Guest Blog post by Mark Hanna,
ISU Extension agricultural engineer with responsibilities in field machinery
Extremely warm, dry and windy harvest conditions in 2011 were credited for the above-average number of combine and field fires we experienced last fall. Hot, dry conditions all summer long – plus the likelihood of warmer than normal temperatures at harvest time due to an early harvest – mean even more sparks could ignite during the 2012 harvest season.
Prevention is a key to avoid personal and property damage.
Keep the machine clean, particularly around the engine and engine compartment. Use a high pressure washer or compressed air to remove caked-on oil, grease and crop residue.
Check coolant and oil levels daily.
Check the pressurized oil supply line to the turbocharger for wear areas that rub and may start an oil leak.
Frequently blow leaves, chaff and plant material from the engine area with compressed air or a portable leaf blower. Remove plant materials wrapped on or near bearings, belts or other moving parts.
Examine exhaust or hot bearing surfaces. Repair leaking fuel or oil hoses, fittings or metal lines immediately.
Inspect and clean ledges or recessed areas near fuel tanks and lines.
Preparation is also key. Carry these items with you during harvest:
Cell phone to call the fire department (911).
Two ABC-type fire extinguishers: a smaller 10-pound unit in the cab and a larger 20-pound extinguisher at ground level on the combine.
A shovel to throw dirt on small flames.
Since fires can start from plant materials that have smoldered unnoticed for 15 to 30 minutes or more, it just takes a gust of wind to literally blow it out of control. Hanna advises farmers to discuss a plan for emergency tillage in the event of a fire break, so harvest crews know what to do should the need arise. Remember, personal safety is more important than harvest loss.
Front Row (Left to Right): Christy Johnson-Lynch, ISU Head Volleyball Coach; Brandon Hagie and Kevin Jackson, ISU Head Wrestling Coach Second Row (Left to Right): Barb Hagie (Wife of John Hagie); Taylor Hagie; Alan Hagie and Lisa Hagie Third Row (Left to Right): Steve Dunker; Bill Fennelly, ISU Head Women’s Basketball Coach; Paul Rhoads, ISU Head Football Coach; Julie (Hagie) Dunker; John Hagie; Fred Hoiberg, ISU Head Men’s Basketball Coach; Jamie Pollard, ISU Director of Athletics; John Walters, Voice of the Cyclones and CY.
Guest Blog by Hagie family of Clarion
From one family-owned agribusiness to another, Hagie Manufacturing. congratulates Latham Seeds on 65 years of success! We look forward to celebrating with Latham supporters at the Country Fair and Fourth Annual Latham Freedom of Independence Ride, taking place in Alexander, Iowa, this Saturday, August 25!
Hagie Manufacturing. is both proud and humbled by the fact that today, we continue 65 years of innovation and service to the agriculture industry. As a family owned, rural Iowa agribusinesses, Hagie Mfg. has many likenesses with Latham Seeds. Perhaps one of the most interesting commonalities ties back to Hagie’s history in the seed business. Ray Hagie never intended to build the world’s first self-propelled sprayer, as his intentions were to grow hybrid seed corn.
The Hagie story began in 1933, when Ray Hagie graduated from Iowa State College and returned to his family farm, armed with a degree in animal husbandry and an entrepreneurial mindset. One of Ray’s first decisions on the farm post-college was to dedicate 1.5 acres of the farm to experiments with hybrid seed corn. Three years later, a drought hit. The hybrids withstood the challenge, and so did Ray, as the hybrid operation grew exponentially. In 1944, Hagie’s Hybrids opened a seed corn plant in Clarion, Iowa.
Ray was born an innovator, and his wheels continued to turn as his hybrid operation grew. His desire to further improve his own operation and that of his neighboring farmers resulted in a vision. In 1946, to help reduce the painstaking time associated with detasseling, Ray developed a self-propelled “personnel mover.” Ray’s innovation continued as the release of 2-4Dow, known today as 2-4D, hit the market and he saw an opportunity for producers to increase application efficiencies by spraying with a self-propelled chassis. In 1947, Ray invented the world’s first self-propelled sprayer. The originality and efficiency of the product created high demand, and in 1948, Hagie Manufacturing was born.
