The Blog

Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Delbert Armstrong, Jr.
Winterville, NC
6,000 acres
John Deere components used: Starfire RTK, John Deere 4720 Sprayer with Swath Control Pro

Q: You’re planting corn. What are some benefits you’re experiencing with the RTK system?
A: I spend 12 to 14 hours a day in the tractor with a 36-row planter. Once I get turned into the rows, I can hit the AutoTrac button, let it go, then watch the row units to make sure everything is adjusted as it should be. This allows me to keep my mind on what the planter is doing instead of turning my knuckles white having to watch the row markers in front of the tractor. It’s easy on me, and my hands aren’t tired from holding the steering wheel all day.

Q: What cost savings have you seen?
A: Seed corn was $75 per bag in 1982. Now it’s $220 per bag. With new planters and the RTK system, I’m more accurate, which in turn, saves money. One of the most cost-effective operations is swath control by saving on nitrogen, and it helps improve yields in the long run. Most people just don’t know what the system is capable of doing. But It all pencils out.

Q: What are you telling your neighbors?
A: More farmers need to invest in precision agriculture. They don’t have to do it all at once, all in one year, but it will quickly pay for itself time and time again.

You can listen to the interview with Delbert here: Delbert Armstrong (4:00 min mp3)

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Greg Hannay
Rosetown, SK
John Deere components used: GreenStar 2, John Deere 4720 Sprayer with Swath Control Pro

Q: How do you use precision ag?
A: I don’t know how I ever sprayed without it (the GreenStar 2 System). The major advantage with AutoTrac is parallel tracking as well as the curve track option. I now have the ability to follow a straight path time after time, or strike my own A/B line with degree capabilities.

Every path is deadly accurate. The active screen map paints you a picture of the whole field as to what you have and have not done; there is no confusion as to what and where you’ve done it. Then we have a printable document for customer use and custom applications.

Q: What are the advantages of using precision ag products?
A: When you consider chemical and fuel costs, when you spray something that’s as high as $25 to $30 an application per acre, it doesn’t take long on an overlap to lose money. You can set your course and hold that path which saves a lot of money in a short amount of time.

My neighbors say they can shoot a bullet down the furrows – it’s that straight. And, my 73-year-old father has the freedom to still be actively involved. We can work a 14 to16 hour day without being fatigued.

Q: Have you ever had a question about your GreenStar system?
A: Yes. But the John Deere support and dealer network is very strong. We’ve never had any major issues, and the minor ones we’ve had were solved quickly. John Deere product support is available 24 hours a day.

You can listen to the full interview with Greg here: Greg Hannay (5 min mp3)

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Russ Lanphair
Sikeston, Mo.
John Deere components used: AutoTrac

Q: What motivated you to use a John Deere AutoTrac precision ag system?
A: We had been using lightbars, and they worked, but they really didn’t make it any easier. It seemed as though we spent more time watching the lightbar than we did anything else.

Now we use the GreenStar 2 system during planting – we know we’re getting the Nitrogen rate that we want, where we want it.

Q: On what other applications do you use AutoTrac?
A: We’ve used it to change Nitrogen rates and now we’re doing prescription work with anhydrous and seed rates.

We more than justify the cost of the system. We were doing everything manually, but now we’ve eliminated the human error.

You can listen to the interview with Russ here: Russ Lanphair (2 min mp3)