Precision Pays

When discussion centers around all the data that fields can generate these days, crop consultants and savvy growers truly love powerful software programs. Especially when data can transfer easily between desktop and a mobile device to take to the field.

I spoke with Greg Kneubuhler the other day, who is a certified crop consultant, agronomist and owner of G&K Concepts in Harlan, Ind. Greg has been a true pioneering consultant in the NE Indiana/NW Ohio area—starting growers down the precision farming/yield gathering path back in the late 1990s. Today, his clients’ business has evolved into intensive precision management that includes precise zone management and applying the right variable-rates—all driven by on-farm research on every farm. To help accomplish such research, Greg works on numerous projects in cooperation with Joe Nester of Nester Ag, Bryan, Ohio.

“We’ve always used a zone management philosophy in fields—which started with soil types. Then we added yield and soil test data layers to begin developing variable-rate applications of nitrogen, lime, and even seed by management zones. But an accurate yield map is critical,” he says.

Kneubuhler, who has used various software over the years, now relies on SMS Advanced software from Ag Leader. Its data layering and management zone capabilities, along with its smooth data transfer between the SMS Mobile software on a handheld computer.

“I’m a daily SMS Advanced user, and I have yet to find a software that is better. If there was one, I’d be using it. I can manage all clients zones, all research trials, and easily sync data to SMS Mobile so I can use it to walk corn fields to exact locations for stalk nitrate tests or to check on potential issues that show up on aerial imagery,” he says.

These valuable information tools help Kneubuhler take all the geo-referenced data his clients collect, which he layers into his ‘sandwich.’ “As an agronomist, we use this tool to build a sandwich of every type of information we can gather—and that really helps us make very good management decisions today, and down the road.”

For more information, visit

SMS Advanced Software http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-advanced/

SMS Mobile http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-mobile/

Ag Leader Precision Point blog – “Scouting the Crop” http://www.agleader.com/2010/05/25/scouting-the-crop/

G&K Concepts http://gkconcepts.com/Contact-Us.html

Nester Ag http://www.nesterag.com/

Certified Crop Advisors https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/

As corn continues to grow across the Midwest, areas of heavy rain in portions of states may cause more problems than just pond replanting. Loss of applied Nitrogen can cause valuable yield loss.

I spoke with Cory De Jong, Certified Crop Advisor and GIS/Agronomy Sales at Sully Cooperative Exchange in Sully, Ia. today. They tested the Ag Leader OptRx crop sensor system last year during all the heavy rains. “We strictly used the sensors on a sprayer for mapping purposes, as we weren’t set up yet to apply nitrogen. And we saw a lot of (plant health) variability in fields, covering several thousand acres that we mapped,” he says.

“Last year, sidedressing N definitely paid due to all the spring rain we had here in central Iowa. On average, growers gained at least 15 bushels an acre by sidedressing. And if they applied variable-rate, they could have gained 30 bushels,” De Jong says. “We saw 50 bushel per acre differences within fields with the OptRx. So this year we’ve got a bar ready to custom apply with OptRx to apply sidedress N. And we have a bar with OptRx that customers can rent, too.”

De Jong says there is a lot of hog and chicken manure used by customers in his territory, and they are interested in this sensor technology. “For example, one grower who has a lot of hog buildings wanted to know how much N he was getting from his manure. We used the sensors to shoot the plant leaves and saved him input dollars. And in some areas the N gets reallocated to areas of the field where N is needed most,” he adds.

He feels this sensor technology will gain more and more users, once growers see the benefits of variable-rate application. “As interest picks up, we’ll add sensors to a sprayer that will just be dedicated to sidedressing. We may be losing some N business due to manure, but we’re gaining business by helping customers apply N only where the sensors detect it is needed—as well as how much the plants need.”

For more information, visit

OptRx Crop Sensor http://www.agleader.com/products/directcommand/optrx/

Ag Leader Products http://www.agleader.com/products/

Sully Cooperative Exchange – Agronomy Dept. http://www.scecoop.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=7

Certified Crop Advisors https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/

Precision farming techniques are driving growth in soil sampling say Midwest soil labs, according to a report in Midwest Producer.

“At the peak of the season we’ll test 20,000 samples each day,” says Kennard Pohlman of Omaha’s Midwest Labs. “We always test the organic matter in the sample and the pH. You want to verify the nitrogen carryover and the level of phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and zinc. I can almost tell you, by looking at the soil sample results, what the farmer has been doing in the past and how good the farm is. That’s how much information is available in a soil sample.”

