Precision Pays

Case IH will expand its Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) precision farming offering by introducing a new GPS receiver and new variable-rate controller and telematics systems and AFS software. Earlier this week at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, Case IH unveiled an expanded AFS software package, AccuControl rate controller technology, the AFS 372 receiver and AFS Connect telematics.

AFS Connect
Representing the first commercial telematics launch for Case IH, AFS Connect provides wireless connectivity to the Pro 600 and Pro 700 display through cellular data. AFS Connect will provide up-to-date information regarding fleet management, a virtual display of cab monitors in the office, performance analysis, file management received from the field, and two-way messaging, among other key features.

AFS software
The all-new Case IH AFS software suite will greatly expand upon the current capabilities of AFS desktop software, while also interfacing seamlessly with previously collected AFS data. At launch, the Case IH AFS software offering will include five packages designed to work together seamlessly and meet a variety of needs.

AFS AccuControl rate controller
Using the new AFS AccuControl rate controller technology, Case IH AFS Pro 600 and AFS Pro 700 display users can vary sprayer, spreader, planter and seeder rates or turn implement sections, including non-Case IH implements, on and off.

AFS 372 receiver
The new Case IH AFS 372 receiver is a combined GPS and GLONASS integrated receiver/antenna. By combining the functionality of the U.S. GPS and Russian GLONASS (Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System) systems, the AFS 372 receiver has the capability to include up to 44 satellites in a position solution, resulting in improved uptime during crucial field operations.

Click here for more information.

Agritechnica 2011 is underway in Hanover, Germany with more exhibitors than ever.

More than 2,700 exhibitors from 48 countries are at the huge international agricultural show, which is held every two years and organized by DLG – the German Agricultural Society.

The official total is 2,748 companies presenting a vast array of agricultural machinery and equipment – that’s up a whopping 17 percent compared with the last event in 2009. The largest number of exhibitors come from Italy with 322 companies, followed by the Netherlands with 112, France at 92, China at 82, Austria with 76, Turkey has 72, Denmark 59, and the USA with 54.

In addition to the record number of exhibitors, Dr. Reinhard Grandke, Chief Executive Officer of the DLG, says they also expect attendance to top 2009 with its roughly 350,000 visitors. “Agriculture is “in” throughout the world,” says Grandke. “World demand for agricultural commodities is increasing steadily. This development has led to new self-confidence throughout the agricultural sector.”

Agritechnica is also catering to the younger generation, with a separate information program addressing European young farmers and students featuring international panel discussions and job forums. Some 3500 are anticipated to attend the “Young Farmers Party” on Thursday evening.

Agritechnica 2011 runs through Saturday.

Topcon Precision Agriculture will begin providing an automatic steering option for the Pantera self-propelled sprayer, manufactured by German Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer GmbH & Co. KG. The system consists of a hydraulic kit, specifically developed by AMAZONE for the Pantera to function with the Topcon System 150 automatic steering application.

The Topcon system is fully integrated into the Pantera sprayer. The System 150 automatic steering and section control are compatible and have been tested with the Pantera to meet exacting AMAZONE standards.

The core of the Topcon System 150 is the AGI-3 GPS receiver. The dual-constellation GNSS receiver utilizes signals from both GPS and GLONASS satellite systems. Topcon GNSS receivers will also be able to receive other satellite constellations (including the European Galileo system) when they become operational.

The AGI-3 is not only a GNSS receiver, it contains inertial sensors and steering controller, plus includes integrated terrain and slope compensation for easy incorporation with existing steering components on the vehicle. With optional RTK-GPS, an accuracy of +/- 2 cm can be achieved.

A high-performance round baler, purposefully designed for producers who want capacity, speed and reliability in smaller 5′ x 4′ round bales, is now available from Vermeer. The new Vermeer 504N, modeled after the Vermeer Super M Series, produces 47″ wide x 60″ diameter (1.2 m x 1.5 m) packages that weigh up to 1200 lbs (544 kg), depending on moisture content.

