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NY Crop Grower December 24, 2012
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The New York Crop GrowerA publication of the NY Corn & Soybean Growers Association
Winter 2012, Vol. 2 No. 8
NYCSGA Seeking Farm Women Volunteers p. A32012 Yield Contest Winners p. B2Washington Update p. B3
The New York Crop GrowerA publication of the NY Corn & Soybean Growers Association
Winter 2012, Vol. 2 No. 8
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New York Corn andSoybean Growers AssociationPresident, Steve Van VoorhisHenrietta, 585-746-1542
Vice President, Ron RobbinsSackets Harbor, 315-382-3883
Secretary/Treasurer, Ralph LottSeneca Falls, 315-568-9501
Board MembersRoger Arliss, Pit FarmClyde, 315-521-0488
Adam L. CraftWilliamson, 315-589-2386
Todd Du Mond, Du Mond Ag, LLCUnion Springs, 315-252-9191
Loren Herod, Community Bank NAGeneva, 315-781-2138
Bill Jenkins, Jenkins FarmWyoming, 585-786-5793
Seth Pritchard, Catalpa FarmCanandaigua, 585-748-3334
Mike Stanyard,Cornell Cooperative Extension Newark, 315-331-8415
Tom Sutter, Monroe TractorHenrietta, 585-334-3857,585-730-1853
Jason Swede, Gary Swede FarmsPavilion, 585-243-9739
Tim Taylor, SeedSource, LLCSkaneateles, 315-374-2611
Raymond DeanAuburn, 315-209-7183
Beth Chittenden, Dutch Hollow FarmSchodack Landing, 518-732-4633
Julia Robbins Executive DirectorSackets Harbor, 315-778-1443
The New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association is agrassroots organization representing corn and soybeanproducers’ interests. The Association works todevelop and expand markets, educate members, andenhance public policy for corn and soybean growers in theEmpire State. The Association sponsors research on cornand soybean production, utilization and marketing andhosts educational programs.
erry Christmasand HappyNew Year
from the New YorkCorn & SoybeanGrowers Association!NYCSGA has beenvery busy the past 3months, tying up theend of the 2012 fiscalyear, traveling tovarious meetings,setting theorganization'sbudget for the 2013fiscal year, organizingthe 2012 Corn &Soybean Expo, andengaging inconsumer educationprograms.
Our board ofdirectors are all veryexcited about thisyear's Corn &Soybean Expo. Wenot only have twohighly qualified andexperienced speakers,Moe Russell and DickWittman, on theissue of farm businesstransitions andfinancial planning,but we're alsoplanning a secondhalf day session togive attendees moretime to interact withour guestconsultants. Moreinformation on theExpo is in thisnewletter. You canalso go to ourwebsite,www.nycornsoy.orgto register online.
In January, look forinformation on the2013 round offunding fromNYCSGA for researchprograms and growerand consumereducation. The boardhas decided to investeven more moneythis year in researchand educationprograms, as we feelthat the results of
these studies andinitiatives are a goodinvestment of yourcheckoff dollars.
Several women havebecome involvedwith NYCGSAthroughCommonGround, anational programthat seeks to helpwomen consumersmake informedchoices about theirfamilies' food, basedon facts, not fear.The backbone ofCommonGround arethe women farmervolunteers who talkwoman to womanabout food safetyand modernagriculture practices.In December,CommonGround NewYork launched two
radio spots in severalsuburban marketsacross New YorkState. The adsfocused on animalwelfare and milksafety. We plan tocontinue these ads inthe New Year in evenmore suburban areas.
Finally, my wife, Janeand I traveled to NewYork City earlier thismonth as part of atour hosted by theNational BiodieselBoard (NBB). Thefocus of this tour washow New York City isa leader in the nationin its use of biodieseland bioheat. The Cityhas a 2% bioheatmandate, and manyof the City'smunicipal vehiclesand equipment, as
well as the PortAuthority's snowremoval equipment,run on B-20 biodiesel.NBB is hopeful thatthe New York Statelegislature will pass astatewide 2%bioheat mandate thisyear; and we'll needall of our soybeanfarmers help ingetting this passed.We'll be sending outmore information onthis initiative viaemail and posting onour website as itbecomes available.
