Indiana Prairie Farmer magazine wrote a recent story quoting a Franklin, Ind., precision farming consultant Greg Kneubuhler who says the next hot tool farmers want to invest in is row shut-offs for planters.
He says a savings of 5 percent can be achieved, which can deliver a payback in two years. And in some cases, with irregular-shaped fields, payback can be earned in one year.
We like to write weekly about how growers and how company technology makes precision agriculture pay. Part of making these tools pay almost always includes time savings—which isn’t always as black and white as input dollars saved.
Today I spoke with Hannibal, Mo., grower Mark Lehenbauer about his first decade with precision farming tools on their corn-soybean operation. Mark, who farms with his dad Ronald, has always been interested in the latest technology, and bought their first yield monitor in 2000, the year he graduated from college.
“At first, we tracked yield data, and it was a big learning curve on using it the way we should. The first efficiency we saw was yield loss due to weeds, so we switched to a two-pass application—which led to the purchase of a Hagie sprayer to cut our custom application costs.”
The biggest time saver came two years ago when they invested in auto steer. “Aside from the efficiencies we gained when spraying with Ag Leader’s DirectCommand AutoSwath boom control, we gained time savings and it reduced operator fatigue,” he says.
“Before auto steer, you would become just exhausted by mid-afternoon when spraying corn because you were focusing so intensely on the rows. With auto steer, it allows us to run an extra hour or two because all we do now is turn around, push the button and go.”
Lehenbauer says auto steer saves time during planting as well. “When you’re not exhausted at the end of the day, you can still run later and plant an extra 20 to 30 acres—which really adds up when you can shorten your planting window,” he says.
Analyzing data every winter has also turned into another time saver, too. “We use Ag Leader’s SMS software, and we look at numerous year’s data for hybrids and varieties in different tillage environments. It has truly helped us reduce tillage, saving time with more no-till. And the data has helped us realize the true value of no-till fields. Those fields have saved us time during harvest, because we can get into no-till fields quicker after a rain without leaving the ruts that often occur in our reduced tillage fields. Without ruts, we don’t have to do as much fall or spring tillage,” he says.
Lehenbauer also uses the data to write his own prescription maps, based off of university recommendations. “The data helps us find greater efficiencies on a field-by-field basis, comparing fuel usage and time spent in fields, even examining varieties than can take longer to harvest if there’s issues with green stem.
“It’s the little things we’ve done over the years that have added up to a lot of time and efficiency savings. You start figuring out acres by the hours you’ve saved and multiply that by your planting or harvest window—it really adds up to much greater efficiency,” Lehenbauer says.
Machine-vision cultivation is a commercial reality for vegetable growers, but is it improving integrated weed management in these crops? University of California-Davis research results, that appeared recently in Weed Technology, showed machines gained the upper hand over hand-weeding and cultivation of broccoli and lettuce during times of rainy weather.
Hand-harvested crops such as broccoli and lettuce are easily threatened by weeds. Uncontrolled weeds can result in lower yields, reduced quality, and decreased harvest efficiency.
The job of cultivating between delicate rows of vegetable plants can be done more precisely and faster with machine guidance. A computer processes 25 digital photos of a crop row to determine the centerline.Previous studies have shown higher rates of error in human-guided cultivation.
The current study timed how long it takes a laborer to hand-pick weeds versus machine cultivation. It also tested whether smaller amounts of herbicide or none at all could be applied to the crop with the use of machine cultivation. Reducing the use of herbicides would have economic and environmental benefits.
The many variables at play produced mixed results. Herbicides proved the most effective method against weeds. But with the heaviest use of herbicide tested, the lettuce yield was not improved—the herbicide also affected the crop’s growth. In rainy weather, when both hand weeding and machine weeding are difficult, herbicides again provided the best weed deterrent. In dryer seasons, machine cultivation was more effective than hand weeding.
