Ag Leader offers a variety of SMS™ training sessions to help answer grower and dealer questions about the software.

Today, we caught up with Jessica Ahrens, Ag Leader training specialist, and asked her:
• What’s new this year?
• How do these training sessions set Ag Leader apart from other precision ag companies?
• Why is attending a training important each year?
• And most importantly, when do they start and how do growers and dealers get signed up?

Remember to visit sms.agleader.com for more information.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Have you seen Joe Neighbor in town at the local precision ag dealer, asking questions, smiling and nodding his head, followed by a hand-shake … then a month or so later, in the cab of his tractor multi-tasking on different screens while talking on his smart phone? Did you wonder how he knew what questions to ask regarding what was best for his operation and better yet, how he ever got started?

Well, Ag Leader Technology has been in the precision ag field for more than 20 years and would like to address a few of these common adoption hurdles.

Obstacle #1: COST
Up front, precision ag might feel like a large chunk of change. There’s the investment cost of the equipment, the time involved for you to learn how to use the equipment, and the time it will take to see your return on investment.

Time is of the essence, especially during busy planting and harvest seasons. Talk to your Ag Leader dealer today about what’s right for you. They offer the complete package of precision farming tools, allowing you to get started with technology based on your comfort level and your needs.

They also have a leasing program that might be right for you.

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At Ag Leader Technology, there’s a philosophy that there is a direct correlation between precision agriculture and precision manufacturing. The key ideas behind precision agriculture are optimizing inputs and maximizing yields, accurate control of planting, application and harvest operations and then collecting and analyzing data to manage processes to drive improvements.

Stop for a moment and think about manufacturing precision ag equipment. Don’t the same ideas hold true for both? Ag Leader believes that on the manufacturing side, it’s all about optimizing inputs and maximizing yields, accurate control of processes to reduce variability and ensure high quality, and collecting and analyzing data to drive improvements whether that be quality, cost or productivity improvements.

Tim Gaul, Ag Leader quality and continuous improvement manager, says, “Some of our improvements are ‘break-through’ improvements and others we improve on every day. But as we monitor each cell in terms of quality, on a weekly basis we analyze the reasons for defects, attack the issue, dig into the root cause, investigate the problem, and come up with corrective measures.”

Gaul says, “To get the most out of every acre, out of every input, you have to be precise in what you’re doing and look at every single opportunity to eliminate waste and create value.” That’s why Ag Leader employs LEAN manufacturing, meaning as a company, they understand the process first and then design manufacturing workstations and layout to best fit that process. Ag Leader products aren’t made in big batches – they focus on making high quality, once piece at a time.

So what does that mean to you, the Ag Leader customer?

Gaul says everyone at Ag Leader understands that they’re a part of feeding the world, and the way they do that is by participating in their processes of precision manufacturing. At Ag Leader, they understand precision.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Here is the next in our series as we introduce you to a few of dedicated precision ag equipment dealers in a series called “Getting to Know Ag Leader”.

We caught up with Keith Byerly of Advanced Cropping Systems by CVA in Nebraska.

1. From an agronomy standpoint, what do you consider to be the biggest issues facing growers today?

In our part of the world, it still comes down to water. We haven’t had much relief from the drought yet, and are facing water restrictions on irrigation if the drought continues into another growing season. That all being said, we are seeing the market explode when it comes to technologies for soil moisture management and VR Irrigation. To that extent, I think that growers are again going to be faced with a decision that cannot be made too quickly on who to partner with for a provider of this information. From a service provider standpoint, there are so many people out there with a “Me Too Attitude” offering data and prescription services to match the capabilities of the hardware they are selling. We firmly believe the “One Size Fits All” mentality does not work with it comes to working with growers and their data. Just like any other aspect of a growers operation, they need to make sure they find a Precision Ag service provider that understands the whole picture of what they are doing, and customizes programs around them.

