Precision Pays

This photo was taken of me with Ag Leader general sales manager Mike Olson at the Commodity Classic as we both checked email on our cell phones to prepare for an interview. Amazing what technology we have in our pockets these days! Some people may argue whether cell phones actually make us more efficient, but most of us wonder what we ever did without them – as most farmers who use precision technology wonder how they got along without it in the past.

I talked with Mike about how precision technology saves time as well as money. Sometimes it may be hard to put a dollar value on our time, but when planting or harvesting windows are as tight as they were last year, saving time in the fields is saving money. “When you start implementing precision ag technologies, it’s amazing how much time you can save,” Mike said. “You think of the steering systems. You’re reducing overlap, that’s obvious, but if you can make less passes across the field then it’s saving you time.”

Also, steering systems allow farmers to work longer hours with less fatigue. “So if you have a good window of a dry stretch it allows you to work longer into the night and plant longer or spray longer,” he added. Time savings may be one of those things that’s hard to monetize, “but if you don’t get a crop in, it’s pretty easy to see how much value there is.”

Listen to my interview with Mike from Commodity Classic below.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) Director of Research Tracy Blackmer was one of the presenters for the PrecisonAg Learning Center at the 2010 Commodity Classic trade show. Tracy is head of ISA’s On-Farm Network®, which focuses on precision agriculture tools and technology to collect information that can increase growers’ profits from crop production and I interviewed him at Classic for this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

The Iowa Soybean Association started this project nine years ago to study both the environmental and economic aspects of farming practices and to help growers find out what works best for them on their operation. Since that time they have expanded into nine other states. “We’re trying to say that growers can use a lot of the precision ag technologies to actually identify which products or practices are working better,” Tracy says. “In Iowa alone we had over 450 replicated trials.”

Listen to the podcast in the player below to find out more about the ISA On-Farm Network®. You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

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This year’s winner of the American Soybean Association scholarship has a passion for precision.

Ben Bellar, a high school senior from Howard, Kansas, was named the 2010-2011 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Scholarship recipient during the 2010 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California. The scholarship package, made possible through a grant by BASF, included a one-time $5,000 education award, a trip to the Commodity Classic and special recognition during the ASA Awards Banquet. Ben is pictured here at the BASF exhibit on the trade show floor with ASA First Vice president Alan Kemper of Indiana and Nevin McDougall, Group Vice President, North America Crop Protection Division at BASF.

As an active member of the ASA and FFA, Ben has been raising soybeans since he was a child and plans to study agriculture technology management at Kansas State University next year, something he decided when his father “finally broke down and bought a GPS” about six years ago. “I just like days when I can go out there, hit one button, go for half a mile, pull out a magazine and read it until I get to the end of the row,” Ben told me during an interview.

Listen to or download that interview in the player below and thanks again to John Deere for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

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The first-ever PrecisionAg Learning Center at Commodity Classic was a big hit with growers at the trade show.

According to the PrecisionAg.com there was a steady stream of attendees asking questions, sitting in on presentations, and chatting with growers who use precision technology. Among the presenters were Idaho grower Robert Blair and Iowa grower Dennis Friest, Craig Smith from Kansas State University and Tracy Blackmer, Iowa Soybean Association Director of Research.

The Learning Center also offered growers the opportunity to register for great giveaways provided by PrecisionAg partners. In the photo to the right, Mike Olson with Ag Leader Technology is drawing the winning name for an Ag Leader InSight Display. The winner was John Kelly of Hutsonville, Illinois. Other winners are listed here on the PrecisionAg site.

Check out our previous post on the PrecisionAg profit calculator unveiled at Classic. The Guidance & Section Control Profit Calculator is specifically designed to help growers understand their return on an investment in this technology.

Thanks again to John Deere for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

At Commodity Classic in Anaheim, CA, Jared Hayes, John Deere, was showing attendees what the company is offering to growers in the area of precision ag.

With spring almost here and planting just around the corner I asked him what’s new from the company. Jared says one of the big things with planting which is becoming more important every year is automatic section control via their Swath Control Pro. He says this allows for a reduction of input costs while also allowing for the use of multiple products.

At Commodity Classic John Deere was showcasing their full line of AMS products. Jared says the show provides them an opportunity to find out what growers are looking for in future product offerings.

You can listen to my interview with Jared below:

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Spring is just around the corner – the time when a farmer’s fancy turns to thoughts of planting.

Growers stopping by the Ag Leader Technology booth at the Commodity Classic trade show last week definitely had spring on their minds. General sales manager Mike Olson says they talked a lot about what growers need to know to get precision farming equipment ready for the season. “The biggest thing is to get the stuff out early and start going through it,” Mike told me. “You need to bring the monitor out and download all the data from last year, make a back up, and then get it set up for this year. Make sure all your field names are in there, your boundaries, and make sure all your firm ware is updated.”

