Precision Pays

Farmers know that planter skips and doubles are costly, especially given current grain prices. Fortunately some of today’s monitors can really help pinpoint when a specific row unit causes an error—and that information can lead to quicker and more efficient troubleshooting and repairs.

I spoke with Will Cannon today, SeedCommand product specialist with Ag Leader Technology, to learn about how their new Advanced Seed Monitoring technology can benefit farmers.

“There are two principle components above and beyond traditional seed monitoring—singulation detail and spacing quality—delivered by our Advanced Seed Monitoring capability. While the whole industry is headed towards advanced monitoring, what sets us apart is that our screens are visually simple and appealing, allowing growers to see problems with one quick glance at the screen.”

The first screen, planter performance, shows a large bar graph representing all planter rows. “Farmers can quickly assess population, seed singulation and seed spacing quality,” Cannon says. The second screen, row performance, shows a virtual seed trench. “This is an awesome diagnostic tool for a row that is giving you trouble. You can slow or pause, and zoom in or out, to help pick up on a pattern to help pinpoint issues,” he adds.

Issues with singulation that occur on a row unit usually indicate problems with the seed meter. If seed spacing quality is the problem, that could be caused by driving too fast or improper drop due to seed tube issues, Cannon says. “This technology really helps isolate different issues on a planter so a farmer can quickly determine the problem and the location.”

Current INTEGRA customers with SeedCommand and the Seed Tube Monitor Module can get this valuable update with no unlocking fees. And check out the video link below to actually view the technology.

Visit these links for more information:

Video Interview about Advanced Seed Monitoring
http://precisionpays.com/2011/02/ag-leader-releases-advanced-seed-monitoring/

Advanced Seed Monitoring
http://www.agleader.com/media-center/

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

It’s one thing for growers or livestock producers and processors to work together, or vertically integrate. But what can happen when the World Wildlife Fund, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Cargill, Intervet/Schering-Plough and beef producer groups get together? A recent story in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) discusses the issue and the possible eco-food results.

It is a subtle, yet vital, shift in the way food producers, manufacturers, retailers and groups outside the traditional food fence, such as WWF, are addressing a new paradigm in feeding the world’s rapidly increasing population: how food is produced, not just how much.

In practice the two issues are inseparable. The difference is that while feeding a projected 9 billion people by 2050 from less farmland has long concerned governments, and global aid and food bodies, doing so in a way that satisfies escalating environmental and animal welfare scrutiny, state and national regulations and changing consumer attitudes is considerably more complex.

Behind the farm gate it means that practices in the largest and most advanced agricultural nations, including Australia, will be in the spotlight as the new food production ground rules take shape.

Enter WWF as the unexpected and uninvited powerbroker in this high-stakes scenario. The world’s largest independent conservation organisation is targeting 100 key companies that globally trade commodities including beef, sugar, cotton, palm oil, soybeans and coffee to participate in ”round table” forums about how extra food can be produced with fewer, but more precise, inputs.

WWF’s Australian program leader for water, Nick Heath, says three times more food and fibre will be needed in the next 40 years than is produced now. ”The answer lies in precision agriculture – more crop per drop.”

And Rob Cairns, the organisation’s Australian program manager for sustainable agriculture, who has a background in the cotton and sugar industries, assures the food chain that WWF is ”just one player” in the quest for a lower food environmental footprint, ”not the policeman”.

”It’s about sustaining food production without impacting on eco-systems,” he says. ”At the moment, it’s confusing for consumers. By default, organics have been seen as the answer. But organics can’t clothe and feed the world, so we have to work with those who can make a difference. And it has to involve a number of commodities.”

Beef is at the top of that list.

In this regard, the Australian cattle industry may be ahead of the game. Meat & Livestock Australia is developing a voluntary environmental module that will enable beef producers to demonstrate the ”environmental responsible nature” of their production systems.

But it remains unclear whether farmers’ ability to merely demonstrate environmental responsibility, rather than prove it, will be enough.

To this end, a group of cattle producers in Gippsland, Victoria, is marketing beef sourced from properties with independently audited environmental management systems that comply with the international ISO 14001 standard. Their ”enviromeat beef”, sourced from 15 suppliers, is thought to be the first labelled food product backed by an environmental management system in Australia.

Read on to learn more…

Precision agriculture is playing a much larger role in helping potato growers become more sustainable, according to a recent story in Spudman.

