The company fully expects to continue normal operations throughout this process. All LightSquared distribution partners and customers, including public safety, emergency response, government and military users of LightSquared’s satellite-based communications services can continue to rely on LightSquared to provide them with mission critical communications services.

LightSquared intends to work with all key constituents to conduct an orderly restructuring process to maximize its asset value and to exit Chapter 11 in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.

Read a previous reaction from agricultural and farm equipment organizations as they urged the Federal Communications Commission to withdraw the conditional waiver granted to LightSquared in 2011 and modify the company’s satellite license to prohibit the building of a ground-based network.

37.5% of respondents said they don’t have resistant weeds (at least not yet!). However, the same number said they would be using a mix of methods to control or prevent resistance – pre-emergence herbicide, additional sites of action, and working with a consultant on a plan. Another 25% said they would be using a pre-emerge application for control.

With soybean planting running way ahead of schedule already – 46% planted, nearly twice the five year average – our new poll asks what farmers are doing to protect that crop this year. Let us know!

AgJunction Mobile is an in-field data collection system featuring GPS-enabled boundary mapping and soil sampling. To take advantage of the latest technologies, AgJunction and Cogent3D, maker of PrecisionEarth, have come together to release AgJunction Mobile for iOS. Available for both iPhone and iPad, AgJunction Mobile for iOS is based on the PrecisionEarth platform with the time saving enhancement of being able to directly sync with the AgJunction cloud system.

AgJunction users can download the app from the App Store and enter their AgJunction license key, user name and password. From there, the application will automatically manage the two-way transfer of data between AgJunction Mobile and the AgJunction cloud system, eliminating the need to move data files manually.

With the first release of AgJunction Mobile for iOS, users will be able to synchronize data based on their growers, farms, fields, field boundaries, and directed sample locations. Users can then add new farms and fields as well as map field boundaries and soil sample locations. Recorded field data is automatically synchronized with the AgJunction cloud system for use in the field, back at the office, or through an agriculture service provider.

AgJunction will continue to work with Cogent3D to bring more features and benefits to AgJunction Mobile for iOS in the future. This will include downloading recorded datasets (yield, planting, as-applied, aerial imagery, soil sampling and electrical conductivity, etc.) in the field as background layers for viewing and as a reference for field sampling. Other future updates will include integration with the AgJunction electronic work order system and the AgJunction asset tracking system.

Here are the results, 50% said Recently (I do frequently). Wow. Keep it up. But 22% said Never (Waste of time) and just over 9%/each said, Recently (I rarely do); Long time ago; Never (I will now though).

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Who should be responsible for child nutrition?” This question was inspired by last night’s FoodChat Twitter conversation. I appreciate the school lunch program and what USDA thinks it is accomplishing by creating rules but somehow it doesn’t sit right with me. There would be no need for this if parents would take some personal responsibility for themselves and their children. More and more government control of our lives just won’t work in the long run. At least that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Last month, Ag Leader Software Support Specialist Luke James, traveled to the Willamette Valley in west central Oregon to talk about the value of data. The Willamette Valley is known as the grass seed capital of the world. According to the Oregon Seed Council, about 500,000 acres of the grass seed are grown in Oregon and nearly 90 percent of that is grown in the Willamette Valley.

While in the valley, Luke had the opportunity to interview Patrick Lanz of Ag West Supply. Listen as Patrick describes agriculture in the Willamette Valley.

Like other regions, farmers in the Willamette Valley have been utilizing precision agriculture for several years. Listen as Patrick describes the different types of precision agriculture being used by farmers in the valley.

Luke and our NW Territory manager Sean Ealy, a native Oregonian, discussed the value of data with farmers and ag specialists from the Willamette valley. The meetings were informative and they discussed various items including yield monitoring, guidance, sprayer control, crop sensing using OptRx and analyzing data using the SMS Software.

While in the valley, Luke had the opportunity to interview Jammie Wutzke of Ag West Supply. Listen as Jammie explains how farmers may utilize precision ag data to improve their farms in the Willamette Valley.