Three generations, millions of acres and over 65 years later, Hagie Mfg. provides the most innovative crop protection solutions in the industry and a superior customer experience, while building on the same family owned traditions and values. John Hagie, son of founder, Ray Hagie, served as the company President from 1981-2010. John’s committed to the growth of Hagie Mfg. has resulted in many innovations and successes. With great passion to grow the cattle side of the family farm operation, John’s dedication has resulted in Cyclone Trace today being a nationally recognized breeder of purebred Shorthorn cattle. In 2010, Alan Hagie, grandson of founder, Ray Hagie, took over as the third generation President of Hagie Mfg., who is honored to also raise corn and soybeans on the same land that his grandfather and father once managed – Hagie Farms. “We are able to understand our customers’ needs because we are in the same business,” according to Alan Hagie.
As a rural Iowa agribusiness, Ray grew Hagie Manufacturing around a core commitment to his community, his employees, and his industry. Today, Hagie Mfg. continues to have an incredible impact on our community, with over 350 Hagie employees, families, and vendors, along with thousands of community members and customers who rely on our continued support. We strive to be as innovative with our people as we are with our products by offering employees an invigorating environment that encourages innovation and instills a true sense of purpose. We are more than co-workers, we are family. Clarion, Iowa has been our home for over 65 years. We never lose sight of the fact that we are not members of a city, but of a community deserving dedicated resources, support and appreciation. According to Alan Hagie, “Solid, continuous growth is a non-negotiable aspect of our future so that we can continue to provide opportunities and support to our community.”
“It is a privilege leading a company that my grandfather envisioned 65 years ago. Those philosophies that were present at our founding are still present today – whether we’re celebrating our individual and team successes, or facing challenges, we practice humility, listen with respect, have the courage to admit we don’t know everything, and the knowledge that accepting such is the only way we will improve and grow. Our intent has never to be the biggest. It has always been to be the best. Each day represents just one of the many chapters in the Hagie Manufacturing story; with eager anticipation, we turn the page – and together – continue the story,” says Alan Hagie.
It is a privilege to work with Latham Seeds, as a family owned agribusiness that represents strong core values and is committed to sustaining and growing agricultural in rural Iowa. Congratulations to Latham Seeds for 65 stellar years in agriculture. Here’s to your next 65!
“The Big Show” will be broadcasting live from Latham headquarters to cover preparations underway for our company’s 65th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Aug. 23. Unfortunately, we’ll be doing today’s broadcast without one of the ag community’s most-loved personalities.
But Mark Pearson, longtime host of WHO Radio’s “The Big Show” and Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market” program, will be with us in spirit! That’s why today through Saturday we’ll be honoring Mark’s memory in a way that’s fitting of his fun-loving spirit.
“The Big Show’s” Bob Quinn and me on location during our 2011 WHO Radio / Latham Crop Tour
Tune into Newsradio 1040 WHO today between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. CST to hear the details of our Cow Chip Bingo game. WHO listeners and Mark Pearson fans even will have an opportunity to participate “virtually” through lathamseeds.com. Visitors to the Latham Country Fair on Saturday can participate “in person.”
Proceeds from our Cow Chip Bingo game will benefit the Mark Pearson Endowment, a scholarship program available to junior and senior students at Iowa colleges who have chosen to major in agriculture journalism. (Side bar: This scholarships is also near and dear to my heart since I majored in agricultural journalism at Iowa State University.)
How to “Place Your Chips” to Benefit the Mark Pearson Scholarship Endowment Those attending the event will select one of 64 Bingo squares. Those who cannot attend the event are invited to pledge online by visiting www.lathamseeds.com and selecting the “Cow Chip Bingo” icon at the bottom of the page or by mailing a check to:
WHO Radio
c/o Janine Van Vark
Note: Cow Chip Bingo
2141 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50312
Virtual and mail pledges will be put into a drawing for prizes, including $100 worth of beef certificates from the Iowa Beef Industry Council.
The national school lunch program is becoming one “hot potato” of an issue! I deliberately chose to use the word “one” as much of the changes revolve around limiting the portion size, especially of meat, offered through the school lunch program. In her blog post this week, Missouri pork producer Chris Chinn describes it as a One Size, Fits All Lunch Program.
