North American Ag Spotlight

Listen to the podcast here - https://www.northamericanag.com/north-american-ag-spotlight The co-founder of the Emmy Award Winning show 'American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag' Erik Wilson, takes some time off the job today to talk with Chrissy Wozniak about the show, their hugely successful Facebook Page, and farming in California. Their vision, through a true grassroots effort, is to show how many people’s lives are related, connected and, most importantly, dependent on agriculture. The goal is to illustrate just how massive the fraternity of Ag really is, as well as educate and inform the public with articles, stories, images and more, directly from the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural support businesses, whose daily lives – and livelihoods – are affected every day by agriculture in this country. My Job Depends on Ag started with a Facebook group in May of 2016, which in the matter of just a few weeks grew to over 20,000 members, now having over 102,000 members! They began by sharing stories about how their own jobs depend on ag. By putting a face with entire agriculture industry chain, they hoped the impact of agriculture would be recognized by not just political leaders, but consumers as well. Making a huge difference to the farmers of California. They have “My Job Depends on Ag” decals you can purchase on their Merchandise page, to further help get the word out, show solidarity, and fund scholarships & other educational efforts. You can order decals for each state as well! Order decals here - https://www.myjobdependsonagstore.com/ Founded by Steve Malanca & Erik Wilson, My Job Depends on Ag aims at telling the stories of all the fine men and women whose jobs depend on agriculture. Help spread the word about how everyone depends on ag, whether they think so or not. Learn more about My Job Depends on Ag at https://www.myjobdependsonag.com/. Watch the trailer here - https://vimeo.com/675595740 North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan? Visit https://chrissywozniak.com

Listen to the podcast here - https://www.northamericanag.com/north-american-ag-spotlight This week Chrissy Wozniak speaks with Steven Valencsin of GROWERS about their goal of putting ag tech into the hands of every farmer, advisor & ag retailer. As the founder and CEO of GROWERS, Steven Valencsin used his personal experiences to build technology that makes it easier to do business with farmers. He has personally farmed in three states, ran his own custom application and retail chemical business, founded the first privately owned soil lab in North Carolina, and consulted with farmers across ten states - helping them use data and new technology to make better decisions. Valencsin founded GROWERS over a decade ago because he saw an opportunity to push technology forward in the ag industry. Steven is devoted to changing ag through the adoption and advancement of technology. Since it’s founding, GROWERS has grown to over 45 employees who all share the same passion and respect for agriculture. Today, that passion is focused on championing the ag retailer’s role in the increasingly competitive marketplace. GROWERS believes the future of ag retail is in the people of ag retail and the small-to-medium-sized businesses are the heart of the industry. GROWERS provides business support to ag retailers through a variety of technologies and services. On the tech side, they have developed a sales enhancement platform, GROWERS Rally, and offer financing through GROWERS Rally add-on GROWERS Flex (2022 pilot). In addition, they offer GROWERS Guide precision ag data analysis and GROWERS Connect marketing support to clients who need more manpower and expertise in those areas. Learn more about GROWERS at https://growers.ag North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan? Visit https://chrissywozniak.com

The 2022 growing season has seen a multitude of threats, including the rising cost of inputs and fuel, unpredictable weather events, the slow recovery of supply chains due to the COVID pandemic & the war in Ukraine causing an unstable global economic environment. On the other hand commodity prices are high, giving some hope of profitability to close out 2022. Farm Credit Canada's Jean-Phillippe Gervais weighs in on what he's seeing, and what producers can do to stay ahead of the dangers in order to come out the other side successfully. Jean-Phillippe Gervais is an agricultural economist with specialized knowledge of markets at all levels of the supply chain. He also has valuable experience in research organizations with a focus on helping businesses gain insights in the marketplace. He specializes in macroeconomic trends, agricultural economics & competitiveness of agri-food businesses. Hear the outlook on livestock, crops, inputs & interest rates - with FCC’s JP Gervais. FCC builds strong relationships and shares knowledge and expertise with thousands of customers across the country. They are proud to serve the industry that feeds the world. As the only lender 100% invested in Canadian agriculture and food, they are there to help their customers dream, grow and thrive and support the success of the industry. To learn more about Farm Credit Canada visit https://www.fcc-fac.ca North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan? Visit https://chrissywozniak.com

