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What goes better with a nice ride around in a tractor than some good ole’ tunes about them! In a follow up to our post Top Ten Songs About Farming, we have created our top ten songs about farm equipment, because after all, we do love farm equipment!

Amarillo Sky – Jason Aldean – This songs brings back the days of riding around on the tractor and hoping for a good harvest.

Take A Back Road- Rodney Atkins – Though this song is not as much about tractors, we cant help but love ” if its going to be a traffic jam, well it better be a tractor man!”

A Man on a Tractor – Rodney Atkins – We love the way this songs captures how great it is to be a farmer and why so many people farm.

Like a John Deere – Sawyer Brown – “He aint no good at giving up no  matter how it hurts,” is a great wayt o sum up a farmer’s worth ethic.

John Deere Greene – Joe Diffie – Whether your a red, green or blue fan you have to admit, this song is pretty catchy!

She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy – Kenny Chesney – This tune is as catchy as they come and we can’t help but love when it comes on the radio!

She Cranks My Tractor – Dustin Lynch – What is there not love about a girl who knows tractors? Combine that with the sound of the tractor starting at the beginning and you’ve got one great song! (more…)

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Texas explosion
As many of you have seen or heard, the town of West, TX was devastated by a massive explosion at the West Fertilizer Plant, virtually destroying all of the surrounding areas of the plant. Here at Fastline, we work with many companies in Central Texas and know how the explosion has ultimately turned people’s lives upside down. So as a part of the Ag community, we want to provide information for those interested in helping the residents of West, TX. Below are just a few of the various sites established to help with donations for those affected by the tragedy. Please note though that the most needed resource is monetary donations rather than material donations.  Every account listed on this page has been verified, however if you chose to donate to another site, please be aware of any scams or fake accounts before donating.

  • From the Mayor of West: All of the goods donated are wonderful but we have received so much, it has become a problem. At this time there are no real material needs for supplies. What will have the BIGGEST effect is by donating money to the relief at
  1. Point West Bank & Trust
    (254) 826-5333
    PO Box 279
    West TX 76691
    Make checks payable to:
    Victims of West Explosion Fund
  2. State National Bank
    (254) 826-3741
    Make checks payable to
    West Disaster Relief Fund
    C/O State National Bank
    PO Box 98
    West TX 76691
  • The Chisholm Trail 100 Club of Johnson County is collecting funds to benefit the families of fallen first responders. The 100 Club has a long tradition of financially supporting families of lost fire fighters, law enforcement and emergency medical technicians. You can learn more about the (more…)

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Ag Heritage Archive at National American History Museum

The National American History Museum is putting together an exhibit all about Ag Heritage and you can get involved!

From AgriMarketing.com

Agri-Pulse reports:
The National Museum of American History unveiled yesterday a new website that the public can use to upload their agricultural stories and histories.

It is all part of the museum’s new Agricultural Innovation and Heritage Archive, which will eventually culminate in an 8,000-aquare-foot multimedia exhibit on “American Enterprise.” The exhibit will open in May 2015.

“We’re just doggone excited about agriculture,” said Peter Liebhold of the division of work and industry at the National Museum of American History.

Liebhold confessed that the museum had “lost our focus in terms of agriculture,” and stressed it is actively looking for artifacts from the post-World War II period to close the gap in its collection.

The exhibit’s curators are simultaneously energized and intimidated by the Agricultural Innovation and Heritage’s Archive social media element – a new kind of foray for the museum. “We’re not as stodgy as people think we are,” Liebhold joked. The curators ask that the public upload photos, stories and documents that tell the story of agriculture. Though Liebhold admitted his staff is “terrified” by the potentially “overwhelming” amount of information that archive may receive, he says the museum “looks forward to being enlightened.”

And because the archive will be available on the web, Liebhold hopes others will be enlightened as well. “Maybe a kid in L.A. doing a report can read a story from Iowa,” he said.

Jim Rapp, a corn and soybean farmer from Illinois, has already donated to the archive, and spoke about his contributions during the website’s launch in Washington, D.C. Rapp explained to the mostly citified audience the purpose of his “NoTill” sign, part of a Bureau County Soil and Water Conservation District’s effort to promote the farming method. He also donated a sign used by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board to promote ethanol in the 1980′s and 90′s.

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Results from the most recent Dealer Sentiment & Business Conditions Update survey shows that North American farm equipment dealers are feeling a bit better about their business prospects these days. At the same time, commentary from the survey indicates that dealers are still gun shy about making big plans for 2013.

Dealer Optimism

The DOI, a measure of sentiment among dealers compared to the prior month, showed strong improvement to a net 10% of dealers reporting they have a more optimistic outlook now vs. a net 19% last month reporting they were less optimistic about the next year. The latest DOI scored out as 28% are more optimistic; 54% same; 18% are less optimistic.The survey conducted by Ag Equipment Intelligence and Cleveland Research Co. (previously called Dealer Trends & Business Outlook) revealed a significant jump in the Dealer Optimism Index (DOI) after three months of negative scores.

