Precision | Page 379 | News and reviews from the precision agriculture industry

“Gift of Grain” Now an Option for Farmers

John DavisSeptember 1, 2014Grain, Growmark

While cash might not always be plentiful in some parts of farming country, grain certainly can be. That’s why the American Red Cross has partnered with grain growers in Iowa who might not be able to give money but can certainly donate a portion of their harvest and cooperatives, such as GROWMARK, through the Gift of Grain program.

The American Red Cross is very aware of the importance of grain in Iowa’s economy and that Iowa farmers can potentially donate grain (any type of grain is accepted) when they might not be capable of donating money. The ARC has established accounts with grain elevators, cooperatives, and ethanol plants across the state and is currently registered with nearly 600 facilities. These facilities have agreed to facilitate a gift allocation to the Red Cross. The Red Cross will immediately sell the grain on the day of the donation and will not be storing or trading grain.

American Red Cross officials point out that if donations are made prior to a disaster, $4 in disaster response and recovery costs could be saved for every $1.00 invested in disaster risk-reduction.

For more information on the Gift of Grain program, contact Bryce Sitter at the American Red Cross, Central Iowa Chapter – (515) 246-6307 or Bryce.Sitter@redcross.org.

Plant Faster with John Deere ExactEmerge

Leah GuffeySeptember 1, 2014Audio, Equipment, Farm Progress Show, John Deere, Machinery, Planting

John Deere is breaking the planting speed and accuracy barriers of traditional row-crop planting with the introduction of a new seed delivery system. With the launch of their ExactEmerge row unit for the most accurate planting at speeds up to 10 mph and the new industry-leading MaxEmerge 5 row units for planting at traditional speeds, customers can now plant with greater speed, accuracy and ease than ever before. The John Deere ExactEmerge row unit incorporates new technology that gives corn and soybean producers the ability to plant at speeds up to 10 mph while maintaining superior seed placement. This exclusive seed delivery system cradles the seed from the meter down to the seed trench maintaining optimal seed spacing in varying field conditions. The new system ensures superior seed placement at faster planting speeds and offers a 10 percent improvement in seed spacing at traditional speeds.

According to Kelby Krueger, product specialist, John Deere Seeding Group, the ExactEmerge row units are a perfect fit for producers who want to plant more acres in less time due to narrow planting windows, or to increase the size of their operations without adding equipment. “We know that accurate, timely planting pays off in improved stands and higher yields at harvest,” Krueger says. “Now row-crop producers will have the ability to place seeds at higher operating speeds with even greater accuracy in the field. They will be able to optimize their seed investment, reduce operational costs and generally increase productivity. This exciting new high-performance system is the most productive planting solution we’ve ever offered.” Some of the fields around Farm Progress Show this year were planted using the system.

You can listen to my interview with Kelby here:[wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/farm-progress/fps-14-johndeere-krueger.mp3″ text=”Interview with Kelby Krueger, John Deere”]

2014 Farm Progress photo album

Coverage of the 2014 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by

Coverage of the 2014 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience

Case IH’s Real-time Remote Dashboard With AFS Connect 2.0

Jamie JohansenAugust 30, 2014Agribusiness, Apps, Case IH, Software, technology

Case IH has announced its new AFS Connect™ 2.0, a new farm management system that uses advanced telematics technology to help producers effectively monitor and manage their operations without compromising control of their data. The system, which will be fully available in 2015, provides a simple, intuitive view of machine location and diagnostics, with maintenance and service alerts — even allowing for two-way messaging with machine operators from anywhere.

AFS Connect 2.0 will offer more features and functionality than competitive products in a system with a straightforward and easy-to-use design. In addition, Case IH has taken special measure to offer what some may consider the most important feature — data control.

“Case IH understands the growing importance of data security and privacy,” said Mike Klein, Advanced Farming Systems North America Marketing Manager, Case IH. “It is important to ensure the producer has complete control over who accesses his agronomic and equipment data. Each producer has the option to allow his dealer or others to view information, but bottom line, the choice is theirs. We’ve written it right into our terms-of-use agreement.”

Case IH is a founding member of the Open Ag Data Alliance (OADA), an organization designed to bring security and privacy to agricultural data. Case IH firmly believes in the central guiding principle of OADA, which states that “each farmer owns data generated or entered by the farmer, their employees or machines performing activities on their farm.”

AFS Connect 2.0 not only works on different types of equipment but also can be the unifying factor to monitor, control and manage critical data for operations with mixed fleets. Live Time provides the user of AFS Connect 2.0 with a real-time view of what is happening on the machine. It provides a reliable, consistent, one-minute data update rate, with 30 minutes of Live Time on the dashboard and 30 additional minutes of Live Time through the CAN Viewer, which gives you a deeper dive into machine performance data — per modem, per day — for second-by-second remote training and diagnostics.

