Precision Pays

An new multi-use DCM-300 modem from Trimble provides access to its VRS RTK signal plus handle wireless data transfer between field and farm or retailer office.

The new modem can be used to access Trimble VRS Now Ag RTK correction service and to enable Connected Farm wireless field data transfer. The DCM-300 modem is also compatible with the new Farm Works Dispatch asset tracking software, an expansion of the Connected Farm solution. Dispatch software uses wireless communications and Global Positioning System (GPS) to manage vehicle movement and productivity.

The DCM-300 modem is available in two models for use on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular networks, such as AT&T, or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cellular networks, such as Verizon. The modem is available with a single data plan subscription, which will be provided by Trimble, offering farmers a cost-saving solution to consolidate data plans under one subscription.

The DCM-300 offers efficient access to both Connected Farm and VRS Now RTK sub-inch accurate correction service. Job orders, coverage maps and A-B lines may be transferred wirelessly to multiple vehicles in different locations for follow-up operations, or within the same field for accurate overlap protection. Farmers can save time without the need to hand-deliver electronic data cards or jump drives from the farm office.

“The DCM-300 is an expansion of Trimble’s goal to continue to develop solutions that simplify a variety of farming applications taking place, often simultaneously,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president and general manager for Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “The new modem enhances the data transfer and guidance capabilities of the Trimble FmX integrated display as well as the CFX-750 touch screen display, putting the Connected Farm within reach of anyone who has a reliable wireless data carrier signal.”

The Trimble DCM-300 modem is expected to be available in March 2011. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information.

Precision communications pays, too. Learn how to help promote your farm, your agriculture, using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. These tools can truly help communicate the importance of what we’re doing, and it’s vitally important that we know how to use them, properly and regularly.

Throughout 2011, the National Corn Growers Association will hold a series of hourly webinars – online tutorials – to help our members and others learn how to use some of these tools, such as Facebook and Twitter. This series of monthly webinars is provided free, courtesy the generous support of Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business.

These webinars will be held on the following dates:

January 20, 10:30 a.m. CST
February 17
March 17
April 28
May 19
June 16
July 21
August 18
September 15
October 20
November 17
December 15

Times and dates are subject to change. It is important to register to keep informed about changes.

The first three topics are:

January: Review the goals of the series, and why growers should take the time to participate. We will define the objectives and review the “return on investment” of engaging in social media and how it fits within the context of agriculture. We will also review how it is being used successfully by others in the industry to further support reasons to engage. Also, we will discuss how participants can track their personal social media success.

February: This will be a nuts and bolts webinar that offers a checklist of basic skills. We will review how to create profiles on various sites, how to start building a following and social media essentials to move to the next level.

March: Focus on Facebook and how to use it, when to use it, and pitfalls to avoid.

Click here to register for the January webinar.

Click here to sign up for NCGA’s e-mail list, to be notified before each upcoming webinar, so you can register, and to receive important updates throughout the year. Important: Under “Your Interests,” please make sure to select “Social Media Webinars 2011.”

Once these webinars are completed, they will be archived at the NCGA Online Learning Center.

NCGA in Social Media

http://www.facebook.com/corngrowers
www.twitter.com/nationalcorn
www.youtube.com/nationalcorngrowers
www.flickr.com/photos/ncgapictures
www.corncommentary.com

Pioneer Hi-Bred in Social Media

www.facebook.com/pioneerhibred
www.twitter.com/pioneerhibred
www.youtube.com/user/PioneerHB

Bridging the connectivity between in-field data collection and existing office software has just become more simple with Raven’s Slingshot API.

Building upon the Slingshot suite of wireless products and services, including RTK correction, data transfer, remote support, high speed internet access and more, the Slingshot API is designed to bridge the information gap between activity in the field and existing software at the office. This is made possible through Slingshot’s managed wireless connectivity platform and a software toolkit (API) to be implemented by software vendors and will allow an organization to take control over workflow and operational efficiency without replacing current software platforms.