Grid sampling is Oldham’s specialty and he said a growing number of producers, especially those growing corn, are realizing the benefit of managing input costs and improving yields by testing their soil quality in single or multiple-acre grids.

“Sometimes producers believe the cost of sampling is greater than the cost savings or increased yield they see,” Oldham said. “Actually, the investment in the sampling analysis generally isn’t even recognizable in contrast to the combination of savings on inputs and the increased yield. If you’re analyzing just a few samples from your field, you obtain information about the averages in soil quality for that field. Getting samples from every 2.5 acres or less really allows you to combine that information with a variable rate prescription that allows for the best management of inputs and maximizes yield.”

For more details, read the story.

If you’re looking to experiment with corn planting populations yet this spring, check out a very good paper on plant population compiled by South Dakota State University researchers Gregg Carlson, Paul Gaspar and David Clay.

Many agronomists and producers conduct experiments that test the impact of rates of fertilizer, population, or pesticide on yield. To analyze this data we need to conduct a yield response analysis. Agronomists and or producers that understand yield response and how to use yield response to determine the point of optimum economic return will be able to make better management decisions. The point of optimum economic return is determined by:
1. Conducting a yield response experiment
2. Converting the yield response data to a functional relationship,
outputcorn yield = f(input the plant population)
3. Using calculus to determine where the change in the value of the input equals the change in the value of the output.
In site-specific farming, scientists have found that yield response relationships may change spatially and temporally.

To learn more, read the paper “Using Yield Response Analysis to Calculate an Optimum Plant Population“.

The Furrow magazine, produced by John Deere, profiled several growers on their use of precision farming management zones in a story called “Farming In The Zone” in their March 2010 issue.

Broadwater, Neb., grower Frank Lussetto says zone management helped him accomplish three broad goals of being agronomically sound, economically smart and environmentally safe. He uses zone maps for phosphorous, nitrogen and seeding rates, grouping six to eight soil types in a field into three to five zones. And he used elevation and electrical conductivity as the primary drivers in zone development.

The story also featured Enterprise, Kan., farmer Larry Hottman and his use of zones, derived more prominently from yield maps collected since 1998. He too used electrical conductivity readings to map soil properties along with grid soil sampling.

University of Nebraska agronomist Richard Ferguson says they are seeing a $26 per acre benefit using site-specific nitrogen application and zone management.

For more details, read the story.

While every farmer knows the value of preparing and calibrating the planter and sprayer, the same holds true when calibrating the electronics and software that control these implements—especially if you vary rates across the field on the go.

Hopefully you pulled out that owner’s manual, or enlisted your local dealer’s help, several weeks ahead of pulling into the first field with a planter full of seed. “The equipment only works as well as the set-up, so running the calibration software on your monitors should be an annual event,” says Nick Ohrtman, Technical Support Supervisor for Ag Leader Technology.

Since there’s no real standard procedure when calibrating for variable-rate technology, it is critical that you follow the guidelines in the owner’s manual of both the piece of equipment and the monitor that is driving it. “Our display monitors, like the Insight or INTEGRA, have a calibration wizard that walks you through seed meter calibration, allowing you to count the actual seed that drops per revolution, which is critical for variable-rate seeding” he says.

“If your variable-rate monitor is set to plant 34,000 seeds and the population monitor says you’re only seeding 30,000, then that’s a sign that the calibration was done inaccurately. If this happens with our system, when both monitors are running through our display, an alarm sounds when the populations don’t match up,” Ohrtman adds.

Granted, most calibration settings made are saved by crop, but it is still wise to recalibrate every year for each crop. “Once you’ve calibrated for corn and soybeans, then every field will use the same calibration. And the calibration doesn’t change when you’re switching plant populations,” he adds.

For growers using planter section or row shut-off technology, it’s advised to make sure your settings are correct each year. “With our AutoSwath system, there are three different settings available, so it’s wise to check the owner’s manual every year, as well as do a dig check in the soil on the first round to make sure the row shut-offs are working correctly.” Nick talks about tips for using AutoSwath in his blog post here.
For more information:
Calibrating Equipment for Variable-Rate Application

Variable Rate Equipment – Technology for Weed Control

Gear Up For VRT (Farm Journal, March 2009)

Give farmers a piece of technology and they find inventive ways to use it to benefit their operation. In the case of Newton, Iowa farmer (and Ag Leader SeedComand product specialist) Will Cannon, it all started with the yield monitor and mapping hybrids.