Fargo Selected as Site for National Agricultural Genotyping Center

Jamie JohansenAugust 30, 2014Ag Group, agronomy, Events, Genetics, NCGA

The National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board announced that Fargo, N.D., will be the site of the National Agricultural Genotyping Center. The final decision follows careful deliberations by the site selection committee, who visited Illinois and North Dakota to assess the possibility of locating the center in either Decatur or Fargo, and NCGA’s Research and Business Development Action Team.

“This is a first-time-ever, huge step for a farmer-led association that gives growers more influence on research agendas,” said Dr. Richard Vierling, director of research at NCGA. “This can help growers increase production and lower costs. We’re really excited about Fargo and the commitment from the many forward-thinking people involved in this project. The commitment from North Dakota State University, North Dakota Corn Growers, Gov. Jack Dalrymple, the state’s congressional delegation and many others really helped sell the plan to our team.”

The site selection committee, which includes Vierling, Pete Snyder, Bob Bowman, Bob Timmons, Phil Gordon and Chad Willis, was chosen to conduct these visits by the Research and Business Development Action Team, and come from states which did not submit proposals. The report submitted following the visits was based upon the team assessment of selection criteria determined by the team for use in deliberations over the final recommendation. The Corn Board approved the final recommendation during a meeting held earlier today.

The site visits followed a July vote taken by the Research and Business Development Team narrowing the final list of site location proposals under consideration.

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center will translate scientific discoveries, such as the information from the maize genome project, into solutions for production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national security.

Ag Leader Announces Hydraulic Down Force 8-Section Control

Jamie JohansenAugust 29, 2014Ag Leader, Agribusiness, Planting

Precision agriculture company Ag Leader Technology announced Hydraulic Down Force 8-Section Control for planters. The addition of 8- Section Control adds several new features to the company’s Hydraulic Down Force System.

Row-by-row sensing allows the system to monitor and respond to the down force needs of each row, in order to account for frequent variations in field conditions. The system also adds greater flexibility with up to eight sections of control and multiple configurations available.

“More sections of control and row-by-row sensing are two factors that play heavily into improving plant emergence and root development,” says Roger Zielke, Product Manager. “By sensing with more precision, and offering more sections, the Hydraulic Down Force System is able to recognize variations in field conditions and respond by planting seed at the proper depth.”

“The accumulator is able to accept up to 100 percent of the down force actuator’s hydraulic fluid capacity,” explains Brett Buehler, Product specialist. “This allows the row unit to ride more smoothly over in-field obstacles and less stress caused to the row unit by those obstacles.”

Additionally, Ag Leader’s 8-Section Control provides Virtual Terminal capability through a new ISOBUS module. The module allows functionality with any Virtual Terminal capable in-cab display, giving users the option to choose 1-4 sensors per channel and ensuring cross-brand compatibility with the Hydraulic Down Force System.

Hydraulic Down Force 8-Section Control will be available for order Fall 2014.

Case IH, Precision Planting Let Producers Customize Planters

Jamie JohansenAugust 29, 2014Agribusiness, Case IH, Equipment, Planting

Today’s planter technology allows producers to place seeds precisely where they want them. Now, thanks to Case IH and Precision Planting®, producers can take that technology to a new level by adding valuable new options that fit their individual needs.

“Producers can leave their trusted Case IH dealership with a new or used Early Riser® planter customized to their specifications — with the right amount of technology to meet their individual goals,” said Dan Klein, Crop Production Marketing Manager at Case IH. “They don’t have to buy any more or any less than they desire.”

When producers order a new Precision Planting-ready Early Riser 1255, it leaves the factory with the right components to make adapting this technology convenient and cost effective. Their new planter arrives at the dealership from the factory ready to accept the Precision Planting components the grower wants.

“The producer is in control,” Klein said. “They don’t have to take what the factory sends them, then strip off the parts they don’t need and replace them with the ones they wanted in the first place. Perhaps most important, it’s all accomplished at their Case IH dealership, making it truly a one-stop shop for the latest planter technology.”

The Early Riser planter capitalizes on Agronomic Design from Case IH. Producers can choose to add any or all Precision Planting components, depending on which they feel will deliver the greatest value to their operation.

Valmont Industries Announces Acquisition of AgSense

Jamie JohansenAugust 29, 2014Agribusiness, Company Announcement

Valmont Industries, Inc., a leading global provider of engineered products and services for infrastructure and mechanized irrigation equipment for agriculture, announced that it has acquired a majority interest in South Dakota-based AgSense. The acquisition further extends Valmont’s industry leading offerings in remote monitoring and control technology for agriculture.

