SPADE Digs Into Precision Information

John DavisAg Group, Audio, InfoAg

infoag-13-jim-wilsonHaving lots of data is good for precision farming, but that data has to meet certain standards for it to mean anything consistently for users on the other end. That’s why the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture addressed the subject with Jim Wilson, Standards Director, for Ag Gateway, a non-profit organization that looks to promote, enable and expand e-business in agriculture. One of their big projects is SPADE – the Standardized Precision Agricultural Data Exchange Program.

“One of the activities within that project was to define the requirements for data flowing from farm management information systems to other farm management information systems and farm management information systems to controllers on equipment and back,” he said. Standards for data already existed, but the Ag Gateway project team identified gaps between that standard and what was needed. Feedback has been sent to the ISO committee, and they’re working on figuring out how to implement changes.

Jim said Phase 1 of SPADE focused on seeding information, with Phase 2 expected to build on that, as well as looking at infrastructure and getting into harvest elements. He added that things are a bit open-ended at this point with an undetermined number of phases still ahead of them.

“Each phase has its own deliverables. The absolute end game of all of SPADE is not clear. We’re just taking steps to improve parts of the process. So if we can get controllers and farm management information systems talking more effectively with one another and then a farmer’s system talking with an agronomist’s system more effectively, those are steps in the right direction,” he said.

Jim invites people who are interested in attending this November’s Ag Gateway meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Jim here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-ag-gateway-jim-wilson.mp3″ text=”Interview with Jim Wilson, Standards Director, Ag Gateway”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Corn Growers Support Conservation

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Conservation, Corn, Farmers

“Without soil, we’re out of business.”

ctic-13-5That is the simple reason why corn growers support cutting edge conservation practices, according to Illinois farmer Dan Cole, a member of the National Corn Growers Association Production & Stewardship Action Team (PSAT) who took part in the recent Conservation Technology Information Center 2013 Conservation in Action Tour. “PSAT is in charge of water quality and sustainability,” he said. “We also do the corn grower contest, river transportation, but today we’re focused more on soil health.”

“This is cutting edge,” Dan told Chuck Zimmerman during the event. “We went from the mold board plow to the chisel plow, now we’re looking at more sustainable cover crops, no-till, strip till. Everything is to make that organic matter cycle quicker in production agriculture.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dan here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/ctic/ctic-13-cole.mp3″ text=”Interview with Illinois farmer Dan Cole”]

Reaping the Rewards of Good Soil Investment

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

ctic-13-jean-payne“The wealth of Illinois is in her soil, and her strength lies in its intelligent development.” That quote was from one of the first presidents of the University of Illinois almost 200 years, but attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard it reiterated by Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, who spoke at one of the tour dinners.

She says, while many recognize the need for good investment in that great natural resource, the recent economic troubles of Illinois has ended up cutting any state funding to nurture that investment. Rather than relying on the government, members of Jean’s group decided they’d take their own fate in their own hands and not be dragged down by what went on with the politicians.

“Are we going to let this tremendous [ag] industry get sucked down the vacuum that is becoming our state government? I said ‘No!'”

They went to other ag groups, including the Farm Bureau, corn and soybean growers, pork producers and Syngenta Crop Protection, and they were able to raise support for research. Eventually, they talked the Illinois legislature into letting them put together their own fertilizer checkoff that the groups, not the state, would manage. Now, they’re able to collect $2.5 million each year that they can use to be good stewards of the land.

“Despite the fact that we have a vacuum in our state government, I feel phenomenal about where our Illinois agriculture stands with our nutrient stewardship efforts. And it’s only going to get better,” Jean said.

She said they’ll need to keep working to educate people about the need for the checkoff and the dividends it pays on that investment.

“We have had to fight for this, [but] everything in life worth having is worth fighting for.”

Listen to Jean’s remarks to the CTIC group here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/ctic/ctic-13-jean-payne.mp3″ text=”Jean Payne, President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association”]

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album

Korea Approves Agrisure 3122 Trait Stack for Import

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Insect Control, Syngenta

Agrisure_3122E-ZRefuge_CMYKSyngenta announced that regulatory authorities in Korea have granted import approval for the Agrisure 3122 trait stack for food or feed use. The Agrisure 3122 trait stack offers growers a reduced-refuge trait stack featuring dual modes of action against corn borer and corn rootworm.

The Agrisure 3122 trait stack includes the trusted Agrisure CB trait, which has been helping to protect corn from European corn borer for more than 10 years; the Agrisure RW trait, which protects against corn rootworm; the Herculex I trait which provides a second mode of action against corn borer; the Herculex RW trait, which provides a second mode of action against corn rootworm; and the Agrisure GT trait for glyphosate tolerance.

