North American Ag Spotlight

For this Ag Spotlight episode, Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Kuubix Energy Vice President Geoff Howard and CEO Josh Butt. Kuubix is a solar installation company that provides solar panels and energy storage throughout the state of California and beyond. Whether you’re looking to save some money on your energy bills or you are wanting to completely get off the grid, the experts at Kuubix will help you find the solution that best fits your needs and your budget. To learn more about getting solar power on your farm, visit https://kuubixenergy.com/.

Chrissy Wozniak is joined today by Ben Schapelhouman, founder of TECC Agriculture. Ben dives into crop scouting technology and what the economic impact is when you take control of the small details. TECC Agriculture is an agricultural services and technology company based in (Northeastern) Ontario. Our mission is to help farmers manage uncertainty and stress by remotely monitoring their field crops and connecting them with timely agronomic advice. Traditional crop scouting demands precious time or experienced scouts who are in short supply. Today growers and agronomists increasingly make use of aerial drones and satellite imagery for a view of the big picture in a field. TECC Ag bridges the gap by using electric dirt bikes to travel between rows or along sprayer tracks to collect high resolution imagery that can be used to head off production risks before they develop into costly production challenges. Integrations with a growing list of farm management software partners allow growers and trusted advisors to view imagery on their preferred platform. Learn more about TECC Agriculture at https://tecc.ag/.

Listen to the podcast at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com. In this episode, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Kelly Whitman, President & COO of Roto-mix ROTO-MIX has built its reputation as the leading manufacturer of livestock mixing and feeding equipment, compost mixing equipment and manure spreaders by continually setting standards for the industry. The company was founded in Dodge City, Kansas by Ben Neier and Bill Pullen in 1984. Since that time, ROTO-MIX has grown to include additional manufacturing facilities in Hoisington, Kansas and Sunnyside Washington as well as a retail location in Scott City, Kansas. The marketing arm has over 100 dealers providing local sales and service in the U.S. and sales in over 40 international markets. With an in-house engineering department the company’s leading edge developments specifically meet the ever-changing requirements of the cattle and dairy feeding industry. ROTO-MIX has successfully filed several patents related to the livestock mixing and feeding equipment. As important as our patents are, our most valuable commodity is our 100+ skilled and dedicated employees. Each and every one of them is committed to delivering a superior product to our dealers and end-users. "Ben and Jim Copeland were the first two to do this and that’s why the company originally was called BJM, for Ben and Jim Manufacturing. Ben was actually the father of the feed mixer, because before Ben invented the auger box there really wasn’t any way to mix feed in the early 60s. Then he kind of decided he had something going, he had something that worked pretty good, and kind of one of those things - the neighbor sees it and he says I want one, and the other neighbor sees one and he wants one. And Ben started manufacturing the auger mixers." Kelly Whitman

This week Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with Buck Wheeler, founder of EZ Animal Products. After many years of coming up on the short end of the stick handling horses, entrepreneur, trainer, horseman, inventor, Buck Wheeler decided to do something about it. Together with his wife Karen they invented the two products that are now being used on a multitude of animals and species. EZ Animal Products is a family owned business and together with their son John, receives the orders, manufacture and pack all the products in-house and they are shipped out daily on a worldwide basis. In May of 1996 five days after applying for the patent on his first invention The Stableizer® it was used on that years Kentucky Derby winner Grind Stone. As with The Stableizer® they worked on their next idea / Invention the Udderly EZ™ Milker in the research and development phase of it for over five years. The UDDERLY EZ MILKER™ is the safest and most effective large domestic and exotic animal milk and colostrum collection device available. It can be used on horses of all sizes, ponies, donkeys, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, zebras, camels and miniature cows. To learn more about EZ Animal Products, visit the website here: http://www.udderlyez.com/

This week Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Karen Taylor, Director of Corporate Finance at BMO Financial Group and Professor in the Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) program at The University of British Columbia. The MFRE is a 1-year masters program that combines features of an MBA program and a MA degree in Economics. It incorporates Economics, Policy and Business aspects within the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental sectors, helping students acquire a specialized understanding of these sectors, and propelling them to pursue careers in academia, consulting, finance management and entrepreneurship. To learn more about the MFRE program at UBC, visit their website here https://mfre.landfood.ubc.ca/

This week Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with AMS Galaxy USA President Brad Biehl and Suzanne Meck, Director of Sales and Marketing, to discuss the leading edge technology available for dairy producers. AMS Galaxy is the new leader in reliable cow-friendly precision dairy technology, including the state-of-the-art, cost-effective 2-box, 1-arm milking robot. Increase production. Increase profits. AMS Galaxy USA specializes in; Robotic Milking, Automatic Calf Feeding, Robotic Bedding, Cow Feed Pushers, & Complete Robotic Feeding Solutions. Spend more time doing what you love. Use technology to your advantage. To learn more, visit the AMS Galaxy USA site https://amsgalaxy.com/.

