Around Farm Progress

DNA is a secret weapon farmers can use to better understand the challenges your crop may face in the new year, but how does that work. One company, Pattern Ag, is focusing on measuring DNA information from soil samples to help farmers better understand the pests and diseases that may be present in the soil. This information can help farmers decide the best approach for inputs and crop protection products to use.

Mike Tweedy, vice president of sales; and Danielle Watts, vice president of data science, both with Pattern Ag, discuss the process they’ve created.

A winter farm show is a great way to catch up on tech when the workload is a little slower, and Northeast farmers know it. That’s why may plan to travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to take in the New York Farm Show. The 2023 show runs Feb. 23-25 and show hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Chris Torres, American Agriculturist, offers a sneak peek at the show including an interesting, one-of-a-kind tractor demonstration visitors can enjoy. In addition, he discusses the new products on hand along with the expanded exhibitor list. In addition, a full slate of programs are on tap for beef producers and those managing forests and woodlands.

What’s the value of a farm survey and why should a farmer take time to fill it out? Good questions for busy farmers these days. In this episode of Around Farm Progress, we dig into the most recent survey conducted by Farm Futures to learn how this periodic effort to take the pulse of agriculture does more than count acres.

Jacqueline Holland, market analyst, Farm Futures, compiles information from the series of surveys the brand conducts. Her work at analyzing responses provides valuable insight to readers, and the market. But each survey digs deeper, learning more about important topics on the farm including mental health insights, or how inflation impacts your operation.

Grain drying costs can be a killer, and farmers work on ways to enhance efficiency to cut that energy bill. From installing new, more efficient dryers, to changing the energy source, innovation abounds. And for one Michigan farmer, the answer was wood chips. Jennifer Kiel with AmericanAgriculturist discovered this drying innovation on a trip to a farm late in 2022.

In this episode of Around Farm Progress, she shares what she learned and offers some behind-the-scenes insights on the installation of this innovation. Turning to renewable fuel as a source for drying grain could be a choice for more farmers, provided they work through the logistics and the investment.

Farmers likely hear this all too often – we’ll have to be ready to feed 10 billion people by 2050. But how will agriculture meet this oft-stated challenge head on? Rob Saik has a good idea: sustainable intensification. The idea is to maximize the technology available to agriculture to make the most of the inputs we have while also boosting sustainability.

The key is helping consumers and government officials realize the value and necessity of the technology farmers will need to meet those future food needs.

There was quite a bit of buzz when the idea of gene edited crops first became public. But what can this technology mean to agriculture? The idea of a precise way to turn genes on and off in plants opens the door to a wide range of innovations, but how long will it take to come to market? How about 2023?

Pairwise, a startup focused in gene editing technology, is seeing success with the tool in the development of greens with a higher nutrition profile. Haven Baker, chief business officer, Pairwise discusses a new product coming to food service soon and grocery stores later in 2023. It will use the brand Conscious Foods.

Farming isn’t easy, because as farmers know if it was more people would do it. But for those living the dream of farming, can’t do it alone. But how do you get a leg up on the challenges you face? Engaging the winter learning season at events that can help make a difference on your farm.

Mike Wilson, executive editor, Farm Futures, got an idea for an event more than 15 years ago focused on helping farmers keep getting better. That’s the Farm Futures Summit, and a few years after it started, the Farm Futures Ag Finance Bootcamp was added. Listen to learn more about how this information-packed event is helping farmers keep getting better.

One of the benefits of Around Farm Progress is connecting with the staff and helping tell their story as well as finding out about the stories they’re working on. This time out listeners to the Around Farm Progress podcast will get a chance to learn more about Joshua Baethge, the new farm policy editor.

There’s a question that’s popped up in the last few years for John Deere: Why do they exhibit at CES? The trade show, once known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is more often associated with televisions and computers.

JonEbert, manager, North American public and industry relations, discussed the move in the latest episode of Around Farm Progress. The company had been at CES in a smaller way before 2019, but that year the company had a bigger exhibit, and has been at the show ever since.

Irrigation is an important tool for a lot of farmers to take control of the weather. But there’s also growing attention to how that water gets used on the farm, creating challenges. However, in the past few years the amount of data collected by irrigators and researchers is bringing much higher precision to the industry. One organization, the Irrigation Innovation Consortium, is helping to bring that data together to create better ways to use water for creating food.

Amy Kremen is associate director of IIC, and she discusses the work of the organization, as well as how data is being put to use for agriculture. One topic she also explores is an attempt by several universities to work on creating a Master Irrigator program to boost knowledge and training for farmers who want to be even better stewards of the water they have available. She explores those topics in the latest episode of Around Farm Progress.