The Ag. Don t Get Stuck in By Dave Shields, agronomy manager

Transcription

1 The Ag Advisor July 2013 Volume 9 Issue 2 Afton Main Office Don t Get Stuck in 2013 By Dave Shields, agronomy manager Arispe Creston Diagonal Elwood, KS Macksburg Mount Ayr Osceola Shenandoah With all the challenges we ve had with the 2013 crop so far, it s easy to forget that fall is just around the corner. The big lesson from this year? The more agronomy work you get done this fall, the better off you ll be next spring. It s not too early to talk to us about soil sampling and planning your crop program for We re also looking for new ways to serve you better with the new ScoutPro software program, which we are integrating into our precision ag solutions. Specialists at Iowa State University (ISU) helped develop this program, which takes the guesswork out of crop scouting. The technology can be operated from mobile devices, including ipads, and uses GPS coordinates to identify each field that s entered into the system. ISU s agronomy tools are embedded into the system, which allows for quick, accurate weed identification and more. which we re using with our Answer Plot and our SmartYield TM customers. As we work the bugs out of the system, we hope to use ScoutPro more in the future. The program has a lot of potential, because it gives our agronomists the ability to see the photos directly from the field, even if they are in the office. This will allow them to get a feel for current agronomic trends across our trade territory quicker, so they can serve more customers more efficiently. While the technology does not replace the need for our agronomists to spend time in the field, it does allow us to access timely agronomic information faster. Thanks for your business, and we look forward to helping you with your agronomy needs this summer and fall. u Finding answers fast This is our first year with ScoutPro,

2 Turn Your Cattle Into Snack Eaters By Deron Shawley, livestock production specialist While it s vital to get your calves off to a good start, it s also important to provide the right nutrition as they grow. Purina Animal Nutrition s Accuration offers some of the best solutions to meet these goals. While we ve usually thought of Accuration as a stand-alone product used with corn (Accuration Range Supplement), Purina is expanding the Accuration brand name to multiple products. This means the Accuration name will be associated with a variety of high-quality products that carry Purina s patented intake-modifier technology. Turning cattle into snack eaters greatly reduces meal sizes, improves feed efficiencies, and enhances cattle health. Farmers Cooperative Company carries a complete line of Accuration products to benefit your beef herds from start to finish, including: Accuration Range Supplements Accuration Starter Weaned Calf Accuration Grower Accuration Finisher 44 Accuration Balancer 26 Sup-R-Lix 2HL For more information on Accuration feed products, contact your local Farmers Cooperative Company (FCC) location or FCC sales professional. You can also reach me at u Speed and Feed Go Together By Darin Schlapia, Creston location manager The new load-out bin at our Creston feed mill is nearly complete and should be operational soon. This will allow us to operate more efficiently, so we can supply the feed you need, when you need it. Since we have seven to nine feed trucks running at any one time, it s important to have feed loads ready to go, so the trucks don t have to wait when they return to Creston. This new load-out system will allow us to speed up our feed deliveries. Speaking of speed, calf creep feeders seem to be going out of here faster than ever. Also, many area producers are doing a lot more creep feeding this year. If you need a feeder or have any cattle nutrition questions, give us a call at We look forward to hearing from you. u Farmers Cooperative Company. All Rights Reserved. Published in partnership with VistaComm (

3 You re Going to Like the Revamped Cardtrol By Darin Schlapia, Creston location manager Our Cardtrol in Creston is receiving an extreme makeover this summer to make the facility more convenient for you. During the six-week shutdown, we will add many new features to serve you better, including: High-speed diesel pumps. These pumps run at 60 gallons per minute and will supply highway diesel and ag diesel. This will allow semi-trucks to fill fast and get back on the road. Many other new pumps. The Creston Cardtrol will include slower-speed pumps for diesel pick-up trucks and modern gasoline pumps that can pump 10 gallons per minute. We ll also provide B5 biodiesel at this location. Credit card readers. While the old Cardtrols could only accept a special card from Farmers Cooperative Company, the new pumps will accept major credit cards. We expect this change to boost fuel sales at the location. A canopy with bright lighting. You won t have to stand in the rain, thanks to a spacious canopy that will cover the entire fueling area. The canopy will also include 16 LED lights to provide a bright, safe environment. E85. Thanks to new E85 pumps and blender pumps, we ll be one of the only E85 suppliers in the immediate area. In addition, new regulations in the fuel business are changing the types of fuel we can offer. We ll likely carry 87 octane E10, E15, E30, and E85 at the Creston Cardtrol, and we hope this boosts ethanol sales. This state-of-the-art Cardtrol will mark a vast improvement from the current Creston cardtrol, which was built in Not only was the old equipment getting worn out, but we want to offer the latest technology to provide you with greater convenience. During this transition, the Afton Cardtrol will continue to operate. Thanks for your business, and we appreciate your support. u