Jane and I wish allNew York Statecorn & soybeangrowers peace andhappiness thisholiday season.
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President's Column
Message from the PresidentBy Steve Van Voorhis
Steve and Jane VanVoorhis at Rockefeller Center during the NationalBiodiesel Board Tour in New York City
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he NYCSGA hasjoined anational
movement topromote modernagriculture entitled"CommonGround",which is supportedby the UnitedSoybean Board andthe National CornGrowers Association.CommonGround is agroup of farmwomen acrossAmerica whovolunteer their timeto provide food factsto the decisionmakers in the home,ie. the women whodo the groceryshopping. It's aconversation basedon the personalexperience offarmers, but also onscience and research.
The websitewww.FINDOURCOM-MONGROUND.COManswers consumerquestions andfeatures videos froma number of farmers.Specific topics thatare discussed on thewebsite includeantibiotics, foodprices, animalwelfare, hormones,local , organic, foodsafety, GMO foodsand corporate farms.
CommonGround NewYork recorded radiospots about foodsafety which aired inAlbany, Watertown,Rochester & Buffaloduring the first twoweeks of December.This past summer, anexhibit at theDutchess County Fairin Rhinebeck startedfood conversationswith consumers byproviding facts andinformation aboutsoybeans. Common-Ground(national) alsofilmed a video aboutdairy farming at the
Chittendens' DutchHollow Far, inSchodack Landing.The video will befeatured on theCommonGround
website in 2013.
Additionally,CommonGroundprovides brochures toconsumers at public
events as well asresources foragriculture women tojoin in the foodmovement. Moreevents are being
planned for thespring to connectwith state legislators,chefs and consumers.
One of the goals of
the NYCSGA womeninvolved in theCommonGroundprogram is to reachconsumers
NYCSGA Seeking Farm Women as Agriculture Ambassadors
TNYCSGA next page
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erry Christmas and Happy New Year toNew York's corn and soybean farmers!The New Year marks one year for me
as executive director of the New York Corn &Soybean Growers Association. I certainly had alot to learn when I started, but, slowly butsurely, all the pieces started coming together.I've thoroughly enjoyed my work with NewYork's corn and soybean farmers, and I lookforward to years to come as executive director.
I hope everyone had a safe and successfulharvest this year. Here in the North Countrywe saw record yields for both corn andsoybeans. The yields were so good in fact, atone point my dad thought his yield monitorwas broken! Crops were looking pretty sad inJuly, but Mother Nature, in her usual way,eventually came through for us.
I am very excited for the 2013 Corn &Soybean Expo, which will be held Jan. 24 & 25in Liverpool. We have nationally known andrespected farm business consultants, MoeRussell and Dick Wittman, as our guestspeakers this year. And, we are holding asecond 1/2 day session so that growers havethe opportunity to interact with our
consultants in smaller groups and one-on-one.We're also encouraging farmers to bring theirnext generation to the meeting as well. It'simportant for everyone involved in the farmoperation to hear the information that will bepresented. It's often said, but I really believe itthis time: this year's Expo will be our best yet!
Finally, I ask for your thoughts and prayers forour military who are serving overseasduring this holiday season, as well as theirfamilies back here on the home front.
God Bless You and Your Family thisChristmas and throughout the New Year!
Julia
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Executive Director's Report
Best Wishes this Christmas and in the New YearBy Julia Robbins
Merry Christmas from The Robbins Family: Brian, Jessica, Collin & Colton, Ron & Nancy, Julia & Tucker,and Jeff & Samantha
throughout all of New York State, so yourhelp is needed. To learn more aboutCommonGround visit us at the Corn &Soybean Expo on January 24th in Liverpool,NY.
You can support New York agriculture byjoining CommonGround NY and setting thefacts straight for consumers. To join theconversation or get brochures for an eventcontact Julia Robbins at 315-583-5296 [email protected].
