Pivotal Issues Blog

By Jim Ochterski Old habits die hard. Sometimes they don’t ever die, even if they come at an obvious cost. Author Douglas Adams wrote three principles about new technologies that could fit most farm CEO’s looking into new management technologies for farm operations: Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and […]

By Aimee Cope Kubota Corporation said Friday that it plans to buy Great Plains Manufacturing Inc., of Salina, Kansas. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but once final, the purchase will include all five Great Plains divisions, including: Great Plains Ag, Land Pride, Great Plains International, Great Plains Trucking and Great Plains Acceptance […]

By Greg Peterson Everywhere I go, traveling through the U.S. and Canada covering the used farm equipment market, I run into amazing people and amazing stories. Hard working, creative folks who often times find a better way of doing something and quite often do special things for their friends, neighbors or customers. Guys like Joe […]

By Ben Potter Do you know what Uber, Snapchat, Dropbox, Pinterest, and Climate Corporation all have in common? They’re all known as “unicorns” – start-up companies that are valued at more than $1 billion. Many of these companies gained traction through innovative digital marketing strategies, and in recent years, crypto influencer marketing has emerged as […]

By Ben Potter There are apps aplenty in agriculture. Apps to help you scout fields and keep records. Apps to make smarter crop health or animal wellness decisions. Apps that optimize machinery and precision equipment. But Jaime Vos, AEM safety materials manager, is on the hunt for something a bit different. “When it comes to mobile […]

By Betsy Jibben As U.S. tractor sales have decreased overall, leasing has become a popular way for farmers to get their hands on a new piece of machinery without paying big bucks. Lower commodity prices and decreased income have a strain on farmer’s checkbooks and a drain on equipment makers. “2015 to me? I call […]

By Associated Press Ray Kopacz shouted over the rumbling of the cement truck one recent morning as workers patched up a break in the Stanfield Branch Furnish Ditch that cost farmers a full day’s worth of irrigation water. The Stanfield Irrigation District had just started pulling water from the Umatilla River on March 31 and […]

By Tharran Gaines Imagine being able to apply variable-rate liquid nitrogen through a center pivot irrigation system while, at the same time, varying the amount of water being applied. According to Caleb Schultz, precision ag manager for J.R. Simplot Company in Wray, Colorado, such technology is no longer a dream but a reality. Schultz was […]

By: Agronomy Insider Upper Midwestern farmers have endured below- or near-freezing air temperatures the past few days. As a result, frost-injured corn in some regions of Minnesota has surfaced. The telltale signs of frost damage are initially discolored water-soaked leaves, which later dry and turn brown. So what now? Here’s what to look for and […]

Gov. Pete Ricketts’ message to the 130th graduating class of Hastings College was one of love, opportunity and giving back to the community as the graduates prepare to embark on their future careers. “We have the best places in the world to live right here in Nebraska,” Ricketts said during the commencement address at Hastings […]