Precision Pays

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we hear from three real farmers who have implemented precision agriculture techniques and equipment.

During the recent AGCONNECT Expo in Atlanta, farmers Doug Applegate, Bill Darrington and William Masteller talked about how each of them got involved in precision agriculture and why it is so important to them. Their comments came during the Successful Farming Innovations session entitled “Vision for 2020: Does Precision Farming Pay?”

Applegate, who farms near Oakland, Iowa, was a fairly early adopter of precision agriculture, putting the technology to work for him in 1996.

“It gave us a tool to keep track of where everything was planted, compare yields. Variety selection is very big on helping the cost effectiveness of using this equipment. That was our original payoff,” says Applegate.

Darrington, who didn’t come to the precision ag game until 2006, says he was waiting for the right system to come along that would help him farm the hilly terrain of Western Iowa.

“We end up with a lot of overlaps. You all know what it’s like when you’re planting 34,000 seeds, and you double that, you don’t have much yield in those areas.” Darrington says precision ag helps him prevent those types of duplications in seeding and fertilizing that don’t really help the overall yields.

South Dakota farmer Bill Masteller told the group that precision agriculture was a business decision for him to get the most out of his 1,500 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans.

“Farming is a business, of course. And they don’t exactly give land away or make more of it. So, since I have such a limited amount to work with, I have to be efficient as possible.”

All three farmers agree that good technical support is extremely valuable for them to get the most out of their precision agriculture operations.

You can hear more of what the three had to say in this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast in the player below below. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

I took a look at what’s new with Precision Pays sponsor, Ag Leader Technology, by talking with Mike Olson at the AG CONNECT Expo. Here’s Mike (left) talking through precision applications and options with one of attendees during the show.

Mike says they just announced the addition of advanced seed tube monitoring to their displays. This allows farmers to take their Integra display and monitor singles and doubles in their spacing along with other things. This helps make sure you’re getting the best performance from your planter. Mike says farmers are most interested in auto steering since many haven’t implemented it yet and also planter clutch control which allows section control.

Looking ahead Mike says that he wants farmers to take a look at their OptRx crop sensor technology which allows for on the go variable nitrogen application. He says data they’ve seen from fields using this technology is amazing.

Listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview With Mike Olson

2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Precision agriculture is the focus of many educational sessions at the 2011 AG CONNECT Expo in Atlanta this weekend. One of the very first sessions that was held on the Friday special preview day was “Implementing an On-Farm Research Program” presented by precision agriculture advocate Harold Reetz of Reetz Agronomics.

“Every farmer ought to have an area set aside that he’s testing new things under his management conditions,” Harold said. “We have a lot of new equipment, new products, new varieties that are coming on line and as we get to site specific management and fine-tuning the management on your farm, you really have to evaluate each of those things on your farm under your conditions to see if it fits and will improve your profits or your environmental impact.”

He explains that site-specific technology provides the tools to do the research. “Every field can be a research plot where we’re testing something new. We can set it up on the computer, apply the treatments as you’re doing normal farming operations,” he said. “You learn more about your operation and how you can improve what you’re doing.”

I also chatted with Harold about how fast the technology for precision farming has grown in just the last 15 years, now incorporating wireless internet and smartphones, “We’re doing so much more than we dreamed of 15 years ago – it’s unbelievable!” he says.

Harold also talks about the recently formed International Society for Precision Agriculture and the2011 InfoAg Conference, coming up July 12-14 in Springfield, IL.

Listen to the whole interview with Harold here: Harold Reetz at AG CONNECT

You can see photos from AG CONNECT
2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

An Indiana-based mobile technology company has developed a farming and industrial smart Phone application that will be spotlighted during AG CONNECT Expo 2011 in Atlanta.

LoadOut Technologies CEO Neil Mylet will be presenting the company’s technology during an AG CONNECT breakout session from 9:30-10:30 Saturday morning.

Mylet will discuss various applications and different types of Smartphone features that can help make any farming operation more efficient. He will also discuss where the mobile devices are going in the future, and highlight the top 5 applications for agriculture.

Following the session, Mylet will also host a roundtable discussion on ideas, solutions, and ways agriculture can foster technological entrepreneurship to transform farms and communities of rural America.

There are lots of precision agriculture and technology sessions on tap for the second AG CONNECT Expo that starts Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

There will be a lot more people at this second event than there were at the inaugural event in Orlando last year and there will be even more educational opportunities – including breakout sessions, the Progressive Farmer Innovations Theater, new Town Hall forums, and Farm Journal Media presents.

