The News is Out at Ag Media Summit!

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights WeeklyAg Leader’s marketing communications team will be hitting the trade show floor at the upcoming Ag Media Summit, the largest meeting in the United States of the ag industry’s top writers, editors, photographers, publishers and ag communicator specialists. And there to get the news out about Ag Leader’s new video, website redesign and product offerings will be Jenna Royer, marketing communications manager.

Royer says Ag Leader is excited about a new video, debuting at Ag Media Summit.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/Jenna1.mp3″ text=”Listen to Royer explain”]

In May, Ag Leader also revamped their website. Hear more from Jenna about new functionality of the site.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/Jenna2.mp3″ text=”Listen to Royer explain”]

And of course, Royer will be on hand to educate editors about some of Ag Leader’s products and services.

[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/Jenna3.mp3″ text=”Listen to Royer explain”]

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

MyAgCentral Connects Producers, Advisors and Data

John DavisAgribusiness, Audio, Data Collection, InfoAg, Internet

infoag-13-steve-cubbageRecently, we told you about a new cloud-based precision data service called MyAgCentral.com. During the recent 2013 InfoAg Conference, Chuck was able to catch up with Steve Cubbage, the President of Prime Meridian, a company behind MyAgCentral.com and find out a little more.

“It’s a subscription-based service for growers, retailers and service providers that brings technology together,” Steve said. “There’s a lot of technology out there ,and it’s growing every day, and really to manage that, we felt there was a need to have one site for growers to go to to manage their modern farm.”

Some examples Steve cited was pulling together center pivots control and grain monitoring. He said so many different precision data services serve certain areas, so instead of having the farmer try to keep track of a dozen different websites where the information is stored and analyzed, they can go to one place, MyAgCentral.com and access everything.

MyAgCentral consolidates that into a single web-based interface, and on top of that, it is also a repository that the grower controls for his own precision ag data that they can go to and disseminate out to their retailers or precision ag team.”

Steve said good collaboration between companies is helping make it easier. Right now, MyAgCentral.com is browser based, but there are ways to use apps to move data from a cloud account to the website through a mobile device. In addition, he points out that his site provides farmers with a place to store all that information as an extra backup, like a safe deposit box, as well as making it easier to share original data.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Steve here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-myagcentral-steve-cubbage.mp3″ text=”Interview with Steve Cubbage, Prime Meridian and MyAgCentral.com”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

How Many Farm Apps Do You Use?

Talia GoesZimmPoll

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What use would you have for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?”

Our poll results:

· Crop analysis 25%
· Improve nutrient & crop protection efficiency 18%
· Just for fun! 18%
· Maximize yields 15%
· More efficient water use 7%
· Monitor livestock 8%
· Other 8%

So what do you think from the looks of the results? Are UAVs the next big technology “trend” for farmers who need to scout fields?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” How many ag-related apps do you have?” According to a recent Successful Farming survey, 28% of farmers polled “normally use apps to obtain information on agricultural products and/or services.” Are you one of the 28% and if so, how many different apps to you use? Let us know what you think.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

2013 PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence

Chuck ZimmermanAg Group, Audio, InfoAg

PrecisionAg AwardsDuring the InfoAg Conference the 2013 PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence were presented, sponsored by the PrecisionAg Institute. Announcing the awards was Paul Schrimpf, Group Editor, Croplife Media Group and posing with each of the winners is K. Elliott Nowels, Meister Media Group. First up:

Crop Adviser/Entrepreneur Award

Laserplane Arkansas, Inc.

PrecisionAg AwardsThe next award:

Educator/Researcher Award

Dr. John Fulton, Auburn University

You can listen to comments by Dr. Fulton here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-award-1.mp3″ text=”Comments from Dr. John Fulton”]

The PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence shed light on some of the most important people and programs that have helped agriculture realize the full benefits of technology to improve agronomy, efficiency, and stewardship in crop production.

