FAA UAS Test Site Program

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Aviation

faalogoThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving steadily ahead to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the largest, most complex air traffic systems in the world. The agency’s activities must address the needs of a diverse aviation community while ensuring current users both in the air and on the ground remain safe.

The FAA has selected six UAS test site operators that will allow the agency to develop research findings and operational experiences to help ensure the safe integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace as we transition to a system featuring NextGen technologies and procedures.

While the selection of these test sites will not allow immediate access to the national airspace system for commercial and civil purposes, data and other information related to the operation of UAS that is generated by the six test site operators will help the FAA answer key research questions such as solutions for “sense and avoid,” command and control, ground control station standards and human factors, airworthiness, lost link procedures and the interface with the air traffic control system. This data will help the FAA to develop regulations and operational procedures for future commercial and civil use of the NAS.

The test sites will be located at the University of Alaska, State of Nevada, New York’s Griffiss International Airport, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

The six test applications achieve cross-country geographic and climatic diversity and help the FAA meet its UAS research goals of System Safety & Data Gathering, Aircraft Certification, Command & Control Link Issues, Control Station Layout & Certification, Ground & Airborne Sense & Avoid, and Environmental Impacts will be met.

Each test site operator will manage the use and scheduling of the test site in a way that will give access to parties interested in using the site. The FAA’s role is to ensure that each operator sets up a safe testing environment and to provide oversight that ensures each site operates under strict safety standards.

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Study Shows How Cost-Effective Precision Ag Is

Chuck ZimmermanEducation, Research

LuxresearchA newly released study on precision agriculture by Lux Research shows how cost-effective these new technologies are. Here’s some information from their release.

Precision agriculture is a quantified approach to cultivation that employs sensing, input modulation, and data analytics to enhance the efficiency of agriculture and increased crop yields. While individual tools are not typically cost-effective, and often not relevant for small farms, combining these technologies into integrated solutions for large farms leads to gains – cost savings plus revenue increases – of up to $66.50 per acre for U.S. winter wheat, according to Lux Research.

In the Lux Research study, the best-case scenario assumed wireless-transmitting soil moisture sensors, combined with weather forecasting service and integrated decision support on farms of 5,000 acres. While savings from input costs averaged $24.5 per acre, output gains were $42.0 per acre.

“The key to effective precision agriculture is legitimate decision support, closing the loop from measurements, through recording and analysis, to seamlessly link on-farm conditions with actionable advice,” said Sara Olson, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Every Input Is an Opportunity: How Precision Agriculture Is Redefining the Business of Cultivation.”

Hick Chick Chat with BASF Seed Enhancements

Leah GuffeyASTA, Audio, BASF, Hick Chick Chat

11326519286_c9a07ae0bf_oIn order to help growers maximize yield potential and get the most out of every acre, BASF offers its complete portfolio of Advanced Seed Enhancements including inoculents, colorants, and biological and chemical seed treatments The BASF Advanced Seed Enhancements portfolio is the result of extensive research in the laboratory and field.

basf-neilAt the recent ASTA CSS 2013 in Chicago, BASF announced more details about their seed treatment products, so for this edition of the Hick Chick Chat, I chatted with Neil Bentley, director of marketing for BASF U.S. crop protection business. We discuss how seed enhancement has become as much an integral part of the grower’s decisions as which piece of equipment to buy.

You can listen to the Hick Chick Chat here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/podcast/hickchickchat-13-basf-bentley.mp3″ text=”Hick Chick Chat Neil Bentley, BASF”]

2013 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo Photo Album

Plenish High Oleic Soy IP Contract Program

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Dupont Pioneer, General, Soybeans

Dupont PioneerDuPont Pioneer and Bunge North America announced they will double acreage in 2014 of Pioneer brand soybeans with the Plenish high oleic trait. For the 2014 growing season, Pioneer will again contract with soybean farmers in the Delphos, Ohio, region to grow Plenish high oleic soybeans that will be delivered to Bunge’s facility for processing or to a participating elevator. Growers will be eligible for a processor-paid incentive for producing and delivering high oleic soybeans. The 2014 contract program will support ramping up of supply to meet increasing oil demand from food companies.

