The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing more than $2.5 million to help farmers improve environmental sustainability and water quality in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds. In addition to delivering on its continued commitment to protecting our environment, this investment will also improve productivity for farm operations in the region.

The Lake Erie Agriculture Demonstrating Sustainability (LEADS) initiative will support 235
farmer-led projects to be completed this year, targeted to improve soil health and reduce
the risk of nutrient losses in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds. LEADS is a
regionally targeted cost-share program funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership
(the Partnership).

“Our government continues to invest in the sustainability of our land and water, now and for the future,”

said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

“We know the importance of environmental and water stewardship to farmers and all Canadians and we are committed to supporting on-farm projects, such as LEADS activities, to further improve environmental sustainability and the health of our Great Lakes.”

“LEADS projects demonstrate our agricultural sector’s commitment to environmental stewardship and keeping our waterways clean for future generations,”

said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

“It’s another great example of what we can do when we work with the other levels of government and our agriculture partners to improve the environment and protect our natural resources.”

“Farmers in Ontario have been and continue to be stewards of the land. We want to continue to make a positive impact on the environment, the economy and our communities,”

said Jan VanderHout, member of Environmental Collaboration Ontario (EcoAg).

“Partnership programs like LEADS are important tools for achieving innovative and effective environmental outcomes.”

Now in its third year, these 235 LEADS projects build on the environmental successes achieved through the more than 500 on-farm projects completed in this key watershed area in the first years of the initiative.

LEADS-supported projects have helped reduce the risk of soil loss and soil nutrient loss and improved water quality in its target region through implementing a variety of best onfarm management practices. These have included planting cover crops, modifying equipment to reduce soil tillage, improved nutrient placement and the planting of vegetation to serve as windbreaks.

LEADS supports the Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan and aligns with the Made in Ontario Environment Plan, committing to a 40 per cent reduction of phosphorus run off into Lake Erie and its watershed.

Since June 2018, both the federal and provincial governments have committed cost-share support to more than 2,500 projects through the Partnership, to help eligible Ontario farmers, processors, businesses and sector organizations innovate and grow.

Quick Facts

• LEADS is a five-year, $15.6 million commitment by the federal and provincial
  governments, available until March 2023, to help farmers take action to improve soil
  health and water quality in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watershed areas.
• The Partnership is a five-year, $3-billion commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial
  and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors.
• The Ontario agri-food sector supports more than 837,000 jobs in Ontario and
  contributes more than $47.5 billion each year to the province’s economy.

Source: Government of Ontario

The post The Government of Canada and Ontario Invest to Help Farmers Protect Water and Lakes appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The family business Grimme from Damme (Germany) has completely taken over the Danish specialist for vegetable technology Asa-Lift. In 2013 the Grimme Group already acquired 70% of the shares in the company founded in 1936 in Sorö, close to Copenhagen (Denmark).

Over the past seven years, the cooperation has developed very positively. During this time, the workforce has increased from 70 to over 130 employees. Extensive investments have been made in buildings, product development, production and the distribution of customer-specific machinery, for guaranted future growth. With over 30 product groups Grimme and
Asa-Lift offer the world’s most comprehensive range of vegetable technology for onions, carrots, red beet, chives, parsnips, fennel, celery, etc.

“With Asa-Lift and Grimme we have two strong brands for the high demands in vegetable cultivation. We will continue to develop this segment with maximum power to become the market leader in innovation, quality, performance, crop protection and profitability”,

explains Christoph Grimme, Managing Director of the Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik.

Source: The Grimme Group

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Deere & Company (DE) today announced a new vision and operating model in order to accelerate its success in the integration of smart technology innovation with Deere‘s legacy of manufacturing excellence.

The Deere Smart Industrial strategy is designed to unlock new value for customers and to help them become more profitable and sustainable, while simultaneously revolutionizing the agriculture and construction industries through the rapid introduction of new technologies.

