Ag Leader Announces GPS 2500B RTK Base Station

Melissa SandfortAg Leader, Insights Weekly

Insights Weekly Farmers requiring sub-inch accuracy for tiling and other precision farming operations have a new GPS option from Ag Leader Technology, Inc.: the GPS 2500B RTK Base Station.

Bill Cran, Ag Leader GPS Product Specialist, said, “The GPS 2500B is a dualfrequency 900 MHz RTK Base Station for use with the field-proven GPS 2500 smart antenna.”

Intended for highly accurate tile installation and pass-to-pass repeatability in field operations, the system can access multiple GNSS signals, including GLONASS. “The GPS 2500B is ideal for use with the Ag Leader Intellislope™ Tile Plow Control system. Growers with the Ag Leader OnTrac2+™ Assisted Steering system can also benefit from the increased accuracy,” Cran explained.

2500BSetup of the GPS 2500B base station is quick and easy: the operator simply mounts the unit on the included tripod and connects to a 12-volt power source. The unit can also be permanently mounted for long-term repeatability.

The base station also features improved GNSS performance, a full graphic display with menu selection keys and standard USB flash drive data transfer. The unit is protected in a rugged housing that is resistant to damage from dust and liquid.

RTK radio kits will be available for those who would like to upgrade their existing GPS 2500 receivers. Growers can consult an Ag Leader dealer or visit agleader.com for complete details.

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.

Precision Farmer Profile – Mike Cox of Indiana

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Profiles

Mike Cox of Indiana was one of more than 250 innovative farmers from around the country who attended the recent BASF Crop Protection grower symposium in Fort Lauderdale highlihgting “Fields of Opportunity” for the future of agricultural productivity.

basf-grower-2Mike Cox is a corn and soybean farmer from Indiana who really enjoyed the symposium, interacting with fellow producers from around the country and learning about tools to help him increase production. “We like to do a good job and it takes continuous education and effort to make that happen,” said Mike.

He’s also a member of the BASF advisory panel, and he expects the company to do a good job of listening to ideas from farmers like him. “I hope that the goal [of taking a great product farther] is something we can achieve.”

Mike said that technology has been a big driver in making agriculture more efficient and making sustainable increases in production. He added that he’s been exposed to precision technology nearly his entire career, back to the early 1990s. “The technology just keeps getting better and better. And it gives credibility to the products we use. It’s a check mark that you’re doing a good job or maybe you’re not extracting enough value.”

Mike concluded expressing his appreciation to be able to come to a symposium like this put on by BASF. “They’ve done an excellent job presenting their information. Very professional, organized contribution that I’m glad to witness and be part of.”

Listen to an interview with Mike here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/basf/basf-13-grower-mike.mp3″ text=”Mike Cox, Indiana farmer”]

BASF Grower Symposium Photo Album

Case IH & Ram Trucks Declare Year of the Farmer

Chuck ZimmermanAgribusiness, Case IH, Equipment, Trucks, Video

If you’ve been active in farm social media any time since last night then you have to know about a great Super Bowl commercial from Ram Trucks in alliance with sister company Case IH. Just in case you haven’t then here you go.

Paul HarveyIn our newest Ram brand commercial, we dedicate 2013 to celebrating the American farmer. Share the video, and join the Ram brand throughout the year as we celebrate the people, the food and the lifestyle that keep America growing.

WELCOME TO THE YEAR OF THE FARMER.

And just to sweeten it a little bit how about helping the FFA?

You watch the video, you share a badge, the Ram brand makes a donation. Help us raise $1 million to support FFA and assist in local hunger and educational programs.

So watch the commercial. It’s worth it just to listen to broadcast legend Paul Harvey!

Vegetation Indices and Crop Stress

Talia GoesAgribusiness, Nutrient Management

FergusonThe 2013 Precision Ag Action Summit was held on January 21 & 22 in North Dakota. Richard B. Ferguson of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln gave a presentation on “Vegetation Indices and Crop Stress”. Some indicators of crop stress include color, leaf or plant shape, patterns within leaves, patterns of leaves on plant and patterns of plants within a field. Vegetation Index is measured by a combination of surface reflectance at two or more wavelengths designed to highlight a particular property of vegetation.

