Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Does warranty influence your decision to purchase new equipment?”
Our poll results: Almost all of you at eighty-seven percent said Yes, while thirteen percent said No. This poll certainly shows that warranty is a major consideration when shopping for new equipment!
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What are your spring planting intentions for corn?” The severe drought of 2012 may influence farmers to try something different this planting season. Will it affect how many acres of corn you plant for the 2013 crop? Let us know.
An agronomy firm whose smartphone application uses GPS soil testing data and National Weather Service rainfall data to estimate corn yield and determine the most limiting factor will launch a new function on the app.
The new “Solver” function from Advanced Ag Solutions LLC can provide growers and crop advisers the ability to download daily recommendations that can be used to control product rates in the field. It is part of the company’s Optimizer 2.0 app, which is a finalist in the Innovation of the Year category of the 2013 TechPoint Mira awards.
How the world’s farmers meet the demands of a growing population in a sustainable way is the subject of the next Farm Foundation Forum on Wednesday, March 6, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The forum will also be broadcast on the web for free.
Attendees will discuss a new report from Solutions From the Land (SFL), a national dialogue of landowners and conservationists focused on the sustainable policies and practices:
The report is the result of a three-year conversation among thought leaders in agriculture, forestry and conservation to identify the land challenges faced today and in the years ahead, and propose pathways to address those challenges. The pathways proposed are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to serve as the basis for robust, solutions-oriented conversations among the diverse range of stakeholders with interests in land use issues. This includes foresters, farmers, ranchers, conservationists, community leaders, recreation enthusiasts, the wildlife community, policy makers and agribusiness leaders.
Former Texas Congressman Charlie Stenholm will moderate the discussion on the report.
More information on attending in person or watching the webinar is available on the Farm Foundation website. Register by noon Monday, March 4.
Sequester is scheduled to take effect on March 1 and so far Congress has made no effort to prevent the across the board spending cuts from taking place. I talked with GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer to find out more about this monster called Sequester.
Spencer explains that sequestration traces back to the Budget Control Act of 2011 requiring Congress to come to an agreement on deficit reduction by the end of 2012 – or else there would be cuts to all defense and non-defense spending. “There are exemptions within the provisions, obviously Social Security, veterans affairs, some nutrition programs,” he said. “Those cuts for sequestration can range anywhere from 10 percent in some discretionary defense programs to 7.8% for non-defense discretionary programs.”
One proposal to avoid sequestration comes from the Democrats who are suggesting taking all the needed cuts – $55 million – from defense and agriculture. The reasoning behind taking half from agriculture is ending direct payments, which is supposed to be done whenever a new farm bill is completed. Spencer says one problem with that is those cuts would take effect immediately, and the current farm bill that was extended through September includes direct payments for this season. “Many farmers have incorporated their management plans for 2013, we’re coming up on spring planting season, and a change in that type of program – particularly for crops in the southern part of the country – would be very difficult to deal with,” he said.
Listen to my interview with Spencer here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/growmark/gmk-spencer-sequester.mp3″ text=”Chuck Spencer, GROWMARK”]
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is revving up the 2013 Commodity Classic trade show in Orlando this week with powerful irrigation engines that can help producers save money, meet their emissions reduction goals, and become less dependent on imported oil.
PERC will display new propane-fueled engines for irrigation and register producers for more than $4,000 in propane equipment incentives through the Propane Farm Incentive Program. Producers visiting PERC at booth 938 during the trade show can also participate in PERC’s “Land the Grand” promotion for a chance to win $1,000 or a new propane gas grill.
New research shows that propane-fueled irrigation engines cost up to 14 percent less to purchase and operate than diesel models. Propane fuel burns cleaner and more efficiently than traditional fuels, decreasing deposits on engine components and reducing toxic greenhouse gas emissions by up to 24 percent compared with diesel.
Farmers interested in powerful and efficient new propane-fueled irrigation engines can check out the Ford 6.8-liter industrial propane engine from Engine Distributors Inc. at the booth and apply for an incentive to purchase one.
The Propane Farm Incentive Program, sponsored by PERC, lowers the initial cost of purchasing a new EPA-certified propane-fueled irrigation engine, offering producers a $400 incentive per liter of engine displacement up to 10.3 liters, or $4,120. As part of the research and demonstration initiative, eligible farmers report on performance data for at least one season. Feedback from the program helps inform future product development.
Precision agriculture equipment was on prominent display at the recent National Farm Machinery Show. Chuck caught up with one of our friends from Topcon Precision Agriculture, Joe Robertson, who was showing their new AGI-4 Receiver/Steering Controller, the first truly modular ISO-compliant steering system.