To ensure success, actions will be concentrated on the following three focus areas:

1. Production Systems: A strategic alignment of products and solutions around Production Systems roadmaps – which capitalizes on Deere‘s industry-leading knowledge of its customers and how they work. The new production systems structure enables the company to drive an integrated product roadmap and related investments that span all aspects of a customer’s jobs and to more fully meet customer needs.
2. Technology Stack: Investments in technology as well as research and development that deliver intelligent solutions to Deere customers through an intuitive technology stack made up of hardware, embedded software, connectivity, data platforms, and applications. The Deere family of “smart” machines, systems, and solutions unlocks customer economic value through enhanced precision, automation, speed, and efficiency not possible previously.
3. Lifecycle Solutions: The enterprise integration of Deere‘s aftermarket and support capabilities to more effectively manage customer equipment, service, and technology needs across the full lifetime of a John Deere product, and with a specific lifecycle solution focus on the ownership experience.

“As Deere businesses and those of its customers become more competitive and dynamic, Deere’s track record of technological innovation puts it in a position to anticipate, respond, and outpace those dynamics by offering cutting-edge solutions to enhance customers’ productivity, profitability, and sustainability,”

said John May, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“The new operating model represents a leap forward in performance for the company from an already strong starting point.”

Organization and Personnel Assignments

Effective June 16, 2020, the following individuals will lead redesigned or newly created business units under the Smart Industrial Operating Model:

Cory J. Reed has been appointed to the new role of President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Production & Precision Agriculture Equipment and for the Sales & Marketing Regions of the Americas and Australia. In this new role, Reed will be responsible for leading a team to define, develop, and deliver equipment solutions to unlock customer value for production-scale growers in large grains, small grains, and cotton/sugar.

Markwart von Pentz has been appointed to the new role of President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Small Ag & Turf and for the Sales & Marketing Regions of Europe, CIS, Asia and Africa. Von Pentz and his team will be responsible for defining, developing, and delivering fit-for-purpose products and solutions to support mid-size and small growers globally, as well as for turf customers. The unit is principally organized around production systems for dairy and livestock as well as high-value crops.

Recently appointed as Senior Vice President, Intelligent Solutions Group, Jahmy J. Hindman has been named to a new position as the Chief Technology Officer, reporting to the CEO. Hindman will oversee the Intelligent Solutions Group, responsible for Deere‘s end-to-end technology stack, shared enterprise engineering, and John Deere Electronic Solutions product delivery.

Marc A. Howze, currently serving as Chief Administrative Officer, will continue in that role while also assuming enhanced responsibilities in a new role as Group President, Lifecycle Solutions – responsible for leading a team focused on the enterprise-level integration of aftermarket and support capabilities, and a focus on the full ownership experience over the lifetime of Deere‘s products.

Meanwhile, the following members of the leadership team will continue in their current roles and will continue reporting to the CEO:

• Rajesh Kalathur, President, John Deere Financial and Chief Information Officer
• Ryan D. Campbell, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
• Mary K.W. Jones, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Worldwide Public Affairs

As previously announced, John H. Stone will assume his new role as President, Worldwide Construction & Forestry and Power Systems on July 1. Deere‘s Construction and Forestry division, which was recently organized along production systems for earthmoving, roadbuilding and forestry, will now more fully leverage the technology stack and lifecycle solutions in the future.

“After 183 years of innovation, Deere continues to transform how it operates to build a more customer-driven and streamlined, nimble organization for the future,”

said May.

“I couldn’t ask for a more talented, dedicated and focused team to lead us there.”

In order to realize the Smart Industrial vision, Deere will adopt a more disciplined approach to capital allocation by devoting research and investment dollars to the most promising and profitable opportunities. Deere plans to dramatically accelerate the speed with which the company brings priority technology to market to drive value creation and capture it more quickly.

“The new operating model will help us respond to changing market conditions with greater speed and efficiency,”

May said.

Source: John Deere

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The Government of Alberta has awarded $200 million in grants to municipalities across the province to upgrade local bridges, roads and community airports and make improvements to water supply and treatment facilities.

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