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Budget proposal unfairly targets farm bill There's a popular old adage that says, If it isn't broken, don't fix it. That saying came to mind in early February when the administration released a Optimal application NOT EVERY expert agrees on how best to boost a sprayer's effectiveness, but few would disagree that the ultimate objective of a crop protection application Variable-rate review GLOBAL POSITIONING systems (GPS) and variable-rate technology (VRT) have been available to ag retailers and their farmer-customers for more than a decade Energy money available ANYONE INTERESTED in improving energy efficiency on a farm may apply for a grant or a loan from the USDA. However, he or she must apply for the money Crop Sensor: Q & A VIACHESLAV (SLAVA) Adamchuk is one of several U.S. land-grant researchers currently investigating innovative ways to use sensor technology for precision agriculture Swift action Timing is the name of the game in treating Asian soybean rust. That message was sounded loud and clear by researchers and company executives at the recent Be prepared If the prospect of Asian soybean rust (ASR) hasn't already given you a scare, keeping track of the treatment options could add to the fright. A dozen Soybean rust confirmed in Georgia The USDA recently announced that Asian soybean rust has been identified in Seminole County, GA, on volunteer soybeans. This is the first confirmed U.S. Low impact? U.S. SOYBEAN producers, bombarded almost daily with reports of new discoveries of Asian soybean rust, may be wondering at what point new findings of the Profit from suggestions Back in the mid 1980s I was working with a crop protection company that was making a concerted effort to convince soybean growers that fungicides could INDUSTRY ABM receives grant The USDA recently awarded Advanced Biological Marketing (ABM) an $80,000 grant for its innovative research in fungicides. ABM was one Old habits die hard YOUR GROWERS' crop rotation has most likely changed over the years, but their lime applications may not reflect that change. Some Midwestern researchers Tools of the trade Growers have become more dependent on the tools of precision ag to manage their margins, and ag retailers that can help producers use the new technologies Valued partners In the last few years, distributors of crop inputs have seen their role evolve from warehouse and transportation managers to providers of information A fresh approach We need to look from the outside in to step back and reassess how we are conducting business, says retailer Tim Sanders of the DeLong Company, Clinton, Environmental protectors Agricultural businesses and individuals must project a positive image by promoting environmental stewardship of the crop protection industry to receive Learning the lessons When you've had the chance to visit with farmers, ag retailers, and farm managers for more than 30 years, there's one thing you learn right away about Value and profits Although retailers across the country specialize in helping growers produce a wide variety of crops from rice to soybeans to peppers, retailers have one The "git 'r done" approach Git 'r done. Anyone who has watched the Blue Collar Comedy Tour knows the phrase has been a good one for Larry the Cable Guy. It might be just as good Computers don't get tired The sole purpose of Tri-State LLC, located in Fairmount, ND, is to supply either raw or blended fertilizer for other retailers. For that reason, it has Complaint control UNCOOPERATIVE WEATHER patterns in much of the Corn Belt kept many ag retailers and applicators working overtime to keep pace with farmer demands this Service-selling tips WHEN SELLING to a customer, you must illustrate value, and to keep a customer, you must prove value over time, says John Wagner, president of AgRePlan One up on Wal-Mart AN IMPORTANT part of the success of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is attributed to its sophisticated inventory management systems. In the world More E85 at the pump CHS ANNOUNCES it will provide a Cenex-branded E85 fuel to 22 terminals in Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and South Contract savvy As more products with valuable output traits come out of the crop technology pipeline, so, too, should come new opportunities for ag retailers and growers. Urban opportunities URBANIZATION HAS contributed to the demise of some ag retail operations. But for retailers able to adapt to the changing landscape, it has opened new 3 ideas to help you keep customers THESE DAYS it's extra challenging to satisfy and keep customers, says Nancy Friedman, president, Telephone