4 Creston Land Purchase Creates Opportunities This spring we purchased 24 acres just north of our Creston Cardtrol from George Novak. We also went to the city council to get this land rezoned from residential to heavy industrial. We plan to build a grain elevator and scale here within the next three to five years. Corn from the new elevator will be transferred by a conveyor connected to the feed mill, which will create a variety of benefits for everyone involved. The new system will take quite a bit of traffic away from the main Creston location, which will reduce noise in the residential areas near the current elevator. It will also mean greater convenience for you, since you ll be able to unload grain directly at the new elevator. The new elevator will also enhance efficiencies. Currently, there are up to 80 trucks that go in and out of the Creston facility daily, including ingredient trucks and feed trucks. The truckers often have to wait in line. The new system will speed things up. We ll share more information on this project as it takes shape in the months ahead. u Meet Shyloh Stafford-Jones We re pleased to welcome Shyloh Stafford-Jones as our newest agronomy sales specialist. Shyloh joined Farmers Cooperative Company in May after graduating from Northwest Missouri State. Shyloh grew up on a corn, soybean, and tobacco farm near Faucett, MO, north of St. Joseph. I knew early on I wanted to work in agriculture, says Shyloh, who majored in agronomy and minored in precision ag. During college, Shyloh completed an agronomy internship with CPS in south-central Nebraska and north-central Kansas. I was ready to come see a different part of the world, says Shyloh, who is based in Mt. Ayr. He has been busy scouting fields and using the new ScoutPro software system, which enhances the accuracy and efficiency of crop scouting. I m getting to know more growers in the area and look forward to working with you, says Shyloh, who can be contacted at Editor s note: Shyloh lives in Mt. Ayr. In his free time, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his girlfriend. u 4

5 Internships Offer Real-World Experience Farmers Cooperative Company is pleased to host three Iowa State University (ISU) interns this summer, including Katelyn Warin, Zach Welch, and Tyler Mason. Our goal with the internship program is to interest young adults in ag careers, enhance their education, and give them real-world experience that will benefit them for years to come. We also want to encourage this homegrown talent to consider pursuing ag careers in the local area after they graduate. We re fortunate to have these talented students on board: Katelyn Warin. Katelyn, 19, grew upon a diversified row-crop, swine, and Simmental cattle farm near Maloy. A 2012 graduate of Mt. Ayr High School, Katelyn is a sophomore at ISU, where she is studying animal science and ag communications. Katelyn is based in our Afton location, and she is helping with crop scouting, advertising, and marketing. I never realized how specialized each department of the co-op is, said Katelyn, who is the daughter of Joe and Donna Warin. Katelyn has shown cattle at the local and regional levels for many years, and she hopes to work for an animal health company after she graduates. Zach Welch. Zach, 19, is a sophomore at ISU, where he is pursuing an ag studies degree. Zach grew up on a farm near Afton, where his family raises row crops and hay, in addition to running a commercial cow-calf herd. I was pretty familiar with the co-op, because my dad used to work at the Afton location and handled a lot of fertilizing and spraying work, said Zach, who is the son of Jeff and Marge Welch. Zach is based at our Mt. Ayr location, where he helps with counter sales and crop scouting. He has enjoyed getting to know more farmers in the area and hopes to return to southwest Iowa to farm and raise cattle. Tyler Mason. Tyler, 21, is a senior at ISU, where he will earn his ag business degree in May of Tyler grew up in Afton and worked at our Afton location last summer, where he handled counter sales and feed warehouse duties. I like the co-op, because you don t do the same thing every day, said Tyler, who is based in Macksburg and helps with crop scouting and the new ScoutPro software program. Tyler s mother, Sherry Pettit, and step-father, Tony Pettit, run a lawn care business in Afton. u Enjoy Faster Unloading This Fall The new grain pits and grain dryer are being installed at our Afton elevator this summer. The new 3,500-bushel-hour grain dryer has about twice the capacity of our old dryer. In addition, the new pits are located side by side, so we can dump two trucks at once. Faster unloading means you can get back to the field fast and work more efficiently. Construction began in early May, and the project is on track to be completed in time for harvest this fall. u 5

6 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID VISTACOMM 196 E. Railroad PO Box 19 Afton, IA Learn More at the Answer Plot It was great to see all of you who stopped by our Answer Plot field day in Creston to check out the corn, soybeans, and forages in early June. We have more events scheduled this summer, including a forage day on Thursday, July 25, and a field day on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Watch for more details. u