There are times when an affliction comes upon you quick - like a bad dinner. There are other things that bloom slowly in a person but when fully realized create fantastic possibilities in your mind. Really. For me the slow-growing but thoroughly captivating addition is the farm show. Perhaps it's because I kind of like crowds - even on a hot day in May Disney World can be fun as long as you realize where you are and that all of the people you're with are really there to have a…

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With this planting season that never ends we move into postemergence spraying season and it appears that's going to drag on too as you sneak out between rainstorms to control weeds. Talked with a weed scientist yesterday who says his phone has been ringing off the hook with weed questions, herbicide choice questions and spray drift questions. When the weather is dry, no matter the conditions, it appears we're loading up an going, and what choice do you have? As noted at…

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It's not every day that a company calls and offers you an exclusive first look at a new machine - really. I'm hoping more do, but I'll take 'em as they come. Anyway, this week I traveled to New Holland, Penn., and visited New Holland, where I got to chat with Abe Hughes, vice president, North America, about the company and about the newest tractor the Genesis T8. The company wants the world to know that its newest tractor has an innovative heritage, and the best way to do…

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One thing's for sure, in this business change is now the norm. Officially, the drought is over for areas east of the Missouri river - especially after the Memorial Day weekend. In fact, we're past drought and talking flooding again. My home town - Vinton, Iowa - was hit pretty hard five years by flooding. I was there over the holiday and visions of that last round of flooding have to be going through the minds of those in town. Outside of town every creek I saw was over its…

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I write the crop condition report for our websites when I can and Monday's report showed that farmers are struggling to get corn in the ground - never mind soybeans (though that's going to change). One factor I noticed this week was that while only 28% of the crop was planted - versus 65% for the five-year average and 85% last year - there were some considerable week-over-week jumps. It's clear to me that farmers are adequately "equipped" to move a lot of seed from…

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Those of you who read this blog regularly know I have a soft-spot in my heart for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition - say that three times fast. In this event, students design and build a working tractor following a specific set of rules for engines, transmissions and other features, then load them up and head to Peoria, Ill., for a little competition. Or rather, a whole lot of competition. This is…

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Not sure what to say this time of year with a much-delayed planting season and every single Midwest corn farmer standing by his shop door waiting for ground temps to top 50 degrees F for planting. You've probably gone over that planter twice and checked it once again. You've gone over your field plan with your crew - family or hired labor - to make sure when you can deploy you're covering a lot of ground fast, and furious. There's probably one more thing to do, check…

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In the old days we editors talked about sharing a few items that came from the "old mail bag." Well these days, we're opening our electronic in-box to find farm information that may be of interest. Our friends at CHS, the cooperative, sent out a press release this week that included comments from Andrew Hamilton, their director of marketing for lubricants. Hamilton, who also blogs at the company's website - www.tanksofthanks.com - says the long winter may mean…

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Well, there's nothing like an historic drought to put the ol' kibosh on equipment sales. I'm thinking that our partners selling big iron are hunkering down and rethinking their marketing plans. Oh, wait, I just got the February numbers from our friends at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and it looks like farm wallets are still wide open! A quick glimpse of their Ag Flash report - which gives an overview of tractor and combine sales - shows some pretty good news…

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Working for a company where many of the magazines are more than 150 years old, when companies celebrate anniversaries it's still interesting to note. For 2013 the Claas family - and yes, it is still a family business - hits 100 this year. And the third generation Claas - Cathrina - is taking the reins of the business. This is a company that will have its 450,000th combine roll off its Omaha line in 2013. The firm first patented a "knotter" designed to tie perfect knots…

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