NYCSGA from previous page
The New & Improved www.nycornsoy.org
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his holidayseason,members of
the New York Corn &Soybean GrowersAssociation (NYCSGA)can save on travelexpenses by usingdiscounts availableexclusively throughNYCSGA and theNational CornGrowers Association(NCGA). Throughpartnerships withEnterprise Rent-A-Carand the exclusiveNCGA WorldwideHotel DiscountProgram, NYCSGAoffers membersvaluable savings oncar rentals and hotelbookings whetherthey travel across thecountry or even tomany locationsaround the world.
The exclusive NCGAWorldwide HotelDiscount Program,which wasintroduced as abenefit earlier thisyear, allowsmembers, theirfriends and theirfamilies access to aworldwide inventoryof hotels at exclusivediscounted rates.Whether travellingfor work or pleasure,individually or in agroup, domesticallyor abroad, memberscan take advantageof savings that mayexceed 50 percentand average about15 percent belowpublicly offered bestavailable rates.Members can alsosave on car rentalswhen using theNCGA discountoffered through theorganization'spartnership withEnterprise Rent-A-Car. This benefitoffers a discount offive percent on rentalfees at Enterprise
neighborhood officesand 10 percent onrentals from theirairport locations.To find out moreabout how to access
these discounts andexplore the full arrayof benefits available
to members go tohttp://www.ncga.com/for-farmers/member-
ship-benefits, orcontact Julia atNYCSGA, at
[email protected], or315-583-5296.
TNYCSGA Members Can Save Big on Travel
www.nycornsoy.org
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he soy checkoff helps maintain andimprove demand for U.S. soy aroundthe globe, boosting profits for U.S.
soybean farmers and helping meet growingglobal demand for food. Soy exports haveincreased so much that more than half theU.S. crop left the country last year. To makesure that growth continues, the checkoffworks to address several potential obstacles,including these five
1. Restrictions on biotechnology. The checkoffcollects information about the safety ofsoybeans improved through biotechnologyand disseminates it to decision makers in keyglobal markets to keep them informed. Theeffort is especially important right now in theEuropean Union, which has a lengthyapproval process on new biotech varieties.This summer, the International SoybeanGrower's Alliance (ISGA), which includes theUnited Soybean Board, went on a mission tothe EU to discuss biotech soy production andthe need to reduce trade restrictions in thatpart of the world. The goal is to streamlineapproval processes and open the market tobiotech soy.
2. Trade barriers. The United States has madeprogress in some countries, signing tradeagreements with South Korea, Colombia andPanama in the past year. But tariffs, exporttaxes, production subsidies and other tradebarriers remain in place in a number of othercountries. These policies discourage potentialcustomers in those countries from importingU.S. soy. The checkoff works in many of thesecountries to ease these restrictions.
3. Transportation issues. U.S. farmers dependon roads, rivers and rails to move soybeansfrom their fields to export shipping points.The U.S. transportation system has been acompetitive advantage for U.S. soybeanfarmers for many years. Now, however, thatinfrastructure is aging and an increase inglobal demand will stress it even more. Arecent checkoff-funded study highlightedseveral weaknesses where problems couldarise as crop production and demand
increase. Without upgrades, the deterioratingtransportation system threatens U.S. soybeanfarmers' global competitiveness.
4. The competition. When it comes to quality,U.S. soybeans are considered second to none.But some international buyers make soybeanand soy meal purchasing decisions based onother factors, such as price and ease ofdelivery. As a result, U.S. soybean farmers arealways competing with South Americansoybean-growing countries like Brazil andArgentina. The checkoff analyzes
opportunities all over the globe to make sureU.S. soybean farmers stay a step ahead oftheir competition.
5. Staying sustainable. Customers around theworld will not only be demanding moresoybeans in the future; they will bedemanding soybeans that are grown in asustainable manner. The checkoff trackssustainable farm-management practices andpromotes U.S. farmers' efforts in this area topotential customers.