“The Slingshot API allows software providers to offer their customers an automation platform that is fully integrated in their software, enhancing the value of the offering,” says Paul Welbig, Director of Slingshot Operations for Raven Industries, “Raven has built the tools necessary to learn the system, integrate, and be part of the future design of the platform. Software companies and other Slingshot API customers will receive unprecedented access to previously inaccessible field operations and hardware.”

Ag retailers reap the benefit of the Slingshot API by leveraging existing investments in software and custom development as well as the clear benefit of end-to-end business automation. For example, the platform is designed to eliminate the need for USB thumb drives to transfer data, and will expedite and streamline the way their operations manage the valuable data collected by the field computer.

The Slingshot API is also the first step in response to demand for customized interactions with Raven field computers from third parties and will be the exclusive method moving forward. This will help ensure the best possible user experience by utilizing the most consistent and dependable wireless interface with Raven’s field computers. Several software providers, including AgWorks and SST Software, have already signed up and begun their implementations.

According to Greg Duhachek of AgWorks, “AgWorks is thrilled to offer our customers the opportunity to communicate application orders seamlessly between our schedule module and Raven field computers. Linking to the in-cab controllers is a critical efficiency gap for our customers, and Raven solves that with the introduction of the Slingshot API. AgWorks customers plan to put the API to use within their software this spring, and we are excited about working with Raven to stay on the cutting edge of technology in agriculture.”

Matt Waits of SST Software says, “Utilizing Raven’s Slingshot API allows Summit users to access tools within our software developed to better integrate the office with real-time field operations. The added value of wireless data transfer between Raven field computers and SST Summit software is immediately visible in reduced time, lower costs and increased data collection. Our logistics tools gain value with opportunities such as tracking assets in real-time while integrating the data standards of agX enables the seamless communication of data files between Raven and SST systems.”

The Slingshot API Community Technical Preview is now available. Both customers and software providers interested in learning more can visit ravenslingshot.com for more information, or simply call Raven Industries at (800) 243-5435.

Topcon, which recently launched its new System 350 that features the new all-in-one X30 control console and its AGI-3 receiver for autosteering, has formed a strategic relationship with DICKEY-john.

DICKEY-john, based in Auburn, Illinois, serves the agriculture, off-road equipment, public works and analytical instrumentation industries worldwide. They will be adding Topcon’s revolutionary X30 machine control display as a next-generation console to their current product line-up. The X30 is a virtual terminal that offers complete compatibility, not only with DICKEY-john sensors, monitors and control systems, but also any ISO 11783 compliant product.

Ray O’Connor, Topcon president and CEO, said, “DICKEY-john is a globally recognized company with an exemplary reputation for its expertise in planting and application control. The company is well known for their reliable sensor technology and dedication to customer service; the X30 will be a strong addition to their industry recognized product line. We are excited to work closely with this first-class company on mutually rewarding programs and projects.”

DICKEY-john’s vice president of marketing, Art Tsubaki, stated, “Topcon’s strength in technology, such as ruggedized virtual terminals, GPS and steering technology, provides another product option for our customers. Our ISO tradition and expertise, in combination with the X30, provide a great platform for OEM and aftermarket opportunities.”

The X30 console has a large (12.1 inch) display with an icon-based user interface, dashboard and interaction keypad for ease of use.

Its prominent features include:

– Compatibility with DICKEY-john control ECU’s

– Autosteering using the Topcon AGI-3 receiver

– ISO virtual terminal compatible

– Manual guidance via lightbar system

– Coverage mapping, as-applied maps

– Import of XML prescription maps

– 24 languages available

The fourth largest indoor farm show in the country is prepping for it’s 56th annual show in Des Moines, Ia., on February 1-3. It continues to break attendance records now for seven years in a row, with around 19,000 attendees spread out among six floors in the three buildings that comprise the Iowa Events Center (Hy-Vee Exhibit Hall, Wells Fargo Arena and Polk County Convention Complex). This year you’ll find around 640 companies exhibiting their products and services.