Chris is not alone in her concern. Even school hot lunch managers are concerned. Here’s a comment one area hot lunch manager posted on my Facebook page:
Oh, you sure hit a sore spot with me. It just me over two weeks to formulate a menu that usually takes less than two hours, and I have Middle School and Elementary ages to go. The meat allowance for students in grades 9-12 is 2 ounces. I can hardly wait until some of my older kids come through the lunch line on the first day and can’t find the meat on their sub sandwich! Our schools have always served at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable a day. We can serve it, but we can’t make them eat it! And now I’m adding more fruits and vegetables, but I’m sure there won’t be a rush for Garbanzo beans, black beans and kidney beans. Get this… lettuce and dressing must fit into the calorie ranges.
Area superintendents met recently with the Franklin County Farm Bureau board. From left to right are: Darrin Strike, West Fork; Todd Lettow, Hampton-Dumont; Dwight Widen, CAL Community; and Bob Weber, AGWSR.
How long will a 2-ounce portion of meat satisfy a 240-pound football player, who has already been at school for hours and has to attend practice right after school? The above-mentioned hot lunch manager goes on to write that she’s concerned about the number kids that will go hungry thanks – ironically – in part to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. She encourages concerned citizens and interested parents to contact their congressman. She emphatically writes, “School cooks need all the help they can get to get back to basic cooking!!!!”
Even school administrators are concerned about the new regulations. Last Thursday a group of area superintendents met with the Franklin County Board of Directors. When talking about school food, one of the supers confessed that he takes his lunch break in his office where he can use his own “secret” salt shaker. He said the food is so bland that he couldn’t tolerate to eat it otherwise.
Another super said that the “Food Gestapo” stopped in and checked their food last year. His school failed the inspection, and one reason was because that particular school added too much salt to the food. They all agreed that there will be major problems with the program.
As classes resume, I’m sure we’ll hear even more “school lunch stories.” You can be sure that I haven’t written my last word about it either. To be continued…
guest blog post by Rhett Schildroth, Product Manager at Kinze Manufacturing
Kinze Has ISOBUS Electronics Capability Plug and play operation with ISOBUS-equipped tractors
There is much confusion in the marketplace about the compatibility of monitor technology between tractors and planters of different brands. I’d like to offer some facts to farmers who have questions about compatibility.
Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. now has ISOBUS compatibility. This capability allows easy “plug and play” operation with any ISO-compatible tractor, including those sold by John Deere with GreenStar™Displays. With this interconnectivity, farmers do not have to change monitors, displays, wiring harnesses, or electrical connectors with different implements.
ISO monitor
from different manufacturers. The vehicle and equipment electronics speak the same language, enabling simpler operation than ever before. With ISO compatibility, one monitor in the tractor cab can run both the planter and the tractor, saving room in the cab and money on a second monitor, not to mention the time it takes to install a second monitor.
Kinze’s technology means any ISOBUS-equipped tractor can be quickly connected to our planters using the ISOBUS standard tractor/implement connectors. The user interface presented to the operator is the same, regardless of the brand of tractor or virtual terminal. Additionally, all planter settings are saved on the planter, so switching between tractors becomes a non-issue.
This technology will make life easier for farmers. We understand the importance of enabling efficiency, and ISO-compatibility will make a difference in giving more time back to farmers. We understand that electronics can be confusing, and ISO-compatibility will simplify vehicle and implement electronics.
To find out more about this issue, please attend my presentation on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Latham Country Fair.
About the author:
Rhett has been in the ag equipment industry for almost twenty years. A graduate of Iowa State University, he started his ag career as an engineering consultant with clientele that included CNH and John Deere. He joined John Deere fulltime in 1998 to help them grow their precision farming group. In 2006, Rhett left John Deere to join Topcon Positioning as their Director of Ag Engineering. Topcon is a provider of ag electronics to many large ag equipment manufacturers, including AGCO.