2. Tell us about how growers in your area are using precision agriculture.

VR Fertilizer is the standard now, not the option. We are seeing the second generation of VR Seeding come about now as well. What I mean by that is that there were quite a few early adopters who went out and did VR seeding just because they could. They based it on soils maps and called it good. The results were less than great, and they abandoned the technology. Now they are coming back to it again, and this time they are looking for that right service provider to help them design a program. Section control of planters and sprayers was slower to be adapted in this area because we are fortunate enough to farm rectangular and square shaped field for the most part, but they are now the rule rather than the exception. RTK adaptation is really coming on strong now as well, with private CORS networks outpacing radio based systems. And of course automated steering continues to take over the cabs of these machines. We see more systems going into tractors that are more than 20 years old than I could have ever imagined.
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Brokaw Supply Company, a single-store business in Fort Dodge, Iowa, sells and supports six different brands of precision equipment including Ag Leader Technology as one of their premier lines, and services a customer base that stretches into Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The dealership has been named Precision Farming Dealer’s 2013 Most Valuable Dealership. They boast 36 employees (4 precision ag specialists); 90 percent of their 2012 precision ag revenue was from hardware and their 2012 precision technician service billed 900 hours.

Brokaw’s General Manager Craig Harthoorn says the dealership had to break into the precision ag world.

He also says they are a “niche marketer”.

One way Brokaw is making the most of its independence and showing customers that its willing to find the best technology solution for their respective farm is through the development of its precision kits.

The company started putting together the kits — priced-out lists of precision parts for farm equipment — in 2009 to give customers a better understanding of what they were buying, and to provide salespeople with a handy tool.

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Precision ag software … it’s necessary but can be, at times, daunting and confusing. There’s so much data growers need to compile and store from year to year, and data has really become a necessity versus a “perk” because it brings all of the information together in one place where growers can pencil out and see the value from the information and map out where their highest ROI potential lies.

CNH to SMS Conversion_v2

Luke James, Ag Leader SMS software sales manager, says Ag Leader now has the capabilities to convert current CNH users over to the Ag Leader SMS software system. Listen as he explains why data software is important to any grower’s operation.

Growers are accustomed to the CNH system and will be happy to know that converting is only a matter of a few button clicks. It’s the same software, same interface, and same technical support that comes along with it, just a different logo. Listen to James as he explains more about conversion benefits.

Read more about converting to SMS software here and to begin the process, call Ag Leader’s tech support at 515-232-5363 ext. 1 or email smsunlocks@agleader.com.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Here is the next in our series as we introduce you to a few of dedicated precision ag equipment dealers in a series called “Getting to Know Ag Leader”.

We caught up with Ben Martin of Akron Services, Inc. in Illinois.

1) From an agronomy standpoint, what do you consider to be the biggest issues facing growers today?
Today’s investment in seed requires a much higher level of management than many producers have done in the past. Paying attention to hybrids, nutrients, soils and other inputs at different timings and places throughout the field will be key to maximizing productivity and profitability for growers.

2) Tell us about how growers in your area are using precision agriculture.
Producers in our area have found value in VRT fertilizer and lime. Of course, using precision to simplify their life is popular too, such as autosteer, and automatic shut-off on sprayers and planters. However, more and more customers are using precision technology to increase management of nitrogen and seeding rates via harvest data and agronomy knowledge and recording data on every operation.

3) What benefits are growers seeing by using precision ag on their farms? Give us some examples.
Our customers using strip-till systems have seen huge benefits using autosteer to efficiently plant their seed in the optimal condition created by the strip-till operation. Before, when steering by hand, seeds planted off of the seedbed would emerge slower and be at a disadvantage the entire year. Also, growers are seeing benefits in fertilizer usage by using harvest data combined with soil tests to correctly fertilizer the areas that are in need of it the most.
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We recently caught up with Adam Walters, Ag Leader software support specialist, at the National Farm Machinery Show and he gave us a quick “tour” of SMS Software, its capabilities and how it helps growers make better management decisions.