I caught up with Katie Beeler yesterday, Ag Leader’s marketing communications coordinator, to talk about their presence at the show. Aside from being a major sponsor at the three-day event, the company will conduct three educational sessions during the show.

• Tuesday, February 1 at 11:30am, Ag Leader’s Chad Huedepohl will talk about the OptRx Crop Sensor system. You’ll learn how they measure and record data as you drive through the field—providing information on crop health, while allowing you to apply prescription nitrogen rates based on plant need.

• On Wednesday, February 2 at 10:45 am, Jeff Bentley from Ag Leader will help growers understand its ParaDyme Autosteer system and CORS networks. Come learn about the most advanced guidance system, and how it has the capability of using built-in cellular signals for remote service and connection to the CORS network.

• Also Wednesday at 12:15 pm, Ag Leader’s Michael Vos will discuss the power of all the data that can be collected during a cropping season, and show how the company’s SMS software can work the data to help improve management decisions.

Click on ‘Seminars’ at the Iowa Power Farming Show website for the entire rundown.

And if new products excite you, Beeler says Ag Leader will be talking about three new precision farming tools at their booth, along with their full product line. “Come learn about our new Advanced Seed Monitoring through the SeedCommand system that improves planter performance monitoring and control through the INTEGRA display. We’ll also showcase the new GPS 2500 all-in-one antenna and GNSS Receiver that can utilize GLONASS satellites and differential correction from WAAS/EGNOS and OmniSTAR XP/HP/VBS. And we’ll have the new Mesa Rugged Notepad at the show running our SMS Mobile software so growers can check out this valuable in-field tool,” she says. Ag Leader will be in Booth #306 in the Polk County Convention Complex.

The Iowa Power Farming Show is sponsored in part by Farm Credit Services of America, Ag Leader Technology, Bayer CropScience, Stine Seed, and The Stewart-Peterson Group. The show is owned and managed by the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association (I-NEDA). I-NEDA represents over 400 agricultural, outdoor power and industrial equipment dealers throughout Iowa and Nebraska. For more information about the show and a list of show exhibitors, visit www.iowapowershow.com.

Visit these links for more information.
Iowa Power Farming Show http://www.iowapowershow.com/

New Advanced Seed Monitoring
http://www.agleader.com/2010/12/03/ag-leader-announces-advanced-seed-monitoring-functionality-for-integra™-display/

New GPS 2500 GNSS Receiver
http://www.agleader.com/2010/11/01/ag-leader-announces-new-gps-2500-gnss-receiver/

New Mesa Rugged Notepad
http://www.agleader.com/2010/11/01/ag-leader-offers-new-hardware-option-for-sms™-mobile/

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

Don’t miss the upcoming February 9-10 NeATA conference in Grand Island, Neb., as it promises a technology extravaganza, along with other valuable topics such as precision Nitrogen management, social media, building consumer trust and much more.

The Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association (NeATA), founded in 2001 by innovative Nebraska farmers, ranchers, agribusiness representatives and the University of Nebraska Extension, has compiled another great conference.

Need a technology makeover? How about using Nitrogen more wisely? Do you want to learn how to tell your story and share your values with consumers? How about learning a better way to select crop genetics? Check out the upcoming program, and book your trip now.

For Facebook users, find NeATA here and add them as a favorite.

If you irrigate and have not considered wireless sensors, the time is now to save money and improve yields.

The University of Missouri will sponsor three free breakfast workshops on wireless soil-moisture monitoring for timing irrigation. The workshops will feature representatives from six leading manufacturers of wireless sensors.

The workshops will take place Jan. 18 in Kennett, Jan. 19 in Sikeston and Jan. 20 in Columbia.

“The price of wireless technology has decreased so much in recent years that the annual cost for complete wireless systems can be as low as three to six dollars per acre,” said Joe Henggeler of MU’s Commercial Agriculture Program and workshop coordinator. “It won’t take too much extra cotton, corn or soybeans to pay for that investment.”