Megan & Terry Buttnor moved to remote Northern Ontario in 2020, to start their new life on a farm that used to serve as the town’s abattoir. Almost two years in they have stories to tell, and share their opinions on how the supply chain, input prices and meatpacker issues effect the family farm. Learn more at https://greatnorthacres.com.

Find the podcast at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Born in Vermont in 1804, John Deere worked as a blacksmith’s apprentice before embarking on his own legendary career, moving to Illinois, and coming up with his life-changing idea – the steel plow. 218 years later, John Deere is one of the most well known brands on the planet. John Deere green has been worn proudly for generations, has songs devoted to it and put Moline, Indiana on the map. Chrissy Wozniak sits down to hear the story, told by John Deere Archivist Neil Dahlstrom. Neil goes over the timeline of ideas and innovation, and talks about some little known fact about the companies history - like the design that was drawn on a napkin & where the phrase 'Runs Like a Deere' came from. Join us for this episode of What Color is Your Tractor. Hear more stories about the brands you love and the brands you love to hate at WhatColorisYourTractor.com.

Chrissy Wozniak is joined today by New York Farm Show manager Scott Grigor. Scott fills us in on plans for the upcoming show, shares his advice for farm show leaders and what makes the New York Farm Show stand out from the rest. The New York Farm Show takes place February 24-26, 2022 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. The New York Farm Show is the leading farm show in the Northeast since 1985. The show hosts more than 400 exhibitors displaying the latest in farm equipment, tractors, combines and farm implements; seed and crop protection products; farm supplies and services, dairy and beef production, woodlot and related industry supplies. Find more info here at https://www.newyorkfarmshow.com/en/home.html, and make sure you stop by the North American Ag booth to pick up a New York Farm Show mug from the collection over the last 35 years (limited quantities available).

Today Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Joseph Liefer from John Deere to discuss their recently released fully automated tractor. John Deere revealed a fully autonomous tractor that’s ready for large-scale production. The machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies. The autonomous tractor will be available to farmers later this year. The autonomous tractor serves a specific purpose: feeding the world. The global population is expected to grow from about 8 billion to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, increasing the global food demand by 50%. Furthermore, farmers must feed this growing population with less available land and skilled labor, and work through the variables inherent in farming like changing weather conditions and climate, variations in soil quality and the presence of weeds and pests. All of these factors impact a farmer’s ability to farm during the most critical times of the year. The autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected. The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is within less than an inch of accuracy. To use the autonomous tractor, farmers only need to transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation. Using John Deere Operations Center Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine. While the machine is working the farmer can leave the field to focus on other tasks, while monitoring the machine’s status from their mobile device. John Deere Operations Center Mobile provides access to live video, images, data and metrics, and allows a farmer to adjust speed, depth and more. In the event of any job quality anomalies or machine health issues, farmers will be notified remotely and can make adjustments to optimize the performance of the machine. All of the content and demos from Deere’s CES booth will also be available at: www.JohnDeere.com/CES

