Precision Pays

They’re not the kind of choppers that turn corn into silage – they are the kind that turn heads on the highway.

A father and son custom motorcycle design team split up to create corn-themed choppers for two different corn seed companies – Dekalb and Beck’s Hybrids.

The relatively friendly competition produced the Beck’s Hybrids 75th Anniversary custom built Orange County Choppers motorcycles on display in the company’s tent at FPS 2011. The one on the left has a combine corn head with ears of corn for handles and both have vintage farm scenes on the gas tanks, designed by Paul Teutul Sr., CEO of Orange County Choppers.

You can stop by the Beck’s tent to enter to win one of these bikes in the We Care for Orphans Adoption Fund Sweepstakes. The drawing will be held on Feb. 22, 2012 and the winner will be announced at Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tenn., March 1 – 3, 2012.

Meanwhile, Dekalb showcased their 100th anniversary custom made chopper designed by son Paul Jr., who rode the bike ahead of the crowd as the main gate entrance opened at Farm Progress Show on Tuesday.

The Dekalb chopper will be auctioned next year with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross, after traveling across approximately 10 states on a 14-20 stop Chopper Tour around rural America following the Farm Progress Show reveal.

The build and reveal of both the seed companies’ commemorative choppers will be featured on upcoming episodes of “American Chopper” on The Discovery Channel.

Watch the opening gate video from FPS 2011 below:

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

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

Guess where the ZimmComm team will be this week. Yep, it’s Farm Progress Showtime!

This is the layout of this year’s show. By Thursday afternoon we should have photos from all over the place. We’re on our way today to get set up and check things out.

You can expect lots of story posts this week and we have to thank all our sponsors for making our attendance possible. You can see them below. We love you sponsors!

Besides getting show updates right here you can get them on your phone with the AgWired App and the Farm Progress Show is offering audio updates via Max Armstrong. So, there’s no excuse not to know what’s going on even if you can’t be there! See you from the show.

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we take a look at some of the precision technology on display at this year’s Farm Progress Show.

Show manager Matt Jungmann characterized as a bit soggy (four inches of rain on one night of the shows!) but overall successful demonstration of what America’s farmers are doing today. One of those exhibitors that was still able to make an impression on the crowds was our sponsor Ag Leader. Jeff Bentley, GPS Guidance and Steering Sales Manager for Ag Leader , showed off the company’s new GPS guidance and steering technology called ParaDyme, while Ag Leader’s Lucas James demonstrated the company’s SMS Technologies software.

You can hear what they have to say about their precision technologies and what it was like to be at this year’s Farm Progress Show in this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast it in the player below below. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

John Deere has released the next generation of it’s 8R Tractors. These new tractors integrate the “smart-tractor” concept into the row-crop tractors, and by “smart” I mean the tractor provides growers all the latest and greatest precision ag technologies right at their fingertips.

I caught up with Cody Dicken during the Farm Progress Show to take a look at the new 8R Tractor and learn more about its new features, especially the amplified Command Center.

“First and foremost, customers will notice new styles and new lights on the front grill. But quickly when they step into it, they’ll notice that the power levels have increased by about a 10-15 percent power increase depending on the model,” explained Dicken.

The 8360R and the 8360RT get up to almost 300 btu horsepower and Dicken continued, “From what we can see, these are the most powerful row crop tractors anywhere in the industry.”

One advantage of the new 8R Tractors is that farmers can easily integrate new GPS technologies into their operations.

“Last year when we came out with the 2010 8R we introduced the Command Center on the seat. This year, we’ve taken the Command Center to the next level,” said Dicken. “We now have an option to enable the tractor with a touch steer display and the GreenStar applications are now available.”

With the Command Center, growers can also operate AutoTrack and SwatchControl Pro, which makes it easier for growers to be able to use the technology.

Another cool feature of the tractor is that a grower can customize it to meet his needs from horsepower – to precision power. And this tractor will benefit small to medium operations just as effectively as it will large to extra large operations. Not ready for all the bells and whistles yet? Don’t worry. You can add precision technologies as your operation grows.