MU specialists and others will provide information on types of sensors, how far they can transmit signals and their usefulness to farmers. Company representatives will briefly explain their products.
Use of wireless sensors by 500 farmers in Nebraska has shown an average pump savings of $25 per acre for corn and $19 per acre for soybeans. Missouri survey results show that irrigators who use sensors have yields that are much higher than irrigators who do not use the wireless technology, Henggeler said.

Computer workstations linked to Google Earth will be available for use by farmers and company representatives. Farmers will be able to zoom to aerial views of their farms to see where to place sensors, measure the distances involved and observe if there are obstructions that may block signals.

The companies to be represented at the workshops are Campbell Scientific, Decagon Devices, Irrometer Company, John Deere Water, Onset Computer Corporation and Smartfield. Smartfield manufactures an infrared canopy temperature sensor that can determine when a crop needs to be watered.

Data is gathered 24/7 on the crop’s moisture conditions and is displayed on the computer as graphs. Almost all of the products can be set up to text-message an irrigator when a crop needs water.
Henggeler said he is pleased with the companies that will be represented at the workshops and with the personnel they will be sending. “Companies are not just sending regular sales staff but their vice presidents, product managers and other higher-echelon staff. They are eager to meet Midwestern irrigators because they feel they have products that will help them and they want to start partnerships here.”

Workshops are free of charge, but attendees are asked to preregister at http://agebb.missouri.edu/irrigate/bhconf/2011/prereg.htm.
Workshops begin 7 a.m. with a hot breakfast and conclude at 10 a.m. Dealers will be available later in the day to make site visits. Special workshop discounts will be awarded to attendees.

Dates and locations of the workshops:
-Tuesday, Jan. 18: American Legion Building, Kennett, Mo.
-Wednesday, Jan. 19: Clinton Building, Sikeston, Mo.
-Thursday, Jan. 20: MU Bradford Farm, Columbia, Mo.

For more information, see http://agebb.missouri.edu/irrigate/bhconf/2011/agenda.htm, or contact Joe Henggeler at 573- 225-7986 or henggelerj@missouri.edu.

Leica Geosystems just launched a full suite of new products for steering guidance, as well as new features to its mojo3D and mojoMINI displays.

Leica’s SteerDirect Solutions. With many new SteerDirect solutions available, Leica Geosystems now steers a broad range of tractors, combines and sprayers across all major brands.

The new SteerDirect Hydraulic option is a compact, integrated solution designed to work with the Leica mojoRTK auto-steer console. This unique hydraulic kit was designed with a number of cost-saving features, including a single bracket and a simplified design to streamline installation – saving time and money.

“When we decided to expand our steering platforms to include a hydraulic solution, we knew we wanted to develop a simple, easy-to-install solution that would be affordable for our customers,” says Rob Doncon, product manager at Leica Geosystems.

New Leica mojo3D. The new Leica mojo3D guidance display has been upgraded with a number of new features, including the new Ultimate Curve guidance option, Boundary Recording, and the ability to upgrade to GLONASS satellites.

The new and improved Leica mojo3D is a smarter precision guidance system designed to help farmers large and small create a customized solution to fit their individual needs.

New Leica mojoMINI. The Leica mojoMINI also has a number of new features, making this entry-level display a must-have for any farm operation. The Leica mojoMINI is a great solution for anyone looking for an affordable way to start saving money in the field by enhancing driver accuracy and reducing overlap. Plus, with new features like Boundary Recording, Coverage Mapping and Continue Field, the Leica mojoMINI is even more useful.

“Adding these new features to the mojo3D and mojoMINI takes these displays to the next level in ag guidance,” says Peter Bailey, product manager at Leica Geosystems. “We’ve worked hard over the past year to deliver some significant new features that make the products easier to use in a wide range of applications.”

To learn more about the available SteerDirect options and all of the Leica Geosystems agriculture products, drive straight to your local dealer or visit us online at www.AgGuidance.com

The precision irrigation from Valley has now teamed up with the variable-rate precision data services of CropMetrics.