Breakout sessions that might be of interest to the precision-minded farmer on Friday include Sustainability at 9:30 am and Implementing an On-Farm Research Program for Your Farm by Harold Reetz at 1:30 pm.

Saturday sessions include The Economics of Irrigation Efficiency, Is RTK Right for My Operation? and Balancing Crop Nutrient Needs, Economics and Environmental Concerns -all from 8-9 am; Smartphone Technology: Unleashing Agriculture at 9:30; and The Benefits of Center Pivot Irrigation at 1:30. Sunday highlights The Benefits of Drip Irrigation at 9:30 am, and sessions on Making Your Farm Wireless and No Till, both at 1:30. Two final sessions on Monday morning will answer the questions How Does Your Farm Measure Up? and When Is the Best Time to Buy Your Fertilizer?

Precision technology topics featured in the Innovations Theater line-up inclued Vision for 2020: Does Precision Farming Pay? featuring a panel of farmers who are making precision ag pay in their operations at 1 pm on Friday and The Best of All Around the Farm: How to Save Time, Money and Labor on Sunday at 2:30 pm.

There is so much more I can’t get it all in one post – check out the list of educational sessions here or use the handy search function on the AG CONNECT website to create a customized agenda based on your own personal interests.

My friend Dr. John Fulton from Auburn University wanted me to remind everyone who is headed to the AG CONNECT Expo in Atlanta, Ga. to make a short side trip to his school (just 100 miles southwest of Atlanta) for an open house put on by Auburn University, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and the Alabama Precison Agriculture Team.

“We felt like it was a great opportunity [for companies and agencies] who will be attending AG CONNECT that week.”

Fulton says the focus of the one day event on January 6, 2011 will be on the school’s application technology. “Whether that’s for liquid applications, such as sprayers, or dry applicators in our area.”

Fulton estimates that about half of the farmers in the country use some type of precision ag technology, and that number will continue to grow.

He adds that since the event will take place so close to the same day Auburn plays Oregon for the BCS national championship in football, any wayward ducks from the northwest part of the country get a special invitation to a special event.

“We’d love to take them out on a ‘Duck’ hunt!”

The open house, duck hunting not included, starts at 9 am CST on Jan. 6, 2011 at Auburn’s Tom Corley Building (Biosystems Engineering Department). More information is available on the Alabama Precision Ag Team’s website.

Listen to more of my conversation with Dr. Fulton in the player below: Dr. John Fulton, Auburn University

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) will continue its partnership with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and AG CONNECT Expo for the 2011 show, January 8-10 in Atlanta.

NACD and AEM have partnered on various projects for more than four decades on an awards program that recognizes individual conservation districts for using new and innovative technologies, tools and equipment in conservation efforts.

“Our involvement in AG CONNECT Expo 2011 will generate greater conservation awareness and support AEM and its efforts within the Ag industry. It will also serve to enhance awareness of and elevate the profile of NACD among producers and agribusiness in general,” said Jeff Eisenberg, chief executive officer of NACD.. “AG CONNECT Expo will exhibit the kind of equipment necessary for conservation advancement.”

Incidentally, NACD’s annual meeting will be held in Nashville shortly after AG CONNECT Expo. The theme for for NACD’s 65th annual meeting is conservation “From the Roots Up” and the dates are January 30 through February 2, 2011.

It’s been nearly a year since the inaugural AG CONNECT Expo happened in Orlando, Florida back in January. A successful first-time event, AG CONNECT Expo 2011 is shaping up to be even better. AgWired reporter Cindy Zimmerman caught up with the show’s director Sara Mooney to learn what is on tap for next year’s event being held at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, Georgia on January 7-10, 2011.

Mooney attributes much of the show’s success to their industry supporters. “The show was 30 years in the making so there was a lot of interest and a lot of participation from throughout the industry. So it was a very successful event,” said Mooney.

It’s also the support of the industry that is helping them create an even more educational event for next year. Mooney said this year there are more exhibitors and 35 brand new sessions targeted for growers who want to learn more about precision farming to those who own dairy or beef operations. Several of the educational sessions will cover smartphone technology, wireless technology and irrigation. All the sessions are designed to help growers better manage their farm operations all while increasing profits.

This year, AG CONNECT Expo 2011 will be hosted along side the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting. The group will be exhibiting along side AG CONNECT in the pavilion and attendees of both events will have access to all the exhibits. In addition, the event is certified as an international buyer program show by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Mooney said this is advantageous because the event is promoted at their posts throughout the world. Last year, 20 percent of the attendees were from other countries and Mooney expects this number to be much higher at next year’s show.