“I like knowing exactly to a row when hybrids and varieties start and stop—especially when you have to switch near the end of a field—so when you analyze yield results you know why the yields went up or down,” Cannon says. “That practice led to conducting strip trials across whole fields. And I often plug in all my hybrid/variety numbers into the monitor before I head to the field so changing numbers and fields is simple.”

And Will does a lot more than just track yields. “Last year we conducted alternate strips across a field to compare no-till and strip-till soybeans. We set up and mapped alternate passes of strip-till in the fall, came back in the spring, locked in with auto-steer to fertilize and plant into the strips, then no-till plant in-between those passes,” he says.

Cannon likes having all that mapped in the spring, because come harvest he doesn’t have to worry about where the combine is in the field. “I can just harvest and not worry about anything else, because I trust the monitor and data gathering.” Then during post-harvest into winter he crunches data. “I really like the capabilities of the SMS software. There are great tools I can use to select which passes across the field I want to analyze and compare. And I learned a lot about what tillage systems work best in specific fields.”

Another data layer is tracking his refuge management acres. I see this as becoming more and more important, as different hybrids change percentage of refuge acres, plus if I get audited I can direct them exactly to where they need to take tissue samples. And exact location is a big help if I need to apply insecticides on those acres,” he says.

Cannon continues to be impressed with the flexibility built into today’s software and data recording capabilities. “You have a lot of features to document things, so you don’t have to remember it all. And as more growers learn the capabilities, they figure out new ways to use it—because what appeals to one grower may be the opposite of what another guy wants. And the history of data that you build up is invaluable in the future.”

With rain, early freeze and overall cool summer conditions, 2009 harvest has become very challenging for some parts of the Corn Belt. This week’s Integrated Crop Management e-newsletter from Iowa State University highlights issues that need attention.

1. Corn Quality Issues:
- Frost-damaged corn often stops at 17-18% moisture (stopped at 20-22% in 2008 in Iowa). Expect low test weights due to immature kernel.
- Pay attention to stalk health, as you may want to harvest wetter corn first if lodged.
- Expect drydown costs about 5 cents per point of moisture removed. Remove 8 points down to 15% will cost about 40 cents per bushel plus weight shrink.
- Corn test weights below 54 lbs. after drying should not be stored into warm weather, and should be dried to less than 15% for storage of any duration.
- Scout for field molds problems, because they can create toxins and feed value concerns, possibly creating discounts.

2. Field Mold Issues:
- Cool, wet harvest conditions favor ear rot and stalk rot fungi. Harvest problem fields first to reduce ear loss due to ear rot and increased mycotoxin levels.
- Adjust harvest equipment to minimize kernel damage.
- Dry and cool the grain as quickly as possible to reduce further mold growth and toxin production.
- Expect end users to increase their level of grain quality grading.
- Test all questionable grain before feeding to livestock.

3. Storage Issues:
- The extra costs in additional handling and drying logistics will likely pay off in terms of avoiding spoiling losses later on.
- Check combine settings between fields for fines and cracked kernels because they accelerate spoilage.
- Fungi grows very fast in corn above 20% moisture, so get wet corn into aerated storage immediately–don’t let sit in truck or wagon overnight.
- Monitor wet corn weekly in storage. Airflow must be good, as problems can start to show up in February and March as temperatures rise.
- Options when wet corn exceeds drying capacity: 1. Dry to 17-18% then cool in storage bin; it’ll end up at 16% and good aeration can get it down to the needed 14% for midsummer storage. 2. Dry to 20%, cool in bin, hold wet corn for spring but not summer. 3. Dry in two passes–first down to 17-19% then rest of drying after harvest is over. (This requires more handling and logistics, but could be profitable if the market carry increases to encourage storage.)
- Decide which corn and bins will be kept into summer (your best corn of highest test weight that was harvested below 20% moisture).

Subscribe to this ISU email newsletter.

Using ethanol mixed with water in diesel engines could make them more efficient and reduce emissions.

National Corn Growers Association chairman Bob Dickey is also chairman of CleanFlex Power Systems, which is so new they haven’t built a website yet, but what they have done is developed a method to efficiently use ethanol in diesel engines.

Dickey started the idea a year ago when he bought a new John Deere 150-hp four-cylinder turbo diesel irrigation system engine and retrofitted it to use an ethanol and diesel blend. “It worked so well that we applied for a grant at the University of Nebraska and we’re currently doing research there to bring credibility to what we’re doing,” Dickey says.

