New Products
Approved injectable to fight BRD
Norbrook Laboratories Ltd. has announced the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Enroflox 100 (enrofloxacin) for use in cattle and non-lactating dairy heifers less than 20 months of age. The new drug is approved for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somnus in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle.
The company says the new BRD treatment antibiotic has the same active ingredient and formulation as Baytril 100, and is approved in cattle for multi-day use only. The new antibiotic will be available from veterinarians in 100 mL and 250 mL bottles to fit any size operation.
For more information contact a veterinarian, a local animal health products supplier or www.norbrookinc.com.
New options for rotary rakes
Massey Ferguson has introduced three new models of rotary rakes to expand the RK Series. The RK3802 single-rotor rake is designed for smaller tractors without hydraulic valves. This model offers a three-point lift system and is an economical upgrade for producers using vertical-fold wheel rakes.
The RK3845 is a 21-ft. model available with a transport chassis, and the RK3879 PRO model is a heavy-duty model with a 27-ft. working width, also featuring a transport chassis. Both larger models are dual-rotor rakes and are equipped with steerable rear wheels on the transport chassis for greater maneuverability on tight turns during raking and moving from field to field.
The dual-rotor models also feature “jet effect” rotor lifting. When the rotor is lowered from headland to working position, the jet effect lets the rear of the rotor touch down first (like an airplane landing), which prevents the tines from scalping the soil surface and contaminating the windrow. This also helps extend the tine life.
Standard on each dual-rotor rake with transport chassis is the exclusive Rotorflex™ suspension system, which allows rotors to gently “float” from front to back and side to side, so the baskets work together to gather the crop into a more uniform and manageable windrow in uneven, rough terrain.
Finally, the drive system features helical-cut gears to provide more torque than straight-cut gears, as well as deliver longer driveline and rotor life. To prevent damage and operator error, the RK Series is equipped with sealed-grease gearboxes for smooth movement, main-drive gearboxes that automatically swivel when the machine is folding, a simple hydraulic system and overrunning clutches.
For more information contact a local dealer or visit www.masseyferguson.us.
Mounting brackets for mobile devices
John Deere has introduced mounting brackets and attachments for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to make it easier and more convenient for producers to have hands-free access and improved viewing of their mobile devices while operating equipment.
For proper machine operation, it’s critical that mobile devices be located and mounted where they are accessible but do not interfere with visibility and machine controls, according to the release. The new brackets include a cell-phone mount bracket kit, a tablet mount kit and an accessory mounting bracket kit. They are all cross-compatible with current John Deere monitor kits and are customizable to fit each operator’s specific requirements in the cab.
The cell-phone mount bracket features the four-pronged RAB X-Grip™, which was specifically chosen because it meets the company’s tough requirements and customer needs. It is designed to securely hold cell phones, GPS and other devices of similar size, without the need for foam pads or other stabilizing materials. Grip is compatible and interchangeable with a wide range of popular RAM and John Deere mounts.
The tablet mounting kit also attaches to the accessory mounting bracket or existing monitor mounting bracket in the equipment cab and securely holds larger devices such as iPads® and other tablets. It features easy-to-adjust wing nuts and ball joints that allow operators to quickly and easily attach or remove the devices.
For more information see your local dealer or visit www.JohnDeere.com.
Free planting advisor
The Climate Corp. has announced that the free climate.com service is now live for the 2013 growing season. Using remote sensing technologies, physical and geospatial mapping, unique weather simulations and proprietary agronomic models, climate.com provides growers with field-level weather monitoring and forecasting, field-specific crop insights and decision-support tools to help producers better manage operations and increase efficiency.
The company has also announced the availability of Planting Date AdvisorSM, a new tool that dynamically quantifies spring and fall freeze risks by planting date for each field. Powered by the company’s unique weather monitoring, forecasting and agronomic modeling technology platform, Planting Date Advisor:
- Calculates the risk that a corn or soybean crop in any of more than 20 million U.S. fields could be damaged by a spring freeze postemergence or by a fall freeze before the crop has a chance to reach full maturity, with risks calculated for each potential planting date.
- Allows a grower to vary the relative maturity of the seed to assist cost-benefit analyses regarding the additional fall freeze risk the grower would be taking on by planting a longer-season, higher-yielding variety.
- Provides dynamic field-level planting date risk analyses using real-time weather forecasting technologies.
Additional features of climate.com include Farm-level Dashboard; Precipitation and Temperature Tracking; Soil Moisture Tracking; Growth Stage Tracking; and Crop Impact.
Growers can create a free trial account at www.climate.com. Ongoing free access to the service is available through the company’s authorized independent crop insurance agents.
Larger, more efficient tedders
Massey Ferguson, a global brand of Agco, has introduced two new expansive TD Series tedders, designed to help commercial hay producers cut frying time and increase tedding efficiency to produce quality hay faster.
The larger width provides a thinner crop matte with better aeration, which helps hay dry faster and more evenly. Each TD Series tedder is equipped with an induction-hardened rotor casting that is break-resistant and designed for the most adverse tedding conditions.
The TD1655 is a 33-ft., 6-inch (in.) model, and the TD1665 is a 41-ft., 8-in. model; both are equipped with convenient transport chassis. The chassis allows rotors to be lifted off the ground and supported in a vertical position, which improves maneuverability in and out of fields and allows on-road transport speeds up to 30 mph.
Both models are equipped with exclusive Super C coil tines that have six full windings per tine to make them flexible and durable. When the C-coil tines come in contact with the ground or an object, they are less likely to break. The C-coil tines are mounted on the bottom of the tine arm, which results in better deflection and reduces crop buildup.
For more information contact a local dealer or visit www.masseyferguson.us.
Market potential app
New Venture Advisors LLC has released a Web-based application that estimates the gap between local food supply and demand in markets across the nation. The tool, Local Food MarketSizer™, was developed to help communities and entrepreneurs in the growing local food arena determine the size of the business opportunities in their region.
The application uses data from public and private sources to calculate unmet demand for local food at the state, metropolitan area and county level. With a few clicks, the tool estimates market potential for local meat, dairy, poultry and eggs and fruits and vegetables. The methodology performs dozens of calculations accessing more than 70 data tables from USDA, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census and private surveys. The application displays the estimated value of local food demand and supply in wholesale dollars, and the gap between them is a measure of the unmet market for local food.
The business advisory firm developed the methodology to provide robust analytics for feasibility studies and business plans for local food startups, particularly food hubs that aggregate, process and distribute farm products for local customers. After conducting the painstaking analysis for a number of clients, the company created the application to automate the process and make it widely available.
The application can be accessed free of charge on the company’s website at http://newventureadvisors.net.