Mike says updating is important because all companies bring out new features that make things more efficient and easier. Listen to Mike’s interview below and talk to your local Ag Leader dealer for more pre-planting tips.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Precision is the name of the game when it comes to farming these days. It’s getting hard to find a farmer anymore who doesn’t use auto steer at the very least – and the options to save resources, time and money just keep growing.

At the New Holland exhibit at Commodity Classic, I talked to Matt Ahrens about some of the products they offer for growers and a program they have that can help farmers see exactly how they can benefit from using different types of precision solutions on their own operations. “We have a website – PutYourFarmOnTheMap – and on that website we have a cost savings calculator and you can go in and put your input costs on their, how much fuel usage per acre depending on implement width, and you can see what kind of savings you can get,” Matt said. “The good thing with that is that it’s their numbers, their input costs, so they get to see what their savings are.”

Matt also demonstrates the new AgGPS® FM-1000™ integrated display working with the Trimble Field-IQ in the video below. You can find out more about New Holland’s product line-up and more on the website PutYourFarmOnTheMap.com.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

Trimble debuted a couple of new innovations at the recent National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, which they were also showcasing at the Commodity Classic last week.

EZ-Sync™ is a wireless data transfer capability that provides enhanced information management for growers and agribusinesses, and the EZ Surface Software provides surface drainage analysis and design for farmers and drainage contractors.

Brian Stark, who does information management for Trimble, is the company’s EZ-Sync expert. “EZ-Sync allows you to take data wirelessly from a mobile computer or from the Trimble FMX display and send that data from the field to the office,” Brian explained in an interview. “Or, if I’m in the office, I can send my data from the office, [such as] prescription maps or target points, to the field.”

Brian says the software is compatible with several different computers offered by Trimble and it lets producers and managers exchange information in real time. Plus, it decreases the amount of data that is lost simply because workers don’t have time to manually enter information gained in the field when they come back to the office. And, managers are able to better communicate with their workers still in the field.

Trimble retailer Joey Schlatter of Schlatter Inc. of Francesville, Indiana explained EZ Surface. “This software helps contractors define watersheds and flow patterns so they know how to properly drain their fields, whether using surface or sub-surface drainage methods,” Joey said.

With this system, elevation data is gathered through using some GPS-based tools from Trimble. “Once we’ve collected all that elevation data, we bring that data into the office, into our EZ Surface program and generate a 3-D elevation map. Then, with a click of a few buttons, we can see the flow lines, watesheds and all the tools we need to properly design that [drainage] system,” he added.

More information on both EZ Sync and EZ Surface are available from www.Trimble.com.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack gave the keynote address during the general session at the 2010 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California on Friday and focused on the achievements of American agriculture.

Comparing agriculture in this country to gold medal winners and hall of fame inductees, Vilsack talked about the amazing productivity of our producers. “These are people who plant 240 million acres of our land, they are the most productive farmers in the world,” Vilsack said. “They help to produce 108 billion pounds of protein a year that feed 300 million Americans and many millions around the world. In my lifetime, they have gone from one farmer feeding 20 folks, to one farmer feeding 150 folks. They’re responsible for a trade surplus at a time when we talk mostly about trade deficits.”

You can definitely give credit to farmers for taking advantage of advancements in precision technology and biotechnology for those accomplishments!

Listen to Vilsack’s speech in the player below.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

Thanks to John Deere for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic.

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The PrecisionAg Institute can help growers know how well it Works now with a new Profit Calculator. The organization was exhibiting at Commodity Classic and I stopped by and spoke with Director Elliott Nowels. In the photo you can see one of the educational presentations scheduled in their booth taking place.

Elliott says the profit calculator helps growers understand the actual return on investment for each element of precision application they are using or planning on purchasing. It is an online tool that asks a series of questions about field size, inputs being used and their value and then it takes that data and figures how much money you can save by using various gps guided applications like controlling individual planter boxes or spray nozzles.

You can listen to my interview with Elliott below.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

Thanks go to John Deere for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic.

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The opening of the trade show is the real “official” start to the Commodity Classic. The exhibit hall is filled with the latest and the greatest technology and machinery for growers of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum. According to the official attendance figures, there are 4175 attendees at Classic this year, 1338 of them are growers. This is the 15th annual Commodity Classic, which started as the combined meeting of the corn and soybean growers, but in recent years has grown to add wheat and sorghum grower organizations as well. It’s an event that can benefits a grower’s farm operation and profitability for years to come.

