Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Jim Patrico A lot of major new product introductions mean machinery manufacturers are optimistic. They think farmers are in a buying mood, funds are available and innovations will be well received. Not so much at the 2016 NFMS. That’s not to say there were not plenty of new products offerings. March ushered in a […]

By: Tyler Harris Nitrogen and water are two of the biggest line-item investments associated with corn production. As growers in Nebraska and Iowa strive to optimize efficiency and profitability for their investment in fertilizer and water, Central Valley Ag is bringing together a group of producers to help drive adoption of technology and management at […]

By: Dave Mowitz </ br> Late-model planters are a great bellwether of the financial times. Three years ago, after commodity prices had plunged, large planters were selling for record-low prices. At a Sullivan Auctioneer sale in November 2014 in western Illinois, a fully loaded 1-year-old Deere 1790 (16/31 split rows) with less than 2,600 acres […]

By: Ray Bohacz Most, if not all, large diesel engines found in trucks and farm equipment employ a dual thermostat system. For the large part, the dual thermostat has replaced grille shutters from old days. Though a very effective system, unlike the grille shutters, you need to understand why dual thermostats are used and how […]

By: It sounds like a giant bumblebee, the 2-foot-square drone whirring to life. Its four props lift it off the ground outside Bruce Bowsher’s house and once it’s about 4 feet in the air, they lift up to give a camera an unobstructed 360-degree view. Bowsher controls his from an iPad attached to a remote […]

By: B. Lynn Gordon Whether you are an employer aiming to motivate your employees or a chairperson of a committee for an organization in either of these leadership roles you will be more likely to reach your outcomes when you give your employees and volunteers a reason to care. As you refine your abilities to […]

By: Chris Bennett As Randy Dowdy walked along muddy turnrows under pounding January rains, he knew part of the topsoil from the farm that birthed the highest soybean yields in world history was gone. Staring across the wreckage of scoured fields, his record-breaking 171.7 bu. soybeans and 521 bu. corn from fall harvest faded far […]

From: NebraskaFarmer.com Today’s tough weeds require a high-caliber applicator who is ready to face them head on. A crucial component of this role is reducing spray drift potential. When thinking about herbicide applications, two points should come to mind: efficacy and stewardship. It’s not enough to have one without the other, and proper practices are […]

By: Holly Spangler Matt Jungmann and his staff had a lightbulb moment a few years ago when high winds took down the stage at the Indiana State Fair and seven people were killed. As the national events director for Penton Ag and manager of the Farm Progress Show — an all-outdoor event that brings tens […]

By: Jessie Scott After city girl Lauren Arbogast married her farmer, as she lovingly refers to her husband, Brian, she became tremendously interested in the workings of the Virginia farm she now called home and the agriculture industry as a whole. “I was asking no less than 800 questions a day in those early years,” […]