PrecisionAg AwardsThe next award presented during the awards luncheon was:

Farmer Award

Byron & Darrington Seward, Louise, MS

You can listen to comments from our winner here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-award-2.mp3″ text=”Comments from Byron & Darrington Seward”]

PrecisionAg AwardsAnd the final award:

Legacy Award

Dr. William Raun, Oklahoma State University

You can listen to comments by Dr. Raun here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-award-3.mp3″ text=”Comments from Dr. William Raun”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

New Agriculture App for Fleet Management

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Apps, Trimble

monitor_with_assettrackingTrimble announced the Connected Farm Fleet app built to serve managers and technicians by enabling them to access their fleet information from any location. Using smartphones and tablets, the app enables the fleet management portion of Trimble’s industry-leading Connected Farm Web solution to go mobile. With the app, managers can track the location of vehicles, receive geo-fence and curfew alerts, analyze vehicle status, and view historical positions.

The app can display current status information such as whether the vehicle is idling, moving, working or delayed. This information flows into the Connected Farm Web solution, which allows managers to analyze the efficiency and productivity of their fleet.

Features of the Connected Farm Fleet app include:

  • View the position and status of each vehicle overlaid on background imagery or road maps
  • Map the locations of landmarks (such as structures, storage locations, irrigation/drainage, etc.) and view them for reference when navigating in remote areas
  • Use turn-by-turn navigation to locate vehicles from your current position
  • Receive geo-fence and curfew alerts
  • View historical positions

The free Connected Farm Fleet app is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2013 and is compatible with a variety of smartphones and tablets using an iOS or Android operating system.

AgriVisor Helps Market Grain to Maximize Profitability

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Farmers, Growmark

Precision farming is all about maximizing profitability for farmers so that should carry over to the marketing of the crop as well.

Grain marketing with precision means diversification and minimizing risk to maximize profitability, and AgriVisor helps farmers do just that. Account manager Cory Winstead says there are several ways they work with farmers. “We work directly with brokerage services and then since 1973 AgriVisor has been putting out general advice with recommendations,” he said. They also work with elevators, offering different products and services that farmers can utilize.

Cory says the grain markets continue to be volatile. “Last year we had the drought which really created volatility in the market,” he said. “This year we still had weather issues like the wet spring … a weather market always creates a lot of volatility.”

The biggest rule for marketing grain is don’t put all your eggs in one basket. “Have a diversified plan,” said Cory. “Know your cost of production so you can make an educated sale at a profitable level.”

Check out the different products and services offered by AgriVisor on agrivisor.com and listen to my interview with Cory to find out more: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/growmark/agrivisor-cory.mp3″ text=”Interview with Cory Winstead, AgriVisor”]

New Matrix Pro GS with Enhanced Swath Control

Melissa SandfortDisplays, Spraying

MatrixPro840GS_Right w-RAM_curved compassThe Matrix Pro GS Guidance System offers growers TeeJet exclusive RealView® guidance over video along with several new productivity enhancing features.

Matrix Pro GS is the only system available that displays guidance and live video simultaneously, improving accuracy and efficiency in field operations. Up to eight RealView cameras can be used to monitor multiple machine operations while at the same time viewing guidance information. Growers can choose Matrix Pro 570GS with 5.7″ (145 mm) display or Matrix Pro 840GS with 8.4″ (213 mm) display.

Matrix Pro GS builds upon the proven Matrix and Matrix Pro product lines and adds many new capabilities. Advanced swath control capabilities now allow for automatic boom section control (ABSC) on dry spreaders and sprayers with offset booms. Matrix Pro GS also supports droplet size monitoring capability. This exclusive feature provides real‐time display of the droplet size being produced at the sprayer boom allowing the operator to optimize their spraying application. The unique NextRow feature guides operators through turns in row crop environments, helping them find the correct rows to steer between for the next pass.

Matrix Pro GS is auto‐steer and ABSC ready. Adding FieldPilot® or UniPilot® assisted steering can greatly enhance operator productivity. Adding BoomPilot® ABSC is economical and easy as well.

John Deere Shows Work in Key Trends at InfoAg

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, Audio, InfoAg, John Deere

infoag-13-pat-sikoraKeeping up with new trends in precision agriculture can be a little easier with the right partner company. Just before one of the sponsors innovation showcases at the 2013 InfoAg Conference, Chuck caught up with Patrick Sikora from John Deere (on the left in the picture), who said his company is highlighting some of the key trends in precision agriculture and how he sees them as hinge points for John Deere, especially data and information.

