Illinois Farmer Says Auto Steering Really Pays

Kurt LawtonGeneral

I came across a new blog called ‘The Latest Dirt’ by Illinois farmer Jamie Walter who posted a video and his response to the question… “Does guidance/autosteering really pay?” His answer? A resounding YES!

By using GPS, we can dramatically improve efficiency.  It allows us to reduce overlap, increase speed and decrease operator fatigue.  This saves a bunch on inputs (fuel, seed, fertilizer, labor etc.) and helps us get more out of the very expensive equipment we run over our fields.  At the same time, we’re able to be a little gentler on our environment too! Below is a little video of a common device.

Check out his video here.

Missouri Researchers Reduce Greenhouse Gases, Raise Yields

John DavisAudio, Corn, Fertilizer, Research, Tillage, University

Researchers with the University of Missouri have found a way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by agricultural operations, while increasing the yields of the crops. And precision agriculture equipment is playing a key role.

Research agronomist at MU’s Greenley Research Center in northeast Missouri Kelly Nelson says that ag operations in the U.S. create 58 percent of the world’s nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes 300 times more to global warming than carbon dioxide. His work is focusing on the placement and source of fertilizers to reduce that nitrous oxide number.

“The fertilizer placement for a no-till system would be, for dry fertilizers, would be broadcast applied over the soil surface. We thought with a strip-till system we can till a small area, usually about 12 inches wide, usually less than 30 percent of the field, and maintain good soil cover, and apply that fertilizer in a band right under the plant so it has easy access to the fertilizer.”

He says using an enhanced-efficiency polymer coated urea and non-coated urea, they were able to test in a clay pan soil, where there is very poor internal drainage and fertilizer loss can be substantial.

“We saw that over the entire growing season, we were emitting about 2.4 to 3.8 percent of the nitrogen applied as nitrous oxide.” Nelson says that while it doesn’t seem like a big number, it shows how much greenhouse gas can be emitted into the atmosphere. Plus, he says this system was able to increase yields. “We were seeing that our strip-till system was increasing yields by about 50 bushels to the acre (in corn), compared to our no-till system.” And it reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 25 percent, compared to no-till systems.

Nelson admits that they didn’t compare the amount of emissions for running the extra equipment in the strip-till versus no-till operation, but that would be a comparison of CO2 emissions, and as stated earlier, much less impactful when you are considering greenhouse gases. Plus, the increased yields should help make up any differences by increasing the amount of carbon sequestration going on in the higher yielding strip-till operations.

He credits new, advanced precision agriculture equipment and practices for even making this kind of work possible.

“Getting the right product at the right time in the right place, that’s what we’re working toward. Precision ag is moving us in that direction.”

Listen to my interview with Kelly here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/precision/kellynelsoninterview.mp3″ text=”Kelly Nelson, MU research agronomist”]

FS Green Plan Solutions is in Pursuit of Maximum Yields

Cindy ZimmermanEvents, Growmark, Research

The most influential people in the world are not politicians,
financial advisors, or corporate executives…
They are American farmers.

FS Green Plan Solutions is holding an informational conference this week in Peoria designed to help farmers pursue the maximum yields possible on their operations to continue to provide food, fiber and fuels for a growing world population.

Among the presentations, Dr. Mike Boehlje of Purdue University will discuss the factors driving world economics, and how they affect American agriculture. Dr. Fred Below and Dr. Vince Davis of the University of Illinois will talk about the ‘formulas’ for reaching unprecedented corn yield levels and recent research in maximizing soybean production. Agricultural attorney Gary Baise will review how modern agriculture plays in both the environmental and political landscapes, and discuss the efforts of agriculture industry advocates in informing and educating the American public on the value of optimizing and sustaining food production. A panel of industry experts will discuss how technology tools are supporting maximum yield potentials and GROWMARK Agronomy Services Manager Dr. Howard Brown will present the findings of field trials conducted by individual farmers in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin in their pursuit of maximum yields.

Precision.AgWired.com will be at the conference doing interviews with key presenters about this vitally important issue of increasing yields to share with our readers in the coming days. You will definitely want to stay tuned!

Precision Technology and Resistant Weed Control

Kurt LawtonData Collection, Education, Spraying, Weed control

Growers who battle herbicide-resistant weeds can effectively use precision farming technology to make better decisions and save money, according to John Fulton, Auburn University extension biosystems engineer in a recent story by Southeast Farm Press.

