Precision Pays

In this Precision Pays Podcast we are going to visit the Iowa Power Farming Show, held January 31 through February 2 in Des Moines.

The 57th annual show, which is owned and managed by the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association, was the biggest ever and the event can now claim to be the second largest indoor farm show in the United States.

While the big equipment displays take up much of the floor space, technology is really front and center and Ag Leader Technology is one of the sponsors of the show. Iowa farm broadcast legend Ken Root took in some of the Ag Leader technology on display and shared those interviews with us – one with Chad Vick on the OptRx sensor and one with Mark Anderson talking about Integra with advanced seed monitoring.

Listen to or download the Precision Pays Podcast: Precision Pays Podcast from Iowa Power Farming

More photos of Ag Leader Technology at the Iowa Power Farming Show.

The Iowa Power Farming Show manager is Andy Goodman and he’s been happy with the weather. He’s also happy with the attendance and the 600 exhibitors! Technology is taking an ever bigger role in the industry and in the show.

The show is owned and operated by the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Distributors Association. Andy says the show has a long history and just keeps growing.

Listen to Ken Root’s interview with Andy here: Interview with Andy Goodman

The 57th Iowa Power Farming Show kicked off today and we want to thank Iowa farm broadcast legend Ken Root for helping us out. Ken was on hand to take photos and conduct some interviews for us starting with David King, Ag Leader Technology.

David says that Ag Leader Technology has been sponsoring the show for seven years. It has been a great venue for them to see client and the weather has really cooperated this year. It will be interesting to see what the total attendance is by show end. He says Ag Leader guidance products have been very well received and farmers are looking for equipment that pays back to the bottom line.

Listen to Ken’s interview with David here: Interview with David King

John Deere talked up its latest application for cotton growers during this year’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Harvest Identification Cotton will continue to automate the production of a cotton module. This is tied into the 7760 cotton picker. The application will use the RFID tags that are embedded into the module wrap. These will be captured by an RFID reader on the cotton picker and then that information will be complied along with data from the John Deere Starfire receiver. That will generate a file that can be sent to the ginner and grower. Janae says it will be available soon.

Listen in to my interview with Janae here: Interview with Janae Althouse

2012 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

At the Beltwide Cotton Conferences I met Joe Wyrick, President, EWR, Inc. His company has a division called eCotton which “is dedicated to supplying the information processing needs of the cotton industry.” One of the new ways they’re doing that is with a brand new smartphone app called MyModules.

Cotton producers can register new cotton modules and have them transmitted to the gin automatically, with GPS coordinates if you like.

View summary status of all of your bales.

This caught my attention since it is available for the iPhone and Android platforms. Joe gave me a demonstration on his iPhone.

Joe says the app electronically solves the problem of getting harvested cotton module data from the grower to the gin. It’s a two way flow so the grower also gets information back from the gin. A helpful feature is that the app captures data for later transmission if there is no local mobile carrier signal. That’s pretty handy.

Learn more about this new ag app in my interview with Joe here: Interview with Joe Wyrick

2012 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

The use of fungicides for overall plant health has been a new growth area for agriculture in recent years. As that occurs, farmers and crop consultants continue to find out more about best times to apply and best ways to use them during the season.

“There was a time not that long ago, when to consider applying a fungicide post-emergence to corn or soybeans was almost unheard of,” said GROWMARK Insect/Plant Disease Technical Manager Kevin Black who notes that the strobilurin class of fungicides have been game changers. “Because they not only have activity against fungi but also seem to have some growth regulation effects, we’ve seen some remarkable results in the field.”

Speaking very generally, Black says they have found that about two-thirds of the benefit from fungicides comes from a VT application and about one-third from a V5 application. “The VT or R1 timing of application typically is much more consistent in providing returns,” he said.

Black says university research and on-farm discovery work continues to look at new ways to use fungicides in combination with insecticides and micro-nutrients in tank mixes, but he believes it’s important to be sure there is a solid benefit before doing so. “If we start to get to the point where we’re just mixing up these soups and saying ‘there’s got to be something in there that’s good’ then I have to part company,” said Black.

Listen to my conversation with Kevin Black here: Kevin Black Interview

Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are facing potentially onerous regulations that could ground them if they are allowed to continue.

The biggest issue they are dealing with right now is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which National Agricultural Aviation Association executive director Andrew Moore told me just went into effect on Halloween. “It’s kind of a scary regulation,” said Andrew of the regulation which impacts pesticide application near water. “The problem is that it’s duplicative of everything that already exists to protect the environment in regard to pesticide regulation.”

Moore says the NPDES would require a great deal of paper work on the part of applicators. “FIFRA already regulates the safety of pesticides to water, so this is a completely unnecessary burdensome rule.” In addition, he says they are very considered about lawsuits under the new regulation.