Doctor, St. Louis, MO, an international customer Complete systems THE WORD may cause some ag retailers to cringe, but not Rod Miller, seed systems manager for Crop Fertility Specialists (CFS), Rossville, IN. Miller says Wireless grain COMMODITY Resource Corporation (CRC) based in Caledonia, NY, is one of a growing number of operations that are working to bring bulk commodity handling Invaluable service WHY SHOULD ag retailers sell services? The resulting customer interaction is invaluable and helps create long-term ties that are difficult for competitors Dry run IN 2005, agricultural retailers confronted grower fears, procured adequate fungicide supplies and developed plans for rapid application, all for a disease Treat seeds for success SINCE THE INTRODUCTION of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits in corn and soybeans, ag retailers have seen a huge shift 4 ideas for coping with ASR WORK HARD to manage growers' expectations about Asian soybean rust (ASR), advises Duane Mol, chemical manager for Crop Production Services, Galesburg, Court good customers WHAT'S THE best way to keep good customers coming back and to attract new ones? Fix annoying problems The first step is to focus on frustrations, says To expand or not to expand EXPANSION THROUGH merger or acquisition has been taking place in the ag retail industry for some time now. Some mergers and acquisitions have gone relatively Atrazine adjustments FOR GROWERS concerned with using atrazine to control weeds on sensitive watersheds, management alternatives are plentiful, says Bill Johnson, Purdue University Strip-till's profit boost AG RETAIL businesses wanting to expand sales should investigate new ways to help current customers become more profitable, says Dan Towery, ag consultant, Invaluable service WHY SHOULD ag retailers sell services? The resulting customer interaction is invaluable and helps create long-term ties that are difficult for competitors Natural disaster preparation LAST YEAR'S hurricanes and flooding made many stop and think about what they would do if they, too, were hit by such a natural disaster. Not long after Less chemistry, more biotechnology BY NOW, it's no surprise to most agricultural retailers that few new herbicides are entering the corn and soybean marketplace. Because new product development Cherry-picked software solutions WHEN MIDLAND Co-op Inc. and Impact Cooperative Inc. became partners in 2002, the partnership, called Midland-Impact LLP, faced the challenge of integrating State-of-the-art facility SYNGENTA SEEDS recently celebrated renovations to its Phillips, NE, corn production facility. The $4.7 million project increases the plant's seed-conditioning The adjuvant advantage MORE THAN 4,000 adjuvants are on the market today to help improve a herbicide's performance. Bryan Young, associate professor of weed science at Southern Ways to manage health-care costs AS INSURANCE rates have risen over the last few years, ag retailers have looked for more cost-effective ways to offer high-quality benefits for their Buying flexibility A NEW 40,000-ton dry fertilizer plant standing alongside a unit-train spur in Alton, IA, has allowed its owners to largely avoid this winter's expensive Looking to lenders CROP INPUT financing programs have become as competitive as the products themselves, and all signs point to a continuation of this trend. The crop input Scout for western bean cutworm WESTERN BEAN cutworms (WBCs) have been a problem in the western Corn Belt since the 1940s and last year were discovered to have migrated further east Too reliant on Roundup? RYEGRASS AND marestail were the first two weeds to develop resistance to glyphosate, such as Roundup and Touchdown herbicides, but they won't likely be Friends of the environment THE DECISION to invest in new storage and handling facilities in the last few years has reaped rewards for Eastern Farmers Co-op and Farmers Elevator First-class delivery SPRAYER AIR technologies have been around for more than 20 years, but until recently, retailers and growers didn't use them much. That has changed, due New mix for pop-ups FMC CORPORATION has developed a new formulation of its Capture insecticide for corn that has better mixing properties than emulsifiable concentrates (EC) Environmental edge SOME AG retail businesses have found a lucrative new enterprise in an unlikely source: manure. Take the Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), Sioux Center, Memorable field days FIELD DAY season rolls around again in just a few months. Farmers will attend, knowing they will more than likely get a good meal and a seed cap. But Soybean rust Is this the year? AT THIS time a year ago, retailers