Mix Tank App Updates from Precision Labs

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Apps, Audio, Nutrient Management, Precision Labs

Precision Laboratories has released an extensive upgrade to its Mix Tank app, available immediately for download on iTunes and Google Play. During the recent Ag Media Summit, we caught up with Jim Reiss, senior vice president of product development at Precision Labs. The latest refresh is designed to better assist agricultural growers and professional applicators with resources and record keeping that will help prevent mix tank problems and make crop applications more efficient.

“We’ve incorporated user feedback into these updates to enhance the user experience and value of our Mix Tank app,” said Reiss. “The result is a tool that provides additional features to help the applicator track important information while making the most appropriate and effective tank mixing decisions.”

The app allows users to backup and restore data as well as share information across devices. Users can access Mix Tank’s spray log to record nozzle types and weather is now free. Print from any device and get access to data sheets and additional information on Precision’s specialty chemistry products.

“We developed Mix Tank as a tool to save applicators time, money and resources,” said Reiss. “Mix Tank has proven to be a great tool for our industry, and we’re excited to offer these additional enhancements to make tank mixing more safe and efficient.”

Listen to my complete interview with Jim here: Interview with Jim Reiss, Precision Laboratories

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

FMC Explains Fungicide Factors

Ag Media Summit, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, FMC, Fungicide

I’ve been learning a lot about fungicides lately and got another lesson with Brent Neuberger, FMC Senior Technical Sales Manager, during the Ag Media Summit. Brent starts out explaining that farmers are starting to see some issues in soybeans with frogeye leaf spot which even includes resistance to some of the strobilurin products. That’s why he says it’s very important to use a combination product like FMC’s Preemptor which contains a triazole along with a strobilurin. This provides a curative and a residual. Another product in this category is their Topguard EQ.

Brent also talks about what factors come into play when making a decision to treat with fungicides. He also mentions how many of the diseases needing treatment can exist in the soil even prior to planting due to different factors.

You can listen to my interview with Brent here: Interview with Brent Neuberger, FMC

View and download photos here: 2017 Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

John Deere Works for Ag Retailers

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag, John Deere, Video

Randy Kasperbauer and Chip Donahue at InfoAg

The ag retailers who supply products and services are the main point of contact between John Deere and the farmers who put them to work.

“They’re the ones that really serve the customer at the local level,” said Chip Donahue, manager of business segment strategy for Deere. He and colleague Randy Kasperbauer, product manager for the API platform, gave a presentation for retailers at the InfoAg Conference last week in St. Louis.

Kasperbauer says there are currently more than 80 commercial software companies integrated with the John Deere Operations Center. “And there’s upwards of a few hundred that are still exploring and evaluating the platform,” he said.

Listen to the interview and/or watch the Facebook Live video below.

Audio file: Interview with Chip Donahue and Randy Kasperbauer, John Deere

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak

Don Funk Relaunches Midwest Seed Genetics

AgWired Precision, seed

The founder of Channel Bio Corp is leading a team of entrepreneurs to relaunch Midwest Seed Genetics across the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 growing season.

Don Funk acquired Midwest in 2001 and it was one of the regional brands under Channel Bio when it was purchased by Monsanto in 2004. He is re-acquiring the brand to provide “farmers meaningful choice in the dynamic future that awaits agriculture.”

“Over the last several years, we’ve been closely watching the seed industry, spending a great deal of time listening to both farmers and seed industry professionals,” says Funk. “While there is great excitement for what the future holds, there is also frustration and dissatisfaction. The people of agriculture are being left behind. We will put them first again.”

In preparation for the launch, Funk is assembling a core team to drive Midwest into the future. “We’re focused on people who share a great entrepreneurial spirit as well as a belief the seed industry is weighted down with inefficient practices. I’m excited to work with extremely capable people who are focused on bringing real value to farmers for decades to come.”

Learn more from Midwest Seed.

New from Case IH

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Case IH, Equipment, Tractor

Case IH made a number of new product announcements for 2018 this week.

For starters, they launched the next generation of Maxxum series tractors that “combine efficient power, versatility, comfort and convenience to handle the day-to-day demands of beef, dairy and row crop operations.”

The 2018 line up includes Maxxum ActiveDrive 4, Maxxum ActiveDrive 8, and Maxxum CVXDrive tractor configurations that can be equipped to meet the needs of any operation.

The new Case IH Steiger CVXDrive series tractors with the strongest CVT on the market are available in 370 to 540 horsepower and in 17 different configurations in Quadtrac™, Rowtrac™, wheeled and scraper options.

The Steiger is the first continuously variable transmission to be offered in a 4WD articulated tractor and delivers the highest horsepower available on the market.

To top it off, Case IH launched the “industry’s fastest converting combination applicator” which converts from “liquid to dry in as little as 42 minutes.”

The Trident 5550 Liquid System offers the latest Case IH application technology, including AIM Command FLEX™ advanced spray technology and it’s engineered from the ground up to be changed from liquid to dry and back again throughout three seasons of use.

