I have not met a grower involved in precision agriculture that doesn’t love, no crave, more information on the subject. To this end, check out the very good Precision Ag Blog, compiled and written by various extension pros in the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Recent blog posts talk about variable rate (VR) seeding, VR calibration, data management, data collection with … Read More
Young Farmer Forum Talks Precision Agriculture
Agriculture.com, one of the longest running ag websites powered by Successful Farming, has a social network for young and beginning farmers called Farmers For The Future. One of the recent topics centered around precision farming talks about a move into RTK and the CORS network. The challenge is dealing with all ages and different colors of equipment. Sam asks…We have … Read More
Use Precision Software Data For Planting Trials and More
Give farmers a piece of technology and they find inventive ways to use it to benefit their operation. In the case of Newton, Iowa farmer (and Ag Leader SeedComand product specialist) Will Cannon, it all started with the yield monitor and mapping hybrids. “I like knowing exactly to a row when hybrids and varieties start and stop—especially when you have … Read More
Trimble Offers New RTK Accuracy Service
For US growers in nine states, Trimble launches its new VRS Now Ag service to deliver RTK sub-inch positioning via cellular communications–without the need for a local base station. Growers in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Nebraska can access VRS Now Ag. Additionally, European growers can receive correction services in Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic … Read More
Time To Prep Your Precision Farming Equipment
As you gear up for planting season, it’s wise to power up, check out and test your monitors, displays and other valuable electronic components before seed enters the planter and you head to the field. I talked to Nick Ohrtman this week, technical support supervisor for Ag Leader Technology. He said a good place to start is to check the … Read More
Indiana Farmers Want Row Shut-Offs
Indiana Prairie Farmer magazine wrote a recent story quoting a Franklin, Ind., precision farming consultant Greg Kneubuhler who says the next hot tool farmers want to invest in is row shut-offs for planters. He says a savings of 5 percent can be achieved, which can deliver a payback in two years. And in some cases, with irregular-shaped fields, payback can … Read More
Time Savings With Precision Farming Equipment
We like to write weekly about how growers and how company technology makes precision agriculture pay. Part of making these tools pay almost always includes time savings—which isn’t always as black and white as input dollars saved. Today I spoke with Hannibal, Mo., grower Mark Lehenbauer about his first decade with precision farming tools on their corn-soybean operation. Mark, who … Read More
Research: Machine-Vision Guided Cultivation
Machine-vision cultivation is a commercial reality for vegetable growers, but is it improving integrated weed management in these crops? University of California-Davis research results, that appeared recently in Weed Technology, showed machines gained the upper hand over hand-weeding and cultivation of broccoli and lettuce during times of rainy weather. Hand-harvested crops such as broccoli and lettuce are easily threatened by weeds. … Read More
Precision Agriculture Future is Here
Precision farming has come a long way since the military allowed civilian access to the NAVSTAR GPS constellation in 1995. We’ve gone from initial accuracies of tens of meters down to a couple centimeters. And now we’ve got receivers handling multiple satellite constellations, referred to as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Topcon Precision Agriculture’s senior VP Albert Zahalka gave a … Read More
AutoFarm ParaDyme RTK ReadyConnect Simplify CORS Network
AutoFarm’s new ParaDyme precision farming system comes complete with an integrated cellular modem for RTK accuracy with no base station when using the company’s unique, optional RTK ReadyConnect service. RTK ReadyConnect allows ParaDyme users to access their state DOT CORS Network and receive RTK GPS accuracy without the expense of a base station, or without subscribing to an RTK tower … Read More