Precision | Page 389 | News and reviews from the precision agriculture industry

Deere Driving Technology for the Bottom Line

Cindy ZimmermanJuly 30, 2014Agribusiness, Audio, InfoAg, John Deere

John Deere is a major sponsor of the InfoAg 2014 Conference in St. Louis, as they have been since the beginning, according to Jerry Roell, Director of Business Development for Deere’s Intelligent Solutions Group.

“It’s a great way for the industry to learn about precision ag, it’s grown now and it shows the passion and the interest,” said Roell at the conference. “The understanding of what precision ag can do for producers today is becoming well enough known that our precision ag sales continue to grow.”

InfoAg sessions have focused on some of the challenges facing the precision ag industry, one of which is the interface between technology and equipment. “We build equipment that many times lasts 20 years, most of this technology will not go through that kind of a life cycle,” said Roell. So, it’s important to look at ways that to ensure that as the next generations of technology are developed, they can apply to older equipment.

Roell says farmers will continue to see John Deere leading in the development of technology “that will drive the most money to our customers’ bottom lines.”

Listen to my interview with Jerry here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-14-deere-jerry.mp3″ text=”Interview with Jerry Roell, John Deere”]

InfoAg 2014 Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by

PrecisionAg Excellence Award Winners

Cindy ZimmermanJuly 30, 2014Agribusiness, Audio, InfoAg, Research, technology

The annual PrecisionAg Institute Awards of Excellence were presented during the opening general session of the InfoAg Conference on Tuesday to highlight exceptional work and achievement in precision technology research, education, development and adoption.

The 8th class of honorees include –

Educator/Researcher Award
Dr. Matthew Darr, Iowa State University – Dr. Darr holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science Degree from the University of Kentucky Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. His research program focuses on the use of embedded systems and advanced instrumentation to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and control capacity of agricultural systems including those for food, fiber, and energy production

Crop Adviser/Entrepreneur Award
Chris Fennig, MyFarms LLC – Fennig’s family has been raising corn and soybeans for four generations in Indiana and he and his father, Steve Fennig, had the idea for MyFarms back in 2010 after spending years studying how other supply chains share data.
Today they serve thousands of farmers and dozens of suppliers to make better decisions.

Farmer – Tony Alameda, San Juan Bautista, California – Unfortunately, Tony was unable to be in attendance to accept his award. He is a partner in Topflavor Farms with his father and two brothers where they grow more than 6,000 acres of vegetables each year throughout California and Arizona. Spinach comprises about 20 percent of the company’s production.

There were two Legacy award winners this year.

Dr. Scott Shearer, The Ohio State University – Shearer received formal training in agricultural engineering from The Ohio State University and was awarded B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 81, 83 and 86. Currently, he serves as Professor and Chair of the Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. During his 28-years in academia his research efforts have focused on spectral and spatial image processing for the extraction of features for classifying agricultural settings; and controls and methodologies for metering and distribution of inputs (e.g., seed, fertilizer and chemicals) in grain crop production systems. His current research activities include autonomous multi-vehicle field production systems and unmanned aerial systems for remote sensing.

Finally, Dr. Joe Tevis, Topcon Precision Agriculture – Joe received a PhD in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University in 1991 studying computational fluid mechanics. He began his career in precision agriculture as a Post Doctoral Research appointment at Texas A&M University studying the spatial distribution and management of agronomic variables in cotton. In 2011 Dr. Tevis was employed by Topcon Precision Agriculture as Director, Agronomic Products and Services. He also represents Topcon in two data standards groups, including AgGateway where he serves as chair of the SPADE project.

I had the chance to talk with Joe about where precision ag is today and where he hoped it would be, as well as the AgGateway SPADE project. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-14-tevis.mp3″ text=”Interview with Joe Tevis, Topcon”]

InfoAg 2014 Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by

Hick Chick Chat: Rolling into Sturgis

Leah GuffeyJuly 30, 2014Audio, Ethanol, Events, Hick Chick Chat

I’m really excited to announce that Chuck and Cindy have offered me a bucket list opportunity to attend the 74th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

I’ll be joining the team from the Renewable Fuels Association and their quest to bring more awareness to the motorcycle community about E10 in their fill-ups. They will have their “free fuel happy hours” again this year and back by popular demand. I chatted with Robert White for this edition of my Hick Chick Chat to talk about the things to look forward to while visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota.

In addition to the free fuel, RFA is also a sponsor at the Buffalo Chip Campground where many concerts, including Lynyrd Skynrd, Train, Florida Georgia Line, and the Zach Brown Band, along with many others, will take the stage and they are also sponsoring the annual Legends Ride which starts off in Deadwood and finishes back at the Buffalo Chip Campground. I’ll be posting stories, as time allows from Sturgis and after I return on DomesticFuel.com. Stay tuned as I’m so excited about this trip.