Vermeer Introduces a New Generation of Rebel Balers — Twelve years ago, Vermeer introduced the first ever hitch ‘n go baler designed to meet the needs and pocketbooks of producers with low horsepower tractors looking to roll their own high-quality round bales. Today marks the launch of the new Rebel Baler generation, this time with two models – the Rebel 5420 and 5520 Balers – and several significant new features incorporated from larger Vermeer models, but still maintaining the user-friendly functionality and meeting the lower horsepower requirements of the popular original.

Vermeer Adds High-Capacity Wheel Rake to VR Series — A new, high-capacity wheel rake capable of raking 28′ (8.5 m) wide passes – yet nimble enough to maneuver like rakes much smaller in size – is now available from Vermeer Corporation. The heavy-duty VR1428 is designed to give operators more capacity and the ability to handle more acres in less time, with fewer maintenance issues. It combines smart, streamlined design and functionality with simple, tool-free adjustments, while incorporating outstanding operator conveniences.

Dealers and the media got to see the most significant product launch in the 174 year history of the company last week – the farming public got to see it for the first time Tuesday at the opening of the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL.

Max Armstrong, Farm Progress Director of Broadcasting, emceed the event at the John Deere exhibit, which drew a huge crowd eager to find out what was hiding under the black tarps. First to be unveiled was the new S-Series combines, which we previewed on AgWired last week.

The S-Series includes five models: S550, S660, S670, S680 – and the one that was unveiled, the S690, which is an all-new Class 9 machine.

Next to come out for the fans was a sample of the new R-Series tractors, the 9560RT. The 9R/9RT Series is a complete lineup of 4WD and Tracked tractors designed to increase more productivity, power and efficiency. An overview of all the R-Series tractors can be found on AgWired.

John Deere also showcased Machine Sync and the newer, faster Gators. We have lots of photos in the John Deere FPS photo album and we will be bringing you video and audio interviews about the new products in the days to come, so stay tuned!

John Deere Farm Progress Show Unveiling Photos

John Deere unveiled a product that you couldn’t see on the show floor at this week’s product launch in Indianapolis, IN. It’s called Machine Sync. This new technology provides “timely, critical information on equipment location, operational status and automates equipment during harvest.”

“Having real-time data is critical for equipment operators during harvest,” says Holli Brokaw, AMS product manager for John Deere. “Our new Machine Sync and Machine Communication Radio provide the accurate, in-field information producers need to maximize efficiencies during the hectic harvest season.”

The radio, which is easy to set up and use, teams up with the Machine Sync activation and GreenStar™ 3 2630 Display and StarFire Receiver to create the in-field network to share logistics information.
Machine Sync is a John Deere exclusive system that takes harvest automation to the next level and the first application that uses the Machine Communication Radio hardware.

At this media day preview we got a field demonstration of how Machine Sync work from John Deere’s Bob Dyer. This was a simulated corn harvest demonstration where the combine and tractor/grain cart were “in sync.” I asked Bob to describe how the system works and you can also see the demonstration in the video.

You can listen to my interview with Bob here: Interview with Bob Dyer

2011 John Deere Product Launch Photo Album

Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. unveiled an innovative solution to increase productivity on the farm—the Kinze Autonomy Project. The technology, which is the first of its kind in row crop production worldwide, utilizes autonomous agricultural equipment to complete many tasks on the farm with minimal direct human input.

As a project more than two years in the making, Kinze performed extensive obstacle detection testing to ensure the accuracy and safety of the autonomous equipment. Beginning in a laboratory environment and then in the field, Kinze engineers simulated real-world scenarios to ensure the equipment would detect objects often encountered in the field, such as fence posts, stand pipes, farm animals and other vehicles.

Similar autonomous technology has been used since the 1990s in many other industries, including mining, construction and the military.

The Kinze Autonomy Project is designed to reduce the need for skilled operators by taking the human element out of the tractor cab. Kinze will market this technology to help growers increase their productivity by allowing them to focus their time and attention elsewhere while performing cursory monitoring of the Kinze autonomous equipment.

The growing use of precision technology in the southeast, especially among peanut farmers, led AgLeader Technology to become a sponsor and exhibitor at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference (SPGC) this year for the first time.

