Our first BASF Production Poll is in the can and it was no surprise to find that growers are overwhelmingly optimistic about the 2012 growing season. According to the poll: 65% of farmers think things are looking up this year. 29% say it’s about the same Just 6% think this year will be worse and that winter did their fields … Read More
Warm Winter May Widen War on Weeds
The weed resistance revolt is growing and conditions this year are ripe for a bigger battle than ever against those rebellious yield robbers. “It’s been a really weird winter and we just really don’t know what to expect,” says GROWMARK Weed Science Technical Manager Barry Nash, noting that the lack of any significant freeze may increase the weed pressure faster … Read More
Precision Technology and Resistant Weed Control
Growers who battle herbicide-resistant weeds can effectively use precision farming technology to make better decisions and save money, according to John Fulton, Auburn University extension biosystems engineer in a recent story by Southeast Farm Press. Scouting remains an important factor to help insure that a grower is making the most informed decisions possible, says Fulton. “Whether it’s you the grower … Read More
EU Investing in Precision Technology
To help growers in the UK adapt to changes in EU pesticide regulations, the British government is funding applied R&D on over 30 innovative projects, including precsion weed mapping. According to a report in Science Business, one of the projects that has won funding in this first tranche of grants, entitled ‘Automating weed mapping in arable fields for precision farming’ … Read More
More Agriculture Crop Scientists Needed
Job opportunities in crop sciences are booming. Why? More than half of all crop scientists in industry and in government jobs will retire over the next decade. A recent report by Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture predicts more than 54,000 agriculture-related job openings annually between 2010 and 2015. “There isn’t a … Read More
New Precision Spraying Website
The maker of Apache sprayers, Equipment Technologies, just announced the addition of SpraySmarter.com to its business. SpraySmarter.com is an online culmination of years of sprayer manufacturing and customer support expertise. The site offers brands like Hypro, TeeJet, Banjo and Raven precision-ag products combined with an intuitive shopping experience and an array of application-focused tools intended to supplement the visitor’s spraying … 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