To learn more, visit your local John Deere dealer. They can give you personal demonstrations on how all their new precision technologies can make your farm operation more profitable.

You can also learn more by listening to my interview with Cody Dicken. Cody Dicken Discusses the Command Center

Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.

During the Farm Progress Show one of the many precision ag companies exhibiting was Leica Geosystems. Here’s their team posing for a photo opp during my visit. I spoke with Harlan Little, North American Business Manager, on the far right, to learn what’s new with Leica.

Harlan says they’ve got a lot of interest in their touch screen units, the mojoMINI and mojo3D. He says farmers who stopped by loved getting their hands on them. Precision ag was in more evidence at this year’s Farm Progress Show than I can remember and one of the reasons is increased adoption in the industry. Harlan and I chat about what’s happening in the whole precision area.

You can listen to my interview with Harlan here: Interview With Harlan Little

Farm Progress Photo Album

Nitrogen is a very important element in corn development and this year it seemed to be in short supply in many wet areas of the Midwest. When growers have to apply nitrogen, once such product they use is Agrotain Plus, a nitrogen stabilizer which controls nitrogen loss by blocking the enzyme urease. Agrotain Plus can be added in liquid nitrogen (UAN) or it can be used in manure and stops leeching, denitrification, and volatility of UAN.

SuperU is a finished grade urea and when Agrotain makes the SuperU, they add the nitrogen stabilizer to chemically stabilize urea for its use in the field.

To learn more about Agrotain Plus and SuperU, I spoke with Martin Case. He told me, “We’ve seen a lot of nitrogen deficiency in the crops this year where we’ve run the nitrogen out early down low and the corn turned yellow early down low. Then we had a lot of excess water that drove the nitrogen out of the root zones, so the corn has suffered and died early.”

Case recommended that grower start thinking about their programs for next year and anticipate any problems that were seen this year and what they may expect next year for weather. Then, he said, apply either Agrotain Plus to your UAN or buy SuperU and apply it based on your agronomist’s recommendation on the best way to get the most return.

Case said the products work and he mentioned that they have been studied independently by the USDA (studies are now in their third year) and USDA is seeing a dramatic economic value, meaning more corn yield which equates to more profit for the farmers. In addition, they are seeing a reduction in the loss of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere.

You can learn more about Agrotain and SuperU, by listening to my interview with Martin Case here. USDA Confirms Agrotain and SuperU's Value

Farm Progress Photo Album

A new line of Apache sprayers was showcased by Equipment Technologies at the recent Farm Progress Show. Three new models offer wide-ranging engineering and design changes to improve value, reliability and ruggedness.

As one of Raven’s largest OEM customers, Equipment Technologies can factory install the following precision options on any Apache model: SmarTrax auto-steering, the SCS 5000 application rate controller, the EnvizioPro or ViperPro field computer and the AutoBoom and AccuBoom boom controls.

The Apache sprayer has earned a reputation for its affordability, reliability and ruggedness. Now, the AS720, AS1020 and AS1220 models incorporate engineering and design refinements that make them more affordable, more reliable and more rugged than ever before. National Sales Manager, Paul Nielsen explains, “The 2011 model year represents the culmination of years of customer feedback and planning.” Nielsen adds, “It is truly rewarding to see all these changes come together without compromising what makes the Apache special and that is the promise of efficiency and R.O.I. – doing more with less. Our customer, the farmer who considers himself a business man, appreciates that and we are proud to be able to deliver on our promise of the best value in the industry in such a big way.”

Specific design enhancements for all three 2011 Apache models include:

All-new cab:
4-point mounted cab. The cab is now fulcrum-mounted at four points. Combined with a wider stance, this reduces the g-forces felt by the operator by 37.5% which makes for the Apache’s most comfortable ride yet.

Improved visibility and larger floor plate. The all-new, custom cab boasts a 12% increase in overall floor space. With the wrap-around glass, the operator is given an improved view of the front wheels as well as a better view of the booms.

