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
Ag Leader SureVac
Earlier this week Ag Leader Technology added the patent-pending SureVac electric row shutoff to their lineup of planter section shutoff devices. Since I was at the Iowa Power Farming Show I stopped in and learned all about it from Chad Huedepohl. You can watch the interview or just listen to it below. Here’s the details: SureVac provides today’s precision farming … Read More
Planter Row Control Can Save You Money
As I talk to many growers about their adoption of precision farming equipment and tools, I always like to find out what technology they could eliminate from their operation—if they were forced to give up something. Well, as you can probably guess, almost everyone who has auto steer would never go back to steering again. Who can blame them. However, … Read More
Deere Offers RowCommand For Chain-Drive Planters
John Deere’s RowCommand, which allows for seed savings by avoiding overplanting, is now available for chain-drive planters. Introduced in 2008 for Pro-Shaft drive planters with MaxEmerge and Pro-Series XP row units, RowCommand has become a widely used planter component for many row-crop producers. “As the cost of seed continues to rise, more producers are looking for ways to maximize their seed investment through … Read More
Crop Consultants Help Precision Farming Strategies
When the term ‘crop consultant’ comes to mind, growers often think in terms of scouting, insects, diseases, soil fertility and testing, and perhaps input buying recommendations. But have you stopped to think about their value in helping you properly invest in tools of precision agriculture? Retailers who sell precision ag equipment know the technology, but do they know your operation … Read More
2009 Top Stories on Precision.AgWired.com – Products
HAPPY NEW YEAR! In our final installment of looking back at the top stories of 2009, here’s a list of newsworthy stories that featured new or updated products. I list the stories starting with the most current from December, working back to January of 2009. No ranking of importance is included…but feel free to post your comments about these products. … Read More
2009 Top Stories on Precision.AgWired.com – July to December
Yesterday, I provided my list of the “Best of Precision.AgWired.com 2009” for January through June. Today’s list of stories runs from July through December. And tomorrow, look for the top product-related stories of the year. I hope you continue to find value in the information provided. And, as always, we appreciate any and all comments from our readers. Enjoy. And … Read More
Precision Farming 2009: What We Learned
In general, the past year in the world of precision agriculture has been one of consolidation among industry players. “We’ve really streamlined into 4 or 5 major players in precision ag,” says Matt Darr, Iowa State University Ag Engineer. “Rather than a lot of companies that offer a segment of products, we’re getting down to a core set of companies … Read More
Trimble Expands Variable-Rate Control Capabilities
New Field-IQ from Trimble is a modular system designed to work with its AgGPS FmX integrated display or EZ-Guide 500 lightbar system to help growers precisely control a variety of inputs, saving costs and applying prescription amounts. The Field-IQ system combines input control capabilities into one comprehensive, modular system, including map-based planter row unit shutoff for seed and liquid fertilizer, … Read More
Can Precision Farming Cure World Hunger?
I hope, as a precision farmer, you’ve added a ‘communicate with consumers’ recurring task to your weekly if not daily chore list. Whether you do it locally or globally, through talking or through social media, you should join the conversation to support your cause. Part of that effort is to monitor what’s said about your noble profession. To that end, … Read More