Rhett Schildroth is currently the Product Manager at Kinze Manufacturing. In this role, he works closely with the Kinze management team to determine how Kinze products should evolve to meet the changing needs of farmers both in America and across the globe. As part of this work, he also leads the autonomous tractor project at Kinze.
Litzau Drives the Countryside – with 580 Horsepower!
Larry Litzau of Glencoe, Minnesota, drives the countryside in style. Sports cars have been his passion since high school, and his newest sweetheart is a 2012 Camaro ZL1. He has good reason to feel especially proud of this one as it took “Best in Class” on Aug. 5 at the Inver Grove Heights car show.
Given his penchant for sports cars, it’s only natural for Larry to participate in a “field day on wheels.” He’s planning to drive this Camaro on Saturday, Aug. 25, when Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds hosts its 4th Annual Freedom of Independence Ride in North Central Iowa.
“There are field days, and then there is Latham’s Freedom of Independence Ride,” says Larry. “Looking at plots is just so much more fun when you’re cruisin’ the countryside.”
While participating in this year’s ride, Larry is especially looking forward to learning more about Latham’s new Gladiator hybrids and Ironclad soybeans. “With more acres going to corn-on-corn, it will be helpful to have the Gladiator designation to help farmers select the best products for their situations. I also like the way Latham’s true one-bag system for Refuge in Bag makes it simple for farmers to handle refuge requirements. Latham’s new Ironclad designation will also help with product selection. We’ve experienced more problems with Iron Deficiency Chlorosis, Soybean Cyst Nematode and Phytophthora Root Rot in recent years. Because Latham is headquartered where these challenges are most prevalent, Latham® brand soybeans are bred to handle these situations better.”
Larry is especially excited about Latham’s 2013 soybean lineup. “I made the switch to Latham because I wanted to work with a regional seed company that offers corn hybrids and soybean brands specifically bred for our geography. Latham’s Roundup Ready 2 Yield® out-yielded the competition 5 to 6 bushels in 2011. It’s the real deal!”
Such an endorsement means a lot, coming from someone who has so much experience in the business. Larry has represented other seed companies over the past 20 years, as well as farmed his own acres. He had a farrow-to-finish hog operation for 30 years and was active in farm organizations including serving on the board for the McLeod County Corn and Soybean Growers. In addition he served for eight years in the Naval Air Reserve, worked two years for 3M and 42 years for Telex as a tool and die maker.
“I’ve learned to never take anything for granted,” says Larry, who suffered a stroke on May 4, 2010. “While there is never a good time to be struck by illness or injury, my stroke happened at the absolute worst time for a farmer and seed salesman. With customers scheduled to take delivery of seed that morning, I was on my way to the emergency room in Glencoe.” Less than an hour later, Larry was being transported by helicopter to St. Paul. He spent three days in the hospital and then another month doing intensive therapy. His son, Brian, with the help of Regional Sales Manager Greg Brandt, got all of the seed in the hands of customers.
“You realize just how precious and fragile life is,” adds Larry’s wife, Eleanor, who has been battling cancer for nine years and is currently undergoing treatment. “It really helps you put your priorities in order.”
Family takes first priority for Larry and Eleanor, who have been married for 42 years. They were married May 9, 1970, and moved to their farm on June 1. It’s also where they raised their three children: oldest daughter, Jennifer, works as a psychologist in the Glencoe Silver Lake school district; son Brian is a tool and die maker at Eaton Corporation; and youngest daughter, Rebecca, is an elementary music teacher I n the Minnetonka school district. The Litzaus are also proud of their very active grandchildren: Paige, 12, enjoys music; Nathan, 10, plays baseball; Miranda, 8, loves soccer and softball; Owen, 7, plays hockey, golf and baseball; and Ava, 5, is a gymnast.
The one thing all five grandchildren enjoy is Grandma Ellie’s cooking! Now that she’s recently retired after serving for 40 years as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at a long-term care facility in town, Eleanor has more time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. The Food Channel is one of her favorite channels, and Eleanor enjoys trying new recipes. Today she’s sharing one of her favorite easy-to-make recipes for apple pie. With harvest just around the corner, you’ll want to give this one a try! I taste-tested it last fall and agree this recipe is a keeper!