Bruce Crapo, a grower of 6,000 acres of commercial potatoes and 2,000 acres of seed potatoes in Idaho, is a good example of how the average potato farmer looks at precision agriculture – he uses technology to reduce costs, increase output and improve profits.

Crapo isn’t thrilled at the cost of high-tech equipment such as GPS-guided tractors, but he knows it’s saving him money and there’s no way he can turn back now.

“There is a substantial initial cost involved,” Crapo said. “But I also know it is saving me money. What do you do? Go back to what you were doing before? That’s not an option.”

Crapo, who uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology on all his planters and harvesters, said the latest precision ag technology has taken farming to a different level.

“It’s light years ahead of what it was when we were doing it by hand,” he said. “We’re not going to go back to not using it, but we are wincing a little at the cost.”

Precision agriculture can loosely be defined as using new technologies such as GPS, sensors, variable rate application equipment and aerial or satellite images to make farming easier and more profitable.

Simply put, precision agriculture can help farmers improve their margins by decreasing their operating costs.

Idaho farmer Robert Blair, owner of PineCreek Precision, says the biggest benefit of precision farming is that it gives producers the ability to manage their farm on a production zone basis rather than a whole field basis. This shift, he said, allows farmers to save time and money and helps them offset the rising cost of chemicals, nutrients, fuel and fertilizer.

Blair uses a wide array of precision agriculture techniques on his 1,500-acre farm and said the technology is saving him tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Read on to learn more…

At the recent Holdrege Water Conference in Nebraska, several speakers talked about how precision technology is not only conserving water but saving growers money as well, according to this Nebraska TV report.

It really is a big money-saver,” said UNL Extension Educator Chuck Burr. “Several years ago, we had some irrigators figure out how much it costs them to make a circle, or put an inch of water on 130 acres. That can range from $600 to $1200 every time they apply an inch of water to that field. So if they can reduce a couple applications, you’re talking a couple thousand dollars for every pivot.”

The cost of pumping goes down, and so do labor and gas costs.

“With the new technology, [farmers] can sit at their computers and make sure the pivot is still
working,” Burr said. “If there is a problem, then they can drive specifically to that pivot.”

The experts say, irrigation technology helps more crops grow better. “Let’s say I have a field that has two different types of soil,” said Burr, “those soil types may require more different amount of water applied during the irrigation season.”

“We’re able to vary the speed that they run,” added Thorburn, “so that we can adjust them for different soil types. Sandy soils need more water than heavier soils.”

More efficient use of land and water means a brighter tomorrow. “Apply water just when it’s needed,” Thorburn said, “the better we are able to conserve that resource for the future.”

Click on the camera icon at this link to view the video.

Learn more about how AGCO’s AgCommand telemetry product can help you track, monitor and management all machinery in the field. Watch this video posted recently by Farm Industry News.

Steve Tupa of AGCO talks about an advanced version of AGCO’s recently introduced telemetry product called AgCommand. This product provides 25 different messages from fuel use to engine load which can be sent to home computer for observation. It was introduced at Ag Connect Expo, held recently in Atlanta, GA.

Telemetry systems like AgCommand allow navigation, prescription application, location and other data to be transferred easily to and from farm machinery. These systems will grow in importance as farmers seek ways to improve efficiencies on high-priced equipment.

Effective control of Southern root knot nematode looks promising with the use of GPS-controlled, variable-rate applications of soil fumigants, according to University of Arizona researchers, as reported by Western Farm Press.

Field trials conducted from 2006 to 2010 tabulated information gathered by global positioning systems and variable rate technology, including the electrical conductivity-based Veris 3100 and EM38 sensors for on-the-go soil mapping, plus harvest yield mapping data.

This technology illustrates that nematicide applications can be applied sparingly in some cases while maintaining good nematode control and trimming chemical costs.

The grower cooperator field trials included six studies with the nematicide Telone II applied at pre-plant in cotton and corn in central and southwestern Arizona conducted by University of Arizona (UA) researchers Randy Norton, Tim Hatch, Mike McClure, and Pedro Andrade.

Norton, UA regional extension cotton specialist based in Safford, shared the findings during the 71^st annual Cotton Disease Council meeting at the 2011 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in Atlanta, Ga., in January.

Norton labeled the RKN as the No. 1 nematode species threat in Arizona. The microscopic roundworm damages crops by attacking the young tap and secondary roots which stimulates the production of galls. Galls interfere with the ability of the roots to absorb water and nutrients, and allow other disease-producing organisms to enter the plant.