The Agrisure 3122 trait stack is designed for geographies where corn rootworm management is a significant concern for growers. This product is marketed as the Agrisure 3122 E-Z Refuge trait stack as it includes the added benefit of a 5 percent integrated, single-bag refuge for certain corn-growing regions. Hybrids with the Agrisure 3122 E-Z refuge trait stack will be available from the Syngenta seed brands Golden Harvest® and NK, and also through licensing agreements with other seed companies.

CRP General Sign-Up Results

Talia GoesGeneral

usda-logoAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept 1.7 million acres offered under the 45th Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up. The Department received nearly 28,000 offers on more than 1.9 million acres of land, demonstrating CRP’s continuing appeal as one of our nation’s most successful voluntary programs for soil, water, and wildlife conservation. Under Vilsack’s leadership, USDA has enrolled nearly 12 million acres in new CRP contracts since 2009. Currently, there are more than 26.9 million acres enrolled on 700,000 contracts.

In addition to the announcement, over the last four years, USDA has set aside significant acreage under CRP’s Continuous enrollment programs to target habitat conservation on especially important lands. For example, in March, 2012, President Obama dedicated 1 million acres of CRP to Continuous Enrollment Programs to conserve wetlands, grasslands and wildlife. This year, farmers and ranchers have already offered more than 370,000 acres under Continuous CRP signup, a figure that is impressive given that the lack of a Farm Bill extension last fall meant that CRP enrollment only reopened this spring in May. Lack of a comprehensive Farm Bill this year has resulted in uncertainty for achieving further enrollment objectives under continuous CRP.

USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus cost. The five environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water quality, (3) soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits, and (5) air quality.

Precision Adds Profitability to Peanut Farming

Cindy ZimmermanAg Group, Ag Leader, sustainability

The theme of the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference was “Making Sustainability Work” and one important aspect of sustainability is profitability. To that end, one of the greatest advancements in farming sustainability and profitability over the past decade or so has come from the use of precision technology.

spgc13-agleader“One of the biggest things we can offer them is guidance,” said Ag Leader Technology southeast territory representative Kyle Snodgrass. “They are able to actually figure out where the peanuts are going in the ground and where they’re going to be when it’s time to harvest.”

Kyle says that improved cell phone coverage has helped improve signal capability for guidance systems and there are lots of new precision products, such as Advanced Seed Monitoring and variable rate applicators, that more peanut growers are starting to use. “They look at their bottom line after the first year and they’re absolutely shocked and amazed and they say why did a I wait so long?”

Listen to my interview with Kyle here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/peanuts/spgc13-agleader.mp3″ text=”Ag Leader Rep Kyle Snodgrass”]

2013 SPGC Photo Album

Ag Resource Management Survey for Peanuts

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Government, sustainability, USDA

The last time peanuts were the subject of a USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) was 2004 but soon those outdated figures for peanut farmers financial and crop production practices will be updated, according to USDA officials who attended the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference this past week in Panama City Beach, Florida.

spgc13-usda“This is a crucial time for us to get the information from the peanut industry because there’s been a lot of changes since 2004,” said Shiela Corley, Manager of the Environmental & Economic Surveys Section for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “We have three different phases. We just finished up the first phase and the second phase will be looking at chemicals, fertilizer use, production practices, pest management practices. Then we’ll come back in winter/early spring 2014 and ask about economic issues.” The ultimate goal is to get a total economic picture of the industry. [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/peanuts/spgc13-nass-corley.mp3″ text=”Interview with Shiela Corley, USDA-NASS”]

USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) is also involved in this survey and Dr. William McBride is leader of the Commodity Cost and Return Estimation Project. “We do estimates for 12 different commodities on a rotating basis and we’re doing peanuts this year,” he said.

Dr. McBride says the data collected in this survey is important for growers because it is used in policy decision making processes at both state and federal levels. “Cost of production is a piece of information that really helps,” he said. “This information goes a long way in informing policy makers…so all commodities can be compared on an even basis.”

He stresses that all personal information collected from farmers is completely confidential and is only reported and made public in aggregate form and he urges all growers who are contacted to respond as quickly as possible so they can meet their goal of 100% participation. [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/peanuts/spgc13-ers-mcbride.mp3″ text=”Interview with William McBride, USDA-ERS”]

2013 SPGC Photo Album

InfoAg: Measuring ROI on the Farm

John DavisAudio, InfoAg

infoag-13-brian-watkinsFarmers want to make sure they get the most for the dollars they invest into their operation, and precision agriculture obviously fits right into that line of thinking. At the 2013 InfoAg Conference on precision agriculture, Brian Watkins, a family farmer from northwest Ohio, did a session called Measuring Tech ROI (Return on Investment) on the Farm.