AgLeader’s Russ Morman (left) says being at the conference was good for two reasons. “Number one, it’s certainly helped to educate us as to where the peanut industry is going and number two, it’s helped to show the growers in the area that AgLeader is definitely a big power in the precision ag industry and we’re here to help them.”

Listen to my interview with Russ from the SPGC here: Russ Morman, AgLeader

Ag Technologies and Trimble were also at the SPGC, sponsoring the conference blog for the fourth year.

Robbie Tabb of Ag Technologies, pictured here on the far right, says they love coming to the conference and talking to peanut farmers about how they can help them be more efficient. “The southern peanut grower can stand to increase yield by 300-400 pounds per acre simply by having GPS,” he told me. “That’s why we’ve grown so much in the southeast is because of our peanut growers. They’ve really seen an increase in profitability just by having the guidance on the tractor.”

Listen to my interview with Robbie here: Robbie Tabb, Ag Technologies

Both Scott and Robbie say the use of GPS for farming in the southeast has improved dramatically over the last several years, thanks to additional satellite availability and improved technology.

CrescoAg LLC, an independent information management company, introduced its suite of crop decision and risk management tools that will help growers and their trusted advisers better analyze data and make decisions to maximize profitability.

Today’s growers have access to an overwhelming amount of valuable data generated from precision agriculture technologies. However, turning that data into knowledge that can increase productivity and profitability is often a challenge. CrescoAg understands this challenge and provides tools that will make data from precision agriculture more practical, powerful and profitable than ever before.

The company’s products and services utilize data from tools such as field mapping, soil sampling, record keeping, automated crop monitoring and “whole farm” research plots. The data generated by these tools are mapped, stored and easily accessible. CrescoAg will accept data from all major hardware or equipment brands, translate it, store it and make it compatible with other systems. The aggregated data will allow for community analysis and benchmarking at the field and farm enterprise level.

CrescoAg products will primarily be available through retailers and crop consultants throughout the MidSouth and Southeastern U.S. for the 2012 growing season.

Leica Geosystems announces several updates for a range of Ag guidance products. Compatibility with the SteerDirect hydraulic kit solution continues to grow with another four series of tractors added. Autospray with Direct Section Control for Amazone Amatron+ Controller using the Leica mojo3D has been added to the ever increasing list of compatible controllers. At the same time a new Antenna Bracket and cables will be introduced on the market.

Furthermore a High Flow Kit will be released shortly, which covers vehicles that require a higher hydraulic flow (such as 4WD articulated vehicles).

Some of the above-mentioned are available now; the complete line-up will be available by June 29th.

AGCO is pleased to bring the AES-25 Accurate Electric Steering Wheel and the System 150 automated steering system to the market for use on select self-propelled windrowers from Hesston by Massey Ferguson and Challenger. These auto-steering products provide hay and small-grains producers with the most accurate and simple-to-operate assisted steering available in the industry for self-propelled windrowers.

Field demonstrations show these steering systems work together to reduce overlap and allow windrower operation at faster speeds, helping operators cut as much as 7 to 10 percent more hay each day than with manual steering. In fact, at the 2-centimeter accuracy level, which results in virtually no overlap, operators were able to harvest as much as 155 acres in a 10-hour day when using a 16-foot sickle-bar head, resulting in fewer passes across the field, reduced fuel use, and less operator stress and fatigue.

Free System 150 and AES-25 steering system with purchase of new SP windrower
Five popular windrower series may be equipped with the AES-25 and System 150 including Hesston Series 9000 and 9005 self-propelled windrowers from Massey Ferguson and the Challenger SP110, SP115 and SP185 Series machines. Producers considering purchasing new Tier 3-compliant machines from dealer stock and the auto-steering package will want to take advantage of purchase incentives. The offer includes a free System 150, AES-25 electric steering wheel kit and a self-propelled windrower field installation kit with the purchase of a new Challenger self-propelled windrower or Hesston by Massey Ferguson self-propelled windrower between April 1 and June 30, 2011.

Only eight months until the world’s largest agricultural machinery and equipment exhibition opens its gates in Hanover, Germany with more manufacturers of tractors, agricultural machinery and equipment than ever before.

