There’s a new app out from Beyond Agronomy for all you Apple fans. It’s called the Air Cart Maximizer.
The air cart maximizer quickly calculates the maximum number of acres per fill based the size of each compartment in your air cart and the desired fertilizer and seeding rates. The app indicates which compartments should be dedicated to seed or fertilizer and how much product to deliver out of each to achieve the greatest number of acres per fill every time.
You can find more apps from Beyond Agronomy, including Seed Calculator and Tank Mix & Rainfast Guide in the iTunes store.
Low-Cost, High Efficiency Irrigation Techniques
Hands-on training in proven strategies for maximizing ag water efficiency while minimizing cost will be held Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, at the Rio Grande Center for Ag Water Efficiency.
The Center is located just south of Harlingen, Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The workshop – designed specifically for agricultural producers – is offered by the Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency (Texas AWE), an initiative managed by the Harlingen Irrigation District with funding from the Texas Water Development Board.
“On-Farm Irrigation Advances” will cover low- or no-cost irrigation techniques and technologies to improve crop yields and boost net farm income. Topics include irrigation scheduling, basics of soil moisture management, using evapotranspiration networks, narrow border flood irrigation, and more.
Tools for Saving Water and Keeping Peaches Healthy
Peach growers in California may soon have better tools for saving water because of work by USDA scientists in Parlier, Calif.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist Dong Wang is evaluating whether infrared sensors and thermal technology can help peach growers decide precisely when to irrigate in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Irrigation is the primary source of water for agriculture in the valley during the summer, and wells have been forced to reach deeper to bring up enough water to meet increasing demands. Peaches also require much of their water from June through September, when temperatures and demands for water are at their highest.
The results, published in Agricultural Water Management, show that the pressure chamber results were consistent with data collected by the infrared sensors, which means the sensors may be an effective tool for managing water use in peach orchards.
Saving Soil, Nutrients and Money with Cover Crops
Oregon State University (OSU) Extension specialists have spent six years studying the role cover crops play in fertility management, to the benefit of hundreds of farmers in the highly productive Willamette Valley. To date, the OSU researchers’ main contribution is a calculator for estimating the cost and nitrogen (N) contribution of cover crops, compost, and organic and synthetic fertilizers. The calculator has been used by more than 620 people since 2010, representing more than 52,000 acres.
The profit potential from cover crops’ role in nutrient management is immense: In one trial, the OSU researchers found a vetch cover crop could replace 110 pounds per acre of feather meal for a broccoli crop, leading to a cost saving of $500 per acre.
This research was supported by two Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grants, and is only one example of how SARE is at the forefront of supporting the innovative producers, educators and researchers who are making cover crops one of the most indispensible cost-saving tools in the soil-health toolbox.
This only scratches the surface of the hundreds of research and on-farm demonstration projects SARE has supported on cover crops in the last 25 years. To discover more, and to find the practical tools and guides arising from such projects, visit SARE’s Cover Crops Topic Room.
Winter Storage of GPS and Guidance Products
December is here and for most of the country that means that seasons are changing and the time for field work to wind down and machinery to be stored in the shed for winter has come. If you are in a part of the world where it feels like summer is never-ending, GPS storage may be the last thing on your mind. So for those of you who actually get to experience seasonal changes there is a proper way to store GPS equipment during the winter.
It is true GPS equipment especially receivers are designed to be weather resistant. However, if your equipment will be stored for an extended period of time it is recommended that you remove the hardware and take it to a more protected environment.
When the receivers and other equipment are removed it is also advised to dock the cabling so it is not exposed to the elements. In the case of the Ag Leader ParaDyme roof module use the provided dummy connectors on the roof rail. If you have one of the other Ag Leader receivers, it is best to remove the cable from the roof and store it in the cab. This will help prevent water and dust from entering the cable ends possibly damaging or allowing corrosion to take effect. Removing the cable can sometimes be difficult. If this is the case, wrapping the end in electrical tape will also do the trick.
Ag Leader also recommends removing displays and the combine grain flow sensor from the combine in the fall. This helps preserve the integrity of displays as well as prevents rodents from snacking on the potting material in the flow sensor.
If you have any questions about this or any other subject please do not hesitate to call Ag Leader’s tech support line at 515-232-5363.