Walters also gave us a top-level overview of Intellislope, a new functionality available through the Ag Leader Integra display which provides tile plow control for installing field drainage tile.

And if you’re heading out to Commodity Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., Feb. 28 – March 2, be sure to look up Ag Leader experts who will be on hand to talk about the latest in precision technology equipment, enhancements, future products, and much more.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.

Here is the next in our series as we introduce you to a few of dedicated precision ag equipment dealers in a series called “Getting to Know Ag Leader”.

We caught up with Ken Diller of Hoober Inc. in Intercourse, Penn.:

1. From an agronomy standpoint, what do you consider to be the biggest issues facing growers today?
Farmers are having a harder time being able to digest all of the information that they need to make an educated decision on things like variety and rates. Seed corn manufacturers are continually coming up with new varieties that are better suited to a certain type of soil type, weather condition, and season length. The same things can be said for the fertilizer manufacturers or suppliers. They are continually coming up with new formulas that affect rates applied and the performance of the seed based on the type of soil and weather condition. All of these choices and constant changes are making it harder for the individual farmer to make the proper decisions on his own. It is becoming more important all the time for them to have a trusted adviser who is knowledgeable about all of these changes and how they affect his operation. This helps them to have confidence in the decisions they are making for their operation. The same thing holds true for their precision farming hardware purchases. Technology changes at such a rapid rate, that having that trusted adviser to help them make the correct decisions as far as hardware is concerned is becoming more and more important to them.

2. Tell us about how growers in your area are using precision agriculture.
Growers in our area are using precision agriculture for more and more applications all the time. When precision agriculture was introduced, we concentrated on collecting data about yields. From there we moved on to adding steering to make sure we were getting the best row spacing possible. Next, we applied the same type of technology to machine control to make sure we were controlling our input costs as efficiently as possible. Growers have been able to see the added advantages of adopting this type of technology by realizing lower input costs and at the same time higher yields. A lot of these advantages can be attributed directly to the use of this technology because the technology allows us to keep more consistent and more accurate records to substantiate these advantages. A lot of our smaller farmers are beginning to adopt this technology because of the input from their fellow farmers in the area. Even the smallest of farmers can find a piece of this technology that he can adopt to make him more efficient and productive. Growers in our area are using this technology in just about every aspect of farming that you can imagine. From nothing more than manual guidance to full machine control and implement steering. Once they use this technology, they realize what it can do for them.
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Farmers requiring sub-inch accuracy for tiling and other precision farming operations have a new GPS option from Ag Leader Technology, Inc.: the GPS 2500B RTK Base Station.

Bill Cran, Ag Leader GPS Product Specialist, said, “The GPS 2500B is a dualfrequency 900 MHz RTK Base Station for use with the field-proven GPS 2500 smart antenna.”

Intended for highly accurate tile installation and pass-to-pass repeatability in field operations, the system can access multiple GNSS signals, including GLONASS. “The GPS 2500B is ideal for use with the Ag Leader Intellislope™ Tile Plow Control system. Growers with the Ag Leader OnTrac2+™ Assisted Steering system can also benefit from the increased accuracy,” Cran explained.

Setup of the GPS 2500B base station is quick and easy: the operator simply mounts the unit on the included tripod and connects to a 12-volt power source. The unit can also be permanently mounted for long-term repeatability.

The base station also features improved GNSS performance, a full graphic display with menu selection keys and standard USB flash drive data transfer. The unit is protected in a rugged housing that is resistant to damage from dust and liquid.

RTK radio kits will be available for those who would like to upgrade their existing GPS 2500 receivers. Growers can consult an Ag Leader dealer or visit agleader.com for complete details.

Become a fan of Ag Leader on Facebook today, and get the latest precision ag videos on the YouTube channel. For more information about Ag Leader products and services, or to visit the blog site, go to www.agleader.com.