Tractors Pack More Power in Orchards and Vineyards
• New Holland T6 Series Mid‐Range Tractors Feature ECOBlue™ Engine Technology
• High‐Clearance Tractor
• New Holland ‘Lean & Mean’ TS6 Series Tractors
• MegaCutter™ Triple Disc Mower‐Conditioners Cut 29’ 6” of Hay in a Single Pass
• ProRotor™ Rakes Promote Higher Quality Forage
• Boomer™ Compact Tractors
• Telehandlers Offer High Lifting Performance in Compact Package
• Enhanced Clean Energy Website

Listen to an interview with John to learn more about all the new products being introduced by New Holland: Interview with John Elliott

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Dr. Below talked about his seven wonders of corn yield research at both the Iowa and Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) events organized by FS Green Plan Solutions. He says of the seven factors, only one is really beyond the control of growers. “The largest factor affecting corn yield is obviously the weather,” he said, adding that his research has assigned a value of 70+ the impact of weather on bushels per acre.

On the other hand, Below says good fertilizer nitrogen management can have almost as much impact as weather and it’s the one that farmers have the most control over. “70 bushels is the current average for getting it just right,” he said.

For much of the Corn Belt, 2011 was one of those bad years for weather, but we still saw some good yields. “The weather worked against us in 2011 and we were geared up to grow 300 bushels right out of the ground. It looked pretty good,” he said. “If our management had not made yield by the third week of June, we were pretty well done.” Still, over at his research plots in Illinois, Below says they managed to get better yields with high tech management. “Even under those poor conditions, by managing from the very beginning and planning for high yields, we managed to eke out an extra 26 bushels in a bad year,” he said.

Dr. Below has been researching how to get higher corn yields for a couple of years now and even has a website about the “7 Wonders of Corn” and this coming year is will be doing some complementary research on soybeans. With no nitrogen component to soybeans, there will only be six wonders for soybean success.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Below here: Dr. Fred Below Interview

Fastline Publications unveiled AgRacer at the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show. This game app is available for the iPhone/touch/iPad and Android devices for just 99 cents.

AgRacer combines the fun of racing with farm equipment and the thrill of competing for prizes every month. Choose from seven vehicles to race and earn points by winning and driving the biggest vehicles that help generate the most points to climb the leader board.

Racers can use three different camera angles to race and a leader board keeps track of racer positions. Scores move up and down as racerws compete with family and friends locally and all over the world. The top racers will have the chance to win prizes valued over $1,000 each month. “AgRacer was developed to help expose more people to our great agricultural market and allow people of all ages have fun with farm equipment in a whole new way,” said Fastline president Tim Hess.

Chuck interviewed Tim Hess this morning at NFMS. Tim says Fastline has been working on the game for almost a year as a way to expand their brand into a younger market. The game is here live on the iPad in the Fastline booth. As an extra incentive, Fastline is offering a dollar to everyone who downloads the 99 cent app at NFMS.

Listen to the interview with Tim to learn more about AgRacer: Interview with Tim Hess

AgRacer can be download in the Itunes Store and the Android Market for $.99. Upgrades and updates are planned to further expand the game after the initial launch. Join the Pit crew and stay up to date on new releases at agracer.com. AgRacer… The race is on.

2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Corinne says they had a waiting list for the 47th annual show with some companies still trying to get in as of yesterday! This show is the biggest one held in the facility and brings in over $21.5 million to the local community. She says many people make the show part of their vacation. They can get some “work” out of the way during the day and relax and enjoy the tractor pull in the evening.

Listen to or download Chuck’s interview with Corinne here: Interview with Corinne Fetter

We’re collecting photos from this year’s show here: 2012 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Phil is a crop and livestock producer from Teutopolis who got involved in pursuing maximum yields at the start of the program about three years ago. “Historically, we’ve tried different things as they come down the pike through the FS System, so we were more than glad to participate,” Phil said, noting that his interest was piqued when his crop specialist talked to him about multiple applications of nitrogen. “We were already applying nitrogen in the fall then we came back in the spring and applied with a little anhydrous,” he said. “We went with two more applications of nitrogen, one with our chemicals and then another time with urea with Agrotain in it. So we did four applications of nitrogen and I think that’s been key to feeding that plant as it grows.”

That has helped him get a 189.5 bushel five-year average yield, about 35 bushels an acre better than the county average. “We’re in livestock so 65-70% of the corn we raise goes to the hog operation and with the extra yield that gives me more to sell in the market,” Phil says. “I like to have that cash flow.”

Listen to my interview with Phil here: Phillip Hartke Interview

Steve Sondgeroth grows corn and soybeans in Vero County Illinois and 2011 was the first year he participated in the Pursuit of Maximum Yield program, specifically on his soybean crop. For him, it was all about removing stress. “Pursuit of maximum yield means just that and I just pulled out all the stops,” he said. “I think I hit the home run this year. My soybeans averaged 82.4 bushels an acre.”

Steve says some of the things he did were a little outside the box. “I have not inoculated soybeans since I was a little boy, but this year I did,” he said. “I wanted to make sure we had plenty of rhizobia bacteria to increase the nitrogen fixing.”

What really excites Steve about the POMY program is how it allows farmers to share practices that work with each other. “It’s most unusual in the sense that there is real openness and willingness to share ideas,” he said. “There’s not too many businesses that I know of where you actually share the information that is most vital to your operation.”

Listen to my interview with Steve here: Steve Sondgeroth Interview

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

That is one of the main messages that Virginia Tech economist Dr. David Kohl had for growers attending the FS Green Plan Solutions Pursuit of Maximum Yields event in Collinsville, Illinois today.

