The one-day event is designed to provide producers with the latest in precision ag research, technology, equipment and information through presentations and a trade show.

The program will include presentations on Making ‘Cents’ out of Yield Data, Mapping and Interpreting Yield Maps, Precision Ag – Machinery Innovations for the Future, Ag Information Systems of the Future, The Miracle of Modern Agriculture. Concurrent sessions will feature industry updates from a number of companies including Ag Leader Technologies, Raven Applied Technologies, and John Deere/RDO Equipment.

The conference opens at 7:30 a.m. at the Best Western Ramkota Inn with registration and coffee and presentations will begin at 9:00.

Pre-registration cost for the event is $20 before Feb.15. The cost at the door is $25 per person. For more information contact Mark Rosenberg at the SDSU Aberdeen Regional Extension Center – mark.rosenberg@sdstate.edu.

Float Mobile’s parent company is the Iona Group. Chad says the company has a deep history working with agribusiness companies like GROWMARK, Pioneer and Bayer. He says, “There’s a great amount of demand in the marketplace to put the right information in the right people’s hands at the right time.” He says that when growers need information they’re often away from the computer and out in the field. Examples include working with clients to put mobile and updated information in the hands of sales staff at a farm show. Tablets like an iPad or Android device are very cost effective for this purpose. In fact, Chad says mobile application development is surprisingly affordable. He says these applications are simple and do one or two things very well. Float Mobile uses a S3D Process with their clients which means Strategy, Design, Develop, Deliver. He says they work quickly since the whole mobile device world is changing rapidly today.

To learn more about Float Mobile Learning listen in to this week’s program: Float Mobile Learning

Check out their 2012 predictions for the Mobile Landscape on their blog.

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

One of the people working on the project with CTIC and a presenter is Harold Reetz. I visite with Harold prior to the start of the day’s activities. I’ll see him again next week in Sprinfield, IL for the InfoAg Conference. Since that’s all about precision agriculture and since that is an integral part of the BMP’s being implemented on the tour stops here we decided to call it “precision conservation.”

Harold says the project purpose is to demonstrate different best management practices for nitrogen. It’s a relatively small watershed with mostly corn and soybean crops. So the goal is to come up with practices to improve nitrogen efficiency which will reduce the amount that will get into the ground water. Local farmers have volunteered in this first year of the project to implement suggested practices and it is their farms we visited.

The project is receiving funding from a variety of sources that includes the Illinois EPA. It is a proactive approach to voluntarily manage natural resources without the need to have new regulations. That sure seems like a potentially win win situation for all parties.

You can listen to my interview with Harold here: Harold Reetz Interview

CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos

The Insect Forecast website is ready to start pest tracking in May with new enhancements for the 2011 growing season to increase farmer awareness about above-ground pests that can threaten their fields. The new features include the tracking of western bean cutworm pressure in the Midwest, in addition to the annual migration of corn earworms from the South to Midwestern corn fields.

Also new this year, starting May 6, farmers can sign-up online at www.insectforecast.com to receive e-mail alerts when these insects pose a risk in their areas.

Developed by climatologist and meteorologist Mike Sandstrom, the Insect Migration Risk Forecast (IMRF) monitors the daily migration of damaging pests, such as corn earworm, from May through September. It analyzes moth trapping data and weather patterns to issue one, two and three-to-five day forecasts.

The IMRF is being sponsored again this season by Monsanto Company and offered to farmers as a tool of its Genuity® trait brand.

I spoke with Lucas about the message he had on profitability. He makes a distinction between technologies that have a quick payback and those that have a more long term payback. He says hardware like auto steer and auto swatch are ones that provide a quick payback. But in the longer term the data collection becomes more important. He encourages recording field yield data for example because that type of information helps make farm based decisions that can save money.

Lucas did get in a good plug for K-State and says that they offer opportunities for both students and adults who would like to learn more about using precision ag.

You can listen to my interview with Lucas here: Lucas Haag Interview

2011 Western Farm Show Photo Album

My first interview is with fellow exhibitor Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. I spoke with Steve Doede, Division Chair and Carlos Augusto, Faculty, Precision Ag Technology.

Here at the show they’re enticing students to attend their programs in precision ag and technician training. They’re offering in-state college tuition rates even for out of state students! That’s a big savings. This is being done in conjunction with the Southwestern Association Technician Program. If you’d like to take part then give them a call or stop by their booth here at the show for a tuition waiver note!