Noise reduction. Noise sources such as the engine and exhaust have been moved farther from the operator resulting in a 9% reduction of in-cab noise.

Cab entry. The new Apaches feature a rear-hinged door and larger catwalk to maneuver in- and out of the cab.

Seat and “buddy-seat.” With the increase in floor space, the new Apaches provide a “buddy-seat” for safer learning and instruction.

HVAC and electronics. HVAC adjustments have been placed in the steering column and the electronics are CAN-ready.

Chassis, product tank and options:

Axle widths. Applicators can now choose between a 120″ fixed axle or an adjustable axle that allows widths between 120″ and 160.” These new adjustable configurations provide increased options for an array of row spacings and a wider stance for increased stability.

Lighting. The 2011 Apaches feature better illumination in- and outside the cab with a 22% increase in the number of bulbs compared to last year’s base lighting package. All exterior lights except the hood lights are adjustable and are dual-beam Hella bulbs.

Custom, UV product tank. A custom, roto-mold tank has been introduced for the 2011 model year. It is contoured to the chassis and no longer utilizes a tank skid. This allows the tank to be lowered and contributes to better visibility of the booms, a lower center of gravity and a better ride.

Fill station. The new and improved fill station features a more intuitive layout and an LED lighting system so operators can quickly, accurately and safely get busy spraying at all times of the day and night.

Larger rinse tank. The Apache now comes with a 100-gal rinse tank.

Power train improvements for the AS1020 and AS1220:

While the AS720 with 42″ crop clearance can still be purchased with an ITL/JCB transmission, it is the introduction of the ZF transmission on the AS1020 and AS1220 models that pushes the efficiency of the Apache’s legendary mechanical drive to new levels. The AS1020 and AS1220′s ZF transmissions feature a lock-up torque converter that allows for as much as a 26% increase in the ratio of power supplied to power used compared to the 2010 model year. The result is more power to the ground than ever before which gives the operator increased traction in a variety of ground conditions. Another benefit of the Apache’s re-engineered drive train is an increase in fuel economy of an estimated 9.3% on the AS1020 and 17.4% on the AS1220 at optimum spraying speeds of 12 to 16 miles per hour.

Equipment Technologies is the largest independently-owned manufacturer of self-propelled sprayers in North America. Operating from its 108,000 square foot headquarters in Mooresville, Ind., the company distributes its sprayers throughout North America, Ukraine and Australia through a network of independent dealers.

For additional information, visit the Equipment Technologies website at www.etsprayers.com.

John Deere has launched several new precision ag technologies including a new telematics system, JDLink, GreenStar 3 family of displays, the StarFire 3000 GNSS Receiver, iGrade, that helps producers better manage surface water movement, and iSteer, that improves implement guidance in a grower’s field.

“The GreenStar 3 and the new GreenStar 3 2630 display is the new generation of GreenStar displays,” explained Jake Stein, with John Deere, during the Farm Progress Show. “We have new features like video capability, access manager, operator lock-outs, user friendly standby mode, and more.”

One of the best new features of the displays is its video feature. Stein said that having video its a huge advantage especially as operations and machinery keep getting bigger and bigger and the operators need more eyes on their machines. The video allows them to see more and in real-time.

The new GreenStar displays are available to order now and will ship in early 2011. For those who have been using other displays, such as the GS2 display, the new GreenStar technology will drop right into their current system and off they go.

Another new product is the StarFire 3000, which is a new receiver replacing the StarFire ITC. “It’s got great new features like GLONASS, so we get more satellites. We now have the third access in our TCM that we can calibrate to allow autotrack to perform better in the field for customers as well, especially those on an uneven terrain,” said Stein.

Although we only discussed a few of their precision products in detail, you can learn more about all of their new products at www.johndeere.com.

Listen to my interview with Jake Stein here. John Deere Launches New Precision Ag Products

Farm Progress Photo Album

During the Farm Progress Show held last week in Boone, Iowa, Raven introduced several new products including OmniRow, Envizio Pro II and SmartYield. I caught up with Ryan Molitor to learn about these new products and more.

