Northern Illinois corn and soybean grower Todd Glendenning says he saved an estimated $1,200 per day during spring planting with his Trimble guidance and row control system, according to a story in the June issue of Trimble’s StraightTalk newsletter. “After planting with RTK and implement guidance, I would never want to plant any other way,” says Glendenning. “I used to … Read More
New Case IH Precision Air Cart
It’s nice to see more ISOBUS compliant electronics on equipment, such as with the new Case IH Precision Air 3580 air cart. All systems can be controlled and monitored from the cab thanks to ISO 11783 compliant electronics–such as the Case IH AFS Pro 600 or AFS 300 display. Engineered for large acreage small grain growers who need to cover … Read More
Precision Farming in South Africa
Ag Leader’s Paul Rose blogs about his trip to South Africa, where the company installed its first ParaDyme system in that country. The 5,000 acre farmer featured in the story plants 60-inch corn that, moisture permitting, averages 80 bushels per acre. For more details, check out the story.
Making Field Operations More Efficient
While driving back and forth across field after field planting seed, spraying or spreading fertilizer, have you thought much about ways to make that task more efficient? Obviously, if you have auto steering, you’re saving passes due to reduced overlap. But have you thought about turning time, wheel traffic pattern, shallow secondary tillage, harvest efficiencies and other uses of precision … Read More
Auto Steering Plants More Acres Efficiently with Less Stress
We’ve written before about economic savings derived from auto steering and auto planter row shut-off off. But many growers often favor the aspects of increased productivity with less fatigue at the end of the day. We spoke with Adam Gittins, Precision Ag Sales Manager for HTS Precision Ag Solutions in Harlan, Iowa, about the current planting season and local farmer … Read More
Precision Farming Chat Session This Friday
UPDATE MAY 3 — In case you missed this chat – visit Truffle Media who posted the entire convo. Several farmers who use the social media Twitter are holding a one-hour chat about precision agriculture this Friday April 30th at noon Central. According to Daren (@kansfarmer), topic will be precision ag, with a focus on planting precision-related topics and issues. … Read More
Precision Agriculture Blogging in Alabama
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
Test Your Corn Planting Populations
If you’re looking to experiment with corn planting populations yet this spring, check out a very good paper on plant population compiled by South Dakota State University researchers Gregg Carlson, Paul Gaspar and David Clay. Many agronomists and producers conduct experiments that test the impact of rates of fertilizer, population, or pesticide on yield. To analyze this data we need … Read More
Precision Farming By The Zone
The Furrow magazine, produced by John Deere, profiled several growers on their use of precision farming management zones in a story called “Farming In The Zone” in their March 2010 issue. Broadwater, Neb., grower Frank Lussetto says zone management helped him accomplish three broad goals of being agronomically sound, economically smart and environmentally safe. He uses zone maps for phosphorous, … Read More
Calibrate For Variable-Rate Precision Farming Success
While every farmer knows the value of preparing and calibrating the planter and sprayer, the same holds true when calibrating the electronics and software that control these implements—especially if you vary rates across the field on the go. Hopefully you pulled out that owner’s manual, or enlisted your local dealer’s help, several weeks ahead of pulling into the first field … Read More