“Every time you make an investment, you look at the costs and benefits, and sometimes it’s definable, and other times it’s more about the potential,” he said, adding that technology such as auto-steer, boom and planter shut-off and control, and others, are possibly paying off even better than expected.

While machine controls are easier to put numbers on, he said that things like yield maps actually make him a better manager.

“[It’s] made me make decisions in terms of drainage, in terms of some managing fertility differently that made me more money than some of the things we talked about today.”

Brian admitted he is a bit of an ag nerd, but he believes that while the new-ness of a precision farming tool can be a great attractor, he and most other producers really look for what it means to the bottom line.

“I think that all farmers believe that there are some new things that can make them better, but they’re also skeptical of spending money. Some [things] are just fun to try, some of them make your life easier, and some have a good payback. I’d say all of those things have driven us to be informed.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Brian here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-brian-watkins.mp3″ text=”Interview with Brian Watkins”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Getting to Know Ag Leader

Talia GoesAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights WeeklyHere is the next in our series as we introduce you to a few of dedicated precision ag equipment dealers in a series called “Getting to Know Ag Leader”.

We caught up with Tim Norris of AgInfo Tech in Mt. Vernon, Ohio:

1. From an agronomy standpoint, what do you consider to be the biggest issues facing growers today?
Algal blooms in the Great Lakes and Hypoxia in the Gulf are probably the biggest issues that are facing Agriculture today. I have met with an associate director of the Ohio EPA so that they could learn more about VRA and Precision Ag and how it could have an effect on water quality that are leading to these bodies of water. I do not believe Agriculture to be the main contributor to these problems but we are defiantly a contributor. My fear is that if we don’t drastically reduce the amount of run off into our streams we will be mandated to do so and that will not be good for our producers.

2. Tell us about how growers in your area are using precision agriculture.
Growers in our area are using Precision Ag at various adoption rates. Some still do not use any, some just manual guidance, several have auto steer and yield monitors, about half are using VRA fertilizer and maybe 20% VRA Seed. Tile installation with GPS has increased significantly in the last two years. I have close to 10 growers using Infra-Red sensors to apply their in season nitrogen.

IMG_39953. What benefits are growers seeing by using precision ag on their farms? Give us some examples.
Probably the quickest payback is the Seed Command Clutch control. These systems can pay for themselves with in a year in a lot of situations. I have a few growers using RTK guidance to allow them to plant right on top of the strip in strip till so they are directly over the fertilizer band which has proven to greatly increase their yields. An the Infrared Sensors like OptRx have proven to average a $32 per acre return on our testing the last three years.

4. What do you believe is on the horizon when it comes to technology and agriculture?
I feel that data is going to start playing a much bigger role in Precision Ag. The revolution started with Data and I feel we are going to need to get “Back to the Data”. My Dad used to say you can save your way to poverty! Unfortunately it is easy to document the savings that come from point row clutches, VRA seeding, Auto Steer and OptRx but it is hard to document the yield increases. I feel that we need to focus on maximizing production. The only way to do that is to collect good data and be able to analyze that data in a timely and useful way that can be delivered to the grower quickly.

5. What’s your best piece of advice to a grower who might be looking at using precision ag products?
My best piece of advice is to find a Full Service Precision Ag dealer that not only knows the ins and outs of the equipment that they sell you, but one that has the ability to service you in the field if you have problems, and has the proper resources to get you back up and running quickly. Another key skill in a Precision Ag Dealer is that they localize Agronomic Knowledge to help you implement your Precision Ag plan.

Check back next month to “Get to Know” another Ag Leader dealer!

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.

Ag Leader DirectCommand with OptRx Crop Sensors

Chuck ZimmermanAg Leader, Audio, InfoAg

Matt Wolfe Ag Leader TechnologyOur coverage sponsor for the 2014 InfoAg Conference is Ag Leader Technology once again. Thank you very much! They brought out a full team and wide range of products to show the record crowd.

The first person I visited with was Matt Wolfe (pictured on left). His favorite product to talk about because they’re so involved with it right now is DirectCommand with OptRx Crop Sensors which allow you to measure crop health and provide application rate recommendations in real-time. This allows you to re-distribute your nitrogen to where it is most needed. Sounds like a good part of a conservation plan while also putting more dollars in your pocket.

You can listen to my interview with Matt here to learn more about it: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/infoag/infoag-13-ag-leader-wolfe.mp3″ text=”Interview with Matt Wolfe”]

2013 InfoAg Conference Photo Album