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Farm Progress
What's new in ag? Dec. 24-28
Kristy Foster Seachrist Dec 24, 2018

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DEKALB® farmers achieve impressive performance in NCGA 2018 yield contest

Farmers who planted DEKALB® corn demonstrated strong results in the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) 2018 National Corn Yield Contest, capturing nine of the 18 national awards and 155 awards at the state level. 

At the national level, the DEKALB brand won four first place yields, more than any other brand, and swept the AA Non-Irrigated category with first, second and third place wins. Farmer Kevin Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, took first place in the category with 388.07 Bu/A with DEKALB DKC67-44RIB Brand Blend – his eighth national win in the contest with DEKALB. 

            Other first place DEKALB national winners are:

  • Heath Cutrell of Chesapeake, Virginia, who achieved 360.80 Bu/A with DKC65-20 Brand in the A Non-Irrigated category. This win is Cutrell’s second national award in the contest with DEKALB.
  • Drew Haines of Middletown, Maryland, who won nationally for the third consecutive year with DEKALB. Haines won with 366.29 Bu/A, planting DKC60-88RIB Brand Blend in the A No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated category. 
  • Shawn Kalb, of Dubois, Indiana, who yielded 343.00 Bu/A with DKC70-27RIB Brand Blend, a DEKALB® Disease Shield® product, in the AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated category. This marks Shawn’s second consecutive win with DEKALB at the national level.

The combined 164 DEKALB national and state winners for 2018 represent a five percent increase over last year’s NCGA contest. Of those 2018 winners, 32 yielded 300 Bu/A or higher. Forty-seven winners planted DEKALB Disease Shield, which provides enhanced protection against the top five yield-robbing corn diseases.

            There were a total of 2,601 entries in the 2018 NCGA contest. For a list of all DEKALB national and state winners, visit DEKALB.com/YieldWinner.

Nufarm announces plans to highlight custom-fit seed treatment solutions at IPSA Annual Conference

Nufarm announces plans as Gold Sponsor of the Independent Professional Seed Association’s (IPSA) annual conference where it will showcase its custom-fit seed treatments. The 30th Annual IPSA Conference will be held at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort on January 7-10, 2019. Nufarm experts will be on-hand to discuss simplified seed solutions, including a new nematode technology coming in 2019.

 

Simplified seed treatment now and on the horizon

In addition to Nufarm's broad portfolio of customized seed treatments, marketed under the Salient, Sativa and Spirato brand families – something new is on its way to help soybean, cotton and corn growers better manage nematode damage and help crops thrive. Attendees can meet with Nufarm and register to be the first to know about this exciting new patented nematode technology.

 

Visit Nufarm booth for a complimentary guide and gift

IPSA attendees can visit Nufarm’s booth to meet with Nufarm experts about Nufarm’s simplified solutions for full-protection performance, take home a Seed Treatment Solutions Guide, and claim a gift for learning more.

 

Salient™, Sativa® and Spirato™ premix lineup offers custom-fit convenience

Nufarm's broad lineup of seed treatment products provide convenience and flexibility to customers. Multiple unique, ready-to-use combinations shield vulnerable seed with needed protection, including proven fungicides, insecticides and growth enhancement options that result in stronger seedlings and a better crop stand. For more information and a complete list of Nufarm Seed Treatment Products, visit www.nufarm.com/USST.

Sentera announces Precision Ag Solution Price Promotion

In preparation for the 2019 growing season, Sentera is announcing a limited time promotion for its most popular NDVI, NDRE (Red Edge), and multispectral crop scouting solutions. Through December 2018, you can save $600 or more off MSRP. This limited-time promotional pricing makes it easy for you to gain deep, field-edge agronomic insights next season, while using your 2018 budget. It has never been easier or more affordable to integrate in-field real-time data insights with these digital ag platforms.

Sentera sensor products for DJI Phantom, Mavic, Inspire, and Sentera PHX fixed-wing drone platforms have all received updated pricing. During the December promotion, upgrade kits start at $1,599, and a complete NDVI-upgraded Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drone is available for $3,098. Orders will ship by March 2019. All promotional pricing is available through participating Sentera resellers.

Incredible Response Means Incredible Savings
"In 2018 we had an incredible response to our integrated solutions offering. And, we've seen an increasing number of ag professionals realize the economic value of capturing precise, accurate data using our sensors and performing in-field analysis with Sentera FieldAgent Software," said Sentera CEO Eric Taipale. "We are excited to take advantage of increased production volumes by offering our most popular systems at a price that every agronomist, crop consultant, and producer can afford."  

