Mold, a Corny Story of Unwanted Spores

When it comes to corn, cultural diversity is not a good thing.

I love cultural diversity, I love different cultures and learning about places far, far away. I love history. I have never ever once in my life thought that cultural diversity wasn't fascinating and somewhat necessary. Today, I feel like my world and sense of all that is enriching for human existence has been turned on its "ear." Ok, ok, so I am being a bit dramatic, and my puns are mediocre at best, but there is a point to this rant.

 

I am talking about mold. In your bin. On your corn. YUK! I know it's "corny" but all things considered, your grain bin is the last place you want to find diverse kernels of corn. I like to think that we should always invite everyone to the party, but when  mold shows up, he isn't the best guest. He brings nothing but spores, and more spores, contaminating the whole party. Talk about a social epidemic. Seriously, check your bin for party crashers, you might be surprised to find you have the mold epidemic!

So who invited the mold spore family named aspergillus? Here is the scoop, straight from Joe Speich, resident agronomist, "It's naturally present everywhere, it is an opportunist mold. It was a cold winter, with a not so normal spring, and then we jumped right into a warm, humid late spring. Natural condensation happens, creating a perfect environment for mold spores to ignite. Once they ignite, it's like a fire, they proliferate or reproduce very rapidly." 

 

So what's the moral of the story? An empty bin can't throw a mold party...move your corn to market, call Landmark grain to get the best price.  After you sell your corn to Landmark, take your spouse out for date night and celebrate. Have a party, be culturally diverse, with the exclusion being aspergillus!

 

Cassandra Strommen, VP Marketing Development of Landmark is no stranger to agriculture. Strommen worked in Animal Nutrition for five years prior to her current role with Landmark. She has a passion for cows and all things agribusiness. If you'd like to get in touch with her, she can be reached at cassandra.strommen@landmark.coop.

 

Heat Abatement isn't just for cows

 

 Did you know...dairy farmers take great measures to ensure their cows are comfortable and in proper condition to withstand the heat they experience during the hot summer months.  Likewise, not only the farmers that care for those cows but all homeowner's should take the appropriate measures now to ensure their home comfort systems are also prepared for the summer heat.  That's right, heat abatement doesn't just affect cows.

Landmark HVAC are experts in ensuring your home comfort after a long day in the heat.  Now is the time to contact them for your air conditioner tune-up.  This year is more important than ever to get your air conditioner tuned up, following last years extended run-time which made units more dirty than in past years.  Those conditions resulted in lower efficiency making it all the more important to get them cleaned and tuned to have them running at their full potential. 

Not only is air conditioner tune-up important this time of year, taking care of humidity in the home is equally as important.  By installing a humidifier it not only keeps families comfortable during humid conditions, but also helps to keep mold and mildew out of basements.  The efficiency of this system is second to none.  At a mere $.27/day, this machine outshines most others on the market. 

Although the summer is hot and humid, it's time to start thinking about helping out our neighbors in
need this fall season.  Landmark is again partnering in the Heat UP Wisconsin program to provide a very deserving family with a new furnace heading into the winter season.  Nominations can be submitted here.

The Landmark team is dedicated to being involved in the community--this is very evident as the team looks forward to the Heat UP Wisconsin event each year.  October will mark the 4th year that Landmark HVAC has participated in this very noble cause.

Learn more about Landmark HVAC here or call 1.608.251.9010. 

 

Tom Krausse is Landmark's Vice President of HVAC. With over 25 years of industry involvement, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the heating and cooling industry.

Spring Landscapes Magazine

 

If you're having trouble opening the file, click here.

 

WIIFM...Everyone Tunes into this Station

WIIFM. The acronym for “what’s in it for me”.  Yep, there, I said it. I said what everyone says, either out loud or sub-consciously before making choices or decisions on a daily basis. It is human instinct. It is how we survive as a species.

There, with all of that being said- let’s talk about what’s in it for you, when you work with Landmark Cooperative and the ProfitEDGE team.

If you’re reading this- chances are you are in the business of agriculture. Chances are, you deal with adversity, variables out of your control, and family on a daily basis. Your livelihood is determined by markets, weather, hard work, and smart decisions. The last time I checked, you can only control two of those variables- and they are not markets and weather! It goes without saying you work hard and you love it- otherwise you wouldn’t do it. Again, it goes without saying that you make smart decisions when it comes to your operation, right? Right! How many times have you second guessed a decision, or googled some bit of information to help with a decision? How many times have you wondered who you could trust to get valuable information to make an educated decision?

ProfitEDGE is really just a label or a brand if you will, to explain and define this simple statement…. “ We help farmers grow.”  ProfitEDGE is that expert to help you make informed decisions. Think of ProfitEDGE as your personal team of experts taking a look at your operation and uncovering areas within it that could potentially be costing you money, or could potentially be giving you MORE PROFIT.  Let me give you an example.  You look at your grain bin and there is a blatant hole in it where you are losing grain- day after day. You fix it and voila- no more grain loss. That was easy. You could see it, so you could fix it and stop loss.