This week Chrissy Wozniak has the opportunity to speak with the CEO Joel Holland of Harvest Hosts, a membership program that connects RVers with unique overnight experiences at 3,000+ wineries, farms, breweries, museums, golf courses, churches and other interesting destinations in the US and Canada. Hosts simply offer RVers a one-night stay on their property, and, in return, RVers patronize the Host's business while spending the night. Our program is a cost-free opportunity and 100% of the money spent onsite goes straight to the Host. Their members spend millions of dollars each year while visiting Harvest Hosts locations and love to support small businesses. According to Allied Market Research, agritourism was valued at over $42 million in 2019, and is estimated to reach over $62 million by 2027. Not only can producers open up a secondary income stream, but they can also make a difference by impacting the perception of farming to people who may have little to no connection with the land. Applying to become a Host is easy! Visit https://agr.fyi/harvesthosts now if you're interested in creating a separate revenue stream for your farm! Open to farms across North America. North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Tune in at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan? Visit https://chrissywozniak.com

This week Chrissy Wozniak speaks with Gwen Legrand of FIRA & FIRA USA about tech innovators, automation & robot manufacturers planning to showcase & share their advances in agriculture at FIRA USA in Fresno, California October 18-20, 2022. FIRA USA 2022, the agricultural autonomous solutions' event for California and North-America producers is happening soon! FIRA USA is the only 3-day event for autonomous farming and agricultural robotics solutions. Co-organized by GOFAR-FIRA, University of California and Western Growers Association, this event will take place on October 18 to 20, 2022 in Fresno, Calif., USA, with support of Fresno-Merced Future of Food (F3). What is #FIRAUSA22? FIRA USA 2022 is the unique event which gathers the leaders of the Ag Robotics industry in North America. Robot manufacturers, agribusinesses, technology innovators, service suppliers and more will be present to share and discover the new advances of the North American industry. On the agenda: a R&D Day with scientific workshops, a second day focused on Business with expo zone and panel discussions, and a last day of in-field robot demos. All the opportunities for you to share knowledge, to better understand the sustainable development of agricultural robotics and explore new collaborations. Registrations are open, don’t waste time and register at #FIRAUSA22. More information and registration at: https://www.fira-agtech.com/event/fira-usa North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan, visit https://chrissywozniak.com

Precision Planters to Square Balers: Farm Implements with Maschio Gaspardo Today Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with Ben Blackwell, East Coast Sales Territory Manager for Maschio Gaspardo, North America. With over 24 years of experience in the agriculture industry, Ben brings great insight to the ins and outs of equipment sales, the current market, and more! Maschio Gaspardo Group is a leading International Group in the production of equipment for tillage, seeding & planting, fertilization, crop protection, green maintenance and haymaking. Maschio Gaspardo is known for providing North American producers with equipment that gets the job done and is built to last. Browse their equipment catalogue here: https://www.maschio.com/en/web/usa Contact: Ben BLACKWELL MASCHIO-GASPARDO NORTH AMERICA INC 112 3rd Avenue East | 52742 DeWitt | IA | United States of America mobile: 5633433316 | phone: +1 563 6596400 | bblackwell@maschio.us North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan, visit https://chrissywozniak.com

The big question today in Ag Economics is - Are we headed for recession or recovery? Damian Mason joins Chrissy Wozniak to discuss the current landscape of the agricultural economy. Damian is a well-known speaker who offers a wealth of information and insight into food security. He is frequently tapped to share his opinion on Newsmax, Cheddar & Fox Business. He’s an ag economist, speaker, the author of Food Fear, Do Business Better & Brutal Truth. He’s also the host of the podcasts Do Business Better & The Business of Agriculture. Make sure to check out Damian's work at https://www.damianmason.com/