During the 2011 Commodity Classic, I had a chance to chat with our friends Malene Conlong and Annette Reichhold with DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft – German Agricultural Society) who organize the bi-annual Agritechnica. “It is in fact the biggest show,” Malene said. “It’s got 355,000 visitors from all over the world and many of them are from America. In fact, 3-4,000 people come from North America to visit the show and 2,300 exhibitors.”

“It’s not only the largest in the world but it’s the most modern in the world and it’s very well organized,” Annette added, explaining that they have 18 halls under the show roof, structured by topic and interest for farmers who attend.

They also choose a special topic to highlight during each Agritechnica and this year it is “smart farming,” according to Malene. “You guys in America actually started this off with your precision farming and this is something that we’ll be exploring in depth,” she said. “We’ll have interactive displays on things like navigation, GPS, sensor technology and we’ll be focusing specifically on protecting the environment and cost reduction for farmers, how to produce more efficiently.”

Agritechnica has partnered with the AgConnect Expo here in the United States to build up a similar show on this side of the Atlantic on the off years – even though they will technically be held in the same calendar year. Agritechnica 2011 will be held November 15-19.

Listen to or download my interview with Malene and Annette here: 2011 Agritechnica Preview

Thanks to John Deere for sponsorship of our coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Need a camera on your combine, tractor, grain bin or just about anywhere else on the farm? Try AgCam by Dakota Micro. The photo shows just one of the many places (pdf) you can put these cameras.

Dakota Micro, Inc., manufacturers of the AgCam camera system, is proud to announce the arrival of our newest product line. The OverView camera system (pdf) is the final component that allows us to offer our customers a complete camera lineup.

As a small token of our appreciation of our American Service Men and Women who defend our freedom to be the best we can be every day of our lives, we have decided to donate a portion of profits from the OverView camera system to a program called AnySoldier. Please check out their website to see what it’s all about: www.anysoldier.com.

To see how tough these cameras are watch the video:

Precision agriculture is playing a much larger role in helping potato growers become more sustainable, according to a recent story in Spudman.

Bruce Crapo, a grower of 6,000 acres of commercial potatoes and 2,000 acres of seed potatoes in Idaho, is a good example of how the average potato farmer looks at precision agriculture – he uses technology to reduce costs, increase output and improve profits.

Crapo isn’t thrilled at the cost of high-tech equipment such as GPS-guided tractors, but he knows it’s saving him money and there’s no way he can turn back now.

“There is a substantial initial cost involved,” Crapo said. “But I also know it is saving me money. What do you do? Go back to what you were doing before? That’s not an option.”

Crapo, who uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology on all his planters and harvesters, said the latest precision ag technology has taken farming to a different level.

“It’s light years ahead of what it was when we were doing it by hand,” he said. “We’re not going to go back to not using it, but we are wincing a little at the cost.”

Precision agriculture can loosely be defined as using new technologies such as GPS, sensors, variable rate application equipment and aerial or satellite images to make farming easier and more profitable.

Simply put, precision agriculture can help farmers improve their margins by decreasing their operating costs.

Idaho farmer Robert Blair, owner of PineCreek Precision, says the biggest benefit of precision farming is that it gives producers the ability to manage their farm on a production zone basis rather than a whole field basis. This shift, he said, allows farmers to save time and money and helps them offset the rising cost of chemicals, nutrients, fuel and fertilizer.

Blair uses a wide array of precision agriculture techniques on his 1,500-acre farm and said the technology is saving him tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Read on to learn more…

Learn more about how AGCO’s AgCommand telemetry product can help you track, monitor and management all machinery in the field. Watch this video posted recently by Farm Industry News.

Steve Tupa of AGCO talks about an advanced version of AGCO’s recently introduced telemetry product called AgCommand. This product provides 25 different messages from fuel use to engine load which can be sent to home computer for observation. It was introduced at Ag Connect Expo, held recently in Atlanta, GA.

Telemetry systems like AgCommand allow navigation, prescription application, location and other data to be transferred easily to and from farm machinery. These systems will grow in importance as farmers seek ways to improve efficiencies on high-priced equipment.