Ag West Supply is one of the Ag Leader dealers located in the Willamette Valley. They focus on helping growers learn more about how precision ag can benefit their operation. Listen as Jammie defines the role that precision ag dealers play in helping farmers progress their operation.

To learn more about the SMS Software, click here.

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.

In DNA barcoding, scientists sequence a designated part of an organism’s genome and produce a barcode from it for a systematic comparison with the sequenced DNA of other closely related species. DNA barcodes are being developed on a wide range of plants and animals as part of a global effort to catalogue the diversity of life on Earth.

DNA barcodes are now being used in an unconventional way: to identify insect predators best equipped to control the Colorado potato beetle, which is the single most damaging insect pest of potatoes in the Eastern United States.

Read more here.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “When was the last time you talked to a journalist about agriculture?” The question is inspired by last night’s AgChat Twitter conversation and a question that had been submitted by @BASFAgro! We’re supposed to stand up for our industry and livelihoods that are threatened by lots of misinformation that gets spread by the media. What are we doing about it? How are we speaking out? Are we willing to develop a relationship with the reporters at our local mainstream media outlets (newspaper/radio/tv/web)? More questions I know but there is a lot we can all do to help educate the ultimate consumers of the products we produce. Keep it up. It does make a difference!

Let your friends and neighbors know they can participate by sharing this link.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

WSSA president Rod Lym says the main recommendation for growers is to diversify both weed management practices and types of herbicides used.

“Today it is common to rely on repeated use of a single class of herbicides,” Lym said. “It is clear we need a different approach if we want to protect the future effectiveness of these products, which are important tools for farmers.”

WSSA scientists say the single most important factor contributing to resistance is over-reliance on a single herbicide — or group of herbicides — with the same mechanism of action. Weeds most often develop resistance in response to such repeated and exclusive exposure, which renders the herbicide ineffective over time.

The best management practices recommended by WSSA to combat herbicide resistance include common-sense, diversified approaches to weed management — from proactive steps to reduce the number of weed seeds in the soil to the use of well-established cultural practices to suppress weeds through crop competition.

What are you doing to control or reduce the threat of resistant weeds on your operation? Answer the BASF production poll and let us know.

This summer, Ag Leader will be hosting a series of 13 different informational courses for their network of dealers, beginning June 5 and ending August 17. The sessions aim to prep dealers for a successful summer planting and 2012 harvest and arm them with the knowledge on how to grow and improve on their precision ag businesses.

Training sessions will focus on key Ag Leader product offerings: displays, GPS and steering, SeedCommand, DirectCommand, harvest and SMS software. They also give Ag Leader dealers an opportunity to network and learn from each other.

Kaleb Lindquist, Ag Leader training specialist, says Ag Leader strives to do everything they can to help dealer businesses grow because dealers really are the face of the company. When growers have questions about precision ag, they go to their local dealer, not to the corporate office.

So what does that mean to you, the customer? It means you have the most dedicated, educated, professional network of Ag Leader dealers who can help you decide which product offering is right for your individual needs, and keep you up-to-date on the latest software and upgrades.

Here’s what’s being offered this summer.

And, many dealers extend what they learn by hosting local training sessions, with coursework that mirrors what they learn during these summer training sessions. You should contact your local dealer to find out if training will be available in your area.

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.

Vaughn has over 20 years of senior executive experience in precision guidance and agri-business at companies including Topcon, NovAtel, Magellan and Trimble. He has served on the board of Directors for a number of high tech corporations and has extensive professional experience in that field, including serving in an executive capacity with Apple and Hewlett
Packard. Dave has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Electronics and a MBA Degree in Operations Research from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Should raw milk be allowed for sale?” This week’s question is prompted by one of the panelists here at the 2012 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. She is a reporter with a food safety publication who says that this issue is the one that gets the most comments and response of any other. Seems people get pretty passionate about their beliefs when it comes to milk. Raw milk is still the suspect in an E. Coli breakout with 14 confirmed cases in central Missouri that put a couple of people in the hospital. What do you think?

