HAPPY NEW YEAR! In our final installment of looking back at the top stories of 2009, here’s a list of newsworthy stories that featured new or updated products. I list the stories starting with the most current from December, working back to January of 2009. No ranking of importance is included…but feel free to post your comments about these products. … Read More
Precision Farming 2009: What We Learned
In general, the past year in the world of precision agriculture has been one of consolidation among industry players. “We’ve really streamlined into 4 or 5 major players in precision ag,” says Matt Darr, Iowa State University Ag Engineer. “Rather than a lot of companies that offer a segment of products, we’re getting down to a core set of companies … Read More
Hemisphere GPS Partners With Third Eye Maps
Hemisphere GPS will now offer aerial imagery in partnership with Third Eye Maps to assist their spraying system technology. Through the collaboration of multiple technologies, Hemisphere GPS now offers imagery solutions to its agriculture and land management customers. Third Eye Maps uses infrared camera systems to generate aerial imagery and maps with a variety of useful information. For agriculture, this … Read More
Variable-Rate Saves Cotton Nitrogen Costs
Cotton farmers, working with Clemson University, are achieving 30 to 50 percent nitrogen savings by side-dressing–without losing any yield, according to a recent report in Southeast Farm Press. For the past three years Clemson researchers at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, S.C., have been testing three different options for variable rate application of side-dress nitrogen on cotton. … Read More
Topcon Launches On-The-Go Crop Nutrition Sensor
Topcon introduces their version of a crop sensing system called CropSpec, but instead of reading the crop from sensors mounted on a boom (like GreenSeeker and OptRX), it features top-of-cab mounted sensors that read larger areas on both the right and left sides from the tractor/sprayer. Working with Topcon’s core competency in optics and in cooperation with Yara International (the … Read More
USDA Enlists Added Satellite Remote Sensing Images
USDA crop analysts add another tool to their crop monitoring capability by approving DMCii as a remote sensing solutions provider. DMCii was invited to supply satellite imagery to the Office of Global Analysis, USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service (OGA USDA FAS) because it provides a unique combination of technical advantages for agricultural monitoring. Firstly, its satellites provide 22m and 32m Ground … Read More
Canadian Precision Farming Entrepreneurs
Farmers Edge Precision Consulting based in Winnipeg, Manitoba has become a fast-growing business helping farmers cut fertilizer costs and increase profits. The two agronomy experts who started the company just received an entrepreneur award, according to a report in The Gov Monitor. Farmers were so impressed with an innovative crop fertilization service developed by Curtis MacKinnon and Wade Barnes that … Read More
Collaboration Delivers Satellite Images To Canadian Farmers
German-based RapidEye, who uses a constellation of five satellites to photograph earth for numerous industries, partnered with Canadian companies GeoFarm and Agri-Trend to supply growing season images to farmers across Canada. In a collaborative effort, GeoFarm, Agri-Trend, and RapidEye began working together at the beginning of 2009 to offer enhanced satellite imagery solutions to Canadian clients by offering “near real-time” … Read More
Precision Ag Testing Of Biomass Crops
Biomass crops slated for ethanol production are gaining research dollars as scientists use precision agriculture remote sensing to study the issues and logistics of getting crops from field production to the biorefinery gate. A lot has to happen to a plant from the time it first captures sunlight in a field to being dispensed as fuel at the pump. For … Read More
France Tests N Fertilization Using Remote Sensing
RapidEye, a German-based GIS mapping technology provider, is working with a France company to test and deliver biomass maps that can help farmers improve Nitrogen efficiency in wheat and canola fields, as reported by Vector1Media. RapidEye provided S2B’s VISIOPLAINE platform with biomass maps to support nitrogen fertilization of canola fields for five regions from early winter 2008 to early spring … Read More