PrecisionAg Vision Conference

Chuck ZimmermanAgWired Precision, Events, Precision Agriculture

I have a vision of a really good precision ag program coming up for year number two this October. It is the PrecisionAg® Vision Conference, October 10-12, 2017. We are a sponsor of this year’s event! You can expect more information to come but for now, here are some details.

The conference will take place in Phoenix, AZ. Conference organizer Meister Media Worldwide has enhanced the event this year to galvanize dialogue and foster greater collaboration among precision agriculture’s most central stakeholders: large growing operations and service providers in row crops and specialty/permanent crops around the world.

New for 2017, the PrecisionAg Vision Conference will offer solutions-based education. Delegates will join their senior-level peers in working through challenging problems to discover cross-functional solutions that apply to everyone in the precision agriculture industry. The takeaway will be practical lessons learned from and for growers, service providers, and colleagues working in like production systems around the world. “In addition to identifying practical solutions, the goal is for delegates to establish a grounded network that fosters communication and endures long after the conference ends,” said Paul Schrimpf, Executive Editor of Meister Media Worldwide’s Agribusiness Group. Also, new this year, the event will offer a pre-conference tour of Arizona’s agricultural technology and the University of Arizona Robotics System.

Find out more about the conference here.

Precision Ag Bytes 6/12

AgWired Precision, Zimfo Bytes

  • The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is awarding more than $22.6 million for resource conservation. They are supporting 33 projects nationwide that support conservation through developing tools, technologies, or strategies.
  • BRANDT has created eleven formulations that are now approved for tank mixing with the new Dicamba and 2,4-D herbicides from Monsanto, BASF, Dow and DuPont. They include four nutritional formulations and seven adjuvants that have been developed by BRANDT and tested by herbicide manufacturers following protocols and requirements set by the EPA.
  • Agri-Inject, an industry leader in quality chemigation and fluid application technology, is spreading the news that the hard and fast rule of one pound of nitrogen for a bushel of corn is changing, thanks to variable-rate fertigation.  Check out their website for details.

4 Series Sprayers From Deere See Upgrades

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

The 4 Series Sprayers from John Deere offer a little something for everyone, Doug Felter says. With options ranging from 600 to 1,200 gallon tanks and 80- to 132-foot booms, these sprayers are set up to provide growers and retailers the ability to get through the fields with timely applications across their operations.

Part of making their sprayers better than ever is the carbon fiber boom, Felter shares. “The call for productivity is ever higher. We know carbon fiber allows us to go to 132 foot now and we think the frontiers are even beyond that for it to even go to wider widths.”

Carbon fiber also offers a lighter weight boom– one-third the weight of a traditional steel boom. Its clean design offers fewer collection points so it’s easier to clean and the material is less resistant to corrosion.

The Exact Apply Nozzle launched in August of last year is also changing things up for John Deere sprayers. The six nozzles can be configured for just the right control, depending on the product being applied. And all this can be done from the newly redesigned cab that offers comfort and flexibility in everything from the leather heated and ventilated seats to the reconfigurable buttons in the hydro handle.

Learn more about John Deere’s latest upgrades in Jamie’s full interview here: Interview with Doug Felter, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

New Design for John Deere Field Cultivator

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

If you haven’t checked it out yet, the John Deere field cultivator is worth looking into. Jarred Karnei was at the John Deere Reveal event last week to talk about the newly redesigned equipment.

“Here we’ve incorporated technology into our tillage tools,” Karnei describes. “What it allows our producers to do is to be able to be in the cab and make adjustments to the tool. Field conditions change a lot of the time as you go through the field.  There’s variability in soil type, there might be variability in residue levels or topography that really, you need to be able to change that tool to get that fine finish on the field that you want and have it consistent throughout the field.”

The field cultivator is available in two different models and multiple sizes to meet the needs of any size farm looking for conventional tillage and a good seed bed for planting. The redesigned frame has true, six-inch spacing, a rear harrow and pro-finish leveling system. It also provides with six different options for rear attachments.

Growers already using the product say they’re getting a high quality performance, and they’re more productive since they can manage settings without leaving the cab.

Learn more about the John Deere field cultivator in Jamie’s full interview with Karnei here: Interview with Jarred Karnei, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

A John Deere Tractor for Every Need

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Tractor

Dennis Ogle, Senior Marketing Representative, focused on the R Series tractors at John Deere‘s Reveal event in Moline, Illinois last week. They offer almost anything you could want for on-farm jobs, Ogle explains.

From the 1000 tractor to the 8 R option, there are big things to think about. Choose tracked models or wheels, pick the cab comfort level you’ll need for the time spent in the equipment, and decide how much horsepower the operation needs.

“The big thing about the 8R tractors is it’s a versatile tractor,” Ogle says. “A lot of guys within row crops love to use it, a lot of specialty guys. Folks can use it for planting, for tillage, put it on a grain cart, they can ballast it differently, they can change a lot of different features on the settings for optionality to make it really work for their operations.”