Let your friends and neighbors know they can participate by sharing this link.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Farmers can now log onto the site to learn when corn rootworm larvae are hatching in their area, allowing for better timing to scout their fields for potential root damage. The corn rootworm hatch varies by geography, but typically occurs from early- to mid-June in the Corn Belt and often coincides with the first appearance of lightening bugs.

Greater awareness about the annual corn rootworm hatch and migration patterns of corn earworm and western bean cutworm moths can help farmers minimize their impact. This tool can help farmers make strategic decisions about better timing for pesticide applications. It can also help farmers in choosing the right traited corn hybrids to meet their specific needs, such as those containing Monsanto’s Genuity corn traits which protect against insect damage and protect yields.

Farmers in the Corn Belt can sign up to receive e-mail alerts from May through September to learn when these insects pose a risk in their areas.

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?

Among those who testified before the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry was National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois who spoke on behalf of a broad coalition of agricultural organizations, including the American Soybean Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Cotton Council, the National Farmers Union and the USA Rice Federation, all of which chose to directly support NCGA’s testimony.

“Our organizations have expressed support for the Title II framework in the 2012 Farm Bill that the Senate and House Agriculture Committees began developing last fall, which consolidates 23 conservation programs into 13 while maintaining the same tools that were available to farmers in the past,” Niemeyer, a farmer from Auburn, Illinois, explained in his testimony. “Our growers are seeking simplification, flexibility, and consolidation in these programs, and we believe these goals are achieved in the Senate Agriculture Committee’s recent draft language.”

“Farmers are exceptional stewards of the environment because our livelihoods depend on preserving land and water resources. We are committed to leaving our environment in better shape than we found it so resources can be passed on to the next generation to farm,” Niemeyer said. “Most producers throughout America view protecting agricultural land as more than a worthwhile goal. It is a lifelong commitment. Voluntary conservation programs developed over the past 30 years help farmers and ranchers play a major role in improving our environment while also expanding their sources of income and keeping them on the land. We hope this committee will choose to continue to invest in these programs through a robust and efficient conservation title in the new farm bill.”

Read Niemeyer’s statement here.

Things have changed a lot since Agriflite Services president David Eby began flying.  Gone are the days of counting paces to measure fields and using telephone poles as markers.  Today’s aerial applicator’s can come within six inches of their target.

All thanks to GPS satellite technology.

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

“The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations,” said the department in a press release. “Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

“This victory for farm families is due to the thousands of farmers and ranchers who sent comments to the Labor Department opposing the rules and continued to voice their concerns with members of Congress,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “This announcement shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action.”

The Labor Department said it received “thousands of comments” against the proposal rule regarding youth in agriculture and made it clear that the “regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.”

Every conservation plan written by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has been based on soil-erosion calculations derived from USLE or its successors, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and version 2 (RUSLE2). Now research leader Seth Dabney, who works at the ARS Watershed Physical Processes Research Unit in Oxford, Miss., is putting the finishing touches on an update of RUSLE2, which uses more intricate combinations of observation- and process-based science to produce soil erosion estimates.

More information about RUSLE2 can be found here.

ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient for the healthy growth of young plants. JumpStart is based on a unique fungus, Penicillium bilaii, which increases phosphate solubilization for uptake into the plant through the root system. The market potential for seed-applied technologies that increase phosphate use efficiency is estimated at over $100 million.

Managing and organizing data is an essential part of any business operation. Data that is not properly organized cannot only be difficult to find, but difficult to work with. In an office setting, you may have different folders in your filing cabinet, or on your computer to organize your information.

Ag Leader’s SMS Advanced users have had the ability to have unlimited projects to help organize data. Think of a project as a filing folder that allows you to have a different Management Tree to separate out your information. If you do any custom fieldwork or custom mapping for anyone, this would provide you the ability to have a project for each person you did custom work for. This makes it much easier to find the information that you’re after, as well as providing privacy on who else you are doing work for in the event that you have a client come over to look over some data with you. Projects are also a great way to work with sample files to try out new tools and features without doing anything with your main projects.