TTop Challenges to Selling More U.S. Soy Overseas
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hat's on theminds ofconsumers
when it comes totheir food? TheCenter for FoodIntegrity recentlybrought togetherindustry leaders tospeak on the topicsof ethics, values andconsumer trust intoday's food system.Stakeholdersattending themeeting had theopportunity toengage withattendees andspeakers thatincluded DavidHughes, emeritusprofessor of foodmarketing at theImperial College ofLondon; Bob Langert,vice president ofcorporate socialresponsibility atMcDonald'sCorporation; andFred Bedore, seniordirector, businessstrategy andsustainability atWalmart.
Here are some of thetop takeaways:
1.When you talk toconsumers, tell themabout how you sharetheir values. This iseven more importantin earning their trustthan rattling off factsabout your farm. Usepersonal stories andexperiences toengage with othersinstead ofimmediately turningto scientific factwhen talking aboutfood and farming.
2.Local food andchildren's nutritionare the items that aretop of mind forrestaurants.According to Hughes,there isn't a marketin the world that
isn't interested ineating 'local.'
3.When puttingtogether your farm
sustainability plan,do not try to guessthe expectations ofWalmart or any otherplayers in the food
value chain. Yourgoal should simplyalways be to get abetter result andmake improvements
from where youstarted.
To learn more aboutthe Center for Food
Integrity andupcoming events,pleasevisit www.foodin-tegrity.org.
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Food Integrity Summit:What You Need to Know
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he annual corn and nowsoybean yield contest issponsored by the New York
Corn & Soybean Grower Associa-tion. There were 67 yield entriessubmitted for both the corn and
soybean contests this year. Therewere some fantastic yields thisyear! The top regional and state
winners will be presented awardsat the 2013 NY Corn & SoybeanExpo in Syracuse on January 24th.
TCorn Contest Regional Winners
Western Region1. Matt Kludt Orleans County DeKalb 46-20 278.732. Matt Kludt Orleans County DeKalb 49-94 260.253. Bret Meyer Livingston County Pioneer P0891AM1 248.47
Finger Lakes Region1. Eric Lyon Seneca County Pioneer P0216HR 268.852. Charles Campbell Tioga County DeKalb 53-45 267.213. Eric Lyon Seneca County Pioneer P0216HR 258.90
Central Region1. Bob Pawlowski Oneida County Pioneer P0216HR 257.482. Kevin Sykes Oneida County Pioneer 9807HR 237.653. Jim Collins Oneida County Pioneer P0216HR 232.88
Overall NY State Corn Contest Winners1. Matt Kludt Orleans County DeKalb 46-20 278.732. Eric Lyon Seneca County Pioneer P0216HR 268.853. Charles Campbell Tioga County DeKalb 53-45 267.21
Soybean Contest Regional WinnersWestern RegionGroup 1 Brad Macauley Livingston County NK 1097 75.97Group 2 Myron Brady Livingston County Pioneer 92Y51 85.02Group 3 No Entries
Finger Lakes RegionGroup 1 Scott Arliss Wayne County SG1711 80.02Group 2 Bill Tack Wayne County SW2111 83.94Group 3 Todd DuMond Cayuga County Pioneer 93M11 79.99
Central RegionGroup 1 Humphrey's Oneida County Pioneer 91Y90 64.31Group 2 Kevin Sykes Oneida County Pioneer 92Y31 71.97Group 3 Bob Pawlowski Oneida County Pioneer 93Y22 64.83
Overall NY State Soybean Contest Winners1. Myron Brady Livingston County Pioneer 92Y51 85.022. Bill Tack Wayne County SW2111 83.943. Bret Meyer Livingston County Pioneer 92Y91 82.73
2012 New York Corn & Soybean Growers AssociationYield Contest Winners
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s America's soybean farmers round out what has been a year ofrecord drought, record prices, impasse on Capitol Hill and newopportunities abroad, the American Soybean Association
continues our work in Washington and nationwide to create anenvironment in which farmers can remain profitable in the face ofmyriad challenges. It certainly hasn't been easy, and the gridlock inWashington is a real barrier to our progress. There are, however,certain reasons for optimism as we look at the busy waning days ofthe 112th Congress and beyond.