To learn more about the event, see a list of the dozens of educational programs and to view information about the more than 100 exhibitors, visit www.agconnect.com. You can also register online and those who sign up by December 10, 2010 will receive registration discounts.

You can also learn more about AG CONNECT Expo 2011 in Sara Mooney’s interview. Don't Miss AG CONNECT Expo 2011

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) will be a key sponsor of the 2011 AG CONNECT Expo, the second international agricultural event of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). FEMA, based in St. Louis, Missouri, represents primarily privately-owned, specialized manufacturers of agricultural equipment and also endorsed the inaugural AG CONNECT Expo, held in 2010.

AG CONNECT Expo is slated for January 8-10, 2011 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The event is a world-class trade show, offering not only the latest innovations, products, services and technology and access to industry experts, but also quality learning and networking opportunities.

FEMA president John McCoy of Orthman Manufacturing in Lexington, Nebraska says they are “proud to be a key sponsor” of AG CONNECT Expo and pointed out that many shortliners are family-run companies. “Our companies create quality manufacturing jobs, playing a critical role in driving the economy in many rural communities. Inside the Innovation Square Pavilion at AG CONNECT, producers can see many of these innovative, regional manufacturers in one place. AG CONNECT Expo is the kind of business development opportunity our members can really benefit from by exhibiting their products and services,” McCoy said.

Executive vice president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, Vernon Schmidt, said, “Attendees at AG CONNECT Expo are eager to see the wide range of new products manufactured by our members. Innovation is an area where our members really shine. From the first moldboard plow to the latest in Global Positioning Systems (GPS), members of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association have a long history of bringing innovation to the market, providing choice and all at a price farmers and ranchers can afford.”

Martin Richenhagen, chairman, president and CEO, AGCO Corp. in Duluth, Georgia, and the 2011 AG CONNECT Expo Chairman, said, “We are very pleased to have the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association play such an important role with AG CONNECT Expo. As a key sponsor, their leadership participates on the show’s management committee and provides important strategic direction for the show. With the support of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, AG CONNECT Expo has even more value to offer agriculture producers coming to Atlanta in January of 2011.”

Discount registration for the 2011 AG Connect is still available on-line for a limited time – just $20 with discounted pricing on education sessions.

The AG CONNECT Expo team of Rich Jefferson, Sara Truesdale-Mooney, and Charlie O’Brien with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) were at the recent National Agri-Marketing Association annual meeting in Kansas City to promote the second expo coming up next January in Atlanta.

Sara is AEM’s Show Director and she says they were happy with the very first AG CONNECT expo held this past January in Orlando. “We are very pleased with the results and it really exceeded all of our expectations for a first-time event,” Sara said in an interview with Agwired’s Joanna Schroeder.

The next Ag Connect Expo will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, January 7-10, 2011 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Sara reports that the educational program is taking shape and it will be bigger, better and have more offerings. AEM is also planning to expand the Innovations Center as well as adding days and sessions on the show floor as well as more seating. Sara noted that all the sessions were full this past January. Sara says they are also planning to have a broader scope of exhibits and more floor space.

Sara also notes that Ag Connect Expo has been selected to participate U.S. Department of Commerce’s Buyer Program. Approximately 35 shows are selected for the program each year, and this will be the second year Ag Connect has been selected.

More information about AG CONNECT Expo 2 is available now on-line at www.agconnectexpo.com.

Listen to Joanna’s interview with Sara in the player below.

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Here’s another story by our Joanna Schroeder from the floor of AG CONNECT Expo.

Topcon Precision Agriculture is a global company with a strong presence in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and is growing in Europe. One of their most popular products is the AGI-3 receiver. This system not only picks up GPS satellites, but also receives information from Galileo, the European satellite and Glonass, the Russian satellite said Michael Gomes, the company’s Director of Global Strategic Alliances, during the AG CONNECT Expo.

The most unique aspect of this precision ag technology is that the receiver can steer the tractor and I asked Gomes why this was advantageous to a farmer. He explained that being a farmer is economically hard. Input costs keep rising whereas commodity prices are not neccesarily increasing so farmers are squeezed for profit. So, he continued, products like the AGI-3 are tools for efficiency.

“What they allow you to do is get more productivity out of the asset. When you put in an auto steering system on a tractor it is not uncommon to get double hours. Now you can get day and night repeatability,” said Gomes. This also allows farmers to go through re-tooling and ultimately a farmer can farm more acres at a lower cost per acre.