Today Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with Ag-Bag by RCI owner Randy Clark and National Sales & Marketing Manager Taylor Weisensel to discuss the new Ag-Bag T7170. Ag-Bagging is taking a performance leap forward through the new T-Series models introduction. Since acquiring the product line from New Holland in late 2019, RCI Engineering has focused on transforming the product design with extensive input from its customer and dealer base. The result is a machine design with more capacity, higher density forage compaction, easier serviceability and more convenient transport. “Our goal is to build on the industry leadership that Ag-Bag has achieved to make this product line perform more profitably for forage producers and livestock operations,” said Randy Clark, founder of RCI Engineering. “And we’ve made a strong commitment to back that up with exceptional parts and service support,” he continued. One of Ag-Bag’s long-standing key features has been its patented low rotor position that fills bags more uniformly with its upward flow of feedstuffs. Now, RCI has improved this function with a new Revolutionary Rotor with twice as many teeth resulting in greater compaction and higher density in the bag. Plus, an all-new forage distributor spreads the forage evenly over the rotor for faster unloading and higher throughput capacity. Longer tunnel extensions also contribute to greater compaction and forage density. Another high-capacity feature is a single conveyor that is now 12 inches wider, handling more forage for faster unloading. Serviceability and ease of operation are also improved. At the operator station, all machine controls are in one place, and the T7170 provides easy access for servicing upkeep. Transporting the T7170 Ag-Bagger has also been upgraded with an integrated hydraulic lift system that saves time changing between transport and operation modes. A new hitch design changes towing direction placing the tunnel on the side of the road providing better visibility and safer travel. Ag-Bag by RCI provides a complete forage storage solution with its superior compaction machine designs, specially formulated Ag-Bag inoculants, and Genuine Ag-Bag plastic that provides an ideal oxygen-free environment for silage fermentation and higher quality livestock feed. For more information head to the Ag-Bag website at https://ag-bag.com/

From his beginnings on a small dairy farm, to a career in ag sales, to a day on a beach on the west coast of Mexico - Mike Muldoon shares his story of busting through fear in a world where tomorrow is not guaranteed. Living life to the fullest is the mindset he's embraced. After suffering a serious stroke, and being told that he should play it safe and stay home, he got back on his motorcycle and crisscrossed coast to coast across Canada to Alaska, then down through Mexico. Despite the pandemic he keeps moving forward and spreading his positive attitude to all he meets. Listen to his words of wisdom as he sits down for a chat with Chrissy Wozniak on this week's Ag Spotlight.

In this episode of What Color is Your Tractor, Jim Mandes, Northern Region Sales Manager of Krone North America, sits down with Chrissy Wozniak, to talk about the origins of Krone, and Krone North America. Krone was founded in Spelle, Germany, in 1906 with the intention of making farming more efficient and profitable. Following many years of growth and expansion, Krone North America was established in 1973 and continues to further that vision by supplying innovative, performance-engineered equipment that has become the benchmark in the hay and forage industry. Krone is still owned and operated by the Krone family, and visionary leader Bernard Krone has hands-on involvement in company operations. As a result, each and every machine bearing the Krone name is engineered to meet the same time-tested, exacting standards that have earned Krone a worldwide reputation for quality. As technology makes hay and forage harvesting even faster and more efficient, Krone continues to listen to their customers and invest heavily in research and development to ensure their equipment meets and exceeds their performance and revenue expectations. That commitment has made Krone the industry leader in product innovation. Whether it’s a large square baler that produces a higher density bale perfect for storage and transport, the first high-capacity self-propelled mower conditioner, or the world’s most powerful forage harvester, Krone is first to market with the ideas that everyone else imitates. Krone North America puts German engineering to work for their customers, delivering the highest levels of efficiency and productivity, exceptional crop quality, and maximum uptime in the field. Visit Krone North America to learn more- https://www.krone-northamerica.com/

Today, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Kelsey Banks to learn about her deep roots in agriculture and to hear her incredible story. Kelsey is an inspirational young woman who has had a deep passion for agriculture her entire life. Hailing from Eastern Ontario, you may recognize Kelsey’s friendly face from the many farm shows she used to frequent. While she is a pumpkin farmer at her roots, Kelsey is also currently working as a crop consultant for Embrun Co-op where it’s easy to see how passionate she is about helping fellow farmers. At the beginning of 2020, Kelsey was diagnosed with brain cancer. In today’s interview, she walks us through how this diagnosis altered her life forever- but also how it changed her entire perspective. Finding light in even the darkest situations, Kelsey shared her journey with “Bob” on social media and became an inspiration to many. Connect with Kelsey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KelseyBanks Learn more about Embrun Co-op here: https://coopembrun.com/en/

For the final episode of 2021, we took a look back over Chrissy Wozniak's favorite question that she asks her guests at the end of each episode of the North American Ag Spotlight - Why do you do what you do? This industry is filled with inspirational people, willing to serve in many ways, helping farmers keep farming. North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the incredible people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Hear these great people answer this question: Tracy Brunet Trent Loos Brent Adams Jim Mundorf John Winchell Jordan Van Trump Larry Maguire MP Harriet Wegmeyer & Tamara Sealy Ethan Lane Courtney Meyers Katharine Knowlton Greg Martinelli Hannah Thompson-Weeman Katie Schmitt Bakur Kvezereli Stacy Anthony Tyler Bramble Jacek Chmielewski Anna Haldewang Bruce Button Don Parrish Kate Ziehm Michele Payn Nancy Vander Byl Tanner Beymer Tom Woodall Brad & Ella Kaur Dr. James Hebert

