Like many other Midwestern states, Nebraska’s planting season has been running two to three weeks ahead of normal. We visited with Steve Johnsen, an Asgrow territory agronomist in southeast Nebraska, about what farmers should prepare for in terms of early season insect, weed and disease pressure in their soybeans.
Nebraska-based Plains Equipment Group plans special events
May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It’s that time of year when many John Deere dealers around the country hold special Green Tag Events.
Plains Equipment Group, which has 15 locations in Nebraska and Kansas, will hold Green Tag Events at its North Platte, Nebraska location on May 19th and at the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Nebraska on May 22nd and 23rd.
Both events will feature “Ride and Drive” opportunities.
Plains Equipment Group’s marketing manager Angela Armagost talks about the North Platte event on May 19th.
AUDIO: Angela Armagost (2:20 MP3)
Several of Plains Equipment Group’s sales professionals will be on hand for the May 22-23 Green Tag Event in Lincoln. We visited with some of them about what visitors will be able to see and do at the event.
AUDIO: James Feak on tractors (2:35 MP3)
AUDIO: Ty Eret on mowers (1:51 MP3)
AUDIO: Rod Nelson on Gators (2:00 MP3)
Plains Equipment Group is also holding what regional manager Kent Kirchhoff calls “our biggest sale ever on used equipment.” Kirchhoff tells Brownfield that Plains has thousands of pieces of equipment on sale and is also offering special financing on used equipment purchases through July 31st.
AUDIO: Kent Kirchhoff (1:48 MP3)
Raven’s guidance and steering systems continue to evolve
May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
One of the biggest changes in farming in the past decade has been the introduction of auto guidance and steering systems. Raven has been one of the leaders in that area. During a recent visit to Raven headquarters in Sioux Falls, we asked Tim Heins, product manager for guidance and steering, for an update.
Ag Connect Expo “Masters & Mavericks”
May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In an effort to “introduce experts and innovators who are shaping the world of agriculture” Ag Connect Expo & Summit is running a “Masters and Mavericks” contest on their website. Starting this week, clues will be given about the identity of an individual each week on the website and via Facebook and Twitter. The first person to correctly identify the individual will win a $150 Visa gift card.
Christina Wade with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers says “These are the people that AG CONNECT is all about; the producers that want to talk about the emerging trends before they become a problem, the people that want to make their operation stronger, faster and more progressive.”
Details and the contest are available here:
Audio: Sara Mooney talks about Masters and Mavericks 3:49 mp3
Making quality farm tires requires the right ‘recipe’
May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
There’s more to a tough farm tire than meets the eye. 
We recently had the opportunity to visit with Marty Morrow, vice president of compounding and materials development with Titan Tire Corporation. Morrow is the formulation chemist responsible for the development of all rubber compounds used in Titan and Goodyear Farm Tire products.
Morrow says the development of quality farm tires begins with the right “recipe”.
AUDIO: Marty Morrow (7:32 MP3)
SFP’s NutriSphere-N, Avail help get most out of fertilizer
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Nitrogen applied to fields may be losing some of its punch because of volatilization. “When you let nitrogen lay on the surface for even as little as up to 50 hours, a study that was done at Purdue several years ago showed that you could be losing up to 30 percent of that nitrogen,” said Dave Schwartz of SFP – Specialty Fertilizer Products. That loss is evident even when the temperature exceeds 60 degrees. The SFP product NutriSphere-N protects against leaching, volatilization and denitrification, according to Schwartz. Another SFP product, Avail, helps get the most out of starter fertilizers and dry broadcast phosphorus fertilizers. In an interview with Brownfield Ag News, Schwartz explains how.
Greg Guse, NAMA Marketer of the Year
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Greg Guse, president of Paulsen Marketing in Sioux Falls, was recently named the 2012 National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Marketer of the Year, the industry’s highest honor.
The award honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing to individuals who offer outstanding contributions to their clients, colleagues and the industry as a whole.
Brownfield’s Ken Anderson visited with Guse about his career and his views on marketing to farmers and ranchers.
AUDIO: Greg Guse (7 min)
Productivity needs to be kicked up a notch
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
At today’s level of productivity, Terry Stone says that by 2050, about twice today’s tillable acres will be needed to feed everyone on earth. Efficient use of resources such as land, water and energy is critical to accomplishing a sustainable food production system, said Stone, the North American sustainability value chain lead for Syngenta. But in Stone’s view, sustainability means growing more with less. And pragmatically, Stone is aware that it’s not just about productivity. It’s about profitability. And it’s about technology. Products such as Agrisure Artesian allow corn to be grown in areas that are water limited, according to Stone.
An update on planter controls and yield monitors from Raven
May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Raven is one of the leaders in the field of precision agriculture. During a recent visit to Raven’s headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, we talked to Doug Prairie, a product manager in Raven’s applied technology division, about their OmniRow planter control system and SmartYield yield monitor.
AUDIO: Doug Prairie (5:19 MP3)
Maximizing fertilizer efficiency
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Fertilizers like nitrogen and phosphorus provide the corn crop with the nutrients it needs to maximize yield potential. Tony Donoho, Eastern Corn Belt regional account manager for SFP says producers this year are looking at options to help them capitalize on their return on investment.
“A lot of producers are talking about side dressing nitrogen because of the volatility in today’s fertilizer markets,” he says. “Because of the increased in cost of 28% and urea, farmers are looking at different ways to protect the “N”.” He says some farmers are splitting up their application during the season to ensure they have enough nitrogen to hit the yield goals they are looking to achieve.
Donoho tells Brownfield for producers to best utilize the nutrients – the “N” should be protected. He says SFP has products like NutriSphere-N for liquids that farmers can treat their 28 with or NutriSphere-N for granular to treat urea. Both products, Donoho says, will protect the nitrogen from volatilization and denitrification.
He says there is not a one size fits all solution – and producers need to figure out what application works best on their operation.
AUDIO: Tony Donoho, SFP (8:30mp3)
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