New Agreement Between Deere and Engineering Co

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Harvesting, John Deere

john_deere_logo_3623 Deere & Company has a new agreement with Scherer Design Engineering, Inc. The companies are working together to develop and commercialize kernel processing solutions for self-propelled forage harvesters.

“Deere is committed to developing industry leading kernel processing solutions with the goal to drive higher milk production in dairy cows”, says Jon Chase, global director, self-propelled forage harvesters and heads. “This arrangement with Scherer will only strengthen Deere’s offering and our ability to deliver clear benefits to custom operators and dairies.”

scherer Scherer has manufactured aftermarket rolls and kernel processors since 1999. With this agreement, John Deere and Scherer will develop a broader set of industry leading options to harvest crops and to produce feed for dairy cows.

“We are extremely pleased with this agreement,” says Jason Schiebout, manager and co-owner of Scherer. “John Deere dealers will have access, through this allied agreement, to Scherer Kernel Processor products, including aftermarket kernel processor (KP) rolls.”

The agreement means John Deere dealers will be able to offer twin-cut replacement rolls for the John Deere Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters in 2017.

Grassland Oregon Offers Pollinator Seed Mix

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, Conservation, environment, pollinators, seed

Grassland Oregon Logo Grassland Oregon has announced the launch of Pastures for Pollinators, a new seed mix that includes a variety of flowering annual clovers to support sustainable livestock farming in the United States and increase pollinator populations.

Pollinators across the U.S. have been declining over the last five decades, with habitat loss acting as a major contributor to this issue, which has serious economic and environmental consequences. Native bees contribute over $9 billion to the U.S. economy by pollinating crops, and managed hives contribute over $15 billion.

Pastures for Pollinators offers a solution to the problem of the declining pollinator population. The seed mix meets today’s farming needs and positively impacts the U.S. economy, but more importantly it creates sustainable farming practices and increased pollinator populations for future generations.

“With over 400 million acres of pastureland in the U.S., there is a huge opportunity to make an impact on pollinator habitat while also meeting the needs farmers and ranchers have in feeding their livestock and sustaining their soil resources,” said Risa DeMasi, co-founder of Grassland Oregon. “All of us at Grassland Oregon are passionate about what we do and want to give back to the agricultural community. That’s why we are donating the profits from Pastures for Pollinators to further sustainable agricultural research programs.”

Place an order for Pastures for Pollinators seed or make a donation to the cause by visiting the website.


RTK ASSIST Provides 20 Minutes of Accuracy in Outage

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, RTK

NovAtelNovAtel Inc. has introduced its new RTK ASSIST subscription-based service.  Satellite-delivered correction data can now seamlessly continue centimeter-level accuracy, even during communications disruptions that cause outages.  For up to 20 minutes users can maintain RTK level performance, reducing downtime.

RTK is a well-established method of achieving cm-level accuracy with GNSS. However, if the RTK correction data link to the receiver is interrupted, performance degrades quickly. RTK ASSIST subscribers are able to maintain the accuracy of their positioning solution during these interruptions, avoiding any down-time. RTK ASSIST is best suited for applications where there are potential obstructions, dead spots, and/or baseline limitations that would cause RTK network correction losses for short periods of time.

Neil Gerein, Portfolio Manager for NovAtel stated, “Combining NovAtel’s long history of expertise in RTK positioning with correction data delivered directly to the receiver via satellite, allows for a continuous centimetre-level solution that is globally available, 24/7.”

For more information, visit www.novatel.com/rtkassist.

Deere and Ag Leader Reach Licensing Agreement

Kelly MarshallAg Leader, Agribusiness, John Deere, Precision Planting

john_deere_logo_3623Ag Leader and Deere & Company have announced a licensing agreement for Precision Planting’s SeedTube and related planting products.  The agreement states that Ag Leader, a precision competitor, may use Deere technologies and licenses to manufacture and sell the Precision Planting SeedTubes and related technology, including vSet, vDrive and DeltaForce.  Of course, this is contingent on Deere’s acquisition of Precision Planting from The Climate Corporation.