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.
Bayer CropScience Young Farmer Sustainability Award
Bayer CropScience has launched its third annual Young Farmer Sustainability Award, which recognizes growers 40 years or under who demonstrate sustainability on his or her farm. The 2013 award will be selected by a group of industry experts and Bayer leaders, and will be awarded in February at the 2013 Ag Issues Forum held in conjunction with Commodity Classic in Orlando, Fla.
The first award winner in 2011 was Ryan Kirby of Belcher, La., and last year John Shepard of Blackstone, Va. received the award.
Growers who are excelling in the areas of economic, environmental and innovative practices on the farm are encouraged to apply for the award. First Place wins a new Toughbook computer and all-expense paid trips to the 2013 Commodity Classic in Orlando, Fla., and a scholarship to Farm Journal Corn College. The application deadline is January 24, 2013.
Ranchers Reach 50M-Acre Mark in CRP Program
In just four years, America’s top conservationists have enrolled 50 million acres in USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), a program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners take conservation to the next level. CSP is aimed at producers who are already established conservation stewards, helping them to deliver multiple conservation benefits on working lands, including improved water and soil quality and enhanced wildlife habitat.
The land enrolled in CSP totals more than 78,000 square miles, an area larger than Pennsylvania and South Carolina combined, making the program one of the largest voluntary conservation programs for private lands offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Nearly 12.2 million acres, or 18,750 square miles, were added to the program’s rolls this year.
Eligible landowners and operators in all states and territories can enroll in CSP. NRCS local offices accept CSP applications year round and evaluate applications during announced ranking periods.
A CSP self-screening checklist is available to help producers determine if the program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, stewardship threshold requirements and payment types. It is available from local NRCS offices and on the CSP website.
Precision.AgWired.com Profile – Greg Anderson
Former United Soybean Board Chairman Greg Anderson of Nebraska says it is remarkable to see the yields that farmers in the United States were able to achieve this year in one of the worst droughts in history.
“I think that’s a tribute to farming practices and the technology we have at our finger tips,” Greg said during an interview at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk last month.
The Anderson farming operation in Newman Grove, Nebraska will celebrate 140 years next year and Greg says agriculture has changed a great deal since that time. “It’s the most exciting time to be in production agriculture right now,” said Greg. “I’m convinced that five years from now it will be that much better.”
Greg says modern farming practices have made agriculture more efficient and more sustainable. “I think of practices as simple as no-till and building organic matter in my soil,” he said, and improvements in irrigation, such as center pivot technology that saves money, is better for the crop and better for the environment.
Greg also talks about new traits, information technology and how the best is yet to come in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb12-greg-precision.mp3″ text=”Interview with Greg Anderson”]
Monsanto agSeedSelect App
During the 2012 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention I spoke with Dan Kurdys, Asgrow Brand Manager. In a challenging year he says they had great harvest results with a greater than four bushel advantage over their competition. He attributes that to their “diverse germplasm pool, Genuity Roundup Ready trait and defensive and agronomic traits that are available to purchase.” Dan says they’ve developed the Asgrow 4P System, Plan, Plant, Protect and Perform, to give growers an edge in the soybean growing process.
Looking ahead to 2013 farmers can find the right Asgrow seed by using their agSeedSelect tool. This is available for your mobile device, either Apple iOS or Android.
No need to search through hundreds of pages to find the right seed for your field. agSeedSelect lets you create, store, email and print a seed guide tailored to your specific geography and crops. Featuring videos by our agronomists, the app provides detailed information on top products from Asgrow, DEKALB and Deltapine.
You can listen to my interview with Dan here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb-12-monsanto-asgrow-kurdys.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dan Kurdys”]
By Plane, Train or Automobile?
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ” What will expiring biotech patents mean for agriculture?”
Our poll results: fifty-two percent said more options; twenty-one percent said don’t know enough about it; fourteen percent said export concerns; ten percent said nothing and three percent said other.
Learn more about this issue from Cindy’s coverage of last week’s ASTA CSS in Chicago.
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How do you plan to travel this holiday?” The price of fuel and a plane ticket usually increases around the holiday, so will that change how you travel this year? Or does it really not matter – you’re getting there the quickest way possible! Let us know.
ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.