The “Stars” Have it with Precision

Laura McNamaraAudio, Dealers, Equipment, GPS

Farmers wanting to ease into precision technology have new equipment options from John Deere. The ag machinery company has unveiled three new products within its GreenStar line. John Deere says the GreenStar Lightbar, GreenStar 2 Display 1800 and the StarFire 300 Reciever are meant to help operators get started with precision farming. The new gadgets can also help enhance older … Read More

RowCommand and RowSense Offer Guidance for Planters and Combines

Laura McNamaraAudio, Dealers, Equipment, GPS

AutoTrac guidance is no longer just for tractors. Farmers can now use assisted steering technology on combines. John Deere‘s AutoTrac RowSense gives growers the ability to use precision guidance on the combines for harvesting corn. Mechanical feeler data from new row sensors located on the corn heads are integrated with GPS data from John Deere’s StarFire Receiver to give growers … Read More

John Deere Offers New “Toys” for Precision

Laura McNamaraDealers, Displays, Equipment, GPS, Video

John Deere has recently announced that it’s offering a slew of different precision agriculture products. Some are available now and others are scheduled to be released in the spring or fall of 2009. Kim Fletcher, Marketing Representative with John Deere Ag Management Solutions has been hosting several live presentations showcasing many of the new products and some old favorites at … Read More

Biotech and Precision Pay

Laura McNamaraFinancing

Since hybrid seed technology works so seamlessly with precision technology, I figured it would be more than relevant to mention that farmers who use Monsanto Advanced Technology are eligible for lower risk insurance premiums in seven additional states. The attractive insurance premiums are offered through a revised risk management biotechnology endorsement. Farmers in 11 states who plant a majority of … Read More

Farming for the Future

Laura McNamaraAudio, Education, GPS, Research, Resources

Simon Blackmore is changing the future of farming with his Unibots project (see post), but he’s also farming for the future with the European project Future Farm. But, Simon says, the project is all about implementing the technologies of today: “The purpose of Future Farm is to take a lot of the technologies and processes that we’ve been developing in … Read More

Precision.AgWired.com Newsletter

Chuck ZimmermanNewsletter

The latest edition of the Precision.AgWired.com newsletter is available. You can find it online here. The newsletter is published 3 times a year. If you didn’t receive the newsletter and would like subscribe then you may do so using this link. Here’s what you’ll find in this issue: Hands-free AutoTrac Universal Steering Upgraded StarFire RTK Networks Grow Manage Harvest Data … Read More

Precision Progress in Iowa

Laura McNamaraDealers, Displays, Equipment, Events, International

The 2008 Farm Progress Show is just around the corner. Both Chuck and I will be on-site providing constant updates throughout the event, August 26th through 28th. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of information on precision agriculture, so be sure to check back here for the latest precision farming news from Boone, Iowa. The show is boasting the following for … Read More

Robotic Agriculture

Laura McNamaraAudio, Education, Research

Robots are the future of agriculture if you ask Simon Blackmore. I’ve already acquainted readers with the forward-thinking agriculturist and inventor, exploring both his role with FutureFarm and Unibots. But, both projects are innovative and impressive enough to merit a closer look. In this interview with Simon, we discuss the creation of his own company: Unibots. The company supports research … Read More

The PVI Approach to Estimating Crop Ground Cover

Laura McNamaraAudio, Precision Ag in the News, Research

There’s a new way to estimate crop ground cover. It’s called the Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI) approach. Traditionally, remote-sensing-related precision agriculture applicaitons use the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) application. But, Nithya Rajan says her research suggests that the PVI way could be the better way. Nithya is a post-doctorate research assistant with Texas Tech University. She says results from … Read More

Precision Drives More Ethanol from Corn

Laura McNamaraAudio, Education, Precision in Practice, Research

Ethanol production is taking off throughout the U.S. It seems a new ethanol plant is popping up every week. Well, maybe not every week. But, it is safe to say that, with the recent high gas prices and the recent push for alternative fuels, ethanol plants are coming online at an accelerated rate. This recent surge in ethanol production means … Read More