Carlos gave me a broad overview of their precision ag program starting with the Kubota utility vehicle in their booth that has been equipped with a sprayer and Trimble and Norac equipment. He says they have developed a curriculum that prepares students of all ages to move into the field prepared to work with any precision equipment. They’ve developed close relationships with all manufacturers and host them in each year to help guide them in terms of class offering.

You can listen to my interview with Steve and Carlos here: OSU Institute of Technology Interview

The quick answer is: It’s still GPS, it’s just more accurate. It’s a differential correction system capable of sub-inch repeatable and pass-to-pass accuracy. Traditionally, it has required a base station within several miles of your rover.

Now here’s the longer answer:

Maybe Differential GPS (DGPS) isn’t accurate enough for your farming operation. In the past, RTK has been prohibitive for some agricultural applications due to the cost or because the rover has to be fairly close to the base station in order to get a clear signal. But now, by having an Internet connection at your base station, or by using a base station network such as CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations), and a cell phone in your rover (with a monthly data plan), you can get a clear RTK signal within 6 miles from your base station (some locations aren’t limited by distance). RTK signals are transmitted via radio, high-speed wireless and Internet.

Here’s what you need:
• A dual frequency GPS receiver. Data is transmitted from the base station to your receiver once per second.
• Your own base station, or there is a network of base stations available for you to use (such as a CORS network)

Here’s what you get:
• Sub-inch accuracy (+/- 1 inch as compared to +/- 6 inches with DGPS)
• Increased profits (get an increased payback through increased area covered per hour, reduced time spent in the field, fuel savings, minimizing labor costs and time savings)
• Increased time-savings
• Reduced skip and overlap
• Reliability, speed and repeatable solutions, meaning you can drive the same row pass-to-pass, year-to-year.

Making the investment in RTK means equipment can be driven more efficiently for longer periods of times with less fatigue.

So what kind of applications can benefit from RTK? Strip tillage and other types of precision fertilizer placement, laying drop irrigation tape, or planting and harvest of high-value crops such as potatoes, peanuts and cotton. And of course, contact your Ag Leader dealer (http://www.agleader.com/dealer-search/) to see what is right for your needs.

Click here for additional information or for a CORS article in Ag Leader’s March 2010 Insights Newsletter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Visit these links for more information:

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

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

The event started off with a dynamic presentation by Purdue University economist Dr. Mike Boehlji, who discussed the good news of demand for exports and biofuels, as well as the challenges for meeting that demand.

One of Dr. Boehlji’s main points is that American agriculture is facing increasing competition from other countries, so farmers need to become increasingly efficient by thinking in terms of biological manufacturing. “We’re increasingly thinking about farming the way you think about a manufacturing process,” he said. “We’re using GPS technology to not only monitor what the yield is across the field, but we’re actually using it now to change the rate of application in fertilizer and chemicals. We’re using that technology to find out where the wet spots are. We’re using a lot of information technology, we’re using sensing technology more, we’re using a better nutritional technology.” Process control technologies, like irrigation control, as well as auto steer tractors, and of course improved hybrids all contribute to running agricultural operations more like manufacturing operations.

Hear more in my interview with Dr. Boehlji here: Mike Boehlji Interview

FS Green Plan Solutions, an integrated, solutions-based approach designed to help producers enhance farm profitability by providing complete agronomic recommendations from a trusted team of FS specialists.

Scouting remains an important factor to help insure that a grower is making the most informed decisions possible, says Fulton. “Whether it’s you the grower or a consultant, getting out in the field and collecting additional information is important in making better decisions,” he says.

Tools and technology are available that can help in cost savings, he adds. “Producers need to reduce input costs but also to maximize yields and profits at the end of the year. These are the types of inputs where precision ag technologies can have an impact. Growers are spending a lot of money producing a crop, and the amount increases each year,” he says.

Data collected from trials conducted over the years illustrate the savings that are possible from using precision agriculture technologies, says Fulton. A guidance system alone has been shown to save up to about 12 percent on average, he says.

“You can get a larger savings, and some people don’t do quite that well. Much of it is dependent on the operator and what you were using previously. But 12 percent is a big addition when you look at what you’ll invest to get into guidance,” says Fulton.

Read more here.

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.

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

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/

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.

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.

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…

“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/

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.

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…

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

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.

Fertilizer production costs will be substantially higher in 2011 than they’ve been for the past couple of years. When you look at the numbers, remember that commodity prices also have increased significantly.