In Version 11.5, Ag Leader made changes that allow SMS Basic users to have up to five projects. SMS Basic and SMS Advanced users both get to take advantage of an updated Projects Dialog and Backup Wizard. To learn more about these updates, please watch the videos below:

Using Projects in SMS Basic

Using Projects in SMS Advanced

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.

UniPilot is used in conjunction with the TeeJet Matrix Pro guidance system which offers an intuitive touch screen interface, field mapping/job planning capability, and video monitoring. A full range of guidance modes is supported, including exclusive NextRow guidance for easy headland turns in row crops. GPS signal options for UniPilot include WAAS, which is standard on the Matrix Pro, along with OminSTAR or RTK solutions, which are provided via the optional TeeJet RX510 or RX610 GNSS receivers. UniPilot is compatible with over 350 vehicle platforms including tractors, sprayers, combines and swathers.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “With all of the discussion on projected corn acres this year, how many acres of corn do you expect to plant this year?” So how about it corn growers. I wonder how many will grow corn for the first time this year too. Should be interesting. Let your corn growing friends and neighbors to know we’d like to know what they plan and remember this is an anonymous poll! Use this link to share.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

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

The 11th ICPA will highlight significant research and applications in precision agriculture, and will showcase emerging technologies and information management. The conference will offer oral and poster presentations, exhibits, and opportunities for discussion and exchange of information in various aspects of precision agriculture. The dedicated session for practitioners entitled “Precision A to Z Track” will offers practical advice and training from international authorities on key topics of precision agriculture for producers and professionals.

The PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence presents four awards in the following categories:

• Educator/Researcher Of The Year
• Legacy Award
• Crop Adviser/Entrepreneur Of The Year
• Farmer Of The Year

Nominations for these awards are now being accepted. Recipients will be honored at the International Conference On Precision Agriculture in Indianapolis this July.

Click here to submit a nomination.

According to SDSU Extension Soils Specialist Ron Gelderman, while surface application of nitrogen fertilizer in late fall and early spring is a typical practice in South Dakota, dry soils this season may be putting that nitrogen in jeopardy.

“With the weather being so very dry, warm and windy, and if we didn’t get that third to a half an inch of precipitation on that urea to move it into the soil and protect it, fields could have experienced some significant loss,” Gelderman said in a radio interview.

Gelderman says winter wheat, which is at, or close to jointing, will need a nitrogen application soon if significant loss of the applied urea occurred. Producers have more time before they need to test spring- planted grains and row crops. Gelderman says growers may want to use a urease inhibitor with future surface urea applications to increase the odds of getting some moisture.

Read more from SDSU iGrow.

Growers looking for application flexibility can take advantage of a new Crop Sensor Rate Table available now from Ag Leader Technology. This functionality offered through the DirectCommand system on the INTEGRA display allows producers to utilize the OptRx crop sensors to apply the agrochemicals they need on-the-go at the rates necessary for optimum performance.

Crop Sensor Product Specialist Chad Fick explains, “Many agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, pesticides, defoliants, growth regulators and others, can be more effectively applied if the rates are varied according to crop health.”

OptRx crop sensors work by shining light on the crop canopy and reading the light reflected back to determine the crop health, also known as Vegetative Index. “The new Crop Sensor Rate Table allows growers to choose a Vegetative Index range and assign the recommended rates based on those ranges,” Fick said. Working with agronomists or crop consultants, farmers can use OptRx to improve the application of any agrochemical to any crop that needs a variable rate.

Fick says it’s almost like the plant is telling the grower what it needs.

Growers with the INTEGRA display can take advantage of the Crop Sensor Rate Table by updating their firmware to version 3.3.

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.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Would you be willing to donate the proceeds from one acre of your farm to help your local food bank?” Let us know what you think and thanks to everyone who participates in our weekly poll!

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Please let us know if you have any questions about the poll.

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.