The agreement also states that Ag Leader can build on the technology to develop future planting equipment innovations to support precision agriculture.  This expansion of Ag Leader’s planting choices and the ability to plant at higher speeds will provide their customers with more solutions.

“Ag Leader is continuously looking for opportunities to expand our already impressive line of precision farming technologies. When this prospect arose, we knew it was worth looking into for our customers and dealers, as high-speed planting is an emerging precision agriculture technology,” said Al Myers, president, Ag Leader Technology.

ag leaderAg Leader remains an independent competitor, completely separate of John Deere or Precision Planting, while still selling the Precision Planting products under the name farmers trust.  It will offer customers choice, for buying new machinery or retrofitting older equipment made by a variety of manufacturers.

Deere anticipates Ag Leader will sell Precision Planting components to retrofit Deere and other brands of planters and will provide a separate and competitive source of supply for OEM planter manufacturers that choose to equip their products with Precision Planting components.

Myers said, “The licensing agreement will add cutting-edge precision products and technologies, including SpeedTube, to Ag Leader’s product line, expanding upon our year-round, best-in-class solutions from planting through harvest.”

4R Nominations Due October 31

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Nutrient Management

4r-nutrient-stewardshipThe Fertilizer Institute deadline for the 4R Advocate program will be here soon.  Applications are being accepted until next Monday, October 31.  The program recognizes retailers and producers who are leading the way in 4R nutrient stewardship.

“Our desire is to see widespread adoption of the 4R principles by growers across the nation in an effort to improve productivity and lessen agriculture’s impact on the environment,” said Lara Moody, Senior Director of Stewardship and Sustainability at The Fertilizer Institute. “The grower-retailer 4R Advocate pairs are excellent champions for the program, helping us show on-the-ground benefits of implementing the 4Rs.”

Now in its sixth year, the 4R Advocate Program has recognized 25 agricultural producers and retailers, farming 131,225 acres in 15 states. These forward-thinking individuals serve as examples by championing sound nutrient stewardship.

Winners will be announced in mid- December.  They will receive an all-expense paid trip to Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, March 2-4, 2017 to be honored at the TFI awards banquet.  More information on the application process can be found on the 4R website.

Exports Offer Bright Spot in USDA Corn Report

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Corn, NCGA, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its new corn forecast report and predicts that this year’s corn harvest will reach 15.057 bushels. Although this is down around 36 million bushels from last month’s estimates, it is still predicted to be another record crop. The World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates Report also lowered corn supplies for 2016/2017 from the previous month with a new forecast of a record 16.845 billion bushels.

NCGA-LogoNew National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Wesley Spurlock said another record crop puts a spotlight on the need to find markets for the continually growing corn crops. “We must pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year. The farm economy continues to struggle so anything we can do to encourage and grow exports is critical. That’s why NCGA continues to encourage our elected officials to build trade access starting with TPP.”

USDA reduced the average U.S. corn yield by 1 bushel per acre to 173.4. Should these estimates prove true, these figures would still represent record yield and production numbers. The average price was increased by 5 cents to $3.25 per bushel.

“Although the production report remained largely unchanged, the export numbers offer some good news in a growing season so far characterized by a large crop and corn prices below the cost of production,” continued Spurlock who has made trade a priority for his association presidency. “U.S. corn exports are doing well, largely due to South American weather problems that are hurting crops in Brazil and Argentina. Asian countries like Japan and Korea are shifting to the U.S. to meet their needs so that’s good news for the nation’s family corn farmers.”

Feed and residual usage, ethanol and other FSI, were unchanged. Carry-in was increased by 22 million bushels.

