In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we hear from Kelby Kleinsasser, director of Ag Information for Raven Industries and chairman of the Precision Ag Council of AgGateway, an organization of ag technology companies working together to find solutions that will allow the sharing of data while keeping proprietary information protected. Kelby gave a presentation at the conference on Slingshot API platform, which is designed to bridge the information gap between activity in the field and existing software at the office.

Listen to Kelby’s update in this Precision Pays Podcast. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

Jeff told me the conference is attended more by consultants and others involved in the precision industry than growers like it used to be. He says it’s great to have more interaction with these folks. Yield monitoring is where Ag Leader started and going into the fall harvest it’s on the top of mind. But the company has grown into so many other precision areas and steering has become an area with more and more interest, especially for harvesting. For growers who have not moved into precision applications, he suggests starting with yield mapping and not just yield monitoring. That gives the grower some very important field data from which management decisions can be made. He says mapping really sets a grower up for new products from Ag Leader like their OptRx system which improves nitrogen use.

Listen to my interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Bentley

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Pictured are Chris Tucker (left), Precision Earth and Aaron Hutchinson, Cogent3D, Inc. holding an iPad showing Precision Earth in action. I visited with Chris to learn more about how this application got started. Chris has been a diehard Microsoft guy who got his first iPhone last year. He’s been in the precision ag industry for a long time. The iPhone “opened his eyes” that it could be used as a data collection device. He sees lots of farmers carrying them around. So he got started working with Aaron’s company to develop what is now Precision Earth. He sees it evolving beyond just soil sampling to a full fledged crop scouting device. The app uses shapefiles which can be managed by iTunes or a local computer app they can provide. The feedback that Chris received at the InfoAg Conference was far more positive than he even hoped for. That’s a good sign. There are plans to utilize other mobile platforms in the future.

Precision Earth should be available in the iTunes Store soon. It will also work on an iPhone!

Learn more about it in our interview: Interview with Chris Tucker

Jeremy says that wireless connectivity has become very important to precision ag service and support as well as communicating with customers. He says “Our biggest investment right now is going in to developing light, or mobile-friendly how-to manuals.” He points to the good job Ag Leader Technology has done with their YouTube Channel. Looking forward he says it’s clear from what he’s seen at the InfoAg Conference that the future is all about mobile information, “We actually are going to be able to better serve a customer and provide better information to the customer because it’s going to come in the palm of their hand.”

Listen to my interview with Jeremy here: Interview with Jeremy Wilson

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

I also asked him about how things are going with PrecisionAg. Paul says one of the most important things they’re trying to do is get farmers who have never used precision ag to understand its benefits. One of the ways they’re doing this is by being more visible at events like Commodity Classic and promoting their Profit Calculator. They’re looking for other partners to work with to promote precision agriculture.

Listen to my interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Schrimpf

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Kevin and Doug told me it has caused the major GPS producers and distributors to come together to understand the threat and then present that to the public and then work toward a favorable conclusion to the situation. The potential exists for this proposal to affect just about every device relying on GPS satellites. They say that now is the time to act and make your voice heard before the proposal receives a final FCC decision. You can find a lot of information on the website, Coalition To Save Our GPS.

Listen to my interview with Kevin and Doug here: Interview with Kevin Kobb and Doug Schmuland

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

I interviewed him after his presentation. This soil physicist has a love for gadgets. They’ve been a big part of his career. He says that GPS systems have become more and more important to the farm. Therefore, the data that can be collected by various devices is becoming essential for efficient farm management today. One of the gadgets that has become very effective for in the field data gathering is a gel cell battery that has an adapter to allow you to charge various devices when you’re spending a day away from electricity. I recorded the interview on my iPhone with a recording app. Seemed very appropriate. Listen to my interview with Dr. Rassmussen here: Interview with Dr. Philip Rasmussen

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

Scuse talked about the initiative as the keynote speaker at the opening of InfoAg 2011 in Springfield, Illinois on Tuesday. The concept is to simplify and provide new reporting options for producers. “Rather than a farmer or rancher going to the local FSA office to do their crop reports as they do now and have to give a second report to their agent, they can actually do the report from home,” Scuse said. “Our ultimate goal is for those that have precision ag equipment in their planters and combines to actually use the information that’s collected from that equipment to be downloaded directly to their Farm Service Agency and to the crop insurance agent, to simplify the process even further.”

Scuse says they plan a pilot test of the program this fall and hope to have it implemented by 2013. “This is how we’re going to provide a better service for farmers and ranchers,” he said. “It will ultimately save the taxpayers a great deal of money with this initiative.”

Listen to my interview with Scuse from InfoAg here: Interview with Michael Scuse, USDA

Chuck and I are tag-teaming this InfoAg Conference. He will be covering tomorrow while I head to Dixon, IL for a Wyffles corn strategies field day. Chuck will be doing a presentation on using social media here at the conference on Thursday.