So, NPDES was a big topic at the NAAA convention in Las Vegas last week, where workshops were held and applicators were educated about the current status of the federal rule and where it stands at the state level. Andrew says they are also urging aerial applicators – and really anyone in the agriculture industry – to contact their senators about the issue. “Because we’ve been successful in passing legislation that would exempt pesticide applications over water for FIFRA approved pesticides,” said Moore. The measure has been passed by the House and has gone through the Senate Agriculture Committee. “We believe we have the votes in the Senate but it’s not being brought to the floor for a vote,” he added.

Listen to my interview with Andrew Moore here: NAAA executive director Andrew Moore

2011 NAAA Convention Photo Album

Seed treatment can be classified as a precision application for growers because it allows crop protection to be used more precisely right at planting within the seed itself.

Seed treatments have actually been around for decades and it’s reached the point that virtually all of the corn seed planted today is treated with some type of crop protection technology. However, GROWMARK product manager Dave Gentry says that while use of soybean seed treatment is growing, it is not yet as pervasive as corn. “Seed treatments on soybeans have not been quite as accepted until the last 4-5 years,” he said.

Gentry identifies four key reasons for a dramatic increase in the popularity of soybean seed treatments recently. “One is the improved active ingredients,” he said. “They are very effective at a much lower use rate.” The second reason is pushing the planting envelope. “As we’ve become more aggressive in our planting, soybeans are going into soils that are cooler and wetter, there’s more stresses early in the season and so seed treatments can reduce the impact of some of those stresses.”

Gentry says another reason is the value of the seed itself, which makes it worth investing in the treatment to protect it. And finally, the range of products to treat the seeds with has expanded, with additional offerings such as growth stimulants, inoculants, microbials and nematicides.

He notes that about 60% of soybean acres are currently being planted with treated seed, although percentages vary between regions with the east coast and the deep south lower and the eastern corn belt closer to 85%. As for the future, Gentry expects to see most soybean seed treated with products in the pipeline to control Sudden Death Syndrome and soybean cyst nematode. “I think the percentage of treatment will continue to grow and, like corn, start to approach 100%,” he says.

The big difference he sees between corn and soybean seed treatments is that soybeans are moving more to the local dealer level, “allowing them to respond to local situations and local disease and insect pressures.”

Listen to Dave’s thoughts on soybean seed treatment here: Dave Gentry Interview

Find out more about seed treatment options in your specific area at FSSeed.com.

It is hard to believe that the AgWired App has been out for over a year! And the company staking an immediate sponsorship claim was and still is Raven, Precision Simplified. To learn how Raven has just “Simplified” their website and sees social media as a great opportunity to engage with their customers I spoke with Paul Welbig, Director of Marketing and Slingshot Operations. He says that as it relates to information, reaching customers and new technology, the sponsorship of our smartphone application fit right in with Raven’s strategy moving forward, “We thought it was a great avenue to communicate with customers through that venue because a lot of those customers using those types of tools are also going to be customers using Raven and the Slingshot solution in the future.” When it comes to social media Paul says Raven has ample evidence that it is helping them engage with their customers, “That’s what it’s all about is making those connections and really helping support those folks as well.” He says Raven actively watches their social media channels and responds quickly to their customers. You can find Raven on Twitter here and here and on Facebook here.

When it comes to the new Raven website Paul says they’ve included a brand new section that provides technical help which you can find at RavenHelp.com. The company is also running a promotion right now where farmers can enter to win a complete RTK system that includes: Cruizer II™ guidance with sub-inch RTK accuracy — delivered by Slingshot® via wireless networks. The company will be exhibiting at a majority of the winter farm shows if you need to see them in person. You can find their schedule here.

Listen to my conversation with Paul and learn more about what’s going on with Raven: Raven Simplified

We already got an update on the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) project in Ontario – now we hear from Central Illinois.

Jerry Harbour, an agronomist and certified crop specialist with Lincoln Land FS in Illiopolis, says the objective of POMY is to get consistent 300 bushel yields on corn and 100 bushel beans. “We do a lot of corn on corn so that’s another challenge here in central Illinois to get consistently high yields as we grow into continuous corn acres,” he said.

Jerry says when it comes to gathering information, they are using lots more precision farming techniques. “Trying to be more accurate and knowing what we’re doing, instead of flags and pens and paper, we’re trying to document with GPS as well,” he said.

Nitrogen application is a big focus of the POMY trials and this year trials came out very well. “I had about six different trials and they all turned out very positive,” he said. “We did a lot of work this year with impregnated urea for a side dress application for corn – and all of those showed a profit. It seemed like everything we did with nitrogen this year was a win for the grower. Worst case was that they broke even in a couple of cases.”

Jerry says he is blessed with some very progressive farmers in his area who are willing to take some risks to improve their yields and share their knowledge with other growers. Results of this year’s POMY trials will be presented to growers at meetings in February.