In California and Arizona, lettuce and broccoli are grown year-round, and cultivation is an important part of the process. More accurate and timely cultivation may be the greatest benefit that machine-guided cultivation has to offer.
Weed Technology journal is a publication of the Weed Science Society of America. To learn more about the society, please visit: http://www.wssa.net/
Precision farming has come a long way since the military allowed civilian access to the NAVSTAR GPS constellation in 1995. We’ve gone from initial accuracies of tens of meters down to a couple centimeters. And now we’ve got receivers handling multiple satellite constellations, referred to as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).
Topcon Precision Agriculture’s senior VP Albert Zahalka gave a talk recently about how the future of precision ag is here today, and the journey is just beginning. Some of the key points he made:
In the future, farmers will be increasingly reliant on accurate, dependable statistical information, which will then feed into integrated precision agriculture systems to deliver outstanding productivity and crop yields.
In the not-too-distant future, we’ll have a farmer sitting in his farmhouse, looking at his computer and saying to his wife, “Marge, we are going to do the planting today.”
Then he will press the “planting” button and his tractor (or tractors) will come out of the shed, head off to the fields and begin planting the right seed in the right location, in the right quantities for optimum growth, all with minimal human intervention.
And if there’s a problem or a machine breakdown, the farmer will be instantly alerted.
And as those crops grow and mature, we’ll have sprayers and watering equipment driving along in the farm field. It will see that one plant is not as green or thriving as well as the next, so it will apply a shot of water or nutrient as required.
That vision is still a little way into the future – but it is clearly the direction precision agriculture technology is going.
AutoFarm’s new ParaDyme precision farming system comes complete with an integrated cellular modem for RTK accuracy with no base station when using the company’s unique, optional RTK ReadyConnect service.
RTK ReadyConnect allows ParaDyme users to access their state DOT CORS Network and receive RTK GPS accuracy without the expense of a base station, or without subscribing to an RTK tower network.
“AutoFarm’s RTK ReadyConnect service features totally factory integrated hardware which eliminates the hassle and expense of adding wireless. There’s no integration guesswork. No compatibility issues between devices. No boxes to add, cables to run, or antennas to mount. The service can be activated in minutes and when activated, it automatically finds the best signal available,” says AutoFarm Marketing Director, Deane Malott.
Because the system is factory integrated, and works with over 50 wireless partners across North America, it offers excellent flexibility. The customer can activate RTK only when needed and for the duration of time needed. AutoFarm has also just announced RTK ReadyConnect bundles that give the grower choices of 1-month, 4-month or 10-month activation. Because it is using multiple CDMA carriers, the ParaDyme system automatically and continuously picks the best available network as the vehicle operates in the field. In many areas, farms are covered by multiple carriers which means the ParaDyme system is less likely to lose signal.
Malott adds, “With optional RTK ReadyConnect, ParaDyme provides affordable access to subscription RTK networks that allow the grower to pick the duration that best matches his field operations, without having to get locked into a multi-year wireless contract.”
The ParaDyme system is the industry’s first single system solution to everything precision ag: planter control, application control, yield monitoring, data logging and management, plus hands-free GPS steering via WAAS, EGNOS, OmniSTAR HP/XP, and RTK. It is also GLONASS ready. With factory integrated wireless, ParaDyme also offers a Remote Real-Time Service connection to the dealer in addition to the optional RTK ReadyConnect service.
For more information on the AutoFarm ParaDyme and RTK ReadyConnect, visit www.gpsfarm.com.
Topcon Precision Agriculture introduces a new advanced autosteering system and new electric steering kits for tractors.
System 250 autosteering application combines multi-constellation and combination receiver/controller features of the AGI-3 with the all-in-one control features of Topcon’s X20 console.
A wide range of off-road vehicles are supported for this autosteering system, utilizing either direct interface through CANbus or ISObus, or the high-performance AES-25 Electric Steering. The system is designed specifically for parallel autosteering operations.
