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
Raven Buys Cellular RTK Precision Farming Technology
Raven just purchased a Canadian company that uses cell tower networks to deliver RTK signals. Ranchview, a start-up company, develops products that use cellular networks instead of the traditional radio systems that are typically used to deliver RTK (Real Time Kinematic) corrections to GPS enabled equipment. RTK corrections improve the accuracy of GPS equipment. The network can also be used … Read More
Can Precision Farming Cure World Hunger?
I hope, as a precision farmer, you’ve added a ‘communicate with consumers’ recurring task to your weekly if not daily chore list. Whether you do it locally or globally, through talking or through social media, you should join the conversation to support your cause. Part of that effort is to monitor what’s said about your noble profession. To that end, … 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
Talk Precision Farming With Your Seed Dealer
First off, I order 12 consecutive days of sunshine across the US so we can keep those yield monitors spinning to map data—to help close out a very odd summer and fall. Thinking of brighter days ahead, be sure to make mental/written notes as harvest progresses, because hybrid/variety selection time is upon us. To that end, I talked this week … Read More
Hi-Tech Wired Magazine Talks Precision Farming
Always good to see high technology magazines talk about precision agriculture that’s happening down on the farm. My favorite hi-tech pub, Wired, just posted a nice story on their website: “Self-Steered Tractors and UAVs: Future Farming Is (Finally) Now.” A lot of the story was based on Idaho grower Robert Blair, who was named PrecisionAg’s 2009 Precision Farmer of the … Read More
A Precision Gator
John Deere has now updated its popular autonomous R-Gator utility vehicle with a refined chassis, based from the M-Gator military platform vehicle. The go-anywhere R-Gator now features independent suspension and improved ground clearance. And it also boasts a faster top speed, travelling up to 35 mph in manual mode. “Since we’re always looking to improve our products, we’ve been running … Read More
Precision Harvest: Don’t Stop Scouting
With rain, early freeze and overall cool summer conditions, 2009 harvest has become very challenging for some parts of the Corn Belt. This week’s Integrated Crop Management e-newsletter from Iowa State University highlights issues that need attention. 1. Corn Quality Issues: – Frost-damaged corn often stops at 17-18% moisture (stopped at 20-22% in 2008 in Iowa). Expect low test weights … Read More
Harvest Data That Keeps On Giving
Whether you’re a novice at collecting harvest data or an old pro who could wallpaper his office with yield maps and more—you understand that more data layers beyond yield are necessary to add management decision value. I talked to Bruce West this week, who helps growers adopt just about every precision farming solution imaginable through his independent company West Enterprises … Read More
Precision Agriculture Comes To Hay Bales
Just when hay bales thought they could remain anonymous forever, along comes New Holland to give them a personality–or at least a brand! CropID, an individual bale identification system for large square bales, uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the twine to track bale atributes. This innovation enables commercial growers to uniquely tag and sort bales based on a … Read More