Molitor began by explaining that OmniRow is an advanced planter control system. This system enables the grower to do variable rate seeding either prescription based or he can adjust the rate on the fly. The system includes things such as singulation information and seed monitoring so the technology will alert the operator if anything is going on with the planter itself.

“What really sets OmniRow apart is we have a patent-pending hydraulic motor and clutch. It’s one unit that does the control but it also does the section shut off,” said Molitor.

In addition to OmniRow, Raven launched the next version of Envizio Pro. They made some additional improvements and added new features with growers’ needs in mind. Envizio Pro II is a fully functional field computer with guidance, GPS, steering, and applications controls among other features. Molitor said one of his customer needs is RFK steering, so the Envizio Pro II has an integrated GPS receiver that’s scalable up to RTK.

“Envizio Pro II is the make it do everything field computer that never needs to leave the cab,” said Molitor. “So with that, we’re also able to interface the SmartYield, which is a yield monitor system that will interface with the Envizio Pro.”

SmartYield is able to create accurate yield records for all major grains. Having critical performance data at his fingertips, helps growers make better decisions, which improves his bottom line.

You can learn more about these new Raven products, as well as others by listening to my interview with Ryan Molitor here. Raven Launches Plethora of New Products

Farm Progress Photo Album

“Precision Planting’s business is trying to make sure seeds get into the right space at the right distance and seeds only land where they need to land,” Precision Planting’s Jason Larkin explained to me during the Farm Progress Show. We use precision technology to know where the tractor is at and where the plant is at to control population, so we can increase or decrease populations based on soil types, continued Larkin.

In addition, they use swath control, or the ability to turn individual rows on and off using GPS so that a farmer who is planting corn doesn’t overlap. This helps to eliminate yield loss that comes from over planting as well as saves farmers on their seed costs.

In a corn husk, pardon my pun, Precision Planting uses variable rate technology to help farmers understand how to pick the right population for the area they’re in. And this is important. “For every percentage improvement we can give someone for accuracy, from 95 percent of the seeds placed correctly to 97 percent of the seeds placed correctly, that equals a $10 per bushel yield advantage.”

You can listen to my interview with John Larkin here. John Larking Talks Precision Planting

Farm Progress Photo Album

Earlier this year Ag Leader launched a new GPS guidance and steering technology called ParaDyme. While the product is still fairly new, growers are already raving about it. To learn more about its unique features and benefits, I spoke with Jeff Bentley, GPS Guidance and Steering Sales Manager for Ag Leader.

ParaDyme is a fully functional, fully integrated hydraulic steering system. It includes a cellular modem for correction by cell, wireless, as well as wifi that’s integrated for future uses and it can be installed into any hydraulic valve vehicle. Bentley explained that it is also scalable from WAAS to OmniStar all the way up to RTK. “So it’s fully scalable to several correction sources,” said Bentley.

A major advantage of using steering technologies is efficiency. “Efficiency is going to be your biggest advantage,” said Bentley. ParaDyme offers accuracy and ease of use and Bentley said when you come back to spray or come back to harvest, the straight rows are going to be a big advantage.

ParaDyme can be used with multiple brands of equipment going back 20 years. It can also be integrated with other Ag Leader products into two displays, Integra, which was launched this fall, and Edge, which was launched earlier this year. In addition, growers can use DirectCommand and SeedCommand as well as the Yield Monitor with ParaDyme.

Farmers have commented that some of their favorite product features include the display as well as the integrated modem. We have a lot of growers, especially those doing RTK connection through a cell modem like you have in Iowa through the DOE network, who really appreciate the integrated modem said Bentley. “The modem is already in ParaDyme. They don’t have to get their own cell plan – they just buy their cell plan through us and away they go.”

Bentley concluded that it’s been a great year and they’re looking forward to seeing how ParaDyme performs on the combine as well as in tillage applications.

