The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC) has named Dr. Harold F. Reetz, Jr. its new executive director. ADMC is dedicated to educating farm, drainage, conservation, and regulatory groups about the latest drainage water management system technologies, which can help benefit crops and reduce nutrient enrichment of surface water. Its members include equipment manufacturers, drainage contractors, and state commodity associations. The … Read More
Trimble Offers New Ag Water Management System
If your farm operation needs precision farming equipment that can help manage water, check out the new Trimble AG GCS200 system. Specifically designed for land leveling and drainage applications, it works in conjunction with a laser transmitter to provide automatic machine control of implements such as scrapers and drainage machines, helping farmers to manage water on their fields regardless of … Read More
Don’t Apply Nitrogen Yet
IF YOU ARE APPLYING FALL NITROGEN TOO EARLY, STOP! MISUSE MAY ELIMINATE FALL APPLICATION FOR EVERYONE We’ve shared with you in this forum on many occasions that increased regulations and legislation are headed your way. And in this case, some farmers and applicators might be asking for it. It is too early to be fall applying nitrogen. Environmental extremists are … Read More
Precision Farming Tools Can Reduce Your Environmental Footprint
Conservation. Sustainability. Water Quality. These hot topics are on the minds of government, and should be a continued focus by every grower. As you look at your operation, and your investment in precision farming equipment, it pays to think proactively and adopt components that can improve your environmental footprint. I spoke the other day with Iowa farmer Tim Palmer, who … Read More
Mapping to Maximize Nutrient Application
Precision ag was highlighted at the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo during the recent Conservation in Action Tour by a company called Geosys. Company representative Don Lampker says they do a lot with satellite imagery and have a product called FieldInSite which helps farmers map their fields so they can make decisions on which areas are most productive. They can then … Read More
Solar Power Reduces Farm Energy Costs
Energy costs can be huge on some farms–from dairies to fruits and vegetables. In this age of greater precision to find ways to cut costs, an orchard in Massachusetts pursued grants to install solar panels to reduce its $80,000 annual electrical costs, according to a piece in The Telegram in Worcester. Carlson Orchard, selling apples since 1938, has installed 1,050 … Read More
Precision Pesticide Application Website Launched
In an era of continued concern for the environment and tighter regulations, it simply makes sense to ensure we practice precision crop protection application on every acre. To this end, the Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) announced the launch of a new Pesticide Environmental Stewardship (PES) website. The site (http://pesticidestewardship.org) is designed for anyone who applies, sells, stores, or … Read More
Precision Ag Evangelist
A precision agriculture pioneer was on hand last week for the Conservation Technology and Information Center (CTIC) Conservation in Action tour near Williamsburg, Virginia. Harold Reetz, who founded the InfoAg Conference, is one of the board members for the CTIC. He recently retired after 28 years with the International Plant Nutrition Institute and started Reetz Agronomics. As a champion of … Read More
The Value of Precision Farming Tools
Successful Farming recently compiled various statistics on how precision farming pays, based on the experience of some farmers and university experts. Check out this story from it’s special summer 2010 issue, where they highlighted such benefits as: Strip till and RTK guidance saves a huge amount of hours and fuel savings, while delivering big conservation and environmental benefits. Planter clutches … Read More
Kentucky Farmer of the Year Relies on Precision
Joe Nichols has evolved from watching his parents lose their farm when he was 17, to building a highly diversified 19,000-acre farm near Cadiz, KY. A recent story in theleafcronicle.com offers a fascinating look at his Seven Springs Farms. In that piece he highlights his precision farming emphasis on input savings as well as environmental protection. He makes extensive use … Read More