As we speak, Congress is engaged in a back-and-forth over the fiscalcliff, and it bears repeating that agriculture remains the only industrythat as a whole has come to the table with a concrete number forwhat we're willing to give up in terms of deficit reduction. Wecontinue to support a comprehensive approach to reducing federaldeficits, but we will fight to ensure that disproportionate reductionsin agriculture programs are not made.
While the fiscal cliff dominates most national political conversations,the unresolved farm bill currently provides the most heartburn foragriculture. With the 2008 Farm Bill expired, the need for action on anew bill is at a critical stage. If the 112th Congress does not finish thefarm bill, the 113th will need to start from scratch, representing thefirst time that a Congress has failed to pass a new farm bill. ASAcontinues to call on farmers in New York and across the country toremind their members of Congress of the consequences of notpassing a bill.
Another issue of huge importance to ASA is the need for relief on theestate tax. If Congress does not provide a before 2013, the estate taxexemption will drop to from $5 million $1 million and the top tax ratewill increase to from 35 percent to 55 percent. Given the land-basedand capital-intensive nature of farm operations, farm families in NewYork and nationwide need an estate tax solution that takes intoaccount how we operate. ASA supports keeping the current exemptionat $5 million per person and retaining the top rate of 35 percent,indexing the exemption to inflation, providing for spousal transfers,and including the stepped-up basis.
Within the transportation sector, we are seeing a dire situation emergedown the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois. Water levelsbetween St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., have become so dangerously low thatthey threaten the continued operation of our industry's most-utilizedinland waterway. ASA has encouraged the administration to declare astate of emergency and take immediate action to ensure theuninterrupted flow of river commerce. While it may not have a directimpact on farmers in the Empire State, an interruption in such a vitalcommercial waterway will have ramifications for all of agriculture.
This year has also been a big one for biotechnology. ASA and many inthe industry paid close attention to California this election season,where voters decided against Prop 37, legislation that would haverequired labels on all foods containing biotech ingredients. ASA workedwith the No on 37 campaign to defeat the ballot initiative, which wouldhave provided misleading information to consumers, increased foodcosts, spawned frivolous lawsuits against farmers, and seriouslythreatened the public's confidence in the safety of food products.
With regard to biodiesel, we are still without a long-term extension ofthe biodiesel tax incentive. ASA did, however, succeed in seeing theRenewable Fuel Standard volume requirement raised to 1.28 billiongallons in 2013, following record production last in 2011.
Finally, ASA's work on trade saw new trade agreements enacted withSouth Korea, Colombia and Panama, as well as discussions of a freetrade agreement with the European Union and the inclusion of Japanin the Trans Pacific Partnership. Currently, the Senate stands ready topass a bill that would establish permanent normal trade relations withRussia, the world's ninth largest economy. Russia is a leading exportmarket for U.S., meat, poultry, egg and dairy products, importing morethan $770 million in these products last year.
As we move into 2013, ASA remains committed to working withRepublicans, Democrats and the Obama Administration to craft policiesthat work for America's soybean farmers, and we look forward toworking with the New York Corn and Soybean Growers Associationand farmers across the Empire State to ensure that those policies fityour needs as well.
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A Busy 2012 for Soybean Farmers on Capitol HillA report from the Washington office of the American Soybean Association
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am & Cheese Strata
2 cups cooked ham8 oz pkg twisted noodles1 cup montary jack cheese1/2 cup cheddar cheese1 can cream of mushroom soup1 cup milk2 tablespoons butterMix all together (except butter) in a largebuttered casserole dish.Dot with butter and bake at 350º for 30-35minutes. Serves 6.
