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knotterclinics

2012

Thanks to the more than 300 professional growers who attended the Knotter Clinics this spring! The clinics, held at all five Empire Agriculture locations, were part of our ongoing effort to support grower

productivity throughout the year and featured both English and Spanish presentations on windrower, header and baler maintenance.

Clinic attendees explored techniques and equipment for producing high-quality bales from start to finish. Display booths showcased products from event partners AGCO, AGCO Parts, Sitech, Harvest Tec, DARF/Nikkel Iron Works, Bridon Cordage and Caterpillar.

Along with machine demonstrations and productivity tips, guests heard the latest safety information and reviewed maintenance scheduling, field adjustments and machine settings. They also enjoyed a hearty brisket, pulled pork, and chicken lunch from Cooper’s BBQ, and door prize winners from each location received gift cards and train sets.

Sign up at www.empireag.com/acressignup.php to receive emails on upcoming classes and events.

blythe

Low-Cost Machinery Solutions for the Professional Producer

insideThe View From HereNotes from Tim’s desk p2

2012 Commodity Report p3

Exciting Tools for 2012 p5

The new Cat® K-Series Wheel Loaders p4

UsedeqUip me n Tp7

s p r i n g 2 0 1 2

www.empireag.com

AGRiCULTURe

We are focused on helping our clients with their individual production needs — whatever those needs may be.

Tim Robinson, ag geneRal manageR

thefrom here

empire Agriculture hit the ground running in 2012. Over the past 18 months we have built one of the strongest, most experienced teams in the southwest, added over $2 million in parts inventory and refined and expanded our service capabilities. Our goal

is to ensure that professional producers have the most uptime possible.

We proudly represent Challenger, Massey Ferguson, Claas, CaseIH, Willcox and a variety of other lines, and can provide total solutions for growers of all types. We are focused on helping our clients with their individual production needs – whatever those needs may be. We inventory tractors, implements, harvesters, applicators and material handling equipment and provide lease, rent or finance options for almost any piece of farm machinery needed for production agriculture.

how are water CoNDitioNS iN your area? Growers along the Gila River are feeling the pinch

pretty hard, with San Carlos Lake at alarmingly low levels. Less than a few inches of water is being allocated to growers dependent upon the rivers’ flow, and everyone knows you can’t farm many acres that way.

Salt River and Verde flows appear to be sufficient for central Arizona valley growers. The CAP contingent is able to get water but cost is becoming a concern: some allotments are topping $100 an acre foot. Lower Colorado River users are in good shape though. Rains in the mountains have relieved a little bit of the need for lower California cities to draw out agricultural water, and allowed Blythe producers to bring most of their set-aside acres back in.

laND ValueSMarkets softened in the 2009 economic downturn. For

a while it appeared that the decimal point was sliding left on the price per acre: $3,000 was the new $30,000. But the world cried out for more food and fiber, and lo and behold, prices came back.

Pinal County farm land is ranging in the $5,000 to $15,000 area, depending on what part of town you are in. Yuma County markets have held at $10,000 to $18,000,

with some trading a little higher. Cochise and Graham Counties seem to be where the bargains still exist, with better ground offered in the $3,500 to $5,000 range. Imperial Valley and the Blythe area have maintained a solid baseline at $7,000 on the low side for some areas, while other ground commands better than $10,000. Maricopa County farm ground is too varied to scale, but for the most part it has held strong and above $10,000.

lookiNG aheaDWe expect some challenges this year. One of the

biggest is that our manufacturers’ production schedules are crowded. To get the best deals in 2012, clients will need to plan their purchases ahead of time, using the discounts that manufacturers offer to help plan their production schedules. Ask your Empire Ag account manager about the best times to acquire specific machinery: we can show you the best way to invest your machinery dollars.

We will continue to conduct clinics to support growers’ production. We will also continue to stay abreast of technological advances, participating in farm shows, sharing ideas, and doing whatever it takes to help you be among the lowest-cost producers on the globe.

2 | aCreS

CoTTon: Picking and ginning from the 2011 crop extended well into 2012. When it’s finished, between 750,000 and 1,000,000 bales will have moved from the field to the warehouse. Empire Agriculture played a part in helping to bring part of this crop in by providing growers an opportunity to rent the all-new Module Express cotton pickers. The machine’s performance was excellent: it harvested nearly seven acres per tachometer hour in yields that topped 3.5 bales of cotton.

peCAn growers are enjoying back-to-back harvest seasons, with both heavy yields and strong prices. Almonds, pistachios and walnut growers are enjoying the same rewards.