Summary from his presentation:
— Plant color is highly correlated with chlorophyll content, which is highly correlated with nitrogen stress.
— Crop color and biomass can be measured with optical sensors in visible and near-infrared wavelengths.
— Vegetation indices measure the relationship between canopy reflectance characteristics and crop properties of interest, such as nitrogen stress.
— Sensors to manage N stress are commercially available. Sensors for water deficit and other sources of stress are in development.

Click here to view his full presentation.

Precision Farmer Profile – Jay Drees of Iowa

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, Profiles

More than 250 of the nation’s most innovative farmers recently were invited to attend the recent BASF Crop Protection grower symposium in Fort Lauderdale highlighting “Fields of Opportunity” for the future of agricultural productivity. Among them was Jay Drees of Iowa.

basf-grower-1“I’m a second generation farmer. We basically raise corn and soybeans,” Jay said. He also serves on BASF’s Grower Advisory Panel, a position designed to explain to BASF what some of the current problems are with farming and to find possible solutions.

Jay said technology in the equipment and in the seeds they put in the ground are making their operations run better. “GPS has been a big thing. It’s made it easier and more efficient to cover more of the acres.” He also credits new corn varieties that are resistant to drought as helping make his job a little easier. Plus, Drees is really happy with BASF’s new treatments to hold ground water better.

Jay said coming to a symposium like this is valuable because of how much they learn from farmers in other parts of the country … especially how southern farms have to learn to deal with certain weeds before they hit his farm in Iowa. “The people in the south get to see the weeds before we do, and I told one guy that I appreciate that they do get ’em, so we can figure out a way to kill ’em before they get to us!”

Listen to an interview with Jay here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/basf/basf-13-grower-jay.mp3″ text=”Jay Drees, Iowa farmer”]

BASF Grower Symposium Photo Album

Soil Qualities Won’t Suffer with Corn Cob Removals

John DavisAudio, USDA

corncobsConcerns over hurting the soil quality when harvesting some crop residues for cellulosic biofuels, instead of leaving the residues on the fields to help the soil quality, might be unfounded. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research says that soil quality would not decline if post-harvest corn cobs were removed from the field.

“Crop residues have many useful functions when left in the field, [including] protecting against water and wind erosion [and] may contain essential nutrients for crop growth that can be recycled back into the soil,” among others says Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist Brian Wienhold, who conducted the study. But his work compared runoff rates and sediment loss from no-till corn fields where postharvest crop residues were either removed or retained and found no significant difference between fields’ sediment loss rates with and without the cobs. The cobs did slightly delay field runoff.

The study concluded that cobs could be removed from other residue and used for bioenergy feedstock without significantly interfering with the role of crop residues in protecting soils. But Wienhold cautions that you need to make sure you balance taking any residue off the fields with the potential benefits and losses it could cause.

Listen to Wienhold’s comments to USDA here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/weinhold1.MP3″ text=”ARS soil scientist Brian Wienhold”]

Study: NutriSphere-N Protects Against Volatilization

John DavisAg Leader, IA Power Farming Show

sfpA new study from the University of Missouri finds that an SFP product guards against nitrogen loss. SFP, one of the attendees at this year’s Iowa Power Farming Show, says NutriSphere-N® Nitrogen Fertilizer Manager (NN®), when added to urea, protects against against volatilization … especially important in drought years:

The study was conducted by David Dunn, Soil Labs Manager at the Universityʼs Fisher Delta Research Center, and was a continuation of his 2010 research. He analyzed how different nitrogen stabilizers work to help reduce nitrogen loss compared with untreated urea applications.

Dunn observed that when significant rainfall did not occur within five to seven days of nitrogen application, NutriSphere-N clearly reduced the amount of ammonia lost. Within a 41-day period, plain urea lost four times as much nitrogen as the urea treated with NutriSphere-N (375.42 ppm ammonia for untreated urea compared to 84.17 ppm for
N-N).