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Hearty Winter Recipesfrom Beth Chittenden
315-923-9118Clyde, NY
Call Us for Your Complete System Installation No Job Too Small - No Job Too Big
• Transport Augers• Grain Legs• Buhler Grain Cleaners
• Grain Bins• Portable Dryers• Tower Dryers
• Custom Millwrighting• Up to 75 Ton Crane Service
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2013 Winter Discounts NOW IN EFFECT
Call Dave (307) 258-1273or Chuck (518) 537-7433
Plant Performance Aerial Application
Corn & Soybean Spray by Air
The New &Improved
www.nycornsoy.org
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s long aspeople love toeat seafood,
there will be farmerswho raise fish-or,aquaculture, thefastest-growingsector in all of animalagriculture. Here arefive things youshould know aboutthis growingindustry:
1. Fishmeal istypically used inaquafeedformulations, buthigh prices and lowsupplies have openedthe door for soy tobe used as a moresustainable proteinsource in manyformulations.
2. Each species of fishrequires a specificfeed formulation.There is a bigdifference betweenformulating feeds forpoultry and hogs, thetop two users of U.S.soy meal, andformulating feeds foraquatic animals. Inhogs, for example,the same formulationoften works for mosthog species.
3. Seafood comes inas the second-highest-valued U.S.import - crude oiland petroleumproducts are first -it's no surprise thataquacultureproduction has beena big business inmany countries.
4. Asia produces themajority offarm-raised fish andseafood. In fact,China produces 60percent of theworld's aquacultureproducts.
5. As China continuesto grow, both in
population and percapita income, thecountry willeventually consumeall the seafood it
produces and importmost of what'sproduced in the restof Asia.
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Fastest-Growing Animal-Ag Sector Smells FishyTop 5 Things You Need to Know about Aquaculture
www.nycornsoy.org
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Harvesting...
Branton Farms
Rodman Lott & SonsHansen Farms
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Harvesting...
Robbins Family Grain
Robbins Family Grain
Roberts Farm
Sunny Knoll Farms
Robbins Family Grain
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armer's Frittata
1 cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons vegetable oil8 eggs beaten1/4 cup half and half or milk
1/2 tsp basil1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese1/2 cup cheddar cheese1/4 cup diced peppers1/2 cup ham, bacon or pepperoni1 cup croutons, coursely crushed
1/4 Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat broiler in oven. In a large skillet orelectric frying pan cook onion in vegetable oiluntil onion is tender.2. Meanwhile, in a bowl beat together eggs,basil and milk. Pour egg mixture over onionmixture in skillet. After eggs begin to cookadd cheese, peppers and meat. Cook over
medium heat. As mix-ture sets, run a spatu-la around the skilletedge, lifting egg mix-ture so uncooked por-tion flows under-neath. Continuecooking and liftingedges until egg mix-ture is almost set (sur-face will be moist).Reduce heat as neces-sary to prevent over-cooking. 3. In a small bowlcombine the crushedcroutons and Parme-san cheese. When eggmixture is cookedsprinkle crouton mix-ture on top. 4. Broil 4 to 5 minutesor until top is set andcrumbs are golden.Cut frittata in squaresto serve.
FHearty Winter Recipes from Beth Chittenden
heesy PotatoSoup
5 potatoes peeled &diced1/2 cup choppedonion3 cups water2 cups milk1 tbsp salt1/4 tsp pepper1/2 tsp thyme1/2 tsp marjoram2 tbsp butter1 cup grated cheddarcheese1/2 montery jackcheese1/4 cup Parmesancheese
In a soup kettle cookpotatoes and onionswith the water untiltender. Add season-ings, butter, milk, andcheese. Cook overlow heat 15 minutes.Pour into bowls andgarnish with Parme-san cheese.
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n Agriculture today, one of the biggestbuzz words going is precision farming.What exactly does precision farming
stand for? Precision farming, or precisionagriculture as it is sometimes called, is theapplication of technologies and agronomicprinciples to manage spatial and temporalvariability associated with all aspects ofagricultural production for the purpose ofimproving crop performance andenvironmental quality. In other words,instead of managing a 40 acre field andtreating it as one management area, we cannow literally manage every inch of a fieldand put just the right inputs in place to getthe most out of that inch. Where and howdoes a grower start managing this way?Sounds a little overwhelming doesn't it?