The company has developed a new hydrated-ethanol fuel called EM60 (a mixture of 60% ethanol and 40% water) to combine with diesel fuel to power diesel engines. “Just like oil and water don’t mix, ethanol and diesel don’t mix,” Dickey said. So, they run two lines into the diesel engine. “The only time the ethanol, water and diesel are together is at the point of combustion and it really works well. The engine runs cooler, it runs more efficient and the emissions are reduced.”

CleanFlex president Ron Preston says they are talking with agricultural equipment manufacturers, railroads, and even bus companies about the idea because the EM60 fuel has the potential to help meet Tier 4 emission standards that become effective in 2011. “There are 60 million diesel engines in the United States,” Preston says. “We’ve been working with EPA and going through the proper steps to make ethanol a solution that will help them meet emissions requirements.”

Listen to a Precision Pays Podcast with Bob Dickey and Ron Preston about CleanFlex by clicking on the player below – or subscribe to our monthly podcast, sponsored by AgLeader Technology, by following this link or the sidebar link.

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Young farmers often have a drive for efficiency, and technology. North Plate, Neb., grower Nathan Kramer is no different. He knows the tools of precision agriculture can get him there. But data holds the key.

Ag Leader InSight monitor shows Trimble's AgGPS Autopilot screen

“If you don’t know where you’re at, it’s hard to tell where you’re going,” Nathan says, with regard to their lack of baseline yield data. So last fall, he and his dad Randy talked about needs with their local equipment dealer. After checking out Ag Leader and John Deere, they opted for the Ag Leader InSight system to start measuring and mapping yields last fall.

“We chose the InSight for several reasons. My dad’s not a big computer guy, so we really liked how easy it is to use, yet it can handle the complex future jobs I want to try such as variable rate seeding and fertilizer application. And, even though we run mostly Deere equipment, we went with Ag Leader due to its versatility to work easily in different equipment brands, just in case we switch combine or tractors,” Kramer says

Since half of their 2,200 combined acres (they farm their own ground and share equipment) are dryland, Nathan believes he can find added efficiency in varying his seeding and fertilizer rates on fields where soils and topography are most variable. “We feel that perhaps variable-rate seeding will pay off faster in dryland than on our irrigated acres. And we hope for a similar payoff with fertilizer. We may not use less of either one, but we’ll hopefully increase efficiency across the field.”

The Kramer’s next step into precision farming is drilling wheat next week using their newly purchased auto steer with RTK accuracy. “We’re looking forward to planting more acres per day due to less fatigue,” Nathan says.

Once fall harvest is in the books, and yields on maps, Nathan plans to spend some time this winter talking to neighbors experienced in precision farming, and working with a consultant to develop some prescription maps and test protocols for next spring. “We expect a lot of trial and error with different practices we want to try—everything from planting populations, fertilizer rates, hybrids and irrigation rates. It’s difficult to keep up with all this technology, that’s why it’s important to have good local service and expertise,” he adds.

Many of you corn growers using precision technology are very aware of the challenges we’ve had in the ethanol business, especially battling groups with an agenda to distort facts and misinform the public. Growth Energy is a group that was formed to battle that problem on Capitol Hill.

Here at the Farm Progress Show, Gen. Wesley Clark, Growth Energy, announced a new initiative. The organization is calling for country of origin labeling for fuel. I would call that the “COOL for fuel” initiative! Hey, we do it with food, why not fuel?

General Wesley Clark, Co-Chairman of Growth Energy, today called on the United States Congress and the White House to take action to dramatically enhance the market transparency of the nation’s fuel supply by requiring a national standard of country of origin labeling (COOL) for fuel.

Clark also unveiled Growth Energy’s labelmyfuel.com, which showcases the costs of American dependence on foreign oil, and serves to rally grassroots support for Congressional action on COOL for fuel legislation.

So what do you think about this initiative? Good idea?

You can listen to the press conference here: fps-09-growth-press.mp3

Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Precision Pays coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by: .

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

John Deere adds a new economy-sized, versatile 4630 self-propelled sprayer to it’s 30-Series lineup that is wired to add valuable precision farming tools.

The new 4630 Sprayer is ideal for cotton farmers who want a low-cost, comfortable, and productive machine that’s simple to operate. It’s also ideal for corn, soybean, or small-grain producers that want a productive yet comfortable machine with advanced options. The 4630 Sprayer replaces John Deere’s discontinued 6700 Sprayer.