Now, visualize this. Your milk components went down, but milk production stayed the same, or a small decrease is happening. Where do you begin to uncover the cause? It’s costing you money, but the fix isn’t so obvious. You have blamed your nutritionist, the hired man, the weather, the milk hauler and everyone and everything in between. Your Landmark nutritionist suggests a milk parlor audit. You are skeptical, but at this point you are probably willing to try anything! And, by the way, it doesn’t cost anything. You are a member, and this is a benefit of doing business with your cooperative. (Even better-right?!)

 

The ProfitEDGE team comes in and audits everything from how the cows are brought in to milk, to how long they wait, to what they eat, to the cleanliness- and everything in between. Foot Health, Teat health, forage quality, vaccum on milkers and every little (and BIG) thing involved gets looked at. Guess what? The pieces of the puzzle are brought together and it is solved. A subtle change in forage caused a decrease in the components- giving not so great results for butter fat and protein. Seems silly doesn’t it? Along with the solving of the component challenge, the profitEDGE team also gave other recommendations like increasing foot bath usage, fixing vacuum on some of the milking equipment and three time a day milking vs two. You decide you are going to implement those suggestions and now not only are your components up- but your production is up too! The cows are healthier and happier, Your profitability just doubled, and you have an extra $400,000 a year to put in the bank! (BTW- this number is completely random and this story is simply an example. Based on our experience however, this number is not out of the question and has fit some of our member scenarios.)

“We help farmers grow.” That is a promise. We do it every day. It is the reason you are committed and loyal to your cooperative- because our “WIIFM” is truly to help you grow- and to help you do what you do, even better.

 

 

Cassandra Strommen, VP Marketing Development of Landmark is no stranger to the dairy farm. Strommen worked in Animal Nutrition for five years prior to her current role with Landmark. She has a passion for cows and all things agribusiness. If you'd like to get in touch with her, she can be reached at cassandra.strommen@landmark.coop.

A Tribute to the Women who choose Agriculture

 

A big thank you to everyone who shared pictures for this special tribute to women in agriculture!  Likewise, thank you to everyone involved in the agriculture industry!  Your hard work, dedication and passion is amazing!

Spring Safety Tips: Anhydrous Ammonia

It won't be long now before nurse tanks will be seen throughout the countryside in preparation for the much anticipated spring season.  With that comes the application of anhydrous ammonia.  When handled, transported and applied properly, anhydrous can be a very efficient and effective fertilizer. 

Your safety and security is of the utmost importance to the Landmark team.  Therefore, before heading to the fields please take a moment to review these important safety tips!

General Anhydrous Information

• Anhydrous is not a poison, but it is very corrosive to human tissue and internal organs.
• It is colorless in both its liquid and gaseous forms.
• When released from its container, anhydrous expands to 850 times its liquid volume.

Anhydrous Transportation Information

• As classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation, anhydrous is a regulated hazardous material and is classified as a "non-flammable gas."
• All anhydrous nurse tanks must be marked with a slow moving vehicle sign.
• When pulling nurse tanks, drivers need to keep as far as safely possible to the right of the road.  It is legal to drive on the shoulder, but extreme caution should be used to not get close to ditches.
• Tires on anhydrous nurse tanks are designed for use in fields, not on paved roads.  Drive slowly, as the tires are only rated for 25 mph.
• Avoid pulling anhydrous tanks at night, but if you must, use your vehicle flashers.  State law in Illinois requires that nurse tanks pulled at night have an amber rotating or flashing light.
• Use the safety chains when transproting anhydrous ammonia.
• The most common transportation incident with nurse tanks are tank rollovers.  Remember that you are transporting a liquid in the tank, which slushes around and redistributes weight.  Go slowly while making turns and taking sharp corners.
• All transports of hazardous materials must come to a complete stop at all railroad crossings.

Anhydrous Application Safety

• Ensure hoses and quick couplers are in good working order and not passed their expiration date.
• Use the safety chains when pulling ammonia with applicators and toolbars.
• Always wear gloves and goggles when making and/or breaking hose connections, in addition to when opening valves.
• Make sure to bleed out all lines prior to removing hose connections. 

Wishing you a safe and prosperous spring season!



Matt Solymossy is Landmark's Safety Manager and brings with him over 10 years of agriculture safety experience and hands-on training.

Tribute to Women in Agriculture

Women play a very important role in farming operations, and we at Landmark would like to pay a special tribute to them, but we need YOUR help to do so! 

We’re creating a video tribute that will be shared via social media to highlight hardworking women in agriculture.  Participating is easy!  Simply:

·        Submit photos of women involved in agriculture or on the farm that can be used in this tribute video by uploading them to the Landmark Facebook page, or emailing kristi.olson@landmark.coop.

·        Photo submission deadline is April 23^rd, 2014.

·        For each photo entered, the submitter will be entered to win one of three $25 VISA gift cards.

·        The video will be released April 25^th, 2014. 

·        Share the completed video to help spread this very important message about agriculture!

Did you know:

·         Of the 3.3 million farm operators, over 1 million are women.

·         45% of all women operated farms specialize in raising livestock such as calves, horses, swine and sheep.

·        Women are now the principal operators of 14% of the nation’s 2.2 million farms.

Sources:  http://www.americasfarmers.com/2014/03/07/women-in-agriculture/

              www.agcensus.usda.gov