If you are a shrewd marketer, you have taken advantage of crop pricing opportunities that will help offset the higher production costs. You may still be able to find a few holiday bargains for pre-paid fertilizer, however, most of the good deals ended in November. Following these tips can help you achieve a profitable fertilizer program for 2011

10 Tips for Getting the Most from Your Fertilizer Investment

• Follow a good soil testing program to know macro and micronutrient levels.
• Use the most efficient methods to apply phosphorus (starter or strip-till application) and timing options/methods/sources for nitrogen.
• Take deep soil samples for residual nitrate to fine-tune N rates.
• Set realistic yield goals. Expected yield is the major factor in determining the nitrogen rate for corn. Use a proven five-year average corn yield plus 5% (to account for hybrid and management improvements).
• Credit N from previous crop residue or legume crops. Soil tests will not show legume or crop residue credits as the residue or nodules must break down during the growing season. Credit N for corn after soybean, sugar beet, alfalfa, and dry beans.
• Value and use manure sources properly. Manure is an excellent nutrient source for nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrients.
• Not all fertilizer recommendations are the same. UNL fertilizer recommendations may seem conservative compared to some commercial labs. UNL suggestions are based on research and on-farm verification. They are generally the most economical rates, even for high yield situations.
• Consider replicated strip trials to determine the effect of lower or higher rates on yield. Fine-tuning fertilizer use needs to be an on-going process.
• Comparison shop. Look at different products and do your “fertilizer arithmetic” to compare the actual cost per pound of nutrients.
• Work with a reputable dealer who can provide quality product, price assurances, timely delivery, and well-maintained equipment. Remember, service after the sale is also important.

Gary Hergert, Extension Soils Specialist
Panhandle REC, Scottsbluff

See more recommendations for surviving high input costs.

One such example of precision efforts and communications can be found in Iowa at HTS Precision Ag Solutions, with locations in Harlan and Ames. One look at their website proves this emphasis. From product investment strategies and installation to maintenance, repair and troubleshooting, they do it all. And you can get software training to learn how to use the tools to manage your data, or let their experts do it all for you.

HTS also believes in precision communications to customers and prospects, from monthly electronic newsletters and weekly radio shows to use of social media through Facebook and Twitter. And they have started a classified advertising section for anyone to post precision ag equipment for sale.

Check them out here.

Gary J. Hoff, agricultural economist, University of Illinois, says that legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President on September 27, 2010 will reduce the tax bite for many farmers this year. Here’s a look at one of the provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (SBJA) that may have a major impact on small businesses including farmers, which affects the amount of self-employment tax liability for 2010.

Section 179 Expensing Election. Congress has once again increased the IRC §179 expensing election. Instead of a maximum deduction of $250,000, Congress has increased the deduction to a maximum of $500,000 for tax years beginning in 2010 and 2011 only. The deduction is reduced if qualifying purchases exceed $2 million.

Farm equipment and all of the other assets that qualified for the deduction in the past continue to qualify. SBJA also added three new categories for 2010 and 2011.Two of the new categories do not apply to a farm return; however, one may be applicable.

The expensing election now applies to qualified leasehold improvement property. This is any improvement to an interior portion of a building that is nonresidential real property. Either the lessee or the lessor can make the improvement to the portion of the property included in the lease. The portion must be occupied exclusively by the lessee. The improvement will only qualify if the property has been in service more than three years. Certain improvements do not qualify, such as an enlargement of the building, a structural component benefitting a common area, and an expense attributable to the internal structural framework of the building. In addition, the lease cannot be with a related party.
While the §179 maximum deduction is $500,000, the maximum deduction for the qualified leasehold improvements is limited to $250,000.

50% Bonus Depreciation. The 50% bonus depreciation deduction for qualifying property was set to expire at the end of 2009. However, SBJA extended the deduction for 2010. The qualifying property must be placed into service before January 1, 2011. No change was made to the property qualifying for the 50% bonus.

Visit these links for more information.