This agreement creates an alignment of Valley Irrigation dealers with the latest in agronomic technology to provide growers true precision irrigation with center pivots. Valley Irrigation with VRI Zone Control, and CropMetrics with automated agronomic VRI prescription services, are also proud to announce their AE50 awards for 2011 as a top 50 innovative new product produced in 2010.

“Precision Irrigation starts with building a precise water management plan,” said Craig Malsam, Valmont Irrigation Vice President of Engineering. “Applying the optimum level of water and nutrients through a center pivot is more important than ever. We’re excited to be the first in our industry to supply a whole new dimension of precision irrigation through our agreement with CropMetrics and their optimization service available through our Valley dealers.”

“As our single most valuable natural resource, applying excess water is an unnecessary cost. Apply too little water, and yield potential is now lost as well. Our solution is to optimally apply water specific to soil type,” said Nick Emanuel, CropMetrics President. “We’re excited to work with Valley dealers and offer Valley customers the ability to take Precision Agriculture to the next level with our unique precision agronomic solutions and data services.”

CropMetrics specializes in full-service data collection, processing, and advanced yield analysis. The company supplies all proprietary web-based software and large-scale data processing so agronomists, crop consultants, ag retailers and Precision Ag specialists can focus on providing fast, reliable and profitable Precision Ag programs for variable rate irrigation, nitrogen and seeding.

Valley Irrigation VRI Zone Control provides individual sprinkler or span control and is fully compatible with all new and existing center pivots equipped with the Valley Irrigation Pro2 control panel. The Pro2 panel uses power line communication to remotely manage as many as 30 VRI Zone Control units. This allows each individual control unit to be easily positioned at any point along the pivot span. Because the new VRI Zone Control utilizes the on-board computing power of the Valley Irrigation Pro2 panel in combination with power line communication, the added VRI equipment cost is very reasonable.

“We believe that combining Valley Irrigation control technology with CropMetrics precision services is the future of mechanized irrigation,” said Malsam. “Producers with pivot irrigation have always been able to control how much water is applied to a field. But this technology allows producers to control how much water, fertilizer and other crop management products are variably applied based on precise agronomic data.”

The AE50 awards will be announced during a presentation at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference (AETC) in Atlanta, Ga. on January 6 as part of the AG CONNECT Expo. Representatives from CropMetrics and Valley Irrigation will be available to demonstrate the new VRI technology in the Valley Irrigation booth at AG CONNECT.

Educating growers on efficient use of precision agriculture technology was the idea behind a mobile classroom that is hitting the road for Hoober farm equipment dealership, according to a recent story in Lancaster Farming.

Hoober Inc., a farm equipment dealer with stores in Pennsylvania and Delaware, recently completed work on a precision ag training center that will go on the road to provide farmers with knowledge and training.

“Instead of farmers having to come to us, we’re going to the farmers,” said Scott Hoober, product support manager. “What we have done is create a mobile classroom to help farmers understand how to get the most from precision farming technology.

“The use of this technology has just exploded the past several years and it’s reached the point where training is needed to effectively operate the equipment,” Hoober said. “There’s so much this technology can do that many farmers may not fully understand the complete capabilities of their precision ag equipment.”

The climate controlled mobile education center provides a comfortable classroom setting that Hoober believes will enable farmers to feel more comfortable and confident with the technology.

“We believe this kind of essential training is going to help our customers save time because they will then be familiar with the equipment and will be able to, in many cases, make adjustments and corrections when needed themselves,” Hoober said. “That helps them be more productive, and that’s what matters most.”

Read more…

This past week, I caught up with Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer and precision farming guru, to chat with him about this past year in precision agriculture.

“We’ve said for a few years now that ‘accuracy is addictive.’ Well farmers are proving that as this has been a year driven by higher precision—a move to more RTK accuracy.”

The big deal. Darr cited the widespread nature of expanding RTK networks, both public and privately owned. “These networks are pushing us towards RTK becoming a standard commodity, which will help drive down the costs and give more growers the potential to achieve high-end accuracy. And that is a big deal.”