2011 InfoAg Conference Photo Album

The app is the creation of Quentin Rund, PAQ Interactive. Get it and let him know what you think. I think this is going to become a standard offering of shows of all kinds, farm included. Kind of like the “old” conference brochure but much easier to use and carry around!

InfoAg 2011 will be held July 12-14 in Springfield, Ill.

Coverage of the event will be sponsored by Ag Leader.

“Every farmer ought to have an area set aside that he’s testing new things under his management conditions,” Harold said. “We have a lot of new equipment, new products, new varieties that are coming on line and as we get to site specific management and fine-tuning the management on your farm, you really have to evaluate each of those things on your farm under your conditions to see if it fits and will improve your profits or your environmental impact.”

He explains that site-specific technology provides the tools to do the research. “Every field can be a research plot where we’re testing something new. We can set it up on the computer, apply the treatments as you’re doing normal farming operations,” he said. “You learn more about your operation and how you can improve what you’re doing.”

I also chatted with Harold about how fast the technology for precision farming has grown in just the last 15 years, now incorporating wireless internet and smartphones, “We’re doing so much more than we dreamed of 15 years ago – it’s unbelievable!” he says.

Harold also talks about the recently formed International Society for Precision Agriculture and the2011 InfoAg Conference, coming up July 12-14 in Springfield, IL.

Listen to the whole interview with Harold here: Harold Reetz at AG CONNECT

You can see photos from AG CONNECT
2011 AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Harold Reetz, who founded the InfoAg Conference, is one of the board members for the CTIC. He recently retired after 28 years with the International Plant Nutrition Institute and started Reetz Agronomics.

As a champion of technology and precision agriculture throughout his four decade-long career, Reetz was one of the recipients of the Legacy Award in the PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence program for 2010 at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture.

In an interview with Chuck Zimmerman at the CTIC board meeting last week, Harold said he has three passions – high yield production systems, precision technology and conservation. Harold Reetz Interview

Conservation In Action Tour 2010 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the Conservation In Action Tour last week was made
possible by and the

A good lesson regarding customer service and expanded ways to connect with customers comes from precision agriculture solutions provider HTS Precision Ag, based in Harlan, Iowa.

For example, check out their blog called “Precision Ag Explained,” where Adam Gittins posts weekly insights on products, issues and even his attendance and talk he gave at the recent precision agriculture conference InfoAg.

This week, Gittins talked about Trimble’s new Ag 3000 cellular modem, used to connect to a VRS or CORS network for RTK corrections — a product he tested and wrote about in a previous post. And he mentioned the company’s True Guide, which correct implement drift. Another post talks about Ag Leader’s commitment to training customers and prospects by breaking ground on a new training center. And still more posts highlight their own training sessions and ride & drives.

Not only does HTS blog, they are also using a Facebook fan page (where you can even RSVP for training sessions if you are a Facebook member) to connect with users on that social media site. And they also have an updated Website where they also connect with customers using an email newsletter.

HTS offers solutions to growers from Ag Leader Technology, Trimble Navigation, Norac, Garmin and Wilson Electronics. They serve growers in portions of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

In his talk at the recent InfoAg precision agriculture conference, Phillips outlined the top 10 reasons why we need to understand spatial variability for nutrient management.

10. We need to understand variability to guide technology development. Understand the job to know what tools to use — GPS, GIS, variable rate, etc.
9. More accurate computer-generated modeling needed — to better understand crop scouting and yield, water quality, climate change and more.
8. Cropping system sustainability — such as soil quality on a spatial scale, variable-rate pest management, continued grower competitiveness, etc.
7. Guide nutrient management legislation. If we don’t help put science behind legislation (that is often based on models) then we’ll have policy makers creating laws not backed by science.
6. Maximize productivity — getting the right nutrients in the right locations because blanket applications are not efficient.
5. Maximize profits — using variable-rate applications and such in-season tools like GreenSeeker or Crop Circle that use sensors to prescription feed plants what they need on the go. Technology costs are coming down to help even small to mid-size farms make it pay.
4. Minimize environmental impact — more nutrients in the plant and less in the field.
3. This year is not last year — due to the impact of weather, growers too often get into the habit of applying the same rates every year.
2. Develop nutrient recommendation systems at the appropriate scale — take national/state recommendation down to the field management zone level.
1. Making the right decision with nutrient efficiency and effectiveness to increase productivity. Learn the 4R nutrient stewardship system.

Listen to Phillips’ presentation to learn more:
StevePhillips010.mp3

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

“Once farmers realize the value of varying N rates based on field productivity zones, most want to add more N to bring the low zone productivity up. We’re helping them to change this paradigm thinking because more fertilizer in a  low zone usually isn’t cost effective,” Khosla says. “Once we start talking in terms of raising the net dollar return of the entire field to the same level, that usually gets their attention. And we accomplish that by applying low rates to low producing zones, medium rates on medium zones and high rates in high productivity zones.”