Trimble Partners Offer Four New Drones

Kelly MarshallAerial Imagery, Agribusiness, drone, UAS

md-droneTrimble has just announced they have partnered with Delair-Tech and microdrones as their official suppliers for UASs.  On the coattails of that announcement come four proven mapping solutions, or mdMapper, including the md4-1000 in yellow (pictured right) to commemorate the new partnership.

mdMapper200: Compact but robust, the md4-200 aircraft at the heart of this solution is lightweight and easy to transport – yet tough enough to stand up to rough weather and daily use. mdMapper200 is a reliable, professional solution that allows surveyors to map up to 30 hectares (74 acres) in one flight. It is integrated with a lightweight 20.1 megapixel camera and Nadir mount. 

mdMapper1000: Featuring the microdrones md4-1000 to cover more area per flight, users enjoy the longest flying time (30-45 minutes, depending on conditions) and stability on the market, as well as resistance to rough winds, harsh weather, hot temperatures, high voltage, and strong magnetic fields. It is integrated with a 24 megapixel camera and Nadir mount. 

mdMapper 1000DG: Direct georeferencing technology sets a new standard of efficiency. With mdMapper1000DG, surveyors achieve the highest level of data accuracy possible using fewer ground control points – or no ground control points at all and less overlap. Cover up to 90 hectares (223 acres) in one flight. It is integrated with a 42.4 megapixel camera and Nadir mount. 

mdMapper 30000DG: This UAV can fly quicker, reach higher, and carry more. With a flight time up to 45 minutes, a payload of 3,000 – 7,000 grams (6.5 – 15 pounds), this solution opens up an entire new world of flexibility and opportunity. It is integrated with a true medium-format camera with up to 100 megapixel performance, direct georeferencing technology and a Nadir mount. 

Optional Accessory Kits are also available.  These packages allow users to broaden their capabilities on site or to serve new markets with features like five spectral bands for precision agriculture, thermal data to detect heat issues and an inspection feature for buildings and infrastructure.

“We offer the best range of products for aerial mapping using multi-copters,” said microdrones president, Vivien Heriard Dubreuil. “We’re looking forward to helping many Trimble surveying customers produce exceptional results on the job.”

TerrAvion Partners with PastureMap

Kelly MarshallAerial Imagery, Agribusiness

TerrAvionTerrAvion has been providing aerial imagery for field crops to improve yield; now they’re announcing a new partnership with PastureMap to provide similar services for ranchers.  PastureMaps offers an intuitive grazing management platform, helping producers save time, streamline record keeping and measure what matters.  The collaboration between the two companies will offer up-to-date and high resolution imagery in the grazing management platform.

Combined with TerrAvion’s imagery, ranchers can better measure the effects of their management decisions, whether it is to track the spread of invasive weeds, monitor irrigation efficiency, differentiate between bare and covered ground, and measure pre- and post- grazing activity – right from their desk or in the field.

In addition to forage and livestock tracking applications, public lands managers have used PastureMap and TerrAvion to measure how ecosystems change over time.

Jared Lewis of the Solano Land Trust and SF Bay NERR said, “the TerrAvion and PastureMap platforms have allowed us to scale our rangeland and ecological monitoring programs to cover several thousand acres of regional open space and agricultural land. More importantly, we are able to track environmental change and management actions with greater precision and accuracy.”

pasturemapIn addition to simplifying record keeping, the team also hopes to create a collaborative environment for creating new innovations.  Records and images can be shared with NRCS and other industry exports, allowing a community to share ideas and enhance communication.

“TerrAvion imagery enables greater yields, greater sustainability, and more profit for growers,” explains Robert Morris, founder and CEO of TerrAvion.  “When we started talking with the PastureMap team, it was clear that by partnering we could deliver complementary technology to the ranching community. PastureMap’s passion for bringing efficient grazing systems within reach of all animal husbandry is 100 percent in line with TerrAvion’s mission, and we are proud to be a partner.”

Christine Su, founder and CEO of PastureMap, said, “We’re excited about TerrAvion’s capability to bring very high resolution, current imagery to our ranchers. For serious graziers who are monitoring the effects of their management throughout the season, having up-to-date overhead imagery of your pastures is a big value-add. The ability to track what you do on PastureMap, and then monitor the effects of your management with TerrAvion’s imagery, is a powerful combination that just makes sense.”

DuPont Pioneer Advances Biofortification of Sorghum

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, biotechnology, Dupont Pioneer, Sorghum

Dupont PioneerDuPont Pioneer and Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International are excited about a new sorghum breakthrough.  Researchers have found that increasing vitamin E and beta-carotene in the grain improves the availability and longevity of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body.  For nations with a prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, this finding could be especially meaningful.