“This University of Missouri research proves the long lasting nitrogen protection that NutriSphere-N delivers to farmers,” says Dr. Larry Sanders, president and CEO of SFP®, which developed, manufactures and distributes NutriSphere-N.

SFP officials say up to half of nitrogen loss can be attributed to volatilization, denitrification and
leaching. More information is available at www.sfp.com.

2013 Iowa Power Farming Show Photo Album

Sponsored by Ag Leader Technology

BASF & John Deere Team to Help Soybean Growers

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, BASF, John Deere, Spraying

BASF Crop Protection and John Deere have teamed up to help soybean farmers fight disease with an effective fungicide and a targeted way to apply it.

deere-nozzleSoybean growers who purchase $300 or more of Priaxor™ fungicide from BASF before March 15, 2013, may qualify to purchase John Deere spray nozzles between April 1 and May 31, 2013 with no payments and no-interest financing for 150 days. (See offer details here)

Priaxor fungicide provides continuous protection against a broad spectrum of plant diseases. More than 75 trials conducted by BASF in 2010 and 2011, in the U.S., reveal that soybean acres treated with Priaxor fungicide out-yielded untreated land 87 percent of the time.

John Deere nozzles offer precision sprayer performance and accuracy. With a variety of specialized sprayers, there is a solution for every grower and every soybean acre, including the Twin-Air nozzle for high-coverage applications with on-target spraying, providing uniform coverage – perfect for low crops with complex canopies.

This enhanced and targeted coverage maximizes applications of Priaxor fungicide by distributing it evenly on soybean leaves. Once applied, Priaxor fungicide continuously delivers its chemistry throughout each leaf. This brings more consistent disease protection and post-infection disease controls, providing Plant Health benefits that can result in greater yields.

In-Field Sensors

Talia GoesAgribusiness

NewellThe 2013 Precision Ag Action Summit was held on January 21 & 22 in North Dakota. Newell Kitchen, USDA ARS gave a presentation on “In Field Sensors: Applications to Precision Agriculture”. Proximal soil sensing is the use of field based sensors to obtain signals from the soil when the sensor’s detector is in contact with or close to the soil. These PSS systems are commercially available.

Sensors Measure:
— Crop color – of the visible light spectrum, the chlorophyll in the chloroplasts absorbs the red and blue wavelengths and reflects the green. Nitrogen deficient corn has less chlorophyll and reflects less green. It looks yellowish-green to our eyes and is measureable by the sensors. This is an indicator of a plant’s “photosynthetic” health.
— Crop Biomass – The non-visible near infrared (NIR) wavelengths are reflected by crop foliage and absorbed by soil. Thurs, NIR energy can measure relative amounts of biomass. This is an indicator of a plants structural capacity to assimilate carbon.

Click here to view his full presentation.

Hemisphere GPS Sells Non-Ag Operations

Talia GoesAgribusiness, GPS

header_logoHemisphere GPS Inc. signed and closed a definitive agreement to sell the business assets associated with its non-agricultural operations to the Canadian subsidiary of Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co. Ltd. (“UniStrong”) for cash of $14.96M. PI Financial Inc. acted as advisor on the transaction for Hemisphere GPS. The Company also announced that it plans to change its corporate name to “AgJunction Inc.” subject to shareholder approval at its 2012 annual shareholders meeting, planned for May 2013.

Hemisphere GPS’ non-agricultural operations include the Company’s Precision Products portfolio and related infrastructure. The Precision Products segment generated revenues of approximately $13.3 million in 2012 serving marine, land survey, construction, mapping, and OEM segments.

Included in the sale are the intellectual property rights associated with the non-agricultural operations necessary to support the continued growth of those operations globally, including trademarks associated with the “Hemisphere GPS” identity. UniStrong intends to name the acquired operations “Hemisphere GNSS Inc.”. The Hemisphere GPS brand was not part of the Company’s agriculture identity.

The Company’s existing agricultural business has not been interrupted during this process and the Company reports that ag-related revenues have increased year-to-date. The Company’s new Outback MAX product integrated with AgJunction has had a positive reception in the marketplace.