It’s going to be an early harvest – perhaps three to four weeks earlier than “normal.” As we posted in our Aug. 15 crop report, crop conditions are well ahead of the 5-year average with 94% of the corn crop already at the milk stage and 80% at dough stage. Third crop alfalfa is one month ahead of schedule.
That means the time is now to prepare for harvest! Harvest, for both and soybeans, typically begins in the Midwest between Sept. 17-27. Soybean harvest is usually finished by Halloween. Corn harvest is most active Oct. 5 through Nov. 10 and usually ends before Thanksgiving.
It’s certainly not going to be “harvest as usual” this fall. Harvest will begin sooner and most likely progress slower. With weak and/or lodged stalks and stems, slower combine travel speeds will help ensure the crop feeds into the combine as easily as possible. Finding the correct travel speed to balance machine field with crop quality requires checking both losses behind the combine and grain quality in the tank, says Iowa State University’s Mark Hanna with the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.
Be sure to adjust combine settings for drought conditions. The gap between snapping plates above the stalk rolls on a corn head should be adjusted this year. In normal years, a gap of 1.25 inches is used. Given the situation this year, however, that gap most likely should be narrowed to just over an inch to avoid butt shelling of smaller diameter ears. The use of a reel, cones or divider modifications on the corn head may also help pick up more of the lodged corn.
To help reduce the amount of lodged corn at harvest time, assess crop progress now and identify potential problem areas. Focus first on harvesting fields that show signs of Stalk Rot or exhibit weakened stalks that could subsequently lead to Stalk Lodging. Secondary concerns include hybrid maturity, crop residue management and logistics.
Take a day – pack up your whole family – and head to Des Moines. If you visit the fairgrounds today, stop by Farm Bureau Park between 8 a.m. and noon to visit me. (Sorry about the misprint in last week’s blog post when I mentioned that I’d be at the fair on Thursday, Aug. 16!)
Between now and Aug. 19, will farmers like me will be talking about we do and why we do it. We’ll answer (or at least try to!) questions that people, who are unfamiliar with current farming methods ask. Plus, visitors to Farm Bureau Park can register for drawings and even health screenings. Games can be played to test your knowledge of agriculture. And on particularly hot days, Farm Bureau Park is the best place to sit on a park bench in the shade!
Just a short walk from Farm Bureau Park is the Varied Industries Building. Enter on the building’s south side where you’ll find the Iowa Food & Family Project’s exhibit entitled, “Back to the Farmer.” This exhibit features a very unique creation made of canned and packaged food. Also register for chance to win Casey’s pizza for a year and a $250 Hy-Vee gift card.
Another “must see” at the Iowa State Fair – regardless of whether you were raised on a farm – is the Animal Learning Center where you’ll find everything from newly hatched chicks to newborn pigs. (The Animal Learning Center is conveniently located just east of the Midway between Ye Olde Mill and the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit.) The Animal Learning Center is one of my favorite spots to interact with fairgoers as people line up for hundreds of feet, all day long, to see the farrowing display. A two-hour shift here feels like it’s about 20 minutes long; time passes quickly because there are so many people who are enjoying themselves and asking questions.
In addition to the newborn animals, the Ag Magic Show is a popular attraction in the Animal Learning Center. Magician Rhonda Renee Ross starts off her show by telling kids the magic words are not “abracadabra,” but instead, “Thank a farmer.” Rhonda grew up in Chicago, the first of six generations in her family to not grow up on the farm. Because she understands the importance of educating urban folks about agriculture, she reaches her audience in the most unexpected yet relevant ways. For example, Rhonda holds up a tube of lipstick and explains that lipstick is creamy because of an ingredient called glycerin. “Glycerin is made from the fat of cows, sheep and my favorite…pigs! So the next time your mom, sister or grandma puts on lipstick, tell her she is as pretty as a pig,” she says with a laugh.
Speaking of pork, be sure to grab a Porkchop on a Stick from the Iowa Pork Producers stand. It’s one of the tastiest and most nutritious fair foods – and a personal favorite of mine. Did you know you can eat three, square meals on a stick? It’s true! There are 50+ foods on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.