Scouting remains an important factor to help insure that a grower is making the most informed decisions possible, says Fulton. “Whether it’s you the grower or a consultant, getting out in the field and collecting additional information is important in making better decisions,” he says.

Tools and technology are available that can help in cost savings, he adds. “Producers need to reduce input costs but also to maximize yields and profits at the end of the year. These are the types of inputs where precision ag technologies can have an impact. Growers are spending a lot of money producing a crop, and the amount increases each year,” he says.

Data collected from trials conducted over the years illustrate the savings that are possible from using precision agriculture technologies, says Fulton. A guidance system alone has been shown to save up to about 12 percent on average, he says.

“You can get a larger savings, and some people don’t do quite that well. Much of it is dependent on the operator and what you were using previously. But 12 percent is a big addition when you look at what you’ll invest to get into guidance,” says Fulton.

Read more here.

What Does Sustainability Mean?

Chuck ZimmermanZimmPoll

We had the most results of any ZimmPoll so far with the question: “What does “sustainability” really mean to the public?” By a big margin, most say “A combination of factors” at 47%. That’s followed by “Farm managed for profit/growth,” 25%; “green,” 13%; “organic,” 10% and “local,” 5%. So I think it’s safe to say that sustainability is not understood to mean any one thing and probably within the ag community as well as the general public. For this reason I don’t see how we can expect people to agree on a definition much less use this word to create meaningful legislation. Your thoughts?

Our next ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question of our farm readers, “Which tillage practice do you employ on most of your farming operation?” Let us know and thank you for participating.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

2-way? 9-way? Which way?

Melissa SandfortAgricultural Anthropology

Today, we have 2-way radios, 3-way light bulbs, 2-in-1 juicer/squeezer and 3-in-1 breakfast makers. They’re designed to make life easier, quicker and simpler. Now, out of the kitchen and into the shop…..if anyone has ever looked in my husband’s toolbox, you’d know that wrenches, nuts and bolts are anything but easy and simple. He has square-head, hex-head and 12-point wrenches. He says, “Go get me the 1/8 wrench, honey (emphasis on honey because he knows I have no idea which one he needs; and I know he’s going to get frustrated and have to go look for it himself anyway. So why did he ask me?).” I don’t think it’s simple.

However, in my Grandpa’s treasure chest, we came across this 9-way wrench. NINE-WAY! Made only for one shaped bolt, one shaped nut – with a square head. So instead of needing a whole tool chest full of wrenches, he carried one. Now that’s easy. And compact. And simple.

This leads me to believe that, though back in the 30s, work was more manual and probably physically harder, but some things were just “easier.” I sure can think of nine better ways to spend my time than to rummage through a toolbox for 15 minutes looking for a 1/8” hex-head wrench.

Until our next history lesson …

New Variable-rate Field-IQ Control System

Kurt LawtonCompany Announcement, Fertilizer, Guidance, Planting, Software, Spraying, Trimble

Trimble offers a new Field-IQ system that controls and monitors seed and fertilizer delivery capabilities to enhance variable-rate functionality.

The Field-IQ system pairs seamlessly with the guidance capabilities of the Trimble FmX integrated display or CFX 750 touch screen display, which both run Trimble’s unique overlap detection technology. Farmers using the Field-IQ crop input control system for seed placement have reported average savings of 5-10 percent from reduced seed input costs and less waste.

Trimble’s Field-IQ system is compatible with a wide variety of crop and application equipment, providing monitoring for planters, air seeders for small grains, or granular strip till systems. Seed monitoring on row crop planting systems allows operators to obtain information related to how their seeding system is performing. This includes factors such as singulation, skips and multiples, and quality of spacing for an entire planter average or detail by individual row. For fertilizer, variable rate application capabilities can be driven by a prescription map or real-time with Trimble GreenSeeker sensors.

The Field-IQ system is easy to install on application equipment from a broad range of manufacturers, allowing farmers and custom applicators to use and enhance the performance capabilities of their existing equipment without having to start from scratch.

“The new Field-IQ enhancements optimize planter operation by delivering more accurate seed placement, giving the operators more confidence in their planting applications,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president and general manager of Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “With the addition of rate and application control for up to six different materials, the system now manages functions that span the entire growing season.”