The CORS network has had a strong run over the past three years. Indiana is now online as the most recent, along with CORS networks in Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri. “I see this growth slowing down, but we’ll continue to see greater stabilization and improvement in the signals,” Darr says.

In the private sector, we’re seeing greater expansion from Trimble’s VRS network and from John Deere’s StarFire 450 MHz radio system, as well as other smaller companies building systems across the Midwest.

Crop sensing. Another big push is on to figure out how to use active crop sensing to provide financial benefit. “With the addition of Ag Leader’s OptRx system, along with the Greenseeker from Trimble and CropSpec from Topcon, growers have the potential to unlock another area of profitability. It’s not as simple as auto guidance, and it may not work for everyone,” Darr says.

This technology offers a natural fit in wheat, since growers are used to topdressing in the spring. “Anytime you can automate N applications, you’re looking at both economic and environmental benefits. A reduction in the over-application of N is a big deal,” Darr says.

“The challenge for Midwest corn growers is that not every producer uses sidedressed N when corn is 12 to 18 inches tall, which is where this technology needs to be used. So you’re asking growers to change production practices as well as adopt new technology, so these challenges will slow adoption. But it offers huge potential,” he adds.

The future. “If you look back 4 or 5 years, and think about the automation technology that has come out—from auto swath to auto steer—all the easy things, relatively speaking, have been automated. Future automation gets tougher. We now need to circle back to data and press that information into greater knowledge. That’s what we’re after. We must gain knowledge from all this data to improve our operations,” he says.

GPS World offers a look at their top five events in GPS/GNSS for 2010, so check it out, too. http://www.gpsworld.com/survey/top-5-events-gpsgnss-2010-a-year-end-review-10854

Visit these links for more information.

CORS Network
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/GoogleMap/CORS.shtml

Learn How CORS Network Can Fit Precision Farming
http://precisionpays.com/2010/01/learn-how-cors-network-can-fit-precision-farming/

Lessons in Differential Correction
http://www.agleader.com/2010/07/02/lessons-in-precision-ag-differential-correction-part-2/

RTK Network Options
http://farmindustrynews.com/precision-guidance/rtk-network-options

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

The Alabama Precision Ag team has compiled three good publications on automatic section control (ASC) for sprayers, planters and spreaders.

Automatic section control (ASC) has been one of the most adopted precision ag technologies in recent years. This technology has the ability to save producers on input costs by minimizing application overlap at headlands, point rows, or other odd-shaped areas of fields. Our research suggests a 2% to nearly 30% savings in fields when using ASC and guidance technology. Further, ASC can improve on-farm environmental stewardship by eliminating application in environmentally sensitive areas (e.g. grassed waterways, buffer strips, etc) or outside field boundaries. Frequent comments by those who have adopted ASC is that they want to implement on all their application technology (sprayer, planter, side-dress unit, etc.) and it reduces fatigue over long work days by automating the on and off of sections.

To help producers and others interested in ASC, the Alabama Precision Ag Team has put together 3 publications providing a general overview of ASC, needed components, and company information for planters, sprayers and spinner spreaders. Many times the expense to purchase ASC for a machine is relatively small compared to the savings it provides on crop inputs. We hope this information can help those looking to purchase ASC during this off season. Please let us know if you have any questions or we can assist in anyway.

The following provides direct links to each of these publications.

ASC for Sprayers
ASC for Planters
ASC for Spreaders

For more information, please visit www.alabamaprecisionagonline.com.

Technology is empowering rural workers in China, thanks to China Mobile’s Nongxintong, a paid farming information service launched four years ago in conjunction with the agricultural ministry, according to a BBC report. China Mobile runs a website, 12582.com, that sends text message information to farmers about everything from market prices to agronomic techniques.

Straining to control a deafening, bucking, fuel-powered plough, Qing Zhongxing prepares a strip of land ahead of sowing next season’s harvest of rapeseed.

Throttling down at the next turn, he pauses to check his mobile phone: it is the latest news on pork prices.