Last week, the U.S. House voted to pass two NCBA-supported pieces of legislation that are critical to providing producers with greater transparency in the cattle markets. Chrissy Wozniak sits down with NCBA's Tanner Beymer to learn more about what the passing of these bills means for the industry. The House voted 418-9 to advance H.R. 5290, introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA). This legislation, which was supported by Ranking Member Glenn "G.T." Thompson (R-PA) and unanimously approved by the Committee, would extend authorization for livestock mandatory reporting (LMR) through September 30, 2022. The authorization for LMR — the most important tool cattle producers have for understanding transactions and trends in the cattle markets — is currently set to expire along with federal funding on February 18, 2022. By an overwhelming vote of 411-13, the House also passed the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021. NCBA secured the introduction of this bipartisan legislation in October, led by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX). “The fact that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson have both been vocal champions for LMR reauthorization is yet another indication of the broad-base support this measure has among producers across the country. LMR is absolutely essential to fair, competitive, and transparent cattle markets. We appreciate Chairman Scott's leadership, and the heavy engagement we have seen from both sides of the committee on this issue. We also thank Rep. Johnson and Rep. Cuellar for their work to equip producers with vital market data through a cattle contract library,” said NCBA President Jerry Bohn. The creation of a cattle contract library and the reauthorization of LMR are both widely supported across the cattle and beef industry. When livestock groups met in Phoenix earlier this year to identify common goals and priorities, those two measures were agreed upon as urgent. NCBA left that meeting and immediately set to work advancing these proposals. We upheld our commitment to the industry, even when R-CALF changed their tune and refused to support these viable, popular solutions. Background NCBA has long advocated for increased transparency in the cattle and beef supply chain. In October 2021, NCBA Vice President and South Dakota rancher Todd Wilkinson testified before the House Agriculture Committee and underscored the need for greater transparency in live cattle markets. In August 2021, NCBA succeeded in pushing USDA to make more market data publicly available. The agency began publishing a new daily report on the foundational prices used in cattle market formulas, grids, and contracts, and a new weekly report on the volume of cattle purchased at each different level of pricing. In June 2021, NCBA led a letter with the support of more than 36 state affiliate groups urging Congress to act on the reauthorization of LMR. LMR is the legislative mandate that requires large meat processors to regularly report information on their transactions, such as the price they pay for livestock and the volume of purchases.

Welcome to the launch of the much-anticipated podcast, "What Color Is Your Tractor"! Hosted by North American Ag's Chrissy Wozniak, this show is here to give you insight on the stories behind the ag brands you love, and the ag brands you love to hate. Today, Chrissy is diving into the story behind Landoll with founder, owner and president Don Landoll. Chrissy Wozniak has always been fascinated by brand loyalty in agriculture, she has had the opportunity to travel the US and Canada throughout her career and has been blessed to build relationships with the people who run the companies that help keep farmers farming. She wants to tell the stories of these great companies, and help you get to know them for who they really are. Learn more about 'What Color Is Your Tractor' and stay updated at https://www.whatcolorisyourtractor.com/ President of Landoll Company LLC, Don Landoll, has provided a vision for the company focusing on the “Customer Comes First” philosophy. Since 1963, founder, owner, and president has been an entrepreneurial inspiration. Chrissy Wozniak talks with Don about how the company started, what their first products were, and why they are a great company to work for in Marysville, Kansas. Landoll has been providing proven solutions to our customers for over 55 years. With a worldwide consumer base, they continue to supply their customers with products of the highest quality materials and workmanship. Don’s commitment to customer satisfaction is still very much in effect 55 years later. This approach has helped build the long-standing, stable relationships that Landoll Company, LLC shares with it's customers. From the very first line of farm equipment to the very latest lines of products, Landoll continues to develop products that exceed their customers’ expectations. Whether you need a tillage machine to handle today’s high residues, a grain drill, or a machine to address your compaction concerns, Landoll has a machine to fit your needs. They also manufacture outside of the ag industry with their lines of trailers, forklifts and construction equipment. Learn more about Landoll at https://landoll.com

