As a agriculture tech geek, I’m continually fascinated by sensor technology–especially crop monitoring…wirelessly. Yes, some of it is high buck stuff right now. But the future potential for all crops exists. To this end, check out this new Waspmote sensor board from Libelium. Currently targeted for high-end crops like wine grapes and greenhouse crops, it can monitor info from 10 … Read More
Two Precision Legacy Award Winners
Harold Reetz and Jess Lowenberg-Deboer have been named co-recipients of the Legacy Award in the PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence program for 2010. Harold Reetz has been a champion of technology and precision agriculture throughout his four decade-long career. Starting out in Extension in the Purdue University system in the 1970s, he assumed numerous leadership roles over the years and worked … Read More
Planter Row Shutoff Adds Many Values
Corn genetics costs are driving more farmers to seek savings during planting season. And precision farming tools, such as planter row shutoff, are delivering fairly quick payback in many cases, depending on farm size and field shapes. I spoke with central Iowa grower Steve Snyder this week to find out about his first planting season using row shutoff. “When my … Read More
How To Invest in Latest GPS Signal Technology
With the rapidly changing GPS/GNSS satellite technology, it’s smart to do your homework and understand the facts to find what best suits your farm (see the links below). Auburn University’s Daniel Mullenix, a research biosystems engineer, offered his advice recently on www.alabamaprecisionagonline.com. When considering purchasing GPS/GNSS technology for your ag operation, it’s best to do your homework. As with most … Read More
More PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence
Two more recipients of the 2010 PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence have been announced. For Precision Crop Adviser/Entrepreneur, the award goes to Clint Jayroe and the OptiGro Team, part of the Jimmy Sanders, Inc. retail operation based in Cleveland, MS. The Education/Extension award recipient for 2010 is Dr. Terry Griffin, professor of economics at University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. OptiGro … Read More
Ten Years of Unscrambled GPS
Readers of precision.agwired.com know the value of how satellites and accompanying technology has totally changed farming. And as a journalist who has covered the precision agriculture industry before it’s birth, I’m jealous of some technologies that I want for my car–like auto steering. While that technology is a ways off into the future, Gearlog.com posted a recent piece on how … Read More
HarvestMaster Launchs FRS Field Layout
HarvestMaster just made field data collection a little easier. HarvestMaster is pleased to announce the release of Field Layout as part of the Field Research Software (FRS) suite. FRS provides a comprehensive solution for mobile field data collection. FRS Field Layout is a new addition to the FRS suite, and is used to map field boundaries with GPS technology. When … Read More
Illinois Grower Named PrecisionAg Farmer of the Year
An Illinois corn and soybean producer has been named 2010 Farmer of the Year in the PrecisionAg Awards Of Excellence program. Ken Dalenberg of Mansfield, Illinois was recognize for the role he has played in helping to develop and promote new agricultural technology for crop management. Ken has worked with a number of research projects on his farm to evaluate … Read More
A Look at British Precision Farming
While the United Kingdom has been slower to adopt precision farming practices compared to the U.S., they claim to already achieve “four times the yield of the American Midwest,” says a recent article in GeoConnexionUK magazine. Precision farming service provider SOYL and satellite image provider DMCii are working together to fulfil the specific needs of UK agriculture. It’s a convincing … Read More
Farmers Form New Social Media Foundation To Educate Consumers
Precision communications to consumers is every bit as important as your precision farming. Check out how these farmers are joining together to help other farmers like you communicate your story. Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. LinkedIn. More frequently, these are services being accessed from the turnrow, tractor’s seat and barn. Farmers are tapping into social media services more frequently, especially since the … Read More