The X20 console provides farming operators with technological tools to combat the increasing cost of fuel, chemicals and fertilizers and the need to ensure improved environmental control. It is a completely integrated controller with modular extensions designed to control every aspect of agricultural system management including, spraying, seeding, spreading, fertilizing, autosection control, variable rate control and the all new CropSpec crop canopy sensor.
Topcon Precision Agriculture also released six new AES-25 electric steering kits. The new kits “maximize electric steering performance in a variety of farm vehicles,” according to Rod Haarberg, North American sales manager.
The new kits are available for standard row crop tractors, articulating tractors, track tractors, sprayers, combines and windrowers.
Available kits include: CIH, Fendt, John Deere, New Holland, Buhler, RoGator, Gleaner, and MacDon
Orders are now being accepted for the new system.
The fight for space in the tractor/sprayer/combine cab continues, especially as more and more precision farming capabilities are added to an operation.
Clutter has happened for a variety of reasons. From anxious early adopter growers buying numerous early controllers, to anxious dealers selling the latest equipment without regard to grower needs, to growers not thinking about longer term needs.
Paul Bruns, who runs a precision agriculture company called Precision Consulting Services in Canby, Minn., says cab clutter consolidation is a huge topic of conversation right now. “I’ve got a lot of customers looking into moving their planter monitor display, lightbar, variable-rate controller and more—consolidating them into one screen. This can be done, but you need to do your research to learn what monitors can and cannot do, or find a trusted, reliable dealer/consultant who knows a lot of equipment,” he says.
“With the new age of monitors, you’ll be hard pressed to find a display for less than $5000. So it pays to really think what types of applications you may want to do in the future. For example, I was recently installing a boom shutoff system for a grower, and he happened to say ‘I’d really like to consider putting clutches on the planter’ so I stopped and told him we may want to go in a different direction, especially if you may want to vary the rates down the road,” he says.
Bruns, An Ag Leader and Trimble dealer who has grown his business because he does help growers to think and plan ahead, saves money in the long run for his clients. “As in this case, it was better to spend $1,000 or $2,000 more today, than have to spend an additional $5000 down the road.” He says there’s not enough consultative selling going on among retailers to learn a grower’s long-term plans, or to help them with those decisions. “Some just sell what the grower wants today.”
Knowing the agronomic side (he also writes fertilizer prescriptions), along with his ability to service most equipment on the precision ag market—as well as sell seed for Pioneer—gives Bruns a broad perspective. “The challenge is finding the best fit for every grower, as well as advising them on what’s going to deliver ROI,” he says.
“One of the reasons I have sold many Insight monitors is because they work with all colors of equipment, and they can handle all the functions a grower needs. Ag Leader has kind of been the ISOBUS before there was ISOBUS. And now with their Integra monitor—those types of touch screen monitors offer more flexibility for future features and benefits that can be added—so you don’t have to keep changing displays,” he adds. (Click on ‘Display Comparison Chart’ under SeedCommand )
Bruns thinks we’re starting to turn the corner on getting closer to a day when the ISOBUS theory becomes a much greater reality of compliance between systems. “Deere talks about reverse compatibility with their 2600 monitor to be able to drive a red tractor that is auto pilot ready. Same thing with Trimble or Case, so they can plug in and run a John Deere AutoTrac, for example,” he says. “We’re going to start seeing more and more of this, which will also help get rid of cab clutter, and add simplicity for the grower.”
For more information:
North American ISOBUS Implementation Task Force
As I talk to many growers about their adoption of precision farming equipment and tools, I always like to find out what technology they could eliminate from their operation—if they were forced to give up something.
Well, as you can probably guess, almost everyone who has auto steer would never go back to steering again. Who can blame them. However, the other day I spoke with central Ohio grower Gary Piper, who told me, “I’d give up auto steer in favor of my planter row control.”