Today Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with Jim Kurtz of Harvest Harmonics to discuss reducing chemical fertilizers & pesticides while improving the quality of food in modern ag. Harvest Harmonics helps farmers around the world grow healthier, more productive plants. They offer a revolutionary product named the Kyminasi Plant Booster that uses the most advanced crop booster technology in agriculture. The Kyminasi Plant Booster is easy to install, ready to go, advanced custom micro transmitters utilizing 3000+ low-frequency radio waves attached to an irrigation system. KPB is activated when water first flows past it. KPB is custom-sized for each farm designed to work with all crops planted on soil. No power system or maintenance is required. Irrigation devices use an advanced signaling system to boost photosynthesis and crop yields in plants. To learn more about Harvest Harmonics and the Kyminasi Plant Booster, visit https://harvestharmonics.com/ North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan? Visit https://chrissywozniak.com

On this episode of North American Ag Spotlight Chrissy Wozniak talks to the CEO of AgWiki, Randy Krotz about how they are connecting producers across the globe. Learn more about AgWiki, and start your own account at https://agwiki.com AgWiki is where farmers, and all those who produce food worldwide, can connect, build relationships, and share information to grow more food with less impact on the planet. AgWiki is a new Online Platform Designed for Food Producers Around the Globe, including: - Food Producers engaging other farmers and ranchers – from the largest to the smallest - agronomists and researchers - food/animal nutritionists - Provides Information and Educational Content - Multiple university collaborators - Focused on adaption of new production techniques - Farmers/Ranchers and Agronomists from 21 countries - Group Discussions - Carbon Farming, Plant-Based Protein, etc. - Commodity Pricing, Weather, Content Storage Randy Krotz is the chief executive officer of AgWiki, Inc., a start- up social platform concentrated on solving global food production challenges. Currently, AgWiki has farmers and agricultural specialists from 20 countries engaged in building relationships and consumer information addressing a wide range of topics, including carbon farming, plant-based food, marketing, climate, and crop and animal health. Krotz served as the CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) from 2013 to 2018. USFRA is a consumer focused ag movement consisting of more than 100 farmer and rancher led organizations and industry partners engaged in dialogue about how food is grown and raised. In addition to nearly 30 years of experience ranging from food, health care, agriculture, and biotechnology, Krotz manages the diversified farm in North Central Kansas where he was raised. Randy has moderated numerous panel discussions on food and has given more than 500 speeches to ag, media, and consumer audiences. Additionally, he has moderated many discussions, including one at a Sustainable Agricultural Summit where representatives from McDonald’s, Kellogg, and Walmart highlighted their efforts to move toward a more sustainable future. He has also led discussions on crop and livestock production, consumer outreach, crisis management, and GMO’s with numerous state and national farm/ranch organizations. Notably, Mr. Krotz was an executive producer for the groundbreaking documentary FARMLAND. He has worked and lived all across the U.S. and has worked for and/or represented many well known food and agribusiness companies and associations, including FMC Corporation, the National Corn Growers Association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, BASF, Proctor and Gamble, Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer, Pepsi Nutrition and Monsanto. Randy is a graduate of Kansas State University. North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan, visit https://chrissywozniak.com

With Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts ending his final term, Trent Loos has accepted the invitation to become the running mate of Nebraska Governor hopeful, Theresa Thibodeau. Chrissy Wozniak asks Trent about the pair's stance on important issues that face the voter today, not only in Nebraska, but across the US. Trent Loos is a central Nebraska rancher and conservative radio host committed to bridging the rural urban divide. Thibodeau announced last week that she will run on a ticket with Loos, a sixth-generation rancher and longtime farming advocate. Thibodeau, a former state senator from Omaha, said in a statement that she and Loos will work together to bridge the divide between urban and rural Nebraska. She said her conversations with Nebraska voters have made clear that a “one-size-fits-all approach will not solve Nebraska's problems.” Loos lives in Litchfield, a village in Sherman County about 34 miles north of Kearney. He serves on the Nebraska Capitol Commission, where Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed him to help oversee preservation of the state Capitol. He also served on former President Donald Trump's agricultural advisory committee. Trent's message to the voters of Nebraska is clear and simple, their goal will be to empower the people. They will make it their mission bridging the urban and rural divide. Donate to their campaign at https://theresaforgovernor.com/ https://northamericanag.com