This week Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Gary Steuart, founder of Steuart Laboratories. For over 35 years, Steuart's has helped animals (and people!) with natural & herbal creams and ointments. Steuart Laboratories' products promote healthier skin, tissue repair and healing and relief from joint, muscle, and nerve pain. Our products are formulated with organic and natural ingredients (unless stated on bottle) and are manufactured and shipped in Mabel, Minnesota. The company's first product, Miracle Weed, was developed in 1982 using the healing herb, comfrey. Today, comfrey is still a key ingredient, often in combination with other proven herbs, plant-extracts and natural oils. Steuart Laboratories' products are often effective in treating tough skin problems that don't respond to other remedies, including: slow-healing sores, dry or cracked skin, and rashes. Learn more and browse their full range of natural products here: https://steuartlaboratories.com/.

This week, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Tyler Bramble, Portfolio Growth Lead at Cainthus. Cainthus is a leading Computer Vision and AI company offering technology that is transformational for animals, farmers and the production of food. The Cainthus technology - used for both ALUS Nutrition and ALUS Behavior - relies on a smart camera system that monitors animal behavior as well as operations on the farm, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Cainthus has developed state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that automatically turns visual inputs from cameras into real-time insights. These insights are displayed daily on any device available on the farm - phone, tablet or PC. The information delivered is reliable and non-biased. This technology is easily scalable, it doesn’t require any hardware on the cows and unlike other technologies, very little maintenance is needed. To learn more, visit the Cainthus website here: https://www.cainthus.com/

Today Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Sam Guererri, the South East Sales Manager of revolutionary agtech company PlantTape. Based in California’s Salinas Valley, PlantTape brings precision agriculture to growers of vegetables, tomatoes, and hemp. We believe in empowering farmers around the world to increase crop yield and lower costs. The entire PlantTape process is built around our namesake innovation: a biodegradable tape that holds seeds and seedlings. The tape facilitates ease of sowing, efficient nursery operations, and automated transplanting. PlantTape’s automated transplanter is easy to use and designed by farmers, for farmers. It is built to withstand the elements, while giving growers the reliability and precision they need. Where other automated transplanters rely on complex computer systems, actuators, and sensors, the PlantTape 3-point automated transplanter is 100% mechanical. It is easy to learn and easy to use. Line-to-line spacing can be altered in the field to allow for many different bed configurations. Growers can plant fields with different bed configurations on the same day with some mechanical adjustments. Plant-to-plant spacing can be altered on the fly. Additionally, the PlantTape transplanter is crop-agnostic, meaning it will pull whatever plant species is in the nursery trays and put it into the ground. To learn more about this incredible company, go to planttape.com. Today Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Sam Guererri, the South East Sales Manager of revolutionary agtech company PlantTape. Based in California’s Salinas Valley, PlantTape brings precision agriculture to growers of vegetables, tomatoes, and hemp. We believe in empowering farmers around the world to increase crop yield and lower costs. The entire PlantTape process is built around our namesake innovation: a biodegradable tape that holds seeds and seedlings. The tape facilitates ease of sowing, efficient nursery operations, and automated transplanting. PlantTape’s automated transplanter is easy to use and designed by farmers, for farmers. It is built to withstand the elements, while giving growers the reliability and precision they need. Where other automated transplanters rely on complex computer systems, actuators, and sensors, the PlantTape 3-point automated transplanter is 100% mechanical. It is easy to learn and easy to use. Line-to-line spacing can be altered in the field to allow for many different bed configurations. Growers can plant fields with different bed configurations on the same day with some mechanical adjustments. Plant-to-plant spacing can be altered on the fly. Additionally, the PlantTape transplanter is crop-agnostic, meaning it will pull whatever plant species is in the nursery trays and put it into the ground. To learn more about this incredible company, go to planttape.com.