The new seeding and multi-rate capabilities for the Field-IQ system are expected to be available in March 2011. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information.

Need Extra Green for Planting Season?

Cindy ZimmermanCompany Announcement

Planting season is just around the corner now and that means laying out cash for seed, inputs, equipment updates, etc.

Filling out a simple survey could get you an extra $250 to help pay for spring planting. Really, it’s that simple. Just take a few minutes to tell us what you think about Precision.AgWired.com and you are automatically entered to win in the January 31 drawing. The odds of winning are about 1 in 500 – better than the lottery!

We are doing the survey because we need some demographic information to show that we really are reaching farmers and consultants on this website, and we would really like to reward everyone who takes the time to give us that information. But, since we can’t give everyone cash, we can at least give everyone who fills out the survey each month a good chance of getting a nice little check. We’ve already given away $500 in the past two months.

We will not be using any of the personal information (names, addresses, etc.) for any purpose except to send a check to the winner of the drawing. What we really need is geographic and demographic information. So you have nothing to lose, and potentially $250 to gain.

Click here to fill out the Precision.AgWired.com survey before January 31!

Can’t Beat Personal Precision Farming Software Training

Kurt LawtonAg Leader, Data Collection, Insights Weekly, Planting, Software, Variable rate

Insights WeeklyHad the pleasure this week of talking to a great guy, George Ropp of RCMS Consulting, who is 74 years young and still helping farmers—use computer software, no less.

Ropp, of Van Wert, Ohio, decided to get into GPS work after retiring from the county extension service in the early 1990s. “I started grid soil sampling fields for the local elevator, and using the simple software we had back then,” he says. “As the years went on, seeing huge changes in software, I was unsure I would find the capabilities I needed, until I found Ag Leader’s SMS software about six or seven years ago.”

Not only did Ropp become a fan, he actually built a good consulting business by selling and training growers and retailers on using SMS Advanced, Basic and Mobile software. “I’ve probably sold 50 to 60 copies of the software, and some mobile devices and other equipment, too.”

Ropp takes great pride in helping his clients, often spending a half-day or more with software set up and initial training. “I want to make sure it is set up right, and that the customer is happy,” he says. Now he holds about 4 or 5 training session during winter to keep his customers updated and answer questions.

“More farmers and retailers are getting into variable-rate fertilizer applications and want a software that can handle the necessary equations and building prescription maps. SMS is really easy to use for such operations, and it is really driving software buying” he adds.

Other popular tasks that Ropp is training customers to do are adding layers of soil test data as well as adding soil type maps from NRCS. “I’ve actually created ‘cheat sheets’ on many of these topics, so I don’t have to repeat myself so often,” he laughs.

What’s next? “Well a vacation right now,” he says. But seriously, he sees growing interest in farmers thinking about adding aerial imagery to their field data layers. “I suspect in another year this will greatly increase in popularity.”

His clients greatly value his training expertise on SMS software. “Well, they must, because they keep calling me for advice,” he chuckles. “And I really appreciate the service I get from the software support team at Ag Leader, as even I get stuck every now and then. They are really helpful.”

Visit these links for more information:

SMS Basic http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-basic/

SMS Advanced http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-advanced/

SMS Mobile http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-mobile/

Ag Leader dealer locator http://www.agleader.com/dealer-search/

Ag Leader Technology On Display At AG CONNECT Expo

Chuck ZimmermanAg Connect Expo, Ag Leader, Audio

AG CONNECT ExpoI took a look at what’s new with Precision.AgWired.com sponsor, Ag Leader Technology, by talking with Mike Olson at the AG CONNECT Expo. Here’s Mike (left) talking through precision applications and options with one of attendees during the show.

Mike says they just announced the addition of advanced seed tube monitoring to their displays. This allows farmers to take their Integra display and monitor singles and doubles in their spacing along with other things. This helps make sure you’re getting the best performance from your planter. Mike says farmers are most interested in auto steering since many haven’t implemented it yet and also planter clutch control which allows section control.

Looking ahead Mike says that he wants farmers to take a look at their OptRx crop sensor technology which allows for on the go variable nitrogen application. He says data they’ve seen from fields using this technology is amazing.

Listen to my interview with Mike here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agconnect/agconnect-11-agleader.mp3″ text=”Interview With Mike Olson”]

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album