A little more corn, a little less soybeans, more wheat and a lot less cotton – that summarizes the USDA 2013 Prospective Plantings report out today. Corn growers intend to plant 97.3 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2013, up slightly from last year and 6 percent higher than in 2011. If realized, this will represent the highest … Read More
Deere Harvest ID Cotton at Beltwide
We told you about John Deere’s Harvest Identification, Cotton when it was first introduced last year at Beltwide Cotton Conferences. This year we got an update from Janae (formally Althouse) Tapper on this precision harvest technology and grower adoption of it. “John Deere harvest identification is really important to the cotton growers so they can understand how many modules are … Read More
FMC Talks New Product Lines
FMC Corporation shared new product lines during the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talks. Chuck talked with Bentley Curry, FMC Representative, about herbicides and harvest aids farmers can take advantage of in the fields. “This year we had the Authority line of products in combination with Authority XL, Authority MTZ. Probably the product that was best fitted for … Read More
Creating A Voice For Custom Harvesters
U.S. Custom Harvesters, like many other agricultural organizations, represented themselves well at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk. Tracy Zeorian, President, and Kent Braathen, Vice President of U.S. Custom Harvesters, shared the history of the organization and how they are providing a voice for custom harvesters across the country. “Our organization is comprised of all custom harvesters: … Read More
Cotton Module Harvest Identification
John Deere talked up its latest application for cotton growers during this year’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Harvest Identification Cotton will continue to automate the production of a cotton module. This is tied into the 7760 cotton picker. The application will use the RFID tags that are embedded into the module wrap. These will be captured by an RFID reader on … Read More
MyModules App From eCotton
At the Beltwide Cotton Conferences I met Joe Wyrick, President, EWR, Inc. His company has a division called eCotton which “is dedicated to supplying the information processing needs of the cotton industry.” One of the new ways they’re doing that is with a brand new smartphone app called MyModules. Cotton producers can register new cotton modules and have them transmitted … Read More
Precision Farming Technology Takes On Nematodes
Effective control of Southern root knot nematode looks promising with the use of GPS-controlled, variable-rate applications of soil fumigants, according to University of Arizona researchers, as reported by Western Farm Press. Field trials conducted from 2006 to 2010 tabulated information gathered by global positioning systems and variable rate technology, including the electrical conductivity-based Veris 3100 and EM38 sensors for on-the-go … Read More
Precision Gene Technology Stops Cotton Pests
Clemson University entomologists created a nice visual demo field that shows the value of Bt cotton compared to non-Bt. The furry-looking insects start their development smaller than the head of a pin, but the caterpillars soon develop an appetite for cotton as big as the crop. To demonstrate the insects’ destructive power, Clemson University entomologist Jeremy Greene planted two cotton … Read More
Sensor-based Variable-Rate Application on Cotton
A new publication for cotton growers offer insight and details into sensor-based variable-rate application and equipment, written by Oklahoma State University Ag Engineer Randy Taylor and Auburn University Precision Ag Extension Specialist John Fulton, funded by Cotton Incorporated. There are great opportunities for this technology in cotton production for varying the application of plant growth regulators, harvest aids, and nitrogen. … Read More
Plant Leaves Switch Irrigation On and Off
A system that turns irrigation water on and off automatically based on leaf temperature is being developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist Steven Evett and colleagues in Texas. Evett, a soil scientist at Bushland, Texas, and cooperators are developing time-temperature threshold (TTT) technology that is based in part on a discovery by Evett’s colleagues at Lubbock, Texas, that … Read More