This Centerburg producer, who farms 5,400 acres with his two brothers, just finished his third season using Ag Leader SeedCommand on their Insight monitor that controls Tru Count clutches on their 16-row planter. Piper admits to being skeptical when he first installed the units—about the reliability of the clutches and how soon he might recover his investment. But he figured with smaller, odd-shaped fields, ‘like one 24-acre field with eight corners,’ that it would pay off eventually and help control costs.
“The first year running them, I was very impressed. I saw first hand the results since I do all the corn planting. It wasn’t just the seed savings, but it really improved harvestability not having to deal with doubled-up rows that combine like a weed patch,” Piper says.
One-year payoff. It wasn’t until last year that he kept track of exactly how much seed he saved. “After planting 2,500 acres, we saved 38 bags, or about $7,600 worth of triple-stack hybrids—enough to easily pay for it in one year. And with SmartStax hybrids running $300-$350 this coming year, you can save even more.
Another benefit he liked had to do with comfort, under weather-stressed times. “Last spring we had challenging weather, which forced us to spend three long nights running the planter. As an operator I could not have physically done that and still kept the precision I demand—which the SeedCommand gave me.”
Yield loss. The other savings not often considered is yield loss from double-planted rows. “I never realized how dramatic that can be until I helped a neighbor combine last fall, who had double planted point rows—and I watched the yield monitor drop to about one-third the normal yield.”
After hearing that, one begins to understand why Gary won’t part with his planter row control system. Just plain common sense.
If you’re interested in a precision agriculture decision-making spreadsheet tool developed by Kansas State, look under ‘Decision-Making Tools’ called KSU-GPSguidance at this link:
http://www.agmanager.info/farmmgt/machinery/default.asp
As with any piece of machinery, computer, etc., there’s always a bit of a learning curve. Same goes for precision farming equipment. A good dealer with good technicians can be worth their weight in gold. But good ongoing training from a manufacturer can really help speed the adoption process.
To that end, this week I asked Jessica Reis, Marketing Communications Specialist for Ag Leader Technology, about how they approach training. I’ll let her tell you the story…
“Each summer since I’ve been at Ag Leader, I’ve conducted customer interviews and testimonials. I always ask the question: ‘Are Ag Leader products easy to use?’ The typical farmer response is – ‘there’s a learning curve, but you catch on pretty quickly.’ Then I ask them about teaching someone else in their operation and the response is – ‘a couple of times around the field and they can run it on their own, no problem; or my dad picked this up in about five minutes and he doesn’t like computers!’
“Even though Ag Leader products are simple to use – especially for those who grew up with technology – Ag Leader wants to make sure growers get as much out of their precision farming investment as possible. We want to educate them on their particular product, but also the other functionality and technology that’s out there.
“We have numerous training session options:
“So why is this important? Although I do not want it to seem like you have to have training to use an Ag Leader product (that is far from the case), I want to let your readers know its available as a resource. One of the largest benefits is the opportunity to interact with other growers and learn about how they use Ag Leader products,” she says.
To give you a better understanding of the CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) Network, Bill Cran, GPS & Guidance Product Specialist at Ag Leader Technology, answered our questions about its use in precision agriculture.
1. Why should a grower consider the CORS network and technology?
• CORS is a service provided by some states, and in most cases is provided free or at a very low cost.
• CORS allows a user to have access to an RTK level correction almost anywhere in the state’s network as long as they have cellular access
• Rapidly becoming accepted at the end user level.
• Companies are adopting this new technology and producing hardware that will take advantage of it.
• Allows growers to have an RTK signal over a larger distance—to cover farms that may be spread out over 20+ miles. A traditional RTK base station would not cover this large of an area without moving the base station or using repeaters.
2. How does it work and what are the pros and cons of this technology?
• CORS is a network of base stations, strategically located throughout participating states. Position information is fed back to a central server where it is broadcast over the internet to anyone with a login.
• A user can create an account with the state and using an internet-enabled device, begin streaming the data to their RTK capable GPS receiver.