The AIG-3 works directly with steer ready tractors but if a farmer doesn’t have one, he can use the AES25 which in essence, gives the farmer a steer-ready tractor.

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Listen to my interview with Michael here.

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Most any photographer will know the Leica name. Oskar Barnack created a small 35mm camera back in 1925 that pretty much changed the way we look at things. What a lot of people are now learning about Leica is that they’re into precision agriculture technology in a big way. The company has three distinct divisions and the one on display at AG CONNECT Expo was Leica Geosystems. It was there that I met with Rob Kiernan, Global Sales & Marketing Manager.

Rob says that since they come from the optical business they’re basically a measurement company that has moved into GPS and that has led them into agriculture. At the show he says they’re promoting their mojoRTK which was launched in early 2008. He thinks they’re just now hitting their stride with the product. Service has been one of their priorities and they offer Virtual Wrench which allows the operator to get help without leaving the cab using mobile phone technology. The newest addition to their product lineup is their mojoMINI which does field guidance as well as standard navigation and will be available starting in February. You can see the unit on the display in the photo.

You can listen to my interview with Rob below:

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

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One of the exhibits I visited at AG CONNECT Expo last week is Precision Pays.com sponsor, Ag Leader Technology. Mike Olson, Sales and Support Manager, was on the floor interacting with attendees when I stopped by.

The Ag Leader booth was one of the ones displaying the “New Product” banner. I asked Mike what was new. He says there have been several new products released recently by the company including their new INTEGRA display. The 12.1 inch screen combines the operation control options Ag Leader is known for, with a built-in full-featured steering and guidance system including an on-screen lightbar.

Mike says most of the growers he spoke with know they need to implement precision technology but are asking questions about how they can use it in their operation.

You can watch or listen to my interview with Mike below:

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

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This story was prepared by ZimmComm reporter, Joanna Schroeder.

During the AG CONNECT Expo last week, I spoke with Nathan Faleide, sales and marketing for Satshot. The company offers a GIS online system for the agricultural industry that handles and manages satellite imagery and other data for use in variable rate technology with a fertilization, seed and chemical all-in-one online mapping system. The system can be managed from anywhere in the world with online access.

I asked Faleide what types of information a grower who uses this precision ag technology would see and he explained, “What the imagery works out is the vegetative biomass or the vegetative reflectiveness of the plant which correlates to yield and productivity in the field.”

This imagery, said Faleide, shows the higher points of the growth yield potential or lower points that don’t yield as much. Ultimately, this is an advantage because farmers can focus on areas with higher yield potential and put less inputs on areas with lower yield potential, increasing the productivity and profit of the grower.

The company also provides a worldwide elevation model and when combined with their other technology can, “really pinpoint the best areas in the field to maximize efficiency,” said Faleide.

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Listen to my interview with Nathan here.

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Here’s the next installment of our coverage from AG CONNECT Expo which was held last week in Orlando, FL. ZimmComm’s Joanna Schroeder was on the floor talking to precision ag companies and we’ll be featuring stories throughout the week. Here’s her story from visiting with Trimble.

When Trimble launches a new product it’s available worldwide and this week Trimble will be launching several new products. I tried to coerce Guillermo Perez-Iturbe, the regional manager for Latin America, to give me a scoop during the AG CONNECT Expo, but he held out. Good for Trimble – bad for me.

Today, the company has a suite of precision ag products available including GPS guidance systems. One of their new products is the EZ-Steer assisted steering system which takes over the steering while the farmer focuses on steering, spraying and more. There are three versions of the EZ-Steer system including the AgGPS FmX Integrated Display. This display has 3D land leveling capabilities and the technologies in the pipeline will add even more options to the current products.

In the past year, Trimble has acquired several key companies in order to, “close the cycle of the ag precision space,” said Iturbe. The company has a worldwide presence and Iturbe noted that other countries are in very different places in their adoption of precision ag technologies.

The Trimble Team: Sergio Lucas, Vilson Hansen, Guillermo Perez-Iturbe and Rafeal Bull

For example, Argentina started precision farming 14 years ago with lightbars and has yet to adopt the higher levels of precision technology while Mexico has adopted the most advanced precision ag technology available but doesn’t use something as simple as a lightbar.

Today, Trimble is working with its customers to better help them identify the best precision ag technologies for their farms, and this is important to the company because they understand that no farmers’ operations are the same.

Listen to my Precision Pays exclusive interview with Guillermo Perez-Iturbe here.

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