AGCO to Acquire Precision Planting

Cindy ZimmermanAgribusiness, technology

AGCO reached an agreement last week to acquire the Precision Planting LLC equipment business from The Climate Corporation.

“The acquisition of Precision Planting will solidify AGCO as one of the global leaders in planting technology and strengthen our position as a full line partner for professional farmers across the globe,” said Martin Richenhagen, AGCO’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.

The Climate Corporation’s Climate FieldViewTM digital agriculture platform will retain connectivity with Precision Planting’s 20/20 SeedSense monitor.

Earlier this year, a deal for Deere to acquire Precision Planting was derailed under pressure from the Department of Justice.

AgGateway’s ADAPT Nears Completion

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag

Members of AgGateway have been working hard over the last 2-3 years, developing a common model to share precision agriculture data. Now the Agricultural Data Application Programming Toolkit, or ADAPT, is nearly ready for launch. Brent Kemp, Executive VP of AgGateway, and Mark Stelford from Premier Crop Systems and ADAPT committee chair attended last week’s Info Ag Conference in St. Louis to spread the word.

“It’s a more seamless process, so the industry isn’t worried about ‘Can I get this piece of information over to that system using this business system,’” Stelford explains. “Our goal is to make that engineering work a lot easier to drive a lot more options in the industry.”

One of the keys to success in this endeavor has been the strength of their numbers. From just a dozen or so members 12 years ago to more than 200 today, being able to have conversations throughout the industry is critical.

“One of the strengths that we have is that we draw from across agriculture, from multi-national chemical and seed manufacturers through the distribution channel, to retail, and reaching to those relationships with service providers and equipment manufacturers, figuring out where we overload with other organizations like with AEF, with ISO and making those relationships work for our members,” Kemp shares.

Interest in the organization has grown to such an extent that regional branches are now being formed in Europe, Asia, and the southeast. This global network will be able to further the work of programs like ADAPT, giving them more value and avoiding duplicate work.

To learn more about AgGateway and ADAPT, listen to Cindy’s full interview here: Interview with Brent Kemp and Mark Telford, AgGateway

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak

Precision Ag is John Deere Connected

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

A significant percentage of the more than 100 companies exhibiting at the InfoAg Conference last week were proud to promote that they were John Deere Operations Center Connected.

Stu Pocknee with Precision Terrain Solutions of Australia specializes in landforming and agricultural water management, basically “anything to do with putting an implement behind a tractor and changing the shape of a field,” featuring T3RRA Cutta™, a turnkey in-cab solution for all iGrade™ equipped John Deere™ tractors.

In this interview, Pocknee talks about the benefits of being John Deere Connected: Interview with Stu Pocknee, Precision Terrain Solutions

LtoR – Kyle Owen, Phil Draude, and Shane Rollins of EFC Systems

For EFC Systems, being connected is important for their customer base.

“We have ag retailers with a lot of John Deere equipment so they are able to connect their equipment directly to our system and get more visibility of their operation,” said Phil Draude, EFC National Sales.

During the show last week, EFC also announced a new integration between its FieldAlytics product and Geosys Bridge® API for direct delivery of in-season and historical imagery.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Phil Draude, EFC Systems

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak

Premier Crop Systems Receives Capital Investment

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag, Nutrient Management

Premier Crop Systems has focused on providing agronomic decision support to growers with prescription rates for 19 years. Now a new partnership with Syngenta Venture is offering the company the opportunity and accelerate Enhanced Learning Blocks, a breakthrough system to validate the prescriptions used in a grower’s field.

The data is randomized and replicable, opening up the possibility of scientific experimentation on a field level. At the recent Info Ag event in St. Louis, Missouri, Premier Crop Systems shared results with their customers. Data from the 2016 trials showed that the ideal nitrogen application in a field can vary as much as 80 pounds and ideal planting rates can change by 13,000 seeds in a single field as well. That’s big money for growers, Frieberg points out.

“I think the biggest take away is crop production is expensive.” Frieberg shares. “There’s a lot of inputs and managing those inputs more precisely and having a trial system to build local, complex knowledge is really what we think is important and what we think is the future.”

Learn more about Premier Crop Systems and their new minority partnership in Cindy’s full interview with Frieberg here: Interview with Dan Frieberg, Premier Crop Systems

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak

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Another Successful InfoAg

AgWired Precision, Audio, Info Ag, Precision Agriculture

The 2017 InfoAg Conference was another success with 1363 attendees from 22 countries, 104 exhibitors, and 98 speakers.

Conference secretary Quentin Rund says this was the 22nd InfoAg, which has grown quite a bit since it moved to St. Louis in 2013. “The exhibit hall has increased, and our attendance has also been terrific,” he said.

With 22 countries represented, the annual conference has become as international as the International Conference on Precision Agriculture, which is held every other year, often in conjunction with InfoAg. “What we’re hearing from our exhibitors is that this is the show to be at,” said Rund. “I think we’ll have more presentations from international folks in the years to come.”

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Quentin Rund, InfoAg Conference

2017 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by John Deere Coverage of the InfoAg Conference is sponsored by CropTrak