You can listen to my chat here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/podcast/hickchickchat-14-rfa-white.mp3″ text=”Hick Chick Chat with Robert White, RFA”]

Join in the conversation on Twitter and on Facebook

Find One of the World’s Largest Ag Tires at Farm Progress

Jamie JohansenJuly 30, 2014Agribusiness, Equipment, Farm Progress Show

For the first time in the United States, Mitas will display 1250/50R32 SFT at booth 16S at the Farm Progress Show. It is one of the world’s largest agricultural tires. Weighing in at 1,224 lbs, this size of Super Flexion Tire (SFT) is also the heaviest tire in Mitas’ product portfolio.

“Mitas produces the most demanding and complex off-road tires. Our ability to manufacture one of the world’s largest agricultural tire proves it,” said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ marketing and sales director. “Mitas is the European leader in combine tires sales having significant market share in tractor tires. With Mitas 1250/50R32 SFT we send the clear message that we will maintain and improve on this prominent position.”

The size of the tire is imposing. Weighing in at 1,224 lbs, this size of Super Flexion Tire (SFT) is also the heaviest tire in Mitas’ product portfolio. Mitas 1250/50R32 SFT 188A8/185B has a diameter of 80,3 inches and is capable of carrying loads of up to 35,280 lbs (6 mph cyclic). The volume of the tire is impressive with 135,000 cubic inches, which makes it one of the largest agriculture tires. Mitas 1250/50R32 SFT is designed for grain carts and combine harvesters and will be available on global markets later in 2014.

In October 2013, Mitas installed three additional curing presses at the plant in Charles City, reaching a total annual production capacity of 13,500 metric tons of tires a year. Mitas’ heaviest tire is being produced on a new prototype of the curing press. Because of the size of Mitas 1250/50R32 SFT it is the biggest curing press at any Mitas factory. The tires produced in Charles City are agricultural radial.

Precision Pays Podcast: Technology Meets Dirt Road

Meghan GrebnerJuly 30, 2014Ag Leader, Precision Pays Podcast, technology

Ag Leader Technology launched their Technology Meets Dirt Road Tour in June. Michael Vos, dealer development manager for Ag Leader Technology, says growers had the opportunity to get their hands on the equipment during the field demonstrations after they heard about it from the experts.

In this Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we’ll learn more about the what growers took home from their Tour Stop.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/08/PPP_0714.mp3″ text=”Precision Pays Podcast”]

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

The Precision Pays Podcast is sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

On Track with InfoAg 2014

Cindy ZimmermanJuly 29, 2014Agribusiness, Audio, InfoAg

For the first time in its 14 year history, the InfoAg Conference is being held at the historic Union Station in St. Louis, instead of in Springfield, Illinois, and they have the largest number of attendees pre-registered and more registering on site. InfoAg continues to be the premier precision agriculture event for producers, consultants, and the crop production industry, featuring four tracks of concurrent sessions plus a workshop track.

Dr. Steve Phillips, Conference Chair and Director for the International Plant Nutrition Institute, welcomed attendees at the opening general session on Tuesday morning to this new chapter in the history of the conference. “InfoAg was started in 1995 as a way to bring together all the different participants in the precision ag industry,” he said. “We didn’t have an event at the time that would allow everyone to come together in a single venue to grow the industry.”

Phillips says as of this year the conference is now an annual event, instead of every two years. “That was driven partly by the rate of change that we see happening in the industry,” he said. “When two years pass in precision ag, we miss entire versions of software and information management tools.” [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-14-phillips.mp3″ text=”Interview with Steve Phillips, InfoAg Expo conference chairman”]

We are getting lots of interviews from the Expo this week that will be featured here and also on AgWired.com.

InfoAg 2014 Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by

AgStudio Third Party Integration

Cindy ZimmermanJuly 29, 2014Ag Leader, AgStudio, Audio, InfoAg, John Deere, MapShots, Software

Wireless data transfer is the latest trend in precision agriculture, and MapShots AgStudio is working with the majority of the leading machinery clouds to allow farmers to interface with them no matter which company they choose.

“With our add on menu, you can actually update or upload all of your data,” said Josh Morris with MapShots tech support. “Doesn’t matter if you’re running Deere, Ag Leader, Precision Planting – so we’ve really come a long way compared with other software companies.”

The ultimate goal of precision farming technology is time and money savings, which is why Morris says this third party integration is so important. “Time is money, so if you’re able to save time and send prescriptions on the dot, that just makes it so much easier for the farmer,” he said.

Josh gives the specific example of MyJohnDeere.com information platform introduced in 2012. “Instead of going out to your barn and uploading with a USB stick, you’re able to just link your AgStudio database with your MyJohnDeere account and just transfer your set up cards with your boundaries,” said Morris. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/mapshots/mapshots-14-josh.MP3″ text=”Interview with Josh Morris, MapShots support”]

MapShots is exhibiting this week at the InfoAg Expo in St. Louis where they are demonstrating the capabilities of AgStudio to farmers from all over the Midwest.