New partnership will offer on-demand feed testing and in-field decision-making capabilities. Si-Ware Systems Inc., creator of NeoSpectra material analysis solutions built on single-chip FT-NIR spectrometers, today announced a partnership with Dairyland Laboratories, Inc., a leading agricultural feed and forage testing laboratory with customers across the U.S. and in over 20 countries. The partnership will utilize the power of Si-Ware’s NeoSpectra technology and Dairyland’s feed testing expertise, enabling on-demand results, quicker decisions, and improved feed quality assurance.  The partnership marks an exciting era in agriculture technology and in-field analysis. Dairyland’s feed testing and NIR expertise, paired with NeoSpectra Scanners, will allow users to capture and review feed composition on-demand to empower in-field decision-making and variation control. Customers can accurately analyze moisture in real time, detect trends and changes in quality, and screen quality of incoming ingredients. The in-field solution enables users to analyze more samples in less time, adjust to feed changes quickly, and optimize harvest timing. Dairyland’s NIR support and data integrations will be made available on Si-Ware’s NeoSpectra LabStore via the Dairyland Feed Analysis app. The NeoSpectra LabStore is a secure place to discover and download test models that are developed by FT-NIR technology experts such as laboratories, researchers, universities, and companies. NeoSpectra portable analyzer users access the LabStore to download the models they need to perform in-field analysis in industries such as agriculture, food, life sciences, and others. “We are thrilled to partner with Dairyland Laboratories to launch new dairy feed testing models on the NeoSpectra LabStore,” said Youssri Helmy, CEO of Si-Ware Systems. “At Si-Ware, our vision is to deliver on-demand, accurate analysis anywhere by empowering laboratories and experts with the technology to deliver their models to users at the point of need. Our work with Dairyland will help deliver on this vision and will provide instant feed analysis insights for farmers, laboratories, ingredient suppliers, feed mills, dairy consultants, and more.” The Dairyland and Si-Ware partnership seeks to address the in-field burdens of feed variation while maximizing feed nutrient content and animal productivity for the hundreds of thousands of dairy farms and feed mills globally. “This is a ground-breaking partnership not only for Dairyland, but also for our customers,” said Kyle Taysom, CEO at Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. “Dairyland is excited to partner closely with Si-Ware to bring this technology to the field. This new agreement extends our testing capabilities to farms and feed mills and enables decision-making that was previously unfeasible.” The Dairyland partnership, which was announced on the first day of the 2021 World Dairy Expo, is Si-Ware’s first lab partner in the U.S. About Si-Ware Systems™  Si-Ware’s NeoSpectra all-in-one, universal material analysis solution platform, built on a family of single-chip FT-NIR spectrometers, enables businesses to bring the lab to the field and makes the concept of analyzing anywhere with high return on investment a reality. Combining portable analyzers that have unprecedented performance and accuracy with the NeoSpectra LabStore, a secure place to discover and download test methods developed by FT-NIR technology experts such as laboratories, researchers, universities, and companies, Si-Ware’s solutions deliver instant insights to industries such as agriculture, food, life sciences, and others. Si-Ware is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, with research and development centers in Paris, France and Cairo, Egypt. For more information, visit Si-Ware.com About Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. Dairyland Laboratories is an independent agricultural laboratory providing analysis of feed, forage, soil, water, manure, molds and mycotoxins. Established in 1958, Dairyland Labs has grown to become a primary supplier of agriculture analysis with customers in the world's primary dairy markets. For more information call Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. at 608-323-2123 or visit www.dairylandlabs.com.

Last week the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the introduction of the Cattle Contract Library Act, led by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX). Tanner Beymer of the NCBA sat down to talk to Chrissy Wozniak about the bill. This bipartisan bill would establish a cattle contract library within USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS), equipping cattle producers with the market data they need to make informed business decisions and exert greater leverage in negotiations with major meatpackers. The cattle contract library is widely supported by industry groups and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and the introduction of this legislation comes after more than a year of NCBA pushing for the creation of the library. "After more than a year of upheaval, facing everything from extreme drought to supply chain disruptions, many cattle producers have been backed against a wall. We need to act urgently to provide them with relief," said NCBA President Jerry Bohn. "There is no single, silver bullet solution to the wide variety of needs among our diverse membership, but lawmakers can start by focusing on viable solutions that have broad-base support across the industry. The cattle contract library is one such solution, and it will help our producers command more leverage in negotiations with the packers. We appreciate the work of Congressman Johnson and Congressman Cuellar to move the ball forward on this urgent issue." Earlier this month, NCBA Vice President and South Dakota rancher Todd Wilkinson testified before the House Agriculture Committee and underscored the need for greater transparency in cattle markets. One of the solutions he advocated for was the creation of the cattle contract library, as well as full reauthorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR). Background: NCBA has long advocated for increased transparency in the cattle and beef supply chain. In August 2021, NCBA succeeded in pushing USDA to make more market data publicly available. The agency began publishing a new daily report on the foundational prices used in cattle market formulas, grids, and contracts, and a new weekly report on the volume of cattle purchased at each different level of pricing. In June 2021, NCBA led a letter with the support of more than 36 state affiliate groups urging Congress to act on the reauthorization of LMR. LMR is the legislative mandate that requires large meat processors to regularly report information on their transactions, such as the price they pay for livestock and the volume of purchases. In May 2021, NCBA met with American Farm Bureau Federation, Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, R-CALF and U.S. Cattlemen's Association to discuss urgent concerns and the need for a cattle contract library was one of three priorities agreed upon by these disparate groups. The introduction of the Cattle Contract Library Act follows months of NCBA engagement to ensure Members of Congress understand the most urgent needs facing cattle producers, the complex cattle market conditions influencing these outcomes, and the risks of adopting one-size-fits-all policy solutions that may hurt producers' bottom line.