“It’s a roof receiver that also has all the steering control built in it, so everything is in one component. But in addition to working with our 350 and 150 systems, it can work with other ISO [virtual terminal] or ISO11783-compliant systems. So with a single component on the roof, you can do steering and run it through your existing console in the cab,” Joe said, adding they are testing it to see if it will be compatible with even more systems. “It’s easy to upgrade, you plug it into the system you already have. You don’t have to buy a whole lot of extra. It’ll run on your system.”
Joe said it will be available to order sometime in March, with more information available now on the Topcon Precision Agriculture website and the specific AGI-4 Receiver/Steering Controller page. It’s just one of many products Topcon has that covers more than just steering: variable rate control, data mapping and management, and nutrient sensing devices mounted on the roof instead of the spray bar, just to name a few.
You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Joe here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-topcon-robertson1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Joe Robertson”]
During the recent National Farm Machinery Show, our friends at New Holland got the chance to talk about their new Precision Land Management (PLM) system that offers producers a full range of precision farming solutions.
“We have a new telematics that we’re now offering, and also we have section and rate control for planting, as well as new software for processing yield and moisture maps for combines, for example,” explained New Holland’s Gary Wojcik, adding this all goes along with a full complement of all the PLM products you would need. New Holland has also emphasized this year education, including a new PLM Academy app. “We’re putting more of a focus and effort on raising the level of knowledge and education for dealers so they can take better care of the product.”
Gary said the mood at the NFMS has been very good, and you can tell farm incomes are up. He added that there is a real appetite for systems that will make operations more efficient and improve bottom lines.
You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Gary here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-new-holland-plm-wojcik1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Gary Wojcik”]
There’s a lot of information out there. So much, in fact, that some producers can find themselves drowning in a sea of data as they go from machine to machine trying to collect and manage it all. That’s where our friends from Trimble come in. During the recent National Farm Machinery Show, Trimble’s Mike Martinez talked about their Connected Farm system that allows easier and more seamless data gathering.
“Everything that’s out on the farm today that’s precision farming is collecting data. It’s always been a challenge what to do with that data, how to get it to the place it’s most productive. So Connected Farm grabs the data without much user intervention and wirelessly collecting that in one centralized location so that the farm manager, the farm operator can then make intelligent business decisions based on that data,” Mike said.
Not only does Connected Farm give you vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity in the field, but it also lets people back in the office tap into the technology in the field to troubleshoot any problems within minutes. It also has productivity reporting to help decision-makers see what is and isn’t working, as well as what problems are being faced in the field.
For producers concerned about the security of their information, Mike said there are some extremely secure technologies out there that Trimble is using. “Multiple redundant servers, your data is not going to get lost or hacked into. We’re using global standards for data security, and we hold that very, very important.”
You can listen to the interview with Mike here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-trimble-connected-farm-martinez1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Mike Martinez”]
And since you need to make sure the information your gathering is valid, in the video below, you can also see Mike explain how Trimble’s Correction Services helps make sure the data you’re using is accurate:
We recently caught up with Adam Walters, Ag Leader software support specialist, at the National Farm Machinery Show and he gave us a quick “tour” of SMS Software, its capabilities and how it helps growers make better management decisions.
Walters also gave us a top-level overview of Intellislope, a new functionality available through the Ag Leader Integra display which provides tile plow control for installing field drainage tile.
[wpaudio url=”http://precision.agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/02/nfms-13-ag-leader-adam-walters.mp3″ text=”Listen to Walters explain”]
And if you’re heading out to Commodity Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., Feb. 28 – March 2, be sure to look up Ag Leader experts who will be on hand to talk about the latest in precision technology equipment, enhancements, future products, and much more.
Giving the customers what they want is a hallmark of good business, and Case IH practices that with every piece of equipment they roll out.
“Before we lay down the product definition for any future design, we go out and visit with the customers at length,” explained Case IH’s Rob Zemenchik during an interview with Chuck at the National Farm Machinery Show. Rob calls their approach of taking an in-depth survey of their customers’ needs “agronomic design,” rather than assuming what the customers need. “With the investments our growers are making today in seed and fertilizer and land, we want to be sure our equipment is able to meet those needs and deliver on the best opportunities for high yield.”
He pointed to one example of Case IH’s application of this agronomic design principle with his company’s 500T Seed Drill, a product that features an industry-first parallel linkage in the row units. “That was identified by our customers.”
You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Rob here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-caseih-zemenchik1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Rob Zemenchik”]
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We recently caught up with Adam Walters, Ag Leader software support specialist, at the National Farm Machinery Show and he gave us a quick “tour” of SMS Software, its capabilities and how it helps growers make better management decisions. 