On the other side of the village, in Chongqing’s Dazu County, beekeeper Long Ximing is too engrossed in his honeycombs – and avoiding being stung – to check on his phone’s shrill alert.

Nonetheless, like Mr Qing and 20 million others in rural China, he is a big fan of mobile farming.

China Mobile’s Nong Xin Tong – or farming information service – launched four years ago. The company is currently focusing on expanding its delivery in China’s west and south-west regions.

“Building the mobile network and covering most of the country’s administrative villages, we realised that there was only a network signal. In rural areas, this is not enough,” explains Liu Jing, a local manager for the service at China Mobile.

“It’s like having a highway and no cars!”

Indeed, while most farming households in China now have mobile phones, very few have internet. So their main source for information was via television – that is, if they could be bothered to watch serious programming after a day out in the fields.

So, China Mobile created Nongxintong to deliver information and news directly to the farmer via their mobiles.

Read on here…

As you start preparing your 2011 calendar for precision farming events not to miss, mark your calendars for the next edition of the popular Information Agriculture Conference, set for July 12-14, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, Illinois. This is the same location as InfoAg 2009 and previous conferences.

InfoAg 2011 is organized by the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) and the Foundation for Agronomic Research (FAR), with exhibits coordinated by CropLife. Since the first conference in 1995, InfoAg has been a leading event in precision agriculture. Information Agriculture Conference occurs at 2-year intervals, alternating years with the International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA). InfoAg 2011 will present a wide range of educational and networking opportunities for manufacturers, practitioners, Certified Crop Advisers, input suppliers, farmers, Extension and NRCS personnel, and anyone interested in site-specific techniques and technology.

Watch for further details and program updates at the conference website: www.infoag.org

Come to the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge, La., on February 1-2 to hear more than 90 presentations on precision farming and much more at the 14th annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference.

As in the past 13 years, the conference is Co-Sponsored the following seven mid-south universities: University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, LSU Ag Center, Auburn University, and Texas A&M. USDA-NRCS of Washington DC and USDA-ARS centers in the Southern states are co-sponsors as well.

The conference has numerous Corporate Co-Sponsors and will feature a large trade show. Ag-Media Co-Sponsors are Farm Press Publications, Delta and Southwest Farm Press.

This conference, a perennial success, first opened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1997 and alternated locations in succeeding years between Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. This year’s conference in Tunica, Mississippi drew a record attendance of farmers who accounted for over 1.5 million acres of agriculture production last year.

“Baton Rouge is an ideal setting for the conference, providing a relaxing environment where farmers can visit with other farmers and researchers,” said John LaRose, Chairman of the Conference Steering Committee.

“This conference is recognized as the leading Southern Agriculture Production Conference mainly because over 40 farmers along with over 40 researchers and numerous crop consultants make presentations during the 90 plus breakout sessions,” stated LaRose. “During a given hour, there are over 20 unique breakout sessions to choose from.”

“This is the only annual conference in the United States where attendees can participate in approximately 40 agriculture production breakout sessions being presented by actual farmers.”

As in the past, two other conferences will be sponsored by the Cotton and Rice Conference and held at the same time and location. The Mid-South Corn and Soybean Conference and the Mid-South Precision Ag Conference are held in conjunction with the Cotton & Rice Conference.

The Cotton and Rice Conference is a must-attend event for all farmers wishing to hone their production methods. The conference offers farmers ways to trim inputs while boosting yields. In recent years both farmers and landlords have found that beyond tillage, there are many other farming resources that can be conserved through a properly designed conservation systems program. The importance of conserving soil moisture, as well as reducing fuel, labor, seed, chemical, fertilizer and other input costs is the key to economic success for all farmers and landowners.

“The main emphasis of the conference is reducing production costs and increasing yields in cotton rice, soybeans and corn through precision agriculture in its many forms,” said LaRose.

Farmers from Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee will be able to receive their state pesticide re-certification credits. Certified crop consultants can select from over 40 hours of qualifying sessions to earn CEU’s during the conference.