Today Roger Olson brings his experience to the table as we focus on the health and wellbeing of dairy cows. Roger is the dairy account manager at Zinpro, and is former owner and manager of a 1,200-cow dairy and inventor of Shredlage – a corn silage processing technology that he sold to CLAAS. His experience with Dr. Don Hoglund’s training methods have also helped develop his well-rounded philosophy of cattle management. Zinpro offers a full range of products, services and expertise to ensure every animal gets everything they need to maximize wellbeing and productivity. Zinpro partners with customers to advance the health and performance of their animals with the best, most researched performance trace minerals — coupled with comprehensive tools, solutions and resources to maximize productivity and overall wellbeing. To learn more, visit their website here: https://www.zinpro.com/

This week Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with Kordel France, CEO of Seekar Technologies. Seekar is solving today's problems with tomorrow's technology. Seekar utilizes artificial intelligence and computer vision to provide smarter crop diagnostics and field management. Seekar packs the agriscience lab into a high-tech mobile solution so that farmers can have on-demand crop health analysis in the palm of their hand. Whether the need is to diagnose the sensitivity to late blight in potatoes or to help determine a precise watering schedule, Seekar's platform will cut costs of field visits and put you back in control of your crops' health. Seekar's agriscience software combines aerial drone analysis with machine learning in order to help consultants determine flaws in watering patterns, severity of wheat leaf rust in a field, and more. Make intelligent decisions faster, cheaper, and more accurately with Seekar. To learn more about Seekar Technologies, visit their website here: https://seekartech.com/

North American Ag has partnered with METOS USA to bring industry leaders together once a month to discuss a topic at the forefront of North American Agriculture. This month, we are focusing on the future of farm shows, what needs to change and what needs to be preserved. Continue reading to learn more about this month's guest speakers. To learn more about METOS USA, visit their website here: http://metosusa.com/. Jim Mandes Jim Mandes graduated from Penn State University with a BSBA in Management and Marketing. He has a deep understanding of the sales process and territory management and is currently the Northern Regional Sales Manager at Krone North America. Andy Dellava Andy Dellava was born and raised on a poultry and grain farm in New York. He was involved in the launch of the New York Farm Show in 1985, and was President and Chairman of the Board in the late 1980’s and he became CEO & Publisher in 1986. Andy joined Hoard’s Dairyman’s advertising department in 1996 where he is now the Marketing Manager and has since provided dairy market insight and advice to manufacturers on how to best position their products/services to dairy farmers throughout the U.S. Gary Schulz Gary Schulz graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Education and later graduated from Institute for Organization Management. He is an agribusiness CEO turned business coach with a passion for making a difference in business leaders’ lives. Gary has an extensive background in agriculture after 35 years as an experienced executive in member-driven agricultural business organizations such as the World Ag Expo, Citrus Research Board, Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, and Raisin Administrative Committee. Jessa Allen Jessa Allen is Vice President of Membership & Events at USApple. She has diverse experience with professional and trade associations spanning the healthcare, human resource and affordable housing industries. Prior to joining USApple in March 2013, Jessa was director of member relations for the Health Industry Distributors Associations, the national trade association representing medical products distributors. Jessa is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and active member of the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE). Brent Adams Brent Adams is an experienced editor and award-winning content creator with a demonstrated history of leadership success working in newspapers, television, radio and public relations. Brent is a strong media and communications professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies from Arizona State University - Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Brent is currently the Vice President of Content Development/Programming at Farm Life Agri Media.