Included Solutions
Purchase Sentera's most popular precision ag sensor solutions at significant savings. Included in the promotion are:

  • Single Sensor upgrade for DJI Phantom 4 Pro drones
  • Single Sensor upgrade for DJI Mavic drones
  • Double 4K Sensor upgrade for DJI Phantom 4 Pro drones
  • Double 4K Lock & Go Sensor for DJI Inspire drones
  • AGX710 Sensor for DJI Matrice 200 series drones
  • Sentera PHX complete fixed-wing systems
  • Virtually all agriculture bundles

Leveraging Data
Every Sentera Sensor includes a 1-year subscription to the FieldAgent™ Mobile, Web, and Desktop platform, enabling users to leverage critical data to take in-season action before it is too late. FieldAgent makes crop-scouting easy because it autonomously flies your drone, captures data, performs analytics, and allows you to transfer data to the cab of a tractor or off the field for even more analysis.

For more information about Sentera Sensor pricing and the limited time offer, visit https://sentera.com/shop/ or click here to find a dealer near you.

Rock River Laboratory releases new corn harvest tool

Rock River Laboratory, Inc. has launched InField Updates, a new crowdsourced in-app tool that helps growers dial in the harvest timeline of corn intended for silage. Nutritionists, agronomists, and their growers can now review timely fresh Dry Matter (DM), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and Starch statistics geographically, to determine the optimal chopping schedule for their acres.

Development of InField Updates was sparked by the annual need for timely moisture assessment of corn intended for silage, to predict chopping timing. The tool relies on the support of the industry to supply freshly chopped corn samples to Rock River Laboratory, which is requesting the help of all growers and consultants to make this tool beneficial for everyone. Samples submitted using the laboratory’s new, minimally priced ‘Fresh Chopped Corn’ package will receive DM, NDF, and Starch analysis to help populate the information for InField Updates. Results data is mapped based on location electronically submitted, while maintaining the privacy of both the individual submitting and the exact address location. The sample submitter will also receive their own specific sample analysis results direct to their e-mail or on the Rock River Laboratory web portal.

 

To provide on-the-go access, InField Updates resides within Rock River Laboratory’s FeedScan app, the smartphone and tablet application for electronic sample submission. InField Updates is free to everyone and does not require login credentials, however downloading the free FeedScan app is required in order to access the InField Updates tool. InField Updates users can review mapped data by selecting an area on the map that narrows data points to a ten-mile radius to ensure the analysis levels provided are relevant to the geographical area selected.

 

Those who wish to contribute to the effort in addition to benefiting from the information can send freshly chipped corn intended for silage samples under the ‘Fresh Chopped Corn’ package, using the FeedScan app [with location services enabled] to submit at the closest location to the field where the sample(s) was collected. Physical submission of the fresh samples can be completed conveniently at one of many Rock River Laboratory drop boxes along their Convenience Routes. Users can find the closest Convenience Route drop boxes at:  http://bit.ly/ConvenienceRoutes

FarmOp Capital introduces working capital product

As agriculture technology has revolutionized farming in the last two decades, producers have witnessed ag sectors racing to bring tangible and profitable solutions forward. FarmOp Capital is launching a new working capital product, that aligns ag lending with decades of AgTech innovation.

“Technology has caused major shifts in agriculture including efficiencies in production that have impacted farm size and ownership,” says Bill York, CEO and Founding Partner of FarmOp Capital. “While these trends are positive for the industry, we recognized they have left a gap in lending for many highly profitable farmers. FarmOp Capital was created to fill that void.”

York’s 40 years of ag lending experience (including serving as CEO of AgriBank, with over $100B in assets, and SVP of CNH Capital) informs his perspective on ag finance trends at FarmOp Capital. York noted that according to USDA, nearly 80 percent of “large” (1000+ acres) and “very large” (2000+ acres) producers today rent operated land. In fact, more than 50 percent of the land farmed in each of those categories is rented.

“Land has become an asset class separated from operators; the two are no longer synonymous,” adds York. “That shift in farm structure – moving from asset-heavy owners to tenant farmers – has left a gap in ag lending. That’s a long-term trend and something FarmOp Capital is addressing head on by looking at product, not assets.”

Ag lending has long relied on balance sheets with hard assets backing operating lines of credit for producers who own their land. But as the amount of farmland not owner operated increases, FarmOp Capital supplies operating capital to producers who have lighter balance sheets but a proven track record of production efficiency and profitability.

“Until now, producers who rent a majority of their land find themselves stacking credit from various sources – traditional lenders, input suppliers and others,” says York. “Piecing together credit adds undesirable costs and restrictions, while giving less negotiating power. FarmOp is changing that.”

 

FarmOp focuses on a producer’s ability to grow an efficient crop, rather than the value of the land they grow it on, as the basis for working capital loans. Beginning in crop year 2019, FarmOp will offer operating lines of credit giving producers the lending independence they need to run their operations.

 

“FarmOp provides right-sized working capital loans to provide farm operators with the bargaining power they need to lower costs and make the most efficient decisions throughout the crop year, and greater independence to run their operation,” adds York.

 

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