You can listen to my interview with Jeff Bentley here. Jeff Bentley Talks ParaDyme

Farm Progress Photo Album

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

Big Bud is the world’s largest tractor so the Farm Progress Show is one of the best places to put this piece of history on display.

Big Bud is so big that I couldn’t fit the tractor in one picture. I mean Big Bud is BIG. It was built in 1977 in Montana by Ron Harmonn and his crew for a cotton farm in California. He is 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, 14 feet tall, and weighs 100,000 pounds.

Until this week, Big Bud has been on display in a farm museum in Dyersville, Iowa (the home of the famous ball field from Field of Dreams). He was moved to Boone, Iowa by Crop Production Services (Agrium), a company that provides agricultural inputs to farmers around the country.

Steve Sopher, an area agronomist with Agrium told me that they brought Big Bud in to give growers a walk down memory lane, and that he did. Between 15,000 – 20,000 people came to see Big Bud in person over the three days. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people were at Farm Progress from around the world, so you can bet that most spent some time checking out Big Bud.

For those of you who missed out on this amazing piece of history, Sopher said that he will be back at the 2011 Farm Progress Show. You can also watch this video.

Farm Progress Photo Album

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

Ag Leader is known for their precision farming technologies and this year during the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, farmers were gathered around to check out their latest and greatest offerings. Ag Leader’s SMS Technologies are a big hit so I spent some time with Lucas James to learn more about how they worked.

James first walked me through their basic SMS desktop software which isn’t basic at all. The software allows a grower to house any information he has collected on the monitor or any prescriptions he has created in the past or any guidance lines he wants to import. Once a grower has all the info in the software he wants, he can then analyze the data, run reports and export it back out. For example, James said a grower can create prescription maps and these will tell the controller what to do.

From there, a grower can send information and record different field operations right into his hand held device. From there, the device can help a grower navigate to an area of his field he wants to take a closer look at. For example, he can check out a section of his field to conduct a soil sample. Once the grower has collected all the information in the hand held device, he can sync it back up with his SMS desktop software. This gives the grower a record of where it was taken.

While you don’t have to have both the SMS desktop software and the SMS mobile technology, they do work hand in hand to help a grower become more efficient and ultimately save time and money. Another benefit of the technologies is that they are nearly universal across all equipment systems.

I didn’t give the SMS technologies justice but James can and has on the product demonstration below. You can also visit www.agleader.com for more detailed information.

Farm Progress Photo Album

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

During a press conference hosted by Growth Energy, Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey stressed the importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture. Northey told the tale of how corn farmers were looking for a way to sell their excess corn back in the 80s and so they created the ethanol industry. And it worked. Last year, ethanol used 4 billion bushels of corn out of a total of 13 billion total bushels and many new companies and technologies have sprung up to support the industry’s growth, such as those companies offering corn farmers precision ag technologies.

But to keep the ag industry strong, the country must pass long-term energy policy that will support increased market access for ethanol. “It is vital that Congress and the EPA move forward and approve these needed long-term policy proposals,” Northey said. “It is important that we send a signal to the industry and investors that support structures that will remain in place and allow the industry to continue to advance and adopt new technologies including eventually cellulosic ethanol.”

The Green Jobs Waiver, or E15 waiver would do just this. It would help to open up the markets for more ethanol. But any decision on this front is still a ways a way. According to Tom Buis, the CEO of Growth Energy, the EPA and DOE will finish testing on 2007 and newer cars this month and 2004 and newer cars by the end of November. No one knows for sure how the EPA will rule, but there is widespread confidence that E15 will be approved.

Approving the extension of the ethanol tax credit is also important in sending the message to investors that this industry is here to stay.

Northey also stressed that success of the ethanol industry has allowed the success of other companies as well, many who are participating at this year’s Farm Progress Show. Therefore, Northey concluded, it is not only important for many states’ economies and the agricultural industry for ethanol to succeed, but it is ultimately important for all forms of alternative fuels.

You can listen to the Growth Energy press conference here. Growth Energy Press Conference During Farm Progress Show

Farm Progress Photo Album

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