Smart Precision Farming with Raven’s SmarTrax MD

John DavisAgribusiness, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, Raven

nfms-13-ravenDoing things smarter, not harder, is what precision agriculture is all about, so it just makes sense that Raven Precision took the time to attend the recent National Farm Machinery Show and give farmers a peek at what they have to make their work a bit more efficient. Tim Heins with Raven explained to Chuck one of their latest tools, the SmarTrax MD, mechanical drive auto steering.

“It’s the first mechanical drive system that we have developed and manufactured in-house,” adding that it’s rugged and easily transferable between a wide range of machines. Tim said it will be coming to dealers later this summer, while there’s information available now online. He added that there’s been a good response to it at the NFMS.

“We’ve had a lot of really good interest in it from our dealers who have come by to see it, [as well as] users and customers looking for a steering system.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Tim here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-raven-heins1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Tim Heins”]

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

NFMS Only to Get Bigger & Better

John DavisAgribusiness, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show

nfms-13-rippetoeThe recent National Farm Machinery Show is touted as one of the biggest and best agricultural expos of the entire year, and it seems to live up to it billing, in no small part, due to the efforts of Rip Rippetoe (pictured during a TV interview), the new President/CEO of Kentucky Fair Board and his talented staff.

“People from all over the United States and the world come here because they know this is the place where you’re going to learn the latest trends, the best technology, and be able to meet and talk to people who are in the industry from all across the world and find out what it means to be in the ag industry,” Rip said.

With more than 860 exhibitors in a 1.2 million square foot indoor facility, attracting more than 300,000 visitors and pumping $22 million into the economy, Rip said it’s tough to see everything in just one day. He added that despite the facility being home to other noteworthy ag events, such as the North American Livestock Expo, the Kentucky State Fair, and beef and horse shows, they hope to do more and be even bigger in the future.

“I think there’s always opportunity. The question is: ‘How do we do it?’ People said we were maxed out on space last year, and our staff got creative and found ways to get more efficient and added booths [this year],” adding that they still sold out four weeks before the show, and they want to find a way to get those who have been on waiting lists to be part of the show.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Rip here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-kfairboard-rippetoe1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Rip Rippetoe”]

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Sponsored by Ag Leader Technology

New Holland Shows Off Efficient T8.420 at NFMS

John DavisAg Leader, Audio, National Farm Machinery Show, New Holland

nfms-13-nh-gary-wojcikOf course one of the big purposes of the National Farm Machinery Show was to display the latest in farm machinery. Our friends at New Holland were there and proudly showed their latest T8.420 tractor to enthusiastic crowds who couldn’t resist climbing up and seeing all the new bells and whistles inside. Gary Wojcik with New Holland went over some of the new features with Chuck.

“This is the new two-wheel drive, high horsepower with front wheel assist tractor,” adding that it has the highest horsepower in the industry, also featuring an AutoCommand CVT transmission. Gary said it also has the longest wheelbase in the industry that provides a smooth ride but still turns as sharp as any tractor out there.

Under the hood, Gary said they have a very efficient engine. They’ve taken the 9-liter Cursor engine and switched it to a common rail, which helps more finely control the injectors. “We’re going to produce more power with less fuel.”

Finally, crawling into the cab, operators will be impressed with how they can make the steering wheel, console and touch-screen monitor fit them to be the most comfortable.

Look for delivery of this beauty to dealers sometime this fall.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Gary here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms-13-new-holland-t8-wojcik1.mp3″ text=”Interview with Gary Wojcik”]

2013 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Sponsored by Ag Leader Technology

Precision Planting Introduces the vDrive

Talia GoesPlanting, Remote sensing, technology

logoPrecision Planting introduces the vDrive, a new electric drive system for use with 20/20 SeedSense and vSet meters.

According to Stoller, the vDrive replaces existing clutches, hydraulic motors and chains or cable drives. Instead, an electric drive controls each row individually, as needed, for more precise planting. Chain or cable maintenance is eliminated.

SeedSense draws on GPS, radar and gyro inputs to accurately calculate each row’s velocity. The vDrive Module (VDM) in the dust and moisture sealed motor assembly includes an encoder and closed loop control to maintain accurate population for each row in each foot of the field.

Sync Data with New FieldView Plus

Talia GoesData Collection, technology

fvplus_devicesThe new FieldView™ Plus service from Precision Planting allows producers to sync data between multiple planters, combines, computers and additional iPads. In addition, it provides safe and secure file back-up.