University of Illinois ‘the farm gate’ blog: “Income Tax Changes for Farmers: Are You Ready”
http://www.farmgate.illinois.edu/archive/2010/09/income_tax_chan.html

DTN Story: Rev Up Year-End Tax Deductions
http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/common/link.do;jsessionid=04AF146BC6F937E0E7A7F190288D8B18.agfreejvm2?symbolicName=/free/news/template1&paneContentId=2003&paneParentId=70104&product=/ag/free/home/quickview&vendorReference=0702DA77

Farm Industry News: 100% equipment tax deduction deadline nears.
http://farmindustrynews.com/farm-recordkeeping/100-equipment-tax-deduction-deadline-nears

Check out DTN online seminars here:
http://about.dtnpf.com/ag/news%5Fevents/

Iowa State University Center for Ag Law and Taxation – Latest Newsletter here:
http://www.calt.iastate.edu/

IRS Publication 225 (2010) – Farmer’s Tax Guide
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p225/index.html

IRS Section 179 Expense Deduction – Farmer’s Tax Guide
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p225/ch07.html#en_US_2010_publink1000218173

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

Sent to over 400,000 growers as a supplement to the November issue of Successful Farming magazine, the 28-page guide is a valuable resource for growers striving for next-generation yields, as well as a great sales tool for Mosaic’s retail customers.

The guide features new thinking on building a well-balanced fertility program and highlights the latest research on topics like uncovering the nutrient requirements of today’s new hybrids, real experiences of producers implementing innovative best management practices and facts on the latest advancements in fertilizer.

“It’s with a pioneering spirit and quest for better information that The Mosaic Company brings you the Balanced Crop Nutrition supplement to Successful Farming,” said Rick McLellan, Mosaic’s senior vice president of Commercial Operations. “Technology continues to evolve and promises higher levels of crop performance, but to maximize this potential, fertility strategies also must move forward. Fertilizer is the foundation on which all high-yield crop systems must be based.”

To view the guide and order additional copies visit: www.back-to-basics.net.

Check it out. And pass the link along to your town and urban friends.

Read other agricultural pieces featured in WIRED magazine.

The Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference is the largest, most comprehensive program of conservation tillage techniques in the Midwest. About 60 presenters (farmers, industry professionals, and university specialists) from around the country focus on cost-saving, production management topics. The conference is broken down into tracks covering soil and water; nutrient and manure management; advanced scouting techniques; cover crops; crop management; and planters and precision agriculture.

This will be the third year for Corn University and the second year for the Soybean School, both of which cover the latest in corn and soybean management from the top researchers and industry specialists across the Midwest.

“Both programs are a main draw,” said Randall Reeder, an Ohio State University Extension agricultural engineer and an organizer of the conference. “Last year, we had about 300 to 400 in attendance at each program interested in learning the latest in crop production techniques to get the most economic yields with conservation tillage.”

Corn University will take place on Feb. 24 from 11 a.m. until 5:50 p.m. and will feature Peter Thomison, an OSU Extension corn agronomist; Bob Nielsen, a Purdue Extension corn specialist; Fred Below and Laura Overstreet, University of Illinois; and Chad Lee, University of Kentucky.

The theme will focus on achieving 300 bushels per acre using a variety of production management techniques from strip-till to nutrient management to fungicide use. Corn University is supported by Dekalb/Asgrow.

Soybean School will be held on Feb. 25 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:50 p.m. and will feature OSU Extension Specialists; Missouri farmer Kip Cullers, who set the world soybean production record this year of 160.6 bushels per acre; Shaun Casteel of Purdue University; Vince Davis of University of Illinois; and Shawn Conley, University of Wisconsin. Pioneer and Seed Consultants support Soybean School.

Other sessions taking place at the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference include a daylong session on cover crops on Feb. 24, a daylong session on nutrient management on Feb. 25, and a half-day session on Feb. 25 on soil and water, which will include discussions of phosphorus and nitrogen management related water quality, including algal blooms.

Crop Certified Advisor credits be will offered during the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, including coveted nutrient management and soil and water credits.

“CCAs can get all the credits they need in both of these areas in just two days,” said Reeder.

Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University agricultural climatologist, will be the speaker for the opening general session at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 24.

The Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference broke an attendance record in 2010 with 966 farmers, crop consultants and industry representatives attending the event. Farmers valued the education they received at $13 per acre, roughly a $7 million value. Crop consultants placed a value on their educational experiences at $16 per acre for the land they influence.

The event will be held Feb. 24-25 at the McIntosh Center of Ohio Northern University in Ada. Sponsors include Ohio State University Extension, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Northwest Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, and the Ohio No-Till Council.

Early registration is $50 for one day or $75 for both days. At the door, registration is $60 for one day and $85 for both days. Complete registration and program information will be available after Jan. 1, 2011 at http://ctc.osu.edu.