• Pro: CORS provides statewide RTK coverage.
• Pro: This service (from the state) is usually free or at a very low yearly cost. Iowa, for example, provides this service free of charge.
• Pro: More states are recognizing this technology and have plans to add a network if one is not already in place.
• Pro: In Iowa, base stations are Glonass capable, which provides better satellite coverage during times of the day when the US GPS satellites may not be enough (5 are required for an RTK fix). The rover receiver would also need to be capable of Glonass to take advantage of this.
• Con: Signal reception is dependant on cellular coverage and limited by the cellular data plan.
• Con: Since the signal is controlled by the state, there is always risk of outages that may not be fixed until the next business day. This is not very common, but it can happen.
3. How can a cell phone signal truly deliver RTK-correction accuracy? Or can I get any level of accuracy? And do I need another cell phone and use package?
• A cell phone with a data plan can use an application to configure the login information and begin streaming data.
• Most Smartphone’s are capable of doing this, but the user should check with their provider.
• Using the CORS technology, you can only stream RTK level accuracy at this point.
• Most users will have a dedicated cell phone or air card that will be used to stream data.
• In general, voice calls take priority over data, so if you are using a personal cell phone to also stream data, you run the risk of drops and disconnects when you receive a voice call.
4. Do I still need to keep my current GPS-corrected signal? What happens if the CORS signal gets dropped?
• If you are using OmniSTAR as your differential signal, you can upgrade a capable receiver to RTK level and use it with the CORS network.
• The receiver must be RTK capable in order to be used with a CORS network.
• The user should not have to keep the OmniSTAR subscription as a backup
• With the Ag Leader ParaDyme, if signal is dropped briefly, the system will continue to steer the vehicle and provide GPS until the connection is regained.
• ParaDyme also uses a “flex” technology that will drop back to the next most accurate differential signal until the CORS connection is regained. This allows the system to keep steering, without affecting accuracy. Since this transition happens gradually, the user does not see any position jumps in the field or with their steering system.
• ParaDyme will automatically try to reconnect if a signal drop is detected.
5. What does Ag Leader offer for hardware to use the CORS network and what are all the costs associated with using a CORS signal?
• Ag Leader offers the new ParaDyme roof array that uses a built-in cellular modem to connect to the CORS network and stream RTK data.
• This allows the user seamless access to the CORS signal with one piece of hardware, no additional cell phones, laptops or any other extra hardware in the cab.
• The ParaDyme user interface allows the user to configure the login information and select which of the CORS network data streams they want to use.
• The ParaDyme uses a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) modem that will allow the system to access any CDMA cellular tower (both Verizon and US Cellular use CDMA)
• Using the CDMA modem allows access to more cellular towers and better cellular coverage. CDMA is a digital signal, and it has been around since the early 90’s and is up to 15 times faster than analog technology
• Ag Leader offers a monthly access plan for $300/month. This provides a truly unlimited data plan with no worry of going over your monthly limit and incurring additional charges. It also allows the user to go month-to-month as their situation allows. Not everyone is probably going to use the network 365 days a year.
• Ag Leader also offers discounted 3 and 10 month plans at $750 and $1500 respectively. This gives the user more flexibility to get the work done within their timeframe.
6. How do I get started with setting up a CORS signal?
• First, contact the DOT in your state and see if they have a CORS network or are planning one. Here is an example map of Ohio.
• Second, get access to the network by creating an account. Most states with CORS networks allow you to do all this online. Check your states DOT website for more information.
• Third, configure your hardware, like ParaDyme, using the account information you get from your state DOT. An Ag Leader Dealer will be able to help with any setup questions.
• Finally, connect to the network and enjoy RTK level accuracy without being tied to the traditional base stations distance limits.
• Traditional 900 MHz base stations generally have a limit of 6 miles, line of site. A CORS network generally does not have limits on distance because there are base stations installed and covering the whole state.
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