Within an hour of the first signal emanating from the new GLONASS K1 satellite on April 7, Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) engineers were tracking the satellite’s L1 and L2 signals. TPS receivers tracked the new code division multiple access (CDMA) L3 signals the same day. Topcon was the first major company to track the three signals from the newly launched … Read More
Precision Potato Farming Aims at Sustainability
Precision agriculture is playing a much larger role in helping potato growers become more sustainable, according to a recent story in Spudman. Bruce Crapo, a grower of 6,000 acres of commercial potatoes and 2,000 acres of seed potatoes in Idaho, is a good example of how the average potato farmer looks at precision agriculture – he uses technology to reduce … Read More
Precision Technology Helps Conserve Irrigation Water
At the recent Holdrege Water Conference in Nebraska, several speakers talked about how precision technology is not only conserving water but saving growers money as well, according to this Nebraska TV report. It really is a big money-saver,” said UNL Extension Educator Chuck Burr. “Several years ago, we had some irrigators figure out how much it costs them to make … Read More
Precision Tracking Vehicles In The Field
Learn more about how AGCO’s AgCommand telemetry product can help you track, monitor and management all machinery in the field. Watch this video posted recently by Farm Industry News. Steve Tupa of AGCO talks about an advanced version of AGCO’s recently introduced telemetry product called AgCommand. This product provides 25 different messages from fuel use to engine load which can be … Read More
ParaDyme Auto Steer System Adds GLONASS Signal
If tree lines or other obstacles sometimes cause dropped signals, you may benefit from the Russian global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) that Ag Leader’s ParaDyme automated steering system will now support. “The main advantage GLONASS capability will offer ParaDyme users is longer run-time without losing signal due to coverage interruptions or low GPS satellite availability,” says GPS and Guidance Product … Read More
Nebraska Ag Tech Conference Gears Up
Don’t miss the upcoming February 9-10 NeATA conference in Grand Island, Neb., as it promises a technology extravaganza, along with other valuable topics such as precision Nitrogen management, social media, building consumer trust and much more. The Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association (NeATA), founded in 2001 by innovative Nebraska farmers, ranchers, agribusiness representatives and the University of Nebraska Extension, has compiled … Read More
The Year in Precision Farming – 2010 Recap
This past week, I caught up with Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer and precision farming guru, to chat with him about this past year in precision agriculture. “We’ve said for a few years now that ‘accuracy is addictive.’ Well farmers are proving that as this has been a year driven by higher precision—a move to more RTK accuracy.” … Read More
Robust RTK Signals Expand Across Corn Belt
Check out a good story by Farm Industry News that offers the latest look at RTK signal correction across the Midwest. The umbrella of real-time kinematic (RTK) correction signals that covers much of the Corn Belt will be larger and more robust by the time the 2011 planting season rolls around. As a result, growers in many geographies will have … Read More
Understanding GPS/GNSS Drift
GPS/GNSS drift, or how accurate your guidance system is over time, is explained in a new piece on www.AlabamaPrecisionAgOnline.com. The Alabama Precision Agriculture Team discovered that some users of GPS/GNSS-based technologies were not optimizing the GPS/GNSS correction services for their particular field operations (e.g. using the WAAS correction service for planting). It is imperative to understand the different accuracies associated … Read More
How to Choose GPS/GNSS Accuracy
If you’re just starting to look at more advanced precision agriculture practices on your farm such as auto steer, take a look at your operation to see which signal is right for you. Jonathan Hall, a grad assistant at Auburn University, offers some tips on the Precision Ag Blog. After exploring all of the equipment that can be purchased, you … Read More