Day 4: Montana Crop and Cow Tour – A Photo Adventure

On June 22, editor of C magazine Greg Lamp hit the road on a motorcycle trip with a gang of Montana ranchers and farmers. Follow along with him as the group of wild hogs tours ranches, farms, co-ops and processing facilities in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Photos and details of their adventures are provided in the links below. Make sure to check back for more!


Day 4: Sidney, Mont.

With the chilly weather leaving Minot, ND, the group had to stop and warm up in Stanley, ND. Then, it was on to Watford City, ND for lunch at the farm of fellow cyclist Bob Wisner. South of Watford City, ND, they took in the spectacular sights of Theodore Roosevelt Park before continuing on over the Yellowstone River to Sidney, MT.

Day 1-3: Montana Crop and Cow Tour – A Photo Adventure

On June 22, editor of C magazine Greg Lamp hit the road on a motorcycle trip with a gang of Montana ranchers and farmers. Follow along with him as the group of wild hogs tours ranches, farms, co-ops and processing facilities in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Photos and details of their adventures are provided in the links below. Make sure to check back for more! (more…)

CHS Harvest for Hunger raises more than $725,000 and 610,000 pounds of food to fight hunger in rural America

CHS Harvest for Hunger check presentation

 

CHS Country Operations locations across the United States have been delivering checks to local food banks in May as part of the 2017 CHS Harvest for Hunger food, funds and grain drive.

Through the generosity of farmers, ranchers and CHS employees, more than $725,000 and nearly 610,000 pounds of food are headed to rural families in need, thanks to the CHS Harvest for Hunger drive organized by Country Operations. (more…)

Leadership changes at CHS

CHS Leadership - Darin Hunhoff, CHS EnergyCHS Leadership - Jay Debertin, president and CEOThe CHS Board of Directors has elected Jay D. Debertin as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CHS. Debertin succeeds Carl Casale, who led CHS during record performance levels and expansion.

During Casale’s seven years with the company, CHS returned $3 billion to its owners, invested $9 billion in new capital expenditures and nearly doubled the size of its balance sheet from $8.7 billion in 2010 to $17.3 billion at the end of fiscal 2016. Casale focused on prudent fiscal management and enhancing management systems at the company.

“As we take our cooperative into its next chapter, we are confident that Jay is the right leader,” says Dan Schurr, chairman of the CHS Board of Directors. “Jay’s experience in achieving operational excellence and driving results fits squarely with our unwavering goal to deliver returns to our member-owners now and for the long term.”

Debertin previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the company’s diverse energy operations and processing food ingredients business. He joined CHS in 1984 and has held a variety of leadership positions within the organization in energy, trading and risk management, transportation, and agricultural processing. Jay also serves as chairman of Ventura Foods.

“CHS is strong today because we drive the business with a central purpose in mind and that is to help our cooperatives and farmers grow,” says Debertin. “I look forward to working with our talented group of employees as we concentrate on world-class execution across our system. I see growth and strength ahead for our business.”

Additionally, Darin Hunhoff, who has been with CHS for 25 years in a variety of leadership positions, most recently as head of CHS strategy, will step into the role of leading CHS Energy and the processing and food ingredients business.

The Benefits of Precision Agriculture

United Soybean Board

When it comes to technology and data available within the agricultural industry, there’s a large amount of choices these days. It’s important retailers understand and are able to provide guidance for their customers about what works well and what doesn’t work as well. Understanding the technologies and datasets are important and how to best use them is even more crucial.

Precision agriculture is a term widely used today in the industry and essentially refers to technology and software systems that provide knowledge to enhance decision making, and if used properly can help contribute to reduced waste, increased profits, and protection of the environment.

Today growers are utilizing precision technology to enhance their growing process, including field application equipment and sensor platforms that control product purchases and can provide recorded data in real-time. Software is also available that can then be used to collect and analyze data to help inform retailers and growers of various decisions throughout the crop production process.

As precision agriculture increases momentum in 2017, here are four benefits and ways that precision agriculture can help growers increase field productivity while also reducing environmental stress.