“Square meals” reminds me of school lunch programs. Thursday, during the Franklin County Farm Bureau Board meeting, I’ll have an opportunity to speak with area superintendents and learn more about how new regulations impacting school lunch programs. I’ll look forward to talking about this topic in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned!
On Friday, Aug. 17, I’ll be one of the speakers in Ames at the AgIowa 140 Conference. It’s not too late to buy your ticket!
As you drive through the countryside, it’s evident that different corn hybrids are handling the drought stress differently. Some hybrids have stronger roots and stalks, so they’re holding up better in these dry conditions. Other hybrids have weaker stalks and are lodging.
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ Genetic Garden shows how corn from many different eras is reacting to the drought conditions. You can see how much better today’s hybrids can withstand the high heat and low moisture than their early ancestors.
Genetic Garden Shows Drought Stress
Although minimal irrigation was used to keep our “living museum of corn” alive for the Latham Country Fair on August 25, many varieties still reacted to the drought. You’ll see lodging in many early varieties. (NOTE: “Early” is being used here to reference the chronological history corn of varieties, not as in the relative maturity of hybrids.)
Open-pollinated corn varieties grown during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s didn’t pollinate then, and you’ll see the same thing happened in our Genetic Garden. A corn variety found in the Genetic Garden from around the time of the 1988 drought is also showing signs of stress. One of the differences in the droughts of 1988 and 2012, however, is there was less rainfall during the months of April to June in 1988 than we received in 2012. This lack of rain during that quarter of the year meant more stress on crops during early season growth compared to this year when the majority of the stress happened around the time of pollination.
We’d like to invite you to see the differences for yourself! Take a walk through our “living museum of corn” on Saturday, Aug. 25, during the Latham Country Fair. We’ll be hosting tours between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Serving Breakfast, Dinner & Supper on a Stick (Yep. There’s an app for that!)
Tens of thousands of people from across Iowa, the Midwest, the United States and even foreign countries will make their way to Des Moines for the 158th annual Iowa State Fair. Some will go for the livestock shows while others will be more interested in the live concerts. Some love the Midway, while others will be sure to check out the 4-H Exhibits and the Varied Industries buildings.
Regardless of their interests, there is one thing all fair-goers have in common… food!
The Iowa State Fair plays hosts more than 200 food vendors each year. Every major livestock commodity group is represented, from the famous Hot Beef Sundaes at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters and Iowa chops at the Iowa Pork tent to whole-smoked turkey legs fresh off the big grill and burgers at the Lamb Stand.
One of the more popular food trends at the State Fair is food on a stick. While surfing the Iowa State Fair website, I recently learned they have over 50 different foods served on a stick. I thought to myself, “I wonder if it’s possible to find three square meals (breakfast, dinner and supper) on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.” “Square meals” might be used a little loosely, but here’s the menu I came up with:
Breakfast
Griddle Stick (sausage on a stick wrapped in a pancake)
Fruit on a Stick with Yogurt Dipping Sauce – NEW for 2012!
Lunch
Turkey Drumstick
Corn on the Cob
And for dessert, deep fried butter on a stick. (Just kidding! I’m not brave enough to go there, but I hear it’s actually pretty good.)
Supper
Salad on a Stick
Porkchop on a Stick
Carmel Apple on a Stick or Chocolate-Covered Deep-Fried Cheesecake on a Stick for dessert
While I have my favorite “must-have” foods at the Iowa State Fair, I’m always curious about the newest “on-a-stick” trend to debut each year and where to find them on the grounds. Now, iPhone users can download the Iowa State Fair Food Finder application.
This app allows users to see where various food booths are located, look up nutrition facts and photos plus calculate how long it will take you to walk off those calories! Another great feature is the events calendar that details what’s going on at the fair each day. Looking for a more healthy food option? The app can do that too!
So now the burning question, what are your foods of choice at the Iowa State Fair?
Guest Blog post by Mark Hanna,
Since fires can start from plant materials that have smoldered unnoticed for 15 to 30 minutes or more, it just takes a gust of wind to literally blow it out of control. Hanna advises farmers to discuss a plan for emergency tillage in the event of a fire break, so harvest crews know what to do should the need arise. Remember, personal safety is more important than harvest loss.