Take a look and a listen to the official kick off and ribbon cutting for the 2010 Commodity Classic, with coverage on Precision Pays sponsored by John Deere.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

I am attending Commodity Classic courtesy of John Deere. This is the combined meetings of the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Sorghum Producers.

John Deere took the opportunity to unveil a very unique tractor designed by Chip Foose. It’s a 1970 John Deere 4020. The tractor will be given away to one winner as part of the John Deere Big Buck Promotion. You may find rules to enter on the John Deere website.

The uniquely designed machine, which the Foose team has been working on since last November, will tour much of the country as part of the Drive Green Tractor Experience Tour immediately following the trade show.

Chip Foose adds, “I’ve looked at tractors for years and always thought they’re narrow, they look almost like a dry lakes car or even some of the old Indy cars, so that’s the direction I took; I wanted some of that racing feel to the tractor. And with the turf tires in the back and the three-ribbed tires in the front, it carries that theme all the way through from the tires to the sheet metal work to the paint job … but it’s still a John Deere.”

I interviewed Chip right after the unveiling. He talks about how he got into automobile design and this project in particular. You can listen to that interview below. I also shot the unveiling so you can watch it as well.

Commodity Classic Photo Album

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Smart is the key word for Raven Industries’ precision agriculture products.

SmartBoom, SmartRow and SmartSteer were the newest products on display for growers visiting the recent Commodity Classic trade show. “SmartBoom will shut your sprayer sections off automatically,” said Raven’s Ryan Molitor. “SmartRow is the same box, you just switch out a cable and it works for the planter sections.”

“SmartSteer attaches directly to the steering wheel for assisted steering,” Ryan says. “The great thing with SmartSteer is that you don’t have to take the steering wheel off to install it – it snaps right on to the steering wheel. Very affordable and simple to use assisted steering” And Ryan says all the products work with Raven’s new Cruizer guidance system.

Listen to an interview with Ryan from Commodity Classic, conducted by ZimmComm reporter Joanna Schroeder: cc09-joanna-raven.mp3

Hats off to PrecisionAg magazine and its owner, Meister Media Worldwide, for giving away precision farming equipment to growers for the past 14 years!

The following lucky growers will soon be putting these new precision tools to work–which they won at the recent Commodity Classic in Grapevine, TX.

• David Farmer, D.F. Ranches, El Nido, CA – InSight Display from Ag Leader.
• Jeff Tate, Tate Farms, Meridiaville, AL – UC4+ Spray Height Controller from NORAC.
• Heather Mohr, Mohr Farms, Burnside, IL – DGPS Subscription from OmniStar.
• Brenton Peters, L & S Peters Farms, Bringhurst, IN – DGPS Subscription from OmniStar.
• Ray Becker, T-R Farms, Lancaster, KS – DGPS Subscription from OmniStar.
• Keith Fuller, Fuller Fertilizer, Sutter, IL – The ACCU-RATE Controller from Rawson Control Systems.
• Jeff Filinger, Cuba, KS – Centerline 230BP from TeeJet.
• Rod Gillen, Muller Farms, Boswell, IN – EZ-Guide 250 from Trimble.

“It’s certainly a thrill to bring the PrecisionAg Giveaway program to agriculture, and it really fits our mission to make precision technology understandable and accessible,” says Paul Schrimpf, group editor of the CropLife Media Group’s PrecisionAg branded media, including PrecisionAg Special Reports, the PrecisionAg Buyer’s Guide and PrecisionAg.com. “For 14 years, leading precision technology companies have participated in the Giveaway program, giving the winners an opportunity to discover the benefits of precision agriculture products and practices. We congratulate the winners and wish them the best as they integrate these products into their operations.”

At the 2009 Commodity Classic recently, Trimble Navigation was helping growers see how precision provides them with a good return on their investment.

Sid Siefken with Trimble says guidance by itself makes a grower more efficient, but Trimble’s acquisition of Tru Count late last year has increased a grower’s ROI. “Tru Count does the automatic row shutoff systems for corn planters and that coupled with guidance can really increase your return on investment,” Sid says. “We’ve had farmers come up to us at the show and said it was probably quickest pay back of any technology they ever used.’

Sid says one farmer in particular who planted 4000 acres of corn used 28 less bags of seed corn with Tru Count air clutches combined with guidance. “Very few times in agriculture that you can get that direct amount of tangible savings driven back to the bottom line,” said Sid.

Listen to an interview with Sid from Commodity Classic, conducted by ZimmComm reporter Joanna Schroeder: cc09-joanna-trimble.mp3

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