All Ag All Day, Ag News From The Nation's Only Full-Time Farm Station. Today Chrissy Wozniak discusses the challenges that farmers face this growing season with Tony St. James, of All Ag All Day radio. Tony has his finger on the pulse of North American Agriculture, and is hearing the concern resonating through the industry. The 2022 growing season is up against unprecedented challenges, from the war in Ukraine, and the shortage of inputs to extreme weather and supply chain issues, Tony shares that he's hearing extreme concern in the voices of the industry. Tony landed in the agriculture industry, not on purpose, and he has become a connector who gives a platform to those who make an impact of our food supply chain. He provides insight to farmers with in depth information about the issues that matter to them every day. Tony is a 39-year broadcasting veteran & farm broadcaster on All Ag, All Day - 900AM Lubbock, TX & 1440AM Amarillo, TX & syndicated nationally. Learn more at https://www.allagnews.com/ Follow https://northamericanag.com to keep up to date on the issues facing the ag industry. Devoted to highlighting the great people and companies of agriculture. Why not learn more about the ag brands you love, and the ag brands you love to hate at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com.

Today Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Cheryl Marti to talk about the upcoming Data and Innovations Summit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Cheryl Marti has a rich dairy background – in the past she worked in the AI industry at ABS Global in the Genetic Management System, Sire Acquisition, and R&D areas. Then later joined Pfizer Animal Health, now Zoetis, where - she worked with large dairies on genomics, reproduction, records analysis, and transition cows until mid-2014 when she moved into marketing for nearly 5 years for US dairy genetics and cattle reproduction, with her most notable launch being CLARIFIDE Plus. Following her time at Zoetis, she began her consulting business and has worked with six organizations since that time. She has worked with hundreds of dairy herds of all sizes across the U.S. and well over a dozen countries on 6 continents! She is now part of the new conference – the Data & Innovations Summit Dairy producers and advisors working with all types, sizes, and breeds of dairy herds are invited to the first of its kind Data and Innovations Summit (DIS) held in conjunction with the National Holstein Convention. The summit will be an in-person (only) event June 30, 2022 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Data and ag tech are a fast-growing part of the dairy industry, and for good reason. The continued pressure to improve, be better, more efficient and/or sustainable—or however you measure success—will continue to challenge and change how the dairy industry operates. An important realization is that data and innovations of all sorts can help meet those opportunities. The value-packed agenda was built by producers, with all dairy producers in mind—regardless of size, breed, commercial or registered—along with their advisors. College-age students interested in a future career, farming, or consulting, and/or looking to get a head start for dairy challenge contests, are welcome. Cost for the event is only $25—which includes a warm meal. DIS will showcase the power of data as a tool for the dairy industry. Industry-leading speakers and panelists will share ideas on how to better utilize today’s dairy data technologies and systems to maximize efficiency, profitability and results on dairies of all sizes. Included will be the potential for data to aid in decision-making—from individual cow data to herd-based decisions. Relevant data and technology innovations currently available—or coming in the future—will be addressed. Many tangible or practical take-home ideas will be presented. The summit will include four speakers and two panel discussions regarding dairy science. Speakers will address Dairy Data and Technologies: Past, Present, and Future; Do’s and Don’ts of Interpreting Farm Data: Avoiding Common Data Mistakes; Unlocking the Power of Data for the Hardest Working Cow in the Business; and How to Determine if Precision Dairy Analytics and Technologies are Right for Your Farm. A panel of company representatives will explain how they are working to combine data from multiple dairy data sources for dairy producers’ benefit. A producer panel will address herd successes achieved by applying herd data from technologies and systems. Over a dozen technology spotlights will be part of the main agenda. And twelve additional 30-minute sponsored educational seminars, most technology-based, will take place later in the afternoon. Company reps will also be available at the all-day trade show. After the main summit, participants are invited to stay for the seminars and an additional ticketed steak sandwich meal. The summit has been approved for six hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval. And it is approved by ARPAS (American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists) for 5 CEU credits. Attendees are invited to participate in additional events of the National Holstein Convention—but do not have to be Holstein Association members. Those able to come early may want to register for farm tours that utilize many of the technologies, or to hear fellow dairy producer and motivational speaker Chris Koch the evening before the summit. There will also be Junior Holstein Association and other events/tours for the whole family during the convention. The National Holstein Convention and DIS are being hosted by the Minnesota Holstein Association. For more information and to register for the summit and/or the national convention, go to the DIS website www.2022nationalholsteinconvention.com/data-innovation-summit or to dairydataandinnovationsummit.com. Registration for the summit is open until June 1. Learn more at https://www.2022nationalholsteinconvention.com/data-innovation-summit Visit https://northamericanag.com for more ag news.