  1. Monitor soil and plant parameters: Growers can determine peak conditions for plant growth by placing sensors throughout the fields.
  2. Automate field management: Soil and plant species can be automatically optimized through sensors taken from a Decision Support System, which can help determine the best moments to water and fertilize.
  3. Collect real-time data: Applying sensing devices throughout the field will allow a continuous monitoring of the chosen parameters and offers real-time data to help inform decisions throughout the planting and harvest season.
  4. Get the best results from labor and resources: Use technology to help maximize the benefits of your crop nutrients, crop protection and irrigation costs by using automatic sensors that alert the grower of the need or best time to irrigate, fertilize, etc.

It’s estimated that over 50 percent of growers currently engage in some form of agricultural technology. Precision agriculture can bring many benefits to growers who decide to use technology to help manage their fields.

Ag retailers have the opportunity to help their customers by providing them with local expertise on how the various technology available today, might best be implemented within their geography and more specifically within their individual operation to help them improve their return on investment in the most appropriate ways.

Original Source: Leaders of In-Furrow Technology, West Central

CHS reports fiscal 2017 second-quarter and first-half results

CHS office in winter

Earnings increase in second quarter on improved conditions across CHS wholesale and retail agricultural related businesses

ST. PAUL, MINN. (April 5, 2017)CHS Inc., the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company, today reported net income of $14.6 million for the second quarter of its 2017 fiscal year (the three-month period ended Feb. 28, 2017), compared to a net loss of $31 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Operating earnings for the company’s second quarter were $10.5 million, up from a loss of $91.8 million from the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Revenues for the second quarter were $7.3 billion, up 11 percent compared with $6.6 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

Earnings for the six months of the company’s fiscal 2017 (the six-month period ended Feb. 28, 2017), were $223.7 million, compared to $235.5 million for the first six months of fiscal 2016, a decrease of 5 percent. The decrease is a result of increased loan loss reserves, higher income taxes and continued challenges in the energy operating environment, which were partially offset by improved conditions across CHS wholesale and retail agricultural related businesses.

Revenues for the first six months of fiscal 2017 were $15.4 billion, compared to $14.4 billion for the first six months of fiscal 2016, an increase of 7 percent.

“As our operating environment remains challenging, we continue to act prudently, taking appropriate and measured actions regarding costs and investments, while positioning ourselves to take advantage of opportunities as they arise while focusing on return on our invested capital,” said CHS President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Casale. “We are on a journey and are starting to see the benefits of our focus.”

(more…)

Advice for Growers in Today’s Economy

advice for growers from John Laffey

Many growers are turning to agronomists, ag retailers and other industry experts for advice about the best ways to strengthen their farming operations. Topics including soil health, seed selection, insect and disease pressure and more have long been the starting point for growers looking for the best ways to make improvements that will make their operations stronger overall.

Today, as growers rely even more on data, research and other technology in addition to their traditional farming equipment, agronomists and their network of agricultural experts are as important as ever.

For growers, improving efficiency and making effective decisions can be crucial to achieving a high quality and profitable crop. Since they are always looking to make smart and strategic purchase decisions when it comes to seed, fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and adjuvants, growers look to utilize the expertise of their agriculture retailer and other ag partner businesses to provide them guidance when making these decisions. Through these agriculture experts, growers hope to successfully plant and produce a high yielding crop by minimizing pest and disease pressures and managing weed resistance to increase overall profitability for their farming operation. (more…)

5 Things to Know about Dicamba in 2017

using dicamba on soybeans

United Soybean Board

The agriculture industry has been working hard to provide the most effective herbicides to help slow down and minimize the growing weed resistance problem. However, efforts with formulating dicamba products go further than the manufacturer. Federal and state rules and regulations dictate how applicators and growers are able to legally and safely use different herbicides to limit volatility and drift in undesired areas.

With each new year and with new products, comes new policies. It is important for growers, applicators and other ag professionals to be aware of these policies to avoid negative consequences. (more…)

5 Ways to Ensure Better Soybean Health

soybean health

United Soybean Board

Although each crop has specific needs to be able to achieve their maximum economic yield, soybeans have earned themselves a reputation for being a lower-maintenance crop. Growers might be surprised to see that with a little extra effort, they can have more impact on their soybean yields by producing stronger and healthier plants. With this careful attention, yield results may prove surprisingly better come harvest. (more…)

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