“If you look back over the last 10 years, guidance is probably been the first mainstream technology over a broad audience of precision ag technology. Over more recent year, things like sectional control or other machine controls have been the next adoption. And really getting back to the original precision ag mapping, definitely a resurgence of focus on that,” with Deere equipment being a main contributor to that information source Pat said.

He added that John Deere has been in the yield mapping business for quite a while.

“We’ve been in the [yield-mapping] business since 1996, other mapping for other applications since 2002, so many years of data provide a platform to share with others, and I think that’s a key component Deere wants to do: help connect growers to the people they want in a lot easier fashion.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Pat here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-john-deere-pat-sikora.mp3″ text=”Interview with Patrick Sikora, John Deere”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

GEOSYS: Good Decisions from Good Information

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, agronomy, Audio, computers, InfoAg

infoag-13-dave-westMaking good decisions on the farm has a lot to do with knowledge and hard work. But the best knowledge and the hardest work can be undone if you’re starting with bad information. To help farmers get the best information Geosys has just announced the Field Profit Planner, a comprehensive tool for farmers and their advisors who pursue high efficiency farming.

The new cloud-based GEOSYS Field Profit Planner service gives growers quick analyses of their individual fields while also providing insight into productivity across the entire farm. Unique to the GEOSYS platform, profit analysis for each field is included as part of the standard package. Each grower’s individual field costs and yields can be used to calculate returns on each field or variable rate technology (VRT) field zone. The data is displayed in an easy-to-use format.

At the recent the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture, Chuck caught up with Dave Scott with GEOSYS, one of the speakers at the event. He says GEOSYS uses the latest tools in agronomy so are enabled to make the best decisions for their operations.

“We’re not actually making those decisions for a grower. Our tools are meant to give the producer or decisionmaker the best information to make the best decisions,” he said, adding GEOSYS has been in business around the globe for 25 years. And over the past decade, they have put together a database on satellite imagery that is what Dave characterizes as the most effective tool for measuring variability in a field. That’s a lot of information at the fingertips of GEOSYS providers. “Being able to take that, build the algorithms to it and process it, and deliver visual tools that will act as either a substrate for a conventional solution or a precision ag, variable-rate solution, that’s where we play.”

Dave says GEOSYS’ information can tell a subscriber what’s going on in the soil, past performance, variables, and where to plant crops, just to name a few items. He added the data really helps producers who need to be able to anticipate and react to the variables in those fields. Dave said knowing what to do in the various parts of one field can significantly cut down on the costly inputs, such as fertilizer and seed.

“We’re talking about producing more crop with either the same amount or less inputs.”

Dave concluded saying all a farmer needs is internet access to get the information they need from GEOSYS, and the data they gather from their own operations would be cloud-based, so producers don’t have to worry about having a wall of servers just to preserve all that info. Plus, he said they have an Apple-based app for mobile devices.

More information on GEOSYS is available at www.geosys.com.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Dave here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-geosys-dave-scott.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dave Scott, GEOSYS”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Monsanto: Precision Farming Part of Conservation

John DavisAg Group, Agribusiness, Audio, Conservation, CTIC, Monsanto

ctic-13-emilio-oyarzabalMonsanto was one of the sponsors on the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and Chuck caught up with the company’s Emilio Oyarzabal, who said the CTIC’s work is very important to Monsanto and its customers.

“We need agriculture more than ever,” Emilio said, but he added that farmers are being accused of doing environmental damage. “If we observe the problem and see how we can fix this, conservation is one way to make your farm sustainable and deflect that criticism.”

Emilio said Monsanto is right on the forefront of that environmental charge, working on how to double crop yields and decrease the inputs by a third… not an easy task.

“Biotechnology is a tool, but not the only tool. We need to make a paradigm shift in what we do in agriculture,” suggesting new crop rotations and different ways of using fertilizers, just to name a few ideas. “We need to think in different ways.”

He went on to say that precision farming tools are helping farmers adopt better practices, while companies are providing the better tools farmers need.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Emilio here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/ctic/ctic-13-monsanto-emilio-oyarzabal.mp3″ text=”Emilio Oyarzabal, Monsanto”]

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album