The development of Plenish high oleic soybean oil is an important milestone for Pioneer in its efforts to bring product innovation to the food industry and complements solutions offered by DuPont Nutrition & Health to address the world’s challenges in food. High oleic soybean oil provides a soy-based trans fat alternative for food companies and foodservice operators. Plenish high oleic soybeans from Pioneer contain the highest oleic content (~7 percent or higher) of any soybean product under commercial development.

Plenish high oleic soybeans are approaching completion of global regulatory approvals with over 96 percent of U.S. soybean export markets now approved. For more information on Plenish high oleic soybeans visit www.plenish.com.

Weed Control for Soybean Growers

Talia GoesAgribusiness, FMC, Weed control

fmcFMC Agricultural Solutions announces a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) crop registration of its Anthem SE herbicide now for use on soybeans. Anthem herbicide offers both corn and soybean growers control of broadleaf weeds and grasses with flexible application timing up to 45 days preplant, preemergence and early postemergence.

Introduced for corn in fall of 2012, Anthem herbicide provides powerful control of broadleaf weeds and grasses. Now available for soybeans, Anthem offers growers a soybean application window up to 45 days preplant through V3 with 4-8 weeks of residual activity. Applied in-season, growers can easily combine the concentrated liquid formulation of Anthem with tank mixes of companion herbicides with effective rates as low as 4 to 11 ounces per acre.

With preemergence and postemergence application flexibility, Anthem provides growers with a residual herbicide that also has postemergence activity on several broadleaf weeds including pigweed species, like waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, before or after soybean emergence. Anthem also is an excellent tool as part of an OverlapSM system when used postemergence in conjunction with Authority® herbicides preemergence as part of a sequential program for outstanding, season-long residual on key grasses and broadleaf weeds that challenge growers’ ability to maximize yield potential.

National Corn Yield Contest Winners for 2013

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Corn, NCGA

NCGA color logoAdvanced production techniques, informed growing practices and improved seed varieties helped corn growers achieve high yields in the National Corn Growers Association 2013 National Corn Yield Contest. Entrants continued to far surpass the national average corn yield, setting a contest record with a new all-time high yield of 454 bushels per acre. Additionally, a record five national entries surpassed the 400-plus bushel per acre mark.

The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 49th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members, setting a new participation record this year with 8,827 entries. This surpasses the previous record of 8,431 entries, set in 2011, and far outstrips the 8,263 entries received in 2012.

The 18 winners in six production categories had verified yields averaging more than 354.6 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 160.4 bushels per acre in 2013. While there is no overall contest winner, yields from first, second and third place farmers overall production categories topped out at 454.9837.

What Winter Shows You’re Going To

Talia GoesZimmPoll

zp-nhOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “ Which winter farm shows/events are you planning to attend?”

Our poll results:
· National – 29%
· None – 24%
· All of the above – 19%
· State – 10%
· Other – 10%
· Regional – 5%
· Local – 5%

Looks like quite a few of you will be traveling to shows this winter. Be careful and we hope you find what you’re looking for.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “ What is your traditional Christmas dinner?” Will there be a big bird in the middle of your family dinner table or a mouthwatering roast beef? Let us know!

SST Software Partners With GeoVantage

Cindy ZimmermanAerial Imagery, Audio, technology

SST Software, an industry leader in precision agriculture, will soon offer remote sensing services to growers and ag service providers in partnership with GeoVantage, a global provider of multi-spectral imagery.

sstThe partnership will enable SST to provide seamless ordering, acquisition, and delivery of multi-spectral imagery across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. SST’s software currently manages approximately 85 million acres of farmland across 23 countries.

“This imagery as a data layer is used to help growers and service providers make better management decisions,” said Tim Riley, SST Business Development Director, who adds that GeoVantage has a proprietary platform for acquiring the imagery via airplanes. “They have strategically placed assets throughout the country and heavily in the same areas where we have customers. Because of that, it was just a natural partnership.”

Starting in spring 2014, ag service providers using SST Summit will be able to order imagery on demand and Riley says they are very excited about future applications. “There’s a lot of buzz around the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems and we plan to integrate that type of data into our system, as well as satellite imagery.”

Listen to Riley explain more here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/precision/sst-geovantage.mp3″ text=”Tim Riley, SST comments on partnership with GeoVantage”]

Ag Leader Holiday Hours

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights WeeklyAg Leader Technical Support will be closed from Tuesday, Dec. 24 through Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. During this time, there will not be an option to leave a voicemail message.

We would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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