Ag equipment dealers also reported year-over-year sales grew 4% on average in August, flat from 4% in July. “Other” and Kubota dealers saw sequential growth of 8% and 6% respectively, while Shortline and New Holland dealers say business declined 3% sequentially.

For 2012, dealers slightly increased their sales forecast and expect 4% sales growth for the full year vs. 3% in July. John Deere, Kubota and “Other” dealers are the most optimistic this month while New Holland and Case IH dealers report the least optimistic outlook.

Read the full article at Farm-Equipment.com

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Drought Influences 2013 Decisions

Producers change production and marketing

To the naked eye, two of Dale Kuehl’s fields looked identical in late August—amazingly good, in  fact, for one of the worst droughts since the Dust Bowl. Upon closer inspection, though, the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour scouts found that one field had nearly double the yield potential.

So how did two fields, literally side by side, end up with varying production levels? Kuehl, who farms near Atlantic, Iowa, thinks it all comes down to hybrids. The field projected to yield 202 bu. per acre was planted with a new drought-resistant hybrid. The hybrid projected to yield 122 bu. per acre, a top performer in 2011 for Kuehl with more than 200 bu. per acre, did not contain the  droughtresistant genes. Kuehl planted the drought-resistant hybrid on 15% to 20% of his acreage this spring.

Will Kuehl plant a higher percentage of drought-resistant corn in 2013? “It’s a real possibility,” he says, not yet committing to next year’s seed until he sees what his yield monitor shows at  harvest.

If the drought lingers to next spring, one Nebraska producer says, he might plant all soybeans and no corn since soybeans can produce a crop with less moisture.

Read the full article on Agweb.com

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For those who have served our country, New Holland has a special offer to recognize their service and provide a discount on a blue tractor.

 

Effective September 11, 2012 through Veterans Day, November 11, 2012, New Holland will offer active and retired military personnel, veterans, paid and volunteer firefighters, police officers, and their families, a $911 discount…. Read the full article on Agweb.com

 

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3 Agronomic Ways to Leave the Drought Behind: 

Agronomic experts hope farmers tap into that same confident optimism as they plan for next year. The following recommendations are ideas for your consideration as you create your production game plan for 2013… Read More

USDA: Corn, Soybean Harvest Well Ahead of Average: 

USDA reports harvest activity for corn and soybeans was widespread around the U.S. last week and both crops continue to develop faster than normal following a very hot, dry summer in many key growing areas… Read More

Association of Equipment Manufacturers: Analysis Shows Farm Machinery Sales May Not Suffer From Drought: 

As the lower 48 states experienced the third hottest summer on record and nearly 80 percent of agricultural land has been affected by the first major drought since 1988, many AEM member companies may be wondering what effect this will have on equipment sales… Read More

Cash Rents Continue to Rise: 

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has released the county-by-county breakdown of its 2012 survey of cash rents. The average cash rent of cropland in Missouri was 4% higher compared to 2011 and pasture rental rates increased 9% from last year… Read More

 

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Sell Grain at Harvest; Store Only if Necessary: Economic trends and concerns over the condition of grain because of the drought suggest there’s little incentive for farmers to store grain this fall… Read More

Watch a Ride and Drive of a Brand-New TerraGator: Ranging from 330 hp to 425 hp, the four TerraGator models for 2013 include the three-wheel chassis TerraGator TG7300, TG8300 and TG9300 and four-wheel chassis TerraGator TG8400… Read More

Highlights From NAMA’s Boot Camp: Marketers. Mechanics. Crop Scouts. These are just some of the hats farmers wear today. Attendees at the 2012 NAMA Boot Camp heard about the many roles farmers play firsthand in a fast-paced kickoff video produced by SFP Productions… Read More

 Soybean Prices Continue To Set Record Highs: On 8/31, September Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures closed at a new high all-time thanks to continued strong export demand and concerns about U.S. crop size… Read More

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Check out this really cool video of Harvest 2012 highlights. This video shows a lot of different angles and parts of the harvest. There is so much work and effort is put into each year’s harvest. We know how hard you all work and we appreciate you!

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6 Harvest Tips to Save You Bushels

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie provides advice on harvesting corn in tough drought conditions.

Harvesting your 2012 corn crop will have unique challenges. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie provides the following advice:

  1. Prioritize your fields. Start scouting your fields now, Ferrie suggests. Then you can line up the fields, in ABC fashion, in terms of which are high-priority, medium-priority and low-priority fields.
  2. Determine which fields have the most fragile plants and harvest those first.
  3. Check stalk quality. Try the push test on your corn fields, Ferrie suggests. See which stalks have the most resistance. If you can easily knock a stalk down, plan on harvesting it immediately.
  4. Fight the fungus. Scout your fields to see if aflatoxin, nasty fungi that is common in hot, dry ears, is present. If it is, plan to harvest that field early. Ferrie says you’ll most likely have to store this corn, to dry it out.
  5. Look behind the combine. Ferrie says this year especially, machine loss could be high. Calibrate your combine to better harvest shorter plants and smaller ears.
  6. Keep adjusting. Since conditions will be different in each field, Ferrie says you must recalibrate your combine for the changing conditions.

Check out the full article and additional video content on Agweb.com

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