Farm Progress Show 2014 - Rain, Mud, and Cool Stuff 

Greetings! I’m Home, Sweet Home for a few days this week before heading to the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists - also known as IFAJ - conference in Aberdeen, Scotland. I’m off to learn about agriculture in Scotland and I’m really excited! More on that trip next week…

Last week, I spent a few days at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. It was, in a word – muddy. But, I have to say the weather didn’t seem to keep farmers away – it probably encouraged attendance as they couldn’t do much outside anyways. Despite the rain and mud, the temperature was mild and made for a few nice days learning about cool ag stuff. 

My colleague Anita and I met with folks from GSI – Grain Handling Systems Inc. I spoke to Tom Welke, President of GSI, and he talked about their global grain storage and protein businesses, speaking specifically about the opportunities in Brazil as they invest in grain storage in an effort to keep up with their increasing yields.

Tom said only 20% of farmers in west/central Europe have on-farm storage (compared to 60-70% in the US). So currently grain goes right from farm harvest to market, but farmers are seeing the advantages to storage, and Tom expects a shift toward more grain systems in that area.

We also talked to Glenn Farris, marketing manager with AGCO, about residue management. He said as yields increase, studies indicate that removal of a portion of corn stover helps create faster soil warming and drying in the spring and better seed placement and seed growth. Residue management can help farmers increase their yield.To watch Glenn's interview, click here. 

Aaron Hager, assistant professor at University of Illinois, was part of a weed management panel hosted by Bayer CropScience. He spoke about the evolution of global weed resistance and said there are some similarities around the globe in terms of species. However, Australia’s biggest challenges are with grass species and many are related to metabolism-based resistance. He said diversification in every field is the best tool a farmer has. To watch the interview, click here.

Stephen Nicholson, economist with Rabo AgriFinance, shared his outlook on the BRIC emerging markets and spoke in detail about the gains India is making. He said Brazil, Russia and China have gone through a tough time recently, but India is a “bright spot”. He said despite the abject poverty, India has a very young population that is highly educated. India is moving from a grain-based diet to a protein-based diet. Stephen said he expects their import needs will continue to rise. Click here for the full interview with Stephen.

There will be several new stories coming from the Farm Progress Show this week, so watch Headline News & Analysis for more!

Have a great week!

~Sarah