Arizona hotspots for RKNs include the Coolidge, Casa Grande, Florence, and Buckeye areas in central Arizona and the Bonita area in the Sulphur Springs Valley in southeastern Arizona.

In cotton, the RKN is responsible for a 5 percent lint yield reduction on average across the Cotton Belt, Norton says. Five gallons is the standard Telone II application rate in Arizona to maintain cotton yields in RKN-infected fields.

Read on to learn more…

Clemson University entomologists created a nice visual demo field that shows the value of Bt cotton compared to non-Bt.

The furry-looking insects start their development smaller than the head of a pin, but the caterpillars soon develop an appetite for cotton as big as the crop.

To demonstrate the insects’ destructive power, Clemson University entomologist Jeremy Greene planted two cotton varieties — one genetically modified to provide protection from caterpillars, one not — in a demonstration field at the Edisto Research and Education Center.

The non-protected cotton was planted in a pattern that spelled the word “Tigers.” Aerial photographs taken near harvest show that while the genetically modified crop survived intact, the unprotected plants provided three square meals a day for the crop-hungry herbivores.

The demonstration crop was planted in late May last year and grew through the summer.

“We wanted to show the kind of damage caterpillars can do when they’re allowed to eat unprotected cotton freely,” Greene said.

Cotton is a multimillion dollar crop in the Palmetto State involving hundreds of farms and thousands of jobs.

Nearly all cotton varieties planted in South Carolina contain genes found in the naturally occurring Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, that help the plant make its own insecticide.

Bt cotton is genetically modified with specific genes from Bacillus thuringiensis. Think of it as in-plant insecticide, Greene said. This technology has been commercially available since 1996, but improvements over the years have enhanced the control of major pests.

The plant makes the proteins just like the bacterium does. The particular strain of Bacillus thuringiensis available in cotton, which was planted for the demonstration, works only on immature lepidopterans, or caterpillars. Lepidoptera is the insect order for moths and butterflies. The toxic proteins have no ill effects on other organisms.

“During 2010, we had a very high population of bollworm that infested cotton acres at the Edisto research center,” Greene said. “We planted a non-Bt variety where you see the word ‘Tigers’ and a two-gene Bt cotton where you see the fluffy white cotton lint.”

The striking difference in appearance is due to bollworms eating all of the green cotton bolls in the non-Bt variety that did not have protection from the insects.

Greene applied no insecticides to control caterpillars in this field, so the difference between the Bt and non-Bt varieties is illustrated clearly.

A color-coded yield map, produced by precision agriculture specialist Will Henderson at the Edisto center, illustrates the crop after harvest using one of the center’s pickers that is equipped with a yield monitor. The map shows “good” yields in green and “bad” yields in red.

The damage potential of important lepidopteran species, such as bollworm, is not new, Greene said. Moths have flown into fields, laid eggs and hatched as injurious caterpillars for decades.

Transgenic Bt technology and its improvement over the years are relatively recent advances that represent effective, economical and environmentally friendly control of these insects in agriculture, he said.

“We know what they can do to non-Bt cotton versus Bt cotton — the photographs speak for themselves,” Greene said.

If tree lines or other obstacles sometimes cause dropped signals, you may benefit from the Russian global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) that Ag Leader’s ParaDyme automated steering system will now support.

“The main advantage GLONASS capability will offer ParaDyme users is longer run-time without losing signal due to coverage interruptions or low GPS satellite availability,” says GPS and Guidance Product Manager, Matt Leinen. “This feature will be especially beneficial to our growers that often lose satellite signal due to tree lines or other field obstacles; additional satellite availability will help them maintain a GNSS signal and keep running.”

GLONASS support is the latest functionality added to the ParaDyme automated steering system. The ParaDyme can be controlled through Ag Leader’s EDGE or INTEGRA display, and features remote service and the ability to receive RTK differential correction signals via cellular network. The ParaDyme automated steering system benefits include sub-inch accuracy, increased fuel efficiency, reduced operator fatigue and more.

For wheat growers who normally top-dress nitrogen, the use of crop sensors could boost yields and reduce over or under application.

Today, Ag Leader Technology, Inc., a leader in the development of precision farming solutions, announced the release of the North American Wheat algorithm for OptRx, a crop sensor used for mapping, data collection and real-time variable rate nitrogen application. OptRx crop sensors determine a vegetative index reference value based on a plant with sufficient nitrogen and prescribe nitrogen rates based on plants’ crop vigor, taking into account field variability and crop conditions.