AgSense’s cutting edge global WagNet network provides growers with a more complete view of their entire farming operation by tying irrigation decision making to field, crop and weather conditions.

“We are pleased to have entered this long-term partnership,” said Leonard Adams, Group President of Valmont’s Global Irrigation Division. “Growers increasingly seek to utilize data driven technology to increase yields and maximize water efficiency. The cutting edge approach AgSense takes to providing technologies that our customers desire, their passion for customer service and their outstanding reputation fit perfectly with Valmont’s strategy. Combining AgSense with our industry-leading BaseStation™ products will deliver the most comprehensive line of integrated solutions available to the market.”

AgSense President Terry Schiltz said the similarities in customer-focused values led to the creation of this strategic alignment. “We are very excited about this partnership with Valmont,” Schiltz said. “Partnering with the recognized market leader not only enhances our strong position in North America, but will provide opportunities to accelerate our growth internationally.”
Valmont is a global leader, designing and manufacturing highly engineered products that support global infrastructure development and agricultural productivity. Its products for infrastructure serve highway, transportation, wireless communication, electric transmission, and industrial construction and energy markets. Its mechanized irrigation equipment for large scale agriculture improves farm productivity while conserving fresh water resources. In addition, Valmont provides coatings services that protect against corrosion and improve the service lives of steel and other metal products.

New RemoteView Feature for FieldView

Jamie JohansenAugust 29, 2014Agribusiness, Apps, Planting

Precision Planting’s landmark app, FieldView, has brought instant, high-definition visualization of planter performance and yield maps to growers’ iPads across America. Now, with the latest version of FieldView in the App store, farmers no longer need to be in the cab to have instant access to Yield Maps.

“Most farm operations have multiple decision makers,” says Kyle Plattner, Lead User Interface Designer for FieldView. “The RemoteView feature allows everyone in the farm operation with an iPad to have instant visibility into the combine cab — no matter where they are.”

RemoteView uses the data connection of the iPads running FieldView to remotely connect any iPad to a YieldSense display. Farm Managers can instantly keep tabs on each remote combine to monitor progress, watch real time yield maps, and diagnose problems.

Precision Planting dealers and the Precision Planting product support team can also establish a remote connection to provide faster support — with permission granted by the operator.

“RemoteView is another feature that makes YieldSense and FieldView the ultimate combination for harvest, especially for large operations,” says Doug Sauder, Precision Planting’s Research & Development Lead. “Wireless syncing of yield maps, wireless streaming of swath coverage, and simple operation wide reports make life easier for busy farm managers.”

Control Power Hop with John Deere HydraCushion Suspension

Chuck ZimmermanAugust 29, 2014Agribusiness, Equipment, John Deere, Tractor, Video

If you’ve experienced the annoyance and problems of power hop then check out a new suspension system feature on new John Deere 9R Tractors. It’s called HydraCushion Suspension. You can see it happen in the video below and how the new system controls power hop.

An industry exclusive feature customers will quickly appreciate on the 9520R, 9570R and 9620R models is the HydraCushion™ Suspension System. Located on the front axle, HydraCushion Suspension mitigates power hop and road lope to ensure customers get all of the horsepower to the ground for the highest level of traction.

2014 Farm Progress photo album

Coverage of the 2014 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by

Biologics R & D at Bayer Crop Science

Jamie JohansenAugust 29, 2014Agribusiness, agronomy, Audio, Bayer CropScience, biotechnology, Farm Progress Show

Biologics are based on materials found in nature. At the Bayer Crop Science booth during the Farm Progress Show I spoke with Head of Biologic Research for Bayer CropScience, Dr. Jonathan Margolis, who is based out of their new facilities in Sacramento, CA. There he works with live microbes like bacteria, fungi and plant extracts.

“The difference between those and conventional chemical products is they typically have multiple modes of action and they don’t have regulated residue allowing them to be applied up until harvest.”

“The biologics are doing two things. They are acting as crop protectant agents. They are suppressing disease or killing pests. But in addition they act on the plant so they can stimulate yield or stress resistance. In the case of seed growth the microbe colonizes the roots and gives season long protection.”

Dr. Margolis said historically biologics were only used in horticulture because of concerns of residue and safety. Now the row crop industry recognizes all these other benefits which are complimentary to chemical products.

The development of biologics at Bayer stems from the acquisition of AgriQuest and put them in a new world-class facility where they are able to meet the safety standards and gives room for all the new hires they are making with this addition. In my interview with Dr. Margolis he goes on the share what products they have in the research and development stages and what we can see coming down the pipeline in 2015.

Here is my complete interview with Dr. Margolis:[wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/farm-progress/fps-14-bayer-margolis.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dr. Jonathan Margolis, Bayer CropScience Biologics”]

2014 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Coverage of the 2014 Farm Progress Show is sponsored by

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