For more details you can visit with your local John Deere dealer, or go online and visit the company’s Web site at www.JohnDeere.com.

One important item on your list of daily chores should be to help educate our customer, the consumer. To that end, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has a site called Corn Farmers Coalition. Not only does it highlight growers using precision agriculture tools that help reduce environmental impact (see “Farmer Innovations” tab), it also features excellent corn facts.

It was designed to help educate policy-makers in Washington D.C.

Check it out, and pass it on!

As we’re well into the dog days of summer, Midwest corn and soybean harvest is looming larger. If you haven’t started combine prep already, it’s time to dust off those owner’s manuals to fine-tune the machine and its data-gathering electronics.

Ag Leader Technology, a sponsor of PrecisionPays.com, offers some good advice in a pre-harvest checklist for owners of their InSight and EDGE displays:

• Create a backup of your spring information.
• Select Copy All Files to save the spring data to the memory card.
• Make sure your display firmware, manual and all connected modules are up-to-date.
• Firmware and manual updates can be found on its website under Support. If you have purchased a new combine or new heads, create new configurations for any setup that is different from last fall. Remove all old configurations.

Combine Inspection
• Check to make sure all cables are properly attached and in good condition.
• Remove flow sensor and inspect for damage.
• Check the elevator deflector and impact plate for wear. Verify you have the proper clearance at the top of the clean grain elevator. Clearance should be between 3/8” and 5/8”.

Other items on the Ag Leader checklist include: sensor calibration, header stop height, distance calibration, temperature and moisture check and grain weight. Consult your manual in all cases. And if you’ve lost it, you can find them on the website.

For more information on pre-harvest preparation, Check out these links:

Yield monitor calibration: Garbage in garbage out – Purdue University.
Yield monitor calibration tips – Ohio State University.
Tips to cut combine breakdowns – Corn & Soybean Digest.

A good story that appeared recently in Wallaces Farmer magazine highlights farmer efforts to continually improve precision fertilizer application. In fact, it reports that the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico has shrunk and that Nitrogen delivery has been reduced by 21 percent.

The “hypoxia zone” in the Gulf of Mexico is significantly smaller this year than scientists predicted it would be, and conservation efforts by farmers upstream in states like Iowa and Illinois are a key reason, say officials with the Iowa Farm Bureau, the Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Soybean Association.

The hypoxia zone, or ‘dead zone’ as it’s sometimes called, in the Gulf of Mexico is 65% square miles smaller than originally predicted, according to a new report from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and Louisiana State University.

“This was surprisingly small given the forecast to be among the largest ever and the expanse of the dead zone earlier this summer,” said Dr. Nancy Rabalais, commenting on the report last week. She is one of the scientists who made the earlier prediction.

The decision about what strategy to take to solve the “dead zone” problem has ramped up as the Obama administration considers using a regulatory attack on the issue. Suzanne Schwartz, who directs a division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is working on the dead zone issue, says the federal government and Louisiana researchers are checking to see whether the pollution violates water quality standards. If it does, “The state of Louisiana could set standards for what comes in, using the legal authority of the Federal Clean Water Act,” Schwartz said at a conference in late July.

The possibility of the Environmental Protection Agency regulating how much nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer farmers can apply to cropland is drawing fire from agricultural interests in Iowa and other states along the Mississippi River—including farm organizations, commodity groups and fertilizer dealers.

“What this shows us is that Mother Nature has as much to do with the size of the hypoxic zone as anything, but Iowa farmers are doing their part to use soil and water conservation measures to reduce nitrates and phosphorus run-off.  We’ve already seen a 21% decline in nitrogen delivery to the Gulf. That’s why Iowa Farm Bureau nominated the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Farm Service Agency for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf Guardian Award last year for its Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program,” says Rick Robinson, environmental policy adviser for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

Robinson adds, “We still have more work to do, but the key thing is farmers are taking action to reduce runoff.  While we cannot control Mother Nature, we can target and coordinate federal and state conservation matching funds used for cost sharing – it’s a continuous effort.”

The report of the shrinking hypoxia zone comes as welcome news to Iowa farmers, who this year, have planted a record corn crop and are expecting a record corn yield. “Thanks to advances in seed genetics, better in-field conservation measures being put into place on the land by farmers, and the development of new precision farming methods and other technology, farmers can feed the world, while continuing to protect it,” says Robinson.