The 6 and 7 R family of tractors is equally versital for dairy or hay and forage folks. They offer the horsepower while being compact and maneuverable. The 1000 to 5000 series tractors do utility work– loader work and smaller round baler jobs.

Whatever the need, your local John Deere dealer is the tried and true answer for questions. Listen to Jamie’s interview with Ogle here: Interview with Dennis Ogle, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

Deere’s 3-Point Mounted Sprayer Packs a Punch

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, John Deere

Scott Geier is a marketing Manager for implements and attachments at John Deere, making him the go-to guy for information on their recently released 3-point mounted sprayer.

The 3-point mounted sprayer is designed for use with tractors between 50 and 180 horsepower. While it’s small it’s also mighty, providing many features typically available only on larger-scale equipment.

The new attachment comes in 4 width options, from 25 foot to 40 foot, can be run on PTO or hydraulic system, offers some section control and pressure control from inside the cab, and can provide foam marking options for growers who need it. The 250 or 300 gallon tanks are another of John Deere’s innovations; the unique tear drop shapes allows products to drain completely before switching or storing and the shape shortens the tank, moving it closer to the tractor and requiring less ballast.

Learn more about the 3-point mounted sprayer in Jamie’s interview with Geier here: Interview with Scott Geier, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

4-H Challenges Students to Tackle Soil Health

4-H, AgWired Precision, Education, Monsanto, Soil

Students in the midwest are tackling the challenges of healthy soils as part of the 2017 4-H Ag Innovators Experience (4-H AIE) activity. Sponsored by Monsanto, the two-part challenge was developed by The Ohio State University and focuses on soil composition, impacts of tillage, and new ways to farm. Teams of students in 4-H clubs, camps, after school programs, and enrichment classes conduct tests to determine soil health and then search for solutions to maintaining microbials and nutrients while minimizing the environmental impact. Students will have the opportunity to build a 1:64 scale no-till planter to gain a better understand of how to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.

“This program was created for students to get hands on experience and generate an understanding of the challenges farmers face,” said National 4-H Council President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. “We’re excited this program brings together students throughout their communities for an education on real-world problems and the opportunity to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills for solutions.”

John Deere Display Gets Smarter

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, technology

The John Deere Gen 4 monitor has been in large agriculture tractors since the 2014 model, but at the big Reveal event last week in Moline, Illinois the company unveiled its latest upgrade, the 4640 Universal Display.

“Brand new today is a 4640 Universal display, so that means we have a portable display that we can retrofit back into 30 series and newer John Deere tractors, as well as compatible, competitive machines. We do that will auto track universal and auto tract convertible,” explains Product Marketing Manager, John Mishler.

Being able to retrofit the same display into a growers’ entire fleet means users can get to work quickly, Mishler says. It’s easy-to-use interface gets operators into the field quickly and provides a high-quality job and smarter farming even in older equipment. The display also connects to a second monitor, giving extended screen space in the cab for even more control of applications.

Listen here to learn more about the 4640 Universal Display, or talk to your local John Deere dealer, Mishler suggests. Interview with John Mishler, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album

Precision Ag Bytes

AgWired Precision, Zimfo Bytes

  • Pinnacle Operating Corporation has announced that President and CEO Kenny Cordell will be transitioning out of his current role during the coming months. He will continue to work with the board of directors and the company’s leadership team as a successor is found.
  • The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, will now be working aerial imagery partners: Ceres Imaging, TerrAvion, and Agribotix, to deliver valuable, high-resolution imagery to farmers through the Climate FieldView digital agriculture platform.
  • Deere & Company has signed an agreement to acquire the Wirtgen Group, a leading manufacturer worldwide of road construction equipment. Detailed financial information concerning the transaction is included in an investor presentation online.

John Deere Adds New Tillage Tool

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Equipment, John Deere, Tillage

There was no shortage of exciting new offerings on display at the John Deere Reveal in Moline, Illinois last week. One of those was the new Frontier™ VT17 Series Vertical Tillage Tool with adjustable gang angles, a rolling basket, and two blade options.

“The point of these tillage tools is to mix, slice, and incorporate residue and leave a nice finish for a seed bed coming off the back, so much different than a conventional, traditional disk,” said Scott Geier, marketing manager for John Deere.

The 20 inch flat fluted blade provides typical tillage work, while the 22 inch concave blades are available for situations with heavier residue. Extra weight is built right into the frame, but the tool can be pulled by a lower horsepower tractor at 8 to 10 miles per hour, thanks to a working depth of just 1 to 3 inches.

Geier also notes that the VT17 is easy to use since a lot of the adjustments are mechanical and simple to change back and forth. It comes in four widths ranging from 10 to 15 feet and requires an 85 to 150 horsepower tractor, depending on the size model chosen.

Learn more about the new vertical tillage tool in Jamie’s interview here: Interview with Scott Geier, John Deere

2017 John Deere Reveal Photo Album