Massey Ferguson‘s winning streak continued today as two major awards were scooped up at this year’s Hungarian Farm Machinery Expo in Budapest.

Massey Ferguson’s  new MF 7600 series was awarded the “Grand Innovation” prize, having stood the scrutiny of the team of Independent experts who assessed the latest new products on the market. With its AGCO SISU POWER engines and new e3 Generation 2 SCR delivering power, economy and performance coupled to industry leading Dyna transmissions, topped by the comfortable new cab with its straightforward ergonomics, the MF 7600 is quickly becoming the European benchmark in the medium/high horsepower category.

Renowned MF distributor in Central Europe, Austro Diesel also pulled off the top prize for its logistics operation which offers MF customers top class parts and service back up!

The awards were presented during the Show’s opening ceremonies by the Hungarian minister of agriculture.

5 big awards at Agritechnica, 2 big awards at AGROMASH , all voted on by panels of independent experts? I think they are trying to tell us something!

AGCO held its first ever AGCO Africa Summit yesterday in Berlin, Germany. The Summit is a joint initiative of AGCO, Bayer CropScience and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH. “With its population poised to double in the next 20 years, it is a global responsibility to develop a new vision for agriculture in Africa,” said Martin Richenhagen, Chairman, President and CEO at the opening press conference. “Our objective is to promote international dialogue to encourage global businesses to invest in the future of Africa.”

The goal of the AGCO Africa Summit was to raise awareness for the needs of the African continent and to discuss the challenges of agriculture with regard to the world food supply problem, declining arable land base and population growth. Guest speakers included Thabo Mbeki (former President of South Africa), Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler (former Federal President of Germany), Dirk Niebel (Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany), and Ilse Aigner, (Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Germany). Panelists included Jose Pacheco (Minister of Agriculture of Mozambique), Roberto Rodrigues (Former Minister of Agriculture of Brazil), Bärbel Dieckmann (President of Welthungerhilfe) and Omari Issa (CEO of The Investment Climate Facility for Africa) – to name a few.

Participants at the AGCO Africa Summit discussed the many ways that agricultural mechanization could secure better futures and how improved cultivation methods could increase yields significantly. Higher productivity and efficiency would in turn help African countries become less dependent on imported crops, creating better food security. “Large areas across Africa have suitable soil and climate for successful agriculture, but many areas are not yet cultivated or are not productive enough,” explained Richenhagen. “With 11 percent of the world’s arable land (86 percent of which is uncultivated) Africa would benefit from modern, mechanized farming techniques.”

With over 50 years of experience in Africa through its Massey Ferguson tractor brand, AGCO already leverages alliances with governments, foreign investors and donors to improve agricultural practices in Africa. AGCO plans to fund the development of Model Farms and Training Centers in Zambia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and South Africa that will allow local farmers and dealers to be trained on new farming technology. Hubertus Mühlhäuser, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Europe, Africa, Middle East commented, “The solution for African agriculture is to develop strategic partnerships to deliver crops that feed an increasing population in an economically, environmentally and socially responsible way. With decades of dependency on food aid and the world’s fastest population growth, Africa’s long-term prospects will require increasing degrees of self-sustainability.”

With a global population of 7.0 billion people growing to 8.9 billion people by 2050 (estimated by the World Bank), food production has to increase, which means global farm productivity will need to improve to meet the growing needs. Africa holds the key to ensuring a sustainable food supply, but only if a new vision for agriculture is developed, harnessing both the expertise of the private industry sector and the knowledge of local communities.

What is your vision for agriculture in Africa?

Two local Bristol (United Kingdom) farmers, John Hore and Charles Bourns,  have combined their two greatest passions – farming and rugby – by sponsoring up-coming rugby star, Jack Tovey. The sponsorship aims to promote great food and farming through the use of the Red Tractor logo which will now gain exposure to thousands of Bristol’s rugby fans.

John, a local Red Tractor beef and sheep farmer, said: “Rugby is a truly British sport, featuring highly skilled athletes and it has a vast number of supporters who regularly go and watch their team each week.  We thought the rugby would provide a fantastic stage to highlight the important role that Red Tractor farming plays in producing quality food.”

Charles Bourns runs a poultry farm in Gloucestershire, he said: “A tremendous amount of effort and integrity goes into producing great quality chickens under the Red Tractor Scheme and it is important that we help to promote this to consumers.”

Every time full back Jack scores a try, the Red Tractor name is announced and it seems to be providing an extra lift for Jack who has made 56 appearances for Bristol and scored seven tries so far this season.  Jack said: “I’m delighted that John and Charles approached me about the Red Tractor sponsorship.  I jumped at the chance to help support local farmers in the Bristol community and to engage spectators in something with real value.”

For further information on Red Tractor visit: http://www.redtractor.org.uk/.

After all the news, coverage and widespread discussion, the time had finally come – the Gleaner Super Series combine hit the field in Australia!

The main feature of the Australian 2011/2012 harvest was the big, black S77 combine; travelling throughout Australia as part of the Gleaner Demo Program.

Starting in Springsure, Queensland, the Gleaner combine worked its way down to the southern state of Victoria.

“It’s fantastic to finally see the Gleaner S77 in action during harvest,” says Marcus Paul, Gleaner Product Manager. “After our Australian launch back in April 2011, dealers and customers alike had the opportunity to see the combine at work first hand,” he added.

This year’s harvest shaped up to be a hot one, with soaring temperatures in central Queensland and New South Wales. However, the heat didn’t affect the new Gleaner combines – grain samples were of the highest quality, with minimal losses – something customers across the country have been more than happy with.

Pictured: The Gleaner S77 working the fields in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

What combine did you use this harvest?

Hey there! I recently picked up an iPad2 and I am addicted to all the different Apps that are available, even more so than on my iPhone! Everything from sports to financial news and most importantly Agriculture! While most farmers are not walking around with an iPad around the shop or in the field  all the Apps below are also available on the iPhone. Every farmer wants to know the future weather patterns; the Weather Channel App is interactive and intuitive. It provides “layers” on the radar map for everything from “feels like” to “UV index”.

Most importantly, the Ag Apps! In no order of importance I have listed my Top 5 Apps that help the everyday farmer around his/her day to day tasks as well as commodity news and updates.

1)      AGWEB – Their news is broken down by Crops, Business, and Livestock. Providing detailed information on the biggest headlines that can help you grow your business.

2)      Spray Lite – Spray Lite customizes to your farm! The app provides entries for detailed information regarding your farm, where you sprayed, what chemical you applied and what crops you are growing. The settings are adjustable to focus on a specific operator, including the spray pressure, water rate, and speed of application. Over all a great crop management App.

AgriBusiness

3)      AgriBusiness – This is the most detailed informational Ag App I have found. Subcategories include BioFuel, Corn Markets, Dairy, Fertilizer, Fruit, Forestry, Rice, Nuts, Tobacco, and Wheat. Some subcategories break down regional information into as many as 110 different countries!

4)      PrecisionEarth – Using the GPS in your phone, this App can map out field boundaries and utilize Shapefiles. It also has the functionality to Import Imagery, Analysis Results, and Export Shapefiles. Entering grower, farm and field information, has never been easier!

5)      Tank Mix Calculator – Who wants to do math all day? I know I sure don’t. Select the acreage, tank size and gallon per acre, then select the chemical (over 170 to pick from) and you are off to the field! This is a real time saver, not to mention eliminates mathematical errors that could kill your crops!

These are only a few of my favorites; farmers are designing their own to suite their needs. If you could design an App to help you run your farm what would it include?!?