CATTLe: 500-pound calves are bringing $1.65 per pound at the sale barn. Cows with child are topping $1,500. Prices for dairy cows have topped $2,000 per animal. Texas has shipped over 600,000 animals out and Oklahoma and New Mexico are following suit. It’s too dry to keep them and they might

not ever come back to some of these ranches!

Feed prices are good for the feed producer, but tough for the user/feeder. Cotton seed was over $300 a ton, but has settled down some. Alfalfa touched $300 a ton but has settled down some as first cuttings came off the fields. Feed prices have been so tight that some growers are baling up corn and milo stalks and getting over $100 a ton for something that is usually just turned under.

To overcome these higher feed costs, cattle growers need prices to stay in the $1.65 range and milk prices should stay above $20 per hundredweight. (They did for most of 2011, which allowed our friends in the dairy business to catch up from two brutal years of prices that dipped below $10 per hundredweight.)

CoRn harvesters in the southeastern corner brought in a good crop with prices over $7 a bushel! Yields were a shade above average and harvest conditions were generally ideal.

Silage corn prices have almost doubled in the last few years, topping $40 a harvested ton in some areas.

WheAT for durum production topped $20 per hundredweight in 2011, with a few growers filling orders in the $25 range. Like silage corn, this is double the $10 price that growers have had to face for most of the past three decades. Barley is trading in the $15 per hundredweight range: that, too, is double the previous standard price.

Our pRodUCe GRoWeRs had mixed reviews for 2011. The onion and chile growers in the eastern side of our world suffered the most. Onion pricing was off and chile growers had to fight wet conditions, cold days and disease. Melon growers met demand and fared okay for the most part, but no records were set. The salad bowl growers are coming off an unstable winter and spring with more uncertainty ahead for the balance of 2012.

Commodity RepoRt2012

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SCARYSMARTAGRiCULTURe

Graduate to a higher class with the Challenger MT500D Series tractor. Get pinpoint precision and real-time data recording with AGCO’s System 150 auto-steering and AGCOMMAND-ready fleet management technology that comes standard. You’ll drive higher profits and lower costs in a machine that’s more intelligent than ever. For more information, visit empireag.com.

www.empireag.com

© 2012 AGCO Corporation. AGCO is a registered trademark of AGCO. Challenger is a registered trademark of Caterpillar Inc. and used under license by AGCO. All rights reserved. AGCO Corporation, 4205 River Green Parkway, Duluth, GA 30096 | CH11N004CSE

Cat® k-series eliminates spillage,

From almost any angle, the new Cat® K-Series small wheel loaders are a great fit for dairy operators and other feeders.

One big reason is the bucket, designed with lateral-side arches to prevent spillage. Another is the loader’s “padded” lift and drop settings, which prevent jarring when the boom is raised and lowered. Together, they mean minimal - if any - feed left on the ground.

Operators also praise K-Series machines for their smooth come-to-stop motion and their remarkably quiet engines. In addition, K-Series machines offer increased fuel economy, an increased parallel lift, more precise control, reduced operator fatigue and a better operator experience overall.

Caterpillar’s primary reason for the K-Series’ new design was the need to meet Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emissions requirements. However, design teams used

operates smoothly

the opportunity to do a complete redesign that performs extremely well for producers and growers.

To learn more about the 924K, 930K or the 938K, contact your Empire Agriculture representative or call the location nearest you. (See page 8.)

4 | aCreS

The most exciting tools for 2012

The Willcox Eliminator, hooked to a Challenger 865D and walking over as many as 10 acres an hour, is impressive. There has been a major surge in the use of these tools across the desert farming community and we are expecting even more to hit the fields this summer behind grain.

The all-new Hesston-built 9770 rotary Windrower, cutting a 16’ swath of alfalfa, Bermuda, or Sudan at over 12 miles an hour, is also an impressive sight to see. The cab in this unit is drop-dead cool, and the production is over the top.

The Case iH Cotton Module Express is capable of picking top crops at high speeds, cleaner than the competition, and spitting an 8500-pound rectangular module out the back. At six acres an hour, in three- bale-to-the-acre cotton, the machinery cost portion of the picking operation can be lower than $25 per bale! That is less than 1.5¢ per gross pound!

The Massey Ferguson XD (Extra Density) baler is designed for those who want to maximize production.Built on the MF2170/LB34B platform, the XD features a larger gearbox, crank arms and reshaped density doors to achieve higher bale weights. The flywheel, driveline, reinforced plunger arms and tensioner (which doubled to 6” in size) are all heavier.