“Using OptRx for nitrogen application in wheat can help prevent yield loss commonly due to overapplication, especially in early growth stages,” says Roger Zielke, Product Manager. “Another major factor that OptRx can help account for is the variability in organic matter within fields. Variable rate nitrogen application with OptRx can compensate for these differences in organic matter, and our field trials have shown that it will help maximize profit potential by delivering the right amount of nitrogen to the right plant.”

OptRx can help improve nitrogen efficiency by scanning and measuring the impact of growing conditions on a plant, ultimately helping growers improve environmental stewardship and maximize profit potential. Nitrogen application on wheat can occur anytime between tillering and stem elongation, and any top-dress applicator can be used with OptRx for nitrogen application. Because OptRx uses a light-sensing technology that is not dependent on ambient light, OptRx can be used to apply nitrogen, whenever optimum conditions are available day or night. OptRx crop sensors are also available for nitrogen application in corn.

During the hundreds of interviews I’ve conducted with farmers over the years for stories on precision farming tools, I’d have to say that every one of them has touched on the value of their local dealer. Without their set up, training and troubleshooting expertise, adoption of this technology would not be where it is today.

To that end, I spoke yesterday with Andy Boyle who is training coordinator at Ag Leader Technology. They are currently holding dealer trainings at “Ag Leader Academy” at their great facility in Ames, Iowa. “Our U.S. and International dealers truly enjoy this meeting, as it keeps them up-to-date on all of our hardware, so they are truly prepared to help educate and serve their customers,” he says.

During these trainings, dealers partake in 100-, 200- and 300-level classes on displays (INTEGRA, EDGE), on applications like DirectCommand and SeedCommand, on the auto steering capabilities of ParaDyme and OnTrac2 and much more.

“Much of our training is hands-on so dealers get the feel for how everything works, and how to troubleshoot issues that can arise,” Boyle says. “Our showroom has a fully-operational sprayer, spinner-spreader and planter so we can actually calibrate and troubleshoot equipment. And we have four tractors equipped with mechanical and hydraulic steering systems so dealers get drive time training as well.”

CUSTOMERS BENEFIT. Thanks to this intensive hands-on training, these dealers take this knowledge and conduct around 40 training sessions to benefit their customers and prospects during February, March and April in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Canada (see the link below for current list of sessions).

“The dealers focus their customer training on all the how-to information growers need, which is also a great refresher to prepare for the upcoming spring season. They walk through set-up of all equipment to prepare for spring field work, as well as review all operations while in the field,” he adds.

Cost to growers is $25 per session, which includes a meal. To register for a training session (see the link below) call 515-232-5363, ext. 6205.

Visit these links for more information:

Customer Training Sessions
http://www.agleader.com/customer-support/training-sessions/hardware-training/

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

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.

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.

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.

Had 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/

Farmers and retailers can track the location of their vehicles with Trimble’s Connected Farm solution, thanks to new Farm Works Dispatch software and its new DCM-300 modem.

The additional functionality provided by a Dispatch service plan offers farm managers a visual tool for organizing fleet movement to save fuel costs and increase equipment efficiency. Through email alerts and on-screen maps, a farm manager can easily track the location of their equipment including sprayers, spreaders, tender trucks and harvesters.

By integrating Trimble GPS and information management solutions, managers can also be notified if vehicles are stolen or moved into unauthorized non-farm areas. The system is compatible with Connected Farm Sync wireless data management software and Trimble VRS Now Ag cellular Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS correction services.

The Dispatch software works with Trimble’s Sync wireless data management and goes beyond simple vehicle tracking by also allowing the transfer of A-B lines, yield and application maps, work orders and other maps between vehicles and back to the farm office. This creates efficiency during busy production times such as tillage, fertilizing, planting, spraying and harvest.

“Dispatch software was designed to give farm managers an all-in-one solution for tracking the movement and productivity of their machinery fleet,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president and general manager for Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “With more information at their fingertips, it will be easier for managers to see where additional efficiency can be gained. These capabilities can mean more efficient production, less wear and tear on equipment, or more efficient use of inputs such as fuel, fertilizer and chemicals.”

The Trimble Farm Works Dispatch asset tracking software is expected to be available in March 2011. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information.