In the interest of protecting the animal and the producer, cattle should be immobilized, worked and released as soon as possible. Nebraskan Joe Jeffrey knows that and can easily explain to Farm Progress Show audiences the differences of a quartet of squeeze chutes that can do the job safely for the cattle and for the cattleman. He MCs the FPS livestock demonstrations. When cattle are worked without the proper equipment, Jeffrey has seen injuries that can happen to cattle and to operators, but it’s generally the cowboy that comes out on the short end.

AUDIO: Joe Jeffrey (3 min. MP3)

Tommy Garland shares what he’s learned in the decades he’s been training horses. The horse in the ring knew what to do to get out of work, but through the course of the Farm Progress Show, Garland gently coaxed the animal to do what Garland wanted him to do, to trot around the coral. The Virginia man also keeps company with his African Watusi steer Stevie, which has an imposing 5-foot set of horns.

AUDIO: Tommy Garland (6 min. MP3)

Every other row of soybeans grown in the U.S. is destined for a foreign market. Iowa Soybean Association CEO Kirk Leeds says that’s the reason international marketing is important to growers. He’d like to see a finalization of the many pending free trade agreements the U.S. has made with various nations that would be very lucrative markets.

AUDIO: Kirk Leeds (4 min. MP3)

In the Iowa Soybean Association tent at the Farm Progress Show, Dr. David Wright fielded questions from farmers concerning sudden death syndrome in soybeans. The phenomenon has caused a lot of concern among growers, especially those who planted early in compacted soils and then got too much rain. Wright says the problem, caused by a fungus residing in the soil, is manageable. But those acres affected by SDS will yield drastically less than healthy acres.

AUDIO: David Wright (3 min. MP3)

The largest Steiger tractors now boast 600 engine horsepower. It takes a lot to pull them down and that doesn’t happen often. Just to be sure, that horsepower is effectively transferred to the ground via four tracks. Even with all that, Case IH large horsepower tractor product specialist Bill Manke assures that the machine’s design gives special attention to comfort. The cab’s design allows operators to spend a long day aboard with minimal fatigue. The seat even pivots 40 degrees to the right providing for an easy view to the rear.

AUDIO: Bill Manke (4 min. MP3)