AgStudio Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by

Iteris and Satshot Partner for Better Crop Management

Talia GoesJuly 29, 2014Agribusiness

Iteris, Inc. a leader in providing intelligent traffic management and weather information solutions, is partnering with Satshot, Inc., a leading provider of satellite and aerial imagery, to provide multispectral images for assessing crop growth and deficiencies on fields through the Satshot user interface.

Through this partnership, Iteris’ ClearPath Ag™ weather content system will be incorporated into Satshot’s mapping and remote sensing imagery system. Satshot customers – from individual growers to crop consultants and agribusiness corporations – will have the ability to utilize the high resolution, field level ClearPath Ag platform to identify field areas with persistent crop issues through detailed geo-referenced imagery. Iteris will also integrate Satshot crop imagery into their own ClearPath Ag technology to benefit compliance reporting, irrigation forecasting and crop yield optimization.

“We are committed to providing advanced agriculture solutions that enhance decision-making for agri-businesses, crop consultants and producers alike,” said Tom Blair, Iteris’ senior vice president, iPerform. “Our solutions provide hyper-local weather information for real-time decision-making that will help maximize crop yields while minimizing risk and input costs. This agreement builds upon our expansion into the precision agriculture market and affirms our strategy of integrating leading technologies with the most advanced companies in the industry.”

Iteris’ ClearPath Ag system provides agri-businesses with actionable, field-level weather information needed for data-driven decision making of efficient crop management, resource allocation, and risk reduction and mitigation. ClearPath Ag is a part of Iteris’ ClearPath set of weather related information diagnostics and solutions, providing actionable information for both “on-road” and “off-road” applications. Iteris’ line of ClearPath data analytics has a broad application for traffic, agriculture, facilities management, utilities and weather solutions.

“The integration of ClearPath Ag’s high-precision weather content into the Satshot imagery system will provide users with the latest information to make intelligent decisions in managing their fields,” said Lanny Faleide, president of Satshot Technologies. “Satshot users will now have access to more information than ever before, making it substantially easier to monitor crop growing conditions.”

UAV Remote Sensing in Precision Agriculture

Jamie JohansenJuly 29, 2014Aerial Application, Aerial Imagery, Agribusiness, Audio, technology, UAV

Raymond Hunt is a research physical scientist with USDA and spoke at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture on the application of unmanned ariel systems in precision ag.

“It has a lot of potential for a low altitude remote sensing so we can get a more detailed view of what the crop is for monitoring. It is a general technology that can be applied to almost any crop in many different situations.”

“The problems most people have had to date with remote sensing in agriculture is that agriculture needs certain types of information. Remote sensing can provide other types of information. Usually the two communities don’t see eye to eye. What we are trying to do is get higher resolution getting information closer to what a farmer can use.”

Listen to an interview with Raymond by AgNet West reporter Sabrina Hill here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/icpa/raymond_hunt_uav.mp3″ text=”Interview with Raymond Hunt”]

Coverage of the International Conference on Precision Agriculture is sponsored by

Agronomic Innovations, LLC Buys AgRobotics

Jamie JohansenJuly 29, 2014Agribusiness, agronomy, Soil

Agronomic Innovations, LLC, Brighton, IL, announces the purchase of AgRobotics and their patented AutoProbe precision soil sampler. The two privately held companies did not disclose the sale price. All AgRobotics employees retain employment with the new entity.

Agronomic Innovations, LLC is owned by Allen Lash and Harold Birch who have a combined seventy years of experience forming and growing companies to serve top producer business needs. AgRobotics co-founders Jim and Jeff Burton, Little Rock, AR, have been searching for the right strategic partner to expand use of their AutoProbe automated precision soil sampler.

“Everything begins with the soil,” says Lash. “Pinpoint sample integrity is what the AutoProbe offers. ‘Big Data’ is only as good as the initial measurement integrity. Spot sampling isn’t precision. You only understand what’s happening in that spot where the sample’s pulled. It’s logical that more samples are better. It’s also statistically more accurate.”

Birch says, “We’re excited to be able to provide the AutoProbe automated precision soil sampler to top farmers and agronomy organizations who wish to use it on their own acreage and that of interested clients. We are establishing farmer-owned AutoProbe service centers; the initial locations will be announced shortly. AutoProbe licensing to ag retailers and crop consultants will continue.

“Soil sample data accuracy and integrity are key to making correct management decisions,” Birch notes. “We believe the AutoProbe automated soil sampler is the solution to this challenge. Top farmers see the benefits quickly. Our intent is to harness farmer desire to have the most accurate and complete soil data to help drive crop performance from the ground up through this new soil sample data standard. We encourage farmers to ask the company currently pulling their soil samples to begin using the AutoProbe to increase the number of cores pulled and improve their sample results.”

Page 389 of 675
←
1
...
388
389
390
...
675
→