Your local aG technoloGY provider All makes and models

Mesa, aZ1835 S. Macdonald, Suite 101Mesa, AZ 85210602-437-0410

two locations: Yuma, aZ1700 South 1st Avenue Suite 108Yuma, AZ 85364928-782-3887 AGRiCULTURe

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casa Grande, aZ: 520-421-4488Buckeye, aZ: 623-386-5621Yuma, aZ: 928-317-7800imperial, ca: 760-355-2443Blythe, ca: 760-922-4161

www.empireag.com

AGRiCULTURe

Used eqUipmenT

Buckeye, AZ(623) 386-5621

BU Casa Grande, AZ(520) 421-4488

CG Imperial, CA(760) 355-2443

IM Nogales, AZ(520) 287-6630

NO Yuma, AZ(928) 317-7800

YU

BALER 1998 FREEMAN 370T$12,995

BU

E114784

COMBINE 1999 LEXION 480$62,500

NO

E105390

WINDROWER 2008 MASSEY FERGUSON 9435$48,295

CG

E110481

GRAIN DRILL JOHN DEERE 520$9,500

BU

E115340

BALER 2007 HESSTON 1843s$24,500

BU

E115264

BALER1991 FREEMAN 370$13,995

BL

E114860

WINDROWER2007 MASSEY FERGUSON 9635$38,500

IM

E115598

WINDROWER2007 MASSEY FERGUSON 9435$42,311

CG

E110480

BALER2007 CASE IH LBX432$65,000

BU

E116261

WINDROWER 2008 CHALLENGER SP185C$29,500

IM

E115595

BALER2003 FREEMAN 385$22,995

BU

E115018

SPRAYER 2005 SPRACOUPE SC7650$83,600

BU

E115044

WINDROWER 2009 MASSEY FERGUSON 9435$58,950

CG

E110487

BALER2008 MASSEY FERGUSON$28,100

IM

E115581

TRACTOR 2008 CHALLENGER MT755B$135,000

IM

E113440

WINDROWER 2010 MASSEY FERGUSON 9435$51,200

CG

E111622

YR MANUFACTURER MODEL ID# LOCATION PRICEBALErs

2002 Massey Ferguson 4690S E110511 BU $28,4972008 Massey Ferguson 1843S E110467 YU $36,5002009 Massey Ferguson 843S E111718 IM $32,5001998 Freeman 370T E114783 BU $12,9951998 Freeman 370T E114786 BU $12,9952002 Freeman 385 E115015 BU $22,9952002 Freeman 385 E115016 BU $22,9952003 Freeman 385 E115017 BU $22,9952002 Freeman 385 E115014 BU $22,9952007 Freeman 37OT E115266 BU $22,995

WinDrOWErs

2008 Massey Ferguson 9635 E110496 CG $54,5002008 Massey Ferguson 9435 E110473 FA $44,3212010 Massey Ferguson 9435 E111623 CG $51,2002010 Massey Ferguson 9435 E111624 CG $51,2002000 MacDon 9350 E114217 YU $18,5002007 Hesston 9635 E115635 BU $36,0002010 Massey Ferguson 9635 E115537 CG $50,800

Additional used inventory:

All prices and availability subject to change.

ag contactChuy Albarran, Used Ag Specialist

1-877-769-1150

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parts | service | salesEmpirE AgriculturE

AGRiCULTURePO Box 2985Phoenix, AZ 85062-2985

Waymen DekensAccount Manager760-964-1408

BLYThe, CA190 South Intake BoulevardBlythe, CA 92225760-922-4161

Craig OcockAccount Manager623-764-2667

Tyson SommerfeldProduct Support Rep602-622-4744

BUCKeYe, AZ26403 W. Highway 85Buckeye, AZ 85326623-386-5621

Frank MerryAccount Manager520-251-2792

Clint ShearerAccount Manager520-251-0061

CAsA GRAnde, AZ8901 W. Highway 287Casa Grande, Arizona 85194520-421-4488

Phil MelvinAccount Manager760-455-1579

Mario TorresProduct Support Rep760-457-5784

impeRiAL, CA3393 Highway 86Imperial, CA 92251760-355-2443

Jeremy MannAccount Manager928-941-7997

Tim WilliamsProduct Support Rep928-581-3985

YUmA, AZ3885 E. Gila Ridge Rd.Yuma, AZ 85365928-317-7800

Your authorized dealer for these and other leading brands.