Today Chrissy Wozniak speaks with conservative radio host Jovan Hutton Pulitzer about important issues that affect the agriculture industry, as well as all those who eat everyday! The disturbing trajectory that the fake meat industry has taken is now able to offer up meat cultured from your favorite celebrity! Jovan weighs in on synthetic beef, and other issues like meat shaming, and how he feels that youth are being indoctrinated into believing that having meat in your diet is bad for the earth. He even touches on his thoughts about this administration versus the Trump administration. Raised on a ranch in Texas, Jovan Hutton Pulitzer, Award-Winning Inventor; is a highly active technology start-up founder. Currently actively involved in Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Health Care, Mobile Health Care, Engagement Technologies and Data Analytics industry. Pulitzer has also created numerous product companies that have generated over a billion dollars in consumer sales. Pulitzer is regularly one of the top inventors month to month in the United States. Pulitzer’s patents have been licensed to more than 330 companies. His Scan-To-Connect, and Scan Commerce Patents are now licensed to all global mobile device manufacturers who have more than 11 billion devices utilizing his vast patent portfolio(s). Additionally, Jovan Hutton Pulitzer is an author of over 200 individual history and treasure legend books is a well-known media personality who has appeared on Fox TV, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS History Channel, and other networks. Learn more at https://jovanhuttonpulitzer.org/

For this Ag Spotlight episode, Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Kuubix Energy Vice President Geoff Howard and CEO Josh. Renewable Energy is Transforming The Ag Industry and 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. From solar panels to a Tesla Powerwall To learn more about getting solar power on your farm, visit https://kuubixenergy.com/. Join North American Ag at https://northamericanag.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. He shares his crop production strategies during supply shortages & high commodity prices. 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, by crop scouting using dirt bikes outfitted with hi-tech cameras! 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 the 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. Nutrient management and lowering the cost of inputs is important coming in this growing season. Integrations with a growing list of farm management software partners allow growers and trusted advisors to view imagery on their preferred platform. Big data in agriculture is the key to sustainable production in the future! Learn more about TECC Agriculture at https://tecc.ag/. North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com Want to hear the stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing plan, visit https://chrissywozniak.com

Listen to the podcast at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com. In this episode, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with to hear The Story of Roto-Mix, 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 distributors 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 - tmr. 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 distributors 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 Learn more about Roto-Mix and feeding total mixed ration at https://rotomix.com For more stories of the brands you love and the brands you love to hate visit https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com Visit https://northamericanag.com for ag news.

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/

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.

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 here: https://amsgalaxy.com/

Find the podcast at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com The Story of John Deere: The Reason Behind the Color Wars 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: 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 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 https://ag-bag.com/

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

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

Today Chrissy Wozniak is sitting down with the Principal of BioMass Solution, Jacek Chmielewski to discuss carbon reduction strategies in agriculture. BioMass Solution's mission is to bring financially and environmentally restorative and regenerative solutions to undervalued and problematic waste. Through this, we are solving an environmental problem, lowering (or in fact restoring carbon via sequestration carriers) the overall generated energy carbon footprint, producing renewable energy, creating jobs, and contributing to the local tax base, all the while providing strong financial returns. BioMass Solution is providing full scope of carbon negative solutions (feedstock selection, location selection, co-location and energy integration, carbon credits, biochar application and sales). Augmenting our core services, we provide full array of carbon negative services and solutions to our clients. BioMass Solution currently has low carbon (implemented and operating) and carbon negative (Puerto Rico) projects (Red River Biorefinery in Grand Forks, ND and bamboo to biochar in Puerto Rico). To learn more about BioMass Solution, visit the website https://www.biomasssolution.com/ or contact Jacek Chmielewski at jacek.chmielewski@biomasssolution.com

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.