It’s been a big year for John Deere, as Product Marketing Manager Doug Felter can tell you. For starters, there was the addition of the Nutrient Applicator – a first for Deere. Growers and retailers are already putting it to good use this fall, applying P&K, among other nutrients.
The exact apply nozzle is another advancement for the company. “It gives you a lot better control over the output,” Felter explained at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk. “If we think about conventional systems today, if you’re trying to maximize that sprayer you can go 20 to 25 miles per hour sometimes, but there are also those parts of the field where you have to go slower to turn around or maybe for a waterway. […]It’s very critical to get the right droplet, to make sure it gets to the crop and does what it needs to do, and also that it doesn’t go into another field or something with these chemistries we’ve got. So it’s a unique tool to help us manage that.”
Row Sense and Auto Track Vision are another upgrade to the sprayer. While auto track has become common place, the sprayer is a bit of a different animal, since it goes through the field after the crop is up. Auto Track Vision uses the crop to center itself in corn, soybeans or cotton. The joint venture with Hagie was a major step forward as well, since Deere customers now have access to pretty much any application equipment you could want. The tools are in the portfolio, Felter says, and a local John Deere dealer can help you find what you need for your operation.
Listen to Cindy Zimmerman’s full interview to find out more: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-16-deere-felter.mp3″ text=”Interview with Doug Felter, John Deere”]
View and download photos from the event here: NAFB Convention Photo Album