That is where technology comes into play. Byutilizing global positioning systems (GPS), wecan pinpoint a spot in a field and keep trackof it year after year. Once we have theposition in the field, then we have to collectdata about that position year after year sothat we can determine patterns about howthat spot is performing. Relating back to the40 acre field analogy, if a field didn't averagewell because it was continually wet, one mayconsider running tile to help drain it. Itwould take a few years of seeing that it wasa wet field before a grower would invest onthe tile to help that field perform better.
Now you have a starting point. Get a GPSsignal and start recording data! You have tohave multiple years of data so that you canstart to make meaningful decisions in youroperation. An easy place to start is in yourcombine. For many years, combines havecome standard with yield monitoring systems.By simply adding a simple GPS receiver toyour combine and a recording monitor, youcan start collecting yield information by field.Keep in mind the old saying, however:garbage in, garbage out. Take the time tolook over the system and calibrate it. If youdo not feel comfortable, reach out to yourlocal dealer and they can help. If you do nothave the system calibrated correctly, theinformation you save isn't very valuable.
The next step is to pull the data into a usefulformat. There are a number of programs outthere you can utilize to help do this. Acouple of examples include Farmworks, AFSDesktop, SMS or APEX. These programsconvert the data collected in the combine toyield maps. You can also add your soilinformation, testing results, etc. to help giveyou a more complete picture of what ishappening in your fields. Getting the mapsto work for you can sometimes be achallenge. I know that some dealers andconsultants offer services to help pull the
data correctly so that your maps are in auseful format. Don't be afraid to ask forhelp; pulling information into a usableformat is the second most important partbehind collecting the data in the first place.
In summary, precision agriculture is a helpfultool and it is not that expensive to getstarted. Get a receiver and start collectingdata. Make sure your equipment iscalibrated and working correctly. Then,utilize the resources available and pullinformation that makes sense to you. Finally,you too will be better managing youroperation one foot at a time.
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Precision Farming: Where do I Start?By Tom Sutter
Ron Robbins, owner of Robbins Family Grain inSackets Harbor, checks his yield monitor whilechopping corn for silage earlier this fall.
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hat doesyour farmoperation
consist of? 1500 ac. Corn forgrain, 1700 ac.Soybeans, EmpireFarm Days 325 ac.
What is your secretto success? My father was neverafraid to trysomething new. Westarted no-tilling in1986 and convertedeverything tozone-till by 1988.Today everything isno-tilled and we areharvesting everythingwith tracks - combinewhen necessary,tractor & grain cart.
Activities/memberships/otherboards that youparticipate in/serve on? Seneca County IDAdirector serving 2ndyear, Seneca CountyFarm Bureau served 2terms as President, 1term as V.P., 1 as Sec.Treas., member
American SoybeanAssoc., National CornGrowers, NY BeefProducers.
How do you stayon top of the newtechnologies infarming? Having 2 capablesons, Rodman 30 andBen 21 who want tofarm efficiently withthe newest and bestavailable.
What are some ofthe challenges andopportunities intoday'sagri-business? Biggest challenge isgovernmentregulations (trucking,
clean water).Opportunities areendless now withgood yields and greatprices. Anotherchallenge is findinggood farmland.
With this year's expofocusing on farmfamily transitions,what is the role ofthe next generationin your familybusiness? Rodman is a fullpartner in the farmand plans are tomake Ben a fullpartner.
What are youlooking forward tothis winter?
Selling the cropsfrom this past year;we do very little (no)forward contractingand rely on basiscontracts forsoybeans and cashcontracts for corn.
Hometown:Seneca Falls, NYEducation:2 year Ag degreeFamily:wife Shirley,daughter Nicole &her husband TimTaylor, son Rodman& his wife Tara &2 children Grace &Blake, son Ben Hobbies:beef cattle
WQ&A with Director Ralph Lott
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