According to Doug Sauder, Product Manager, “Using Amazon Web Services (AWS), we built the PrecisionCloud that connects all of your iPads, SeedSense displays and planters to the cloud. This makes it simple for users to sync their information across multiple iPads, to share it with their partners, to store it securely, and to see and understand its implications across their entire operation.”

FieldView Plus makes it easy to share coverage files between tractors. It transfers FieldScripts and allows fast downloads of 20/20 files to a desktop computer or to share with partners. FieldView Plus also automatically backs up the user’s 20/20 and FieldView data. FieldView Plus automatically syncs field pins, field map data and client farm field lists so that data is the same on every device.

Does a New Equipment Warranty Matter?

Talia GoesGeneral

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What grade would you give Ag Sec. Vilsack during his first term?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at twenty-nine percent gave Vilsack an A. Twenty-two percent said D; eighteen percent said B; seventeen percent said C; and fourteen percent said F. Since the poll grades were similar across the board we decided to calculate his overall average. On his first term paper Vilsack scored a C+.

zp

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Does warranty influence your decision to purchase new equipment?” When shopping for new equipment there are many factors to consider that may make or break a purchase decision. Is warranty one of the top considerations? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

Sign-Up for the Conservation Reserve Program

Talia GoesConservation, USDA

usda-logoAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will conduct a four-week general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. CRP has a 27-year legacy of protecting the nation’s natural resources through voluntary participation, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities across the United States. Under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, USDA has enrolled 11.7 million acres in various CRP efforts.

Currently, about 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP, which is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. Contracts on 3.3 million acres of CRP are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2013. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.

Producers that are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract (10-15 years). Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP’s other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis and that often provide additional financial assistance. Continuous sign-up dates will be announced at a later date.

GPS Innovation Alliance Launches To Support GPS

Talia GoesGPS

UntitledCiting the ever increasing importance of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to the global economy and infrastructure, a group of GPS advocates announced the formation of the GPS Innovation Alliance, an organization dedicated to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the GPS Innovation Alliance welcomes affiliates who share in the goal of protecting, promoting and further enhancing one of the world’s most important enabling technologies – technologies that improve the lives of people around the globe.

The Alliance will build on the proud heritage and extensive expertise of the United States GPS Industry Council (USGIC), which was formed in 1991 to promote broader commercial applications of GPS and to expand global markets while assisting in safeguarding the technology’s military advantages. The Council has a long history of highly effective advocacy on behalf of the GPS industry, as well as serving as a trusted source of objective information for policy makers, the media and the public both in the U.S. and around the world.

Mississippi River Back to Normal

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Farmers, Fertilizer, Growmark

bargesAt the beginning of this year, closing the Mississippi River to barge traffic as a result of low water levels was a very real possibility, but that crisis has been averted thanks to some Army Corps of Engineers work.

“There was an emergency move by the Army Corps of Engineers to blast rocks out of the river floor at Thebes and Grant Tower, Illinois,” said Tracy Mack, director of bulk and packaged goods logistics for GROWMARK. “That added about two feet to the navigable channel between Memphis and St. Louis.”

gmk-mackThat project was complete by the beginning of February, sooner than expected, and some timely rains also helped. “Because of the recent rains and the forecast rain right now, we’re not in imminent danger of closure,” said Mack. “It’s looking that we have enough water to get us through the month of March at least if drought continues.”

Bottom line as far as Mack is concerned, there should be no impact on fertilizer movement or availability due to transportation on the mighty Mississippi. It was a different situation when Tracy was a guest on the AgFanatics podcast in early January so he is glad it has improved.

Listen to my interview with Tracy here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/growmark/gmk-tracy.mp3″ text=”GROWMARK’s Tracy Mack”]

Corn Yields Dependent on New Production Practices

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Corn

raboIncreasing plant population density will be critical to growing yields in U.S. corn production, but increasing this density will be dependent on the economics farmers face as they seek to increase yields, according to a new report released today by researchers at the Rabobank International Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory group. The report, titled “Crowding The Fields,” finds it likely we’ll see one to two years of stagnant plant population growth due to high input costs and dry soils in the U.S.

The report finds the key areas where future problems are becoming measurable in more dense plant populations include: a lack of adequate precision in planting equipment, fertilization practices which can encourage non-uniform plant growth, and insufficient spacing for root systems to develop. Each of these factors alone present serious challenges to long term growth in the corn yield curve. However, taken together, these obstacles are capable of severely restricting yield growth potential over the long term.