“For children up to age three who rely on sorghum as a staple, we should be able to provide 100 percent of vitamin A Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for up to a month after harvest, via beta-carotene. We also should be able to provide more than 20 percent EAR needs for extended periods of time after sorghum grain harvest,” said Ping Che, DuPont Pioneer research scientist. “And we’re not finished – we believe even higher levels of vitamin A throughout the year are possible.”

Without biofortification, sorghum grain — a mainstay in many diets — is seriously deficient in vitamin A, iron and zinc. Vitamin A deficiency causes a number of symptoms, including blindness and an increase in mortality from measles and diarrhea. Long-term deficiencies can cause permanent mental and physical impairment.

The DuPont Pioneer research team identified oxidation as the main factor in rapid breakdown of beta-carotene in sorghum grain. They were able to slow degradation by inserting a gene from barley, which serves to increase vitamin E. A powerful anti-oxidant, vitamin E also helps more than double the half-life of beta-carotene in grain stored under normal conditions. In this case, it improved an unprotected half-life of 2-3 weeks to 8-10 weeks. The finding was recently reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This is one more example of how biofortified crops are able to improve the human condition.  Such foods are economical and a sustainable means of ensuring higher levels of nutrition for at-risk populations.  Already beans, sweet potatoes, millet and maize have been fortified with iron, zinc an vitamin A in Africa and Asia.  While these solutions take a back seat to an overall improved diet, they can play an important role in improving lives until dietary diversity is achieved.

“We’re pleased that we’ve made continual progress and have been able to develop a more nutritious sorghum grain,” said Marc Albertsen, DuPont Pioneer research director. “We look forward to the day when the most at-risk members of African society can benefit from this research. We appreciate the collaborators who help us move the effort forward.”

Funding for the project comes from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and in-kind donations from the Pioneer Foundation and DuPont Pioneer.

Swift Navigation Announces High-Precision GNSS Receiver

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, GPS, RTK

piksi_multiSwift Navigation is a San Francisco-based startup ready to make autonomous vehicles a reality with centimeter-accurate GPS technology.  The company has recently unveiled the Piksi™ Multi— a multi-band, multi-constellation high-precision GNSS receiver.  Like the original Piksi module, the new Piski Multi is revolutionizing the industry with prices much lower than competitors.

Swift Navigation uses real-time kinematics (RTK) solutions, meaning locations are 100 times more accurate than traditional GPS.  This level of precision is imperative in autonomous devices, especially for vehicles preforming critical functions.

Piksi Multi supports GPS L1/L2 and is hardware-ready for GLONASS G1/G2, BeiDou B1/B2, Galileo E1/E5b, QZSS L1/L2 and SBAS. Multiple signal bands enable convergence times measured in seconds, not minutes. Multiple satellite constellations enhance availability in new environments. 

The Piksi Multi Evaluation Kit has also been upgraded with all new components. The new kit contains 2 Piksi Multi GNSS modules, 2 integrator-friendly evaluation boards, 2 GNSS survey-grade antennas, 2 high-performance radios, delivering best-in-class reliability and range — well over 10 kilometers — and all of the accessories required for rapid prototyping and integration. Despite these top tier components, the Evaluation Kit is the lowest-priced multi-band RTK kit on the market, at $2,000.

Piksi Multi is an open platform, allowing users to run Linux OS and quickly prototype and adopt their own applications.  It also provides fast convergence times with the Multi-Band, robust positioning and future proof hardware with in-field software upgrades.

“With the launch of Piksi Multi, Swift is taking another huge step forward in delivering affordable and highly-precise GNSS technology,” said Swift Navigation CEO, Timothy Harris. “No one else is able to offer the centimeter-accuracy, enhanced availability and fast convergence times at such a low cost. Piksi Multi will continue to revolutionize the autonomous devices category, which is growing at an unbelievable rate.”

The Piksi Multi is being debut in Hamburg, Germany at InterGeo now.  Pre-orders can be submitted online at www.swiftnav.com; the product is expected to ship early next year.