Listen to or download my interview with Jerry here: Jerry Harbour Interview

Many times when growers who are new to precision agriculture start to think of how to apply the technologies available on their farms, they struggle with choosing the correct level of precision for their intended use of technology. There are many service options available and depending on what you plan to do with it, this choice will make or break the success you will have with your new purchase.

The three dominant GPS differential correction sources available are WAAS, OmniSTAR and RTK. The differences between the three can be substantial.

Matt Pifkin, Ag Leader machine guidance support supervisor, briefly explains all three correction sources.

We also asked Matt how a grower knows what’s right for their operation.

Click here to learn more about Ag Leader GPS receiver products to satisfy your GPS needs at all levels of precision utilization.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Harvest is just about complete in Ontario and so is the second year in the FS Green Plan Solutions Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) project for that region.

I spoke with Don McLean, agronomist for FS PARTNERS and North Wellington Cooperative, about how the trials went this year. “Last year and this year both we had yield increases,” Don said. “This year, we’ll be right around a 30 bushel yield increase on corn, last year we were around 28 bushels, so we are increasing growers’ yields very well.” Average yield for the six POMY sites in the Ontario region was “just shy” of 200 bushels an acre.

Pursuit of Maximum Yields takes a systems approach to farming, considering all possible elements that can affect yield, such as hybrids, nitrogen, tillage and plant populations. Don says they held grower events on site over the summer to explain the goals of the program and the factors they consider. “We talked about nitrogen as a system and how we can best utilize nitrogen,” he said. “We also looked at what we call ‘setting the table’ – cultural practices from planting and tillage.” They also talked about new corn traits, new innovations in energy, fungicides and early weed control.

For those growers who might not have been able to make it to one of the events, Don says they had a new technological tool for anyone who wanted more information about a site to utilize – QR codes on signage at the site. “We had really good feedback on that,” he said. “We had five sites with the QR codes on and we had 414 hits – so we think for the first year that was very successful.”

Don adds that the growers who are hosting the sites are very pleased with being involved because they see the great need to increase yields for the future.

Listen to or download my interview with Don here: Don McLean Interview

Late November and December are particularly busy months for Ag Leader’s Technical Support department, as they are currently making preparations for Dealer Training 2012. Here’s a head’s up so you can plan ahead.

The Customer Support hours have been adjusted back to a normal operating schedule: Monday-Friday, 7am to 6pm CDT. During this time, Technical Support will be available to help with any late harvest and fall fertilizer application questions, as well as any pre-spring planting questions.

The weekend schedule is also about to change; Saturday, November 19th will be the last Saturday that they are open for the year. Technical Support will not be open November 24th and 25th, so be sure to get your questions answered before Thanksgiving!

Nathan Tebbe, Ag Leader Technical Support Supervisor, says tech support conducts training in an ongoing effort to better serve their customers.

As part of preparation for the 2012 growing season, the Hardware and GPS Technical Support teams will also be completing several hours of internal staff training. Tebbe says internal staff training days help ensure technicians have the resources and information they need to efficiently assist Ag Leader dealers and customers with technical questions. Listen to Tebbe explain During these training sessions, Technical Support for hardware and GPS products will not be available, so plan ahead to get your questions answered.

And with colder temperatures here and the crops out of the field, fall application will soon be in full swing. Here are some safety tips for fall application. When transitioning from harvest to fall application, there are also a few things to remember to keep your data in order and prevent downtime in the field. Read more here.

Again, you can reach Ag Leader Customer Support at 515-232-5363 or support@agleader.com.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Some companies have been sponsors and Trade Talk exhibitors at the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention for years – even decades! – but this year was the first for AgLeader Technology, one of the nation’s leading precision farming technology innovators.

AgLeader’s Katie Monroe (center) says they were thrilled to join the companies and organizations who support the NAFB. “It’s a great opportunity to talk about our new products and how precision farming can help growers,” Katie said, noting that one of their main topics was AgLeader’s new Versa display which includes all of the most popular year-round precision tools in one small package.

AgLeader Technology also joined with Alltech to sponsor the NAFB Foundation Auction reception on Thursday night.

Listen to by interview with Katie here: Katie Monroe with AgLeader

2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Ag Leader Technology, Inc. recently introduced the new VERSA™ display which features a large full-color 8.4-inch touchscreen and multiple language options. The new VERSA is a precision farming tool for farmers and growers who want year-round operation control, as well as integrated guidance and steering. Monitoring and application control is also included in the VERSA package.

We caught up with Lori Costello, Ag Leader marketing communications manager, at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Kansas City. She tells us more about what type of grower can benefit the most from using the VERSA display.

Costello says the VERSA is a good fit for growers with 500 acres or less.

Webster defines versatile as having many uses or applications and Costello says that’s the right description for the VERSA display. It fits every color, every vehicle and growers from those just entering the precision ag field to those who are more well-versed in the technology.

Taking a look at the relevancy and importance of precision ag as it relates to an ever-growing population here in the United States, Costello tells us that precision technology isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.