Dr. Kohl talked about the importance of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to U.S. agriculture. “You have an agriculture economy that is doing extremely well because they’re connected with the BRICS nations that are demanding food, fiber and fuel,” he said. “It’s important to keep an eye on those BRICS nations more than just the U.S. economy in developing your agricultural plans.”

Dr. Kohl says U.S. agriculture has been in a “super cycle” for nine years, which is unprecedented, and the two main reasons are exports and ethanol. He also talked about “black swans,” mega trends, top challenges, and the connectivity of agriculture.

My favorite quote from his talk is “The best crop you can raise is your children.”

Listen to my interview with Dr. Kohl here: Dr. Dave Kohl Interview

Photos from Illinois Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

“We’re excited to have a hashtag at the event,” said GROWMARK Electronic Communications Specialist Heather (Miller) Thompson. “We’ve given every grower and crop specialist a little card about how to tweet from the event and if they don’t have a Twitter account, how to create one.”

Heather says the FS Green Plan Solutions crop specialists are finding Twitter to be a quick and easy communications tool to get information out to growers and they are seeing more and more adopt it every day.

She and the rest of the GROWMARK communications team were also actively promoting CropNAtion, which is a social site introduced last year for farmers and ranchers to ask questions, share information and photos, and grow connections with others in the ag industry. “That’s still really in it’s infancy,” Heather said. “We’re trying to get word spread about it to get a base and also waiting for an iPhone and Android app that should be out any day now.”

GROWMARK and FS are also making good use of other social media and smartphone tools, like Facebook and QR codes.

Listen to Heather talk about it here: Heather Thompson Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

“It’s all about MOM,” Brown said at the POMY event Thursday in Bettendorf, Iowa. “It’s about Maximizing yield, Optimizing nitrogen utilization and Minimizing environmental impact.”

This is the third year for the program and the second year that they have gotten growers together to share the knowledge the program is helping to generate. Last year they held one grower meeting in Peoria. This year there are two meetings – the Iowa meeting last week and another one coming up in Belleville, Illinois on Tuesday. Between the two, they expect to reach at least 500 farmers with an educational and entertaining program that includes great speakers like Dr. Fred Below with the University of Illinois and growers who have participated in the program.

Brown is pleased with how quickly the on-farm discovery program has caught on with growers. “It has grown very fast in a large area,” he said, noting that he just made presentations about the program in Ohio where farmers are anxious to participate. “A lot of them have already been doing it, they just never formalized that approach and we’re going to offer that to them.”

Listen to my interview with Howard Brown here: Dr. Howard Brown Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Mark Pearson is long-time host of the Iowa Public Television program “Market to Market”, as well as being a farmer himself, and he was thrilled to be part of the event and excited about the whole Pursuit of Maximum Yields concept. “The exciting part of what FS is doing is instead of offering a product, they’re offering a system,” he said. “And I think that’s going to be more of a template for agribusiness, being more of a partner.”

Pearson says the whole point of working toward maximum yields for corn growers is meeting that growing demand. “We’ve got a growing world middle class, we’ve got growing or at least stable demand for ethanol, we’ve got a product that’s in big demand overseas,” he said. “It’s exciting what GROWMARK and FS Services are doing because we need the production.”

Pearson says he is proud of the way farmers can get together in a forum like this to help each other do a better job of feeding the world. “Because good farmers are more than willing to share what they’re doing and hear what you’re doing,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Mark Pearson here: Mark Pearson Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

That was one of the main questions that Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association Executive Secretary Bill Angstadt addressed at the Pursuit of Maximum Yields event organized by FS Green Plan Solutions in Bettendorf, Iowa Thursday. He noted several examples of pressures being placed on growers to produce more with less. “There are several initiatives, one called “Food to Market,” where food companies like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Walmart have come together,” he said. “What Coca-Cola originally wanted was to be able to put a label on their bottle that says ‘the corn syrup that was used in making this product did not harm the environment.’ Those kinds of concepts are out there.”

Angstadt also discussed the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Limit (TMDL) requirement by EPA in his area of the country that would limit nitrogen and phosphorus used in the region. “This public policy of trying to established when and how to quantify that a farmer is meeting water quality standards and how can a farmer verify this as an assurance to EPA is the debate that we’re in right now,” he said. The proposal is currently facing a legal challenge by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Listen to my interview with Bill Angstadt here: Bill Angstadt Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event

Because the whole concept of pursuing maximum yields is based on the population growth expected in the future, it was fitting that New Mexico State University economist and futurist Dr. Lowell Catlett was first on the program. One thing Dr. Catlett sees in the future is more crap. What he calls “The Crap Factor” is higher disposable income to buy more crap. “The quality of our life has gone up dramatically and the price to have (the necessities) relative to our income has gone down,” he says. That allows people to buy more extras, and in the case of developing countries, it means they have more income to buy more protein.

As for the future of agriculture, Catlett says it’s not so much in precision agriculture now as in prescription agriculture. “It’s part of the reason that these farmers are in this room because they’re doing small plots on their farms to see what they can do,” said Catlett. “Getting a prescription for a farm is what will get maximum yields.”

Catlett also talked about how smart phones are helping farmers. “You’ve got the ability to take that mobile technology and do plant diagnostics with it,” he said. In the future, he sees the use of open source hardware (not just software) and 3D assembly that could allow manufacturing to actually be done on site with local materials, like building tractors on farms in developing nations.

Listen to my interview with Lowell Catlett here: Lowell Catlett Interview

Photos from Iowa Pursuit of Maximum Yields Event