In his presentation at the recent InfoAg precision farming conference, Khosla addressed several key efficiencies:

• Their SCMZ (soil color management zone) technique has three data layers — bare soil imagery, field topography and farmer experience (where farmers indicate high and low producing areas)
• In 9 out of 10 site years, this SCMZ method can accurately differentiate grain yield going from low to medium to high zones. And when N optimization prescription strategy is applied (low rates to low producing zones, medium rates on medium zones and high rates in high productivity zones) there is a significant increase in N use efficiency, and reduced N leaching as well.
• Research in Colorado has shown that N rates can be cut by up to 40 percent in parts of fields without losing any yield.
• The early days of using grid soil sampling to build prescription maps has shifted to management zones due to the constraints of grids — grid size too large to capture the spacial variability within a grid; difficulty of interpolating fertility levels between known sample points; fertility recommendation software ignores the inherent soil variability.

Listen to Khosla’s presentation to learn more:
RajKhosla009.mp3

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

Rasmussen has worked with NASA on remote sensing projects, and 10 years ago began a geospatial training program for County Extension agents called “On Target.” In his talk he highlighted the best GPS handheld units, software he uses, some new tools coming and how these technologies are continually evolving and converging. Some of the products he mentioned include:
Archer system by Juniper Systems
StarPal software system
Spot Tracker unit
Favorite website – gpscity.com

Listen to Rasmussen discuss this technology…PhilRasmussen1.mp3

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

With corn tassels popping rapidly across the Corn Belt, growers continue scouting and are beginning to think about harvest prep work as well as fall fertilization strategies. While attending this week’s InfoAg 2009 conference, PrecisionPays.com caught up with Ag Leader Technology’s Jeff Bentley to gain more insight into grower use of accurate fertilizer control.

In this interview, Bentley, who heads up sales for Ag Leader’s DirectCommand precision farming control systems, talks about several valuable and efficient fertilizer application strategies (broadcast, variable-rate and prescription) that growers and commercial applicators are controlling with their Insight and Edge systems:

· More straight and variable-rate anhydrous application

· More use of our injection system to add N-Serve to stabilize N over the winter

· More use to control granular application of P & K with an air cart in strip till operations

· More control of commercial-type spinner-spreader applicators—where users can control and apply up to 5 different products in one pass

· Greater input cost savings and environmental stewardship

Listen to Jeff’s interview…jeffbentley19.mp3

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

Michael Vos explains the many features of their tough and smart handheld PC

Continuing coverage of InfoAg 2009 conference here at PrecisionPays.com also includes some news updates from our sponsor, Ag Leader Technologies. One of the products that jumps out at you in their booth is the bright orange rubberized SMS Mobile Field PC—which looks tough enough to play football with in the rain and mud.

Seriously though, it truly can withstand field abuse thanks to its water-proof, impact-resistant, easy-to-grip outer shell. But aside from its brawn, it’s the brains and software of the handheld PC that is attracting customers. We caught up with Michael Vos, software sales manager with Ag Leader, who gave us an update on this valuable tool.

Listen to Michael…michaelvos.mp3

The SMS Mobile has open architecture that is compatible with most desktop software solutions, but it integrates seamlessly with SMS software. It comes pre-loaded with Pocket Office applications and SMS Mobile software. For more details, visit the product page on the Ag Leader Website.

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

Encouraging all farmers, not just the technology adopters, to use precision fertilizer Best Management Practices (BMPs) was the theme of an opening session talk by Clyde Graham, VP of Strategy and Alliances with the Canadian Fertilizer Institute.

Speaking at the bi-annual precision agriculture InfoAg conference in Springfield, Ill., today, Graham cited the importance of a global 4Rs BMP effort with their US counterpart, The Fertilizer Institute, and global science-based organization the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI).

As environmental issues mount and become more personal, the 4Rs—Right source, Right rate, Right time and Right place—can help farmers and the public understand how fertilizer can contribute to sustainability goals for agriculture.

Listen to Graham as he outlines the need to achieve social, economic and environmental goals, and make sure farmers measure their performance to demonstrate an ability to operate without undue regulation.

Listen to part of Clyde’s presentation: clydegrahambmp.mp3

Precision Pays coverage of the InfoAg 2009 Conference is sponsored by: .

InfoAg Conference, held July 14-16 in Springfield, Ill., offers excellent educational seminars, a trade show of the best precision ag companies and a chance to network with top farmers from across the US and the globe.

You’ll find topics that will bring value to your farm operation–from nutrient management and variable rate technology to software, hardware, on-farm trials, farmer/dealer/consultant success stories and much more.

And if you arrive a day early, there are Monday tours of farm and equipment plots, large grain facility and Dickey-john headquarters.

Register online today.

Dr. Harold Reetz, Jr.
Chair of the InfoAg 2009
International Plant Nutrition Institute

For Program questions:
Harold Reetz
217) 762-2074
info@infoag.org

For Sponsor / Exhibit questions:
Harold Reetz
(217) 762-2074
exhibits@infoag.org

For Registration / General questions:
Quentin Rund
(217) 762-7955
registration@infoag.org