were scurrying to stock up on fungicides to quell panic among soybean growers about Asian soybean rust (ASR) and finalizing Price predictions THIS GROWING season there is good news about nitrogen fertilizer: It appears that prices for the fertilizer will fall in late spring and early summer Grain storage spillover LIKE MANY grain-handling businesses, Buckingham Cooperative, near Waterloo, IA, needed to react quickly last year to find enough storage space to accommodate The Phosphorus Index NEW EPA and USDA efforts to improve surface water quality throughout the nation emphasize keeping a close eye on phosphorus (P), says Antonio Mallarino, Just-in-time fertilizer THE TIME when fertilizer dealers will be able to reliably supply customers who want to book fertilizer just before they need it is coming to an end. Dealers, Energy anxiety AFTER HURRICANE Katrina battered the Gulf States in August of last year and inflated the nation's energy-related prices, some ag retailers were caught Seed trackers THE MANY new combinations of traits and seed-applied insecticides have quickly multiplied the number of seed choices available to growers. Although most 4 risks in buying fertilizer PERHAPS THE biggest lesson learned by the agricultural supply industry in the past year is that the business environment is riskier than ever, especially Nourishing the bottom line Offering nutrient management services requires a fair amount of investment whether it be in additional staff, training, specific software or simply more 21 days and counting It generally takes 21 days for a certain behavior to become a habit, says Colleen Francis, president of Engage Selling Solutions, a sales training company Fall fertilizer forecast Fertilizer Management has become more of a year-round responsibility than it used to be, says Gayle Melcher, manager of Clarinda Co-op Company, Clarinda, Covering new ground Venturing into new markets can have its ups and downs. Some ag retailers have successfully added lawn and garden or hobby farmer product lines, for example Stacks flood seed market SEED COMPANIES recently announced the release of their new 2006 corn hybrids and soybean varieties. Technology traits continue to dominate the market, Aphid-resistant soybeans PIONEER HI-BRED International is analyzing its soybean varieties for resistance to soybean aphid. The company has screened numerous soybean lines with New products from Garst GARST SEED Company, based in Slater, IA, offers 31 new corn hybrids and 18 new soybean varieties for 2006. Nine of the new hybrids contain Agrisure traits, Cottonseed slate You Wouldn't jump headfirst into a lake or a pool without first testing the waters, and cotton producers are advised to do the same when planting a new variety for the first time. Healthy beans ANOTHER soybean processor has joined the list of companies that plan to contract for Monsanto's Vistive low-linolenic soybeans. CHS announced it will Fertilizer outlook HIGH ENERGY prices that put the fertilizer market in the doldrums this fall and winter could result in spot shortages of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers Price hike for services FIGURES FROM the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicate that between the last week of February 2005 and the last week Highway safety reminder DURING THE spring application season, it is important to remember highway safety and to ensure your employees have received up-to-date training on the Hybrids for high-temp drying RESEARCHERS AT the University of Illinois have found that different hybrids handle drying at high temperatures better than others. The researchers found Double-crossed CORN MIGHT not be the only hybrid farmers find in their fields. While corn breeders have been making strides since they first hybridized corn in the '30s, Prevent rust in nurse tanks IF YOU test your company's nurse tanks, remember to put ammonia back into the tanks as soon as possible to prevent the inside of the tank from rusting, NH3 nurse tank data plates THE AGRIBUSINESS Association of Iowa (AAI) has provided updated information on how to keep NH3 nurse tanks in service if the tanks' ASME data plates are Climate change winners If climate changes that are predicted as a result of global warming turn out to be true, the U.S. Corn Belt will be one of the winners in a world where Assessment tool The Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) has a good tool to help ag retailers ensure that they are complying with regulatory requirements License plate enforcement The state of Illinois recently announced that it will more uniformly enforce the requirement for fertilizer wagons to have license plates