Precision Pays

Grower who want precision control of their air carts will soon be available from Ag Leader Technology to control seeding and granular fertilizer application.

This new functionality enables control of up to three channels of granular product or a combination of one channel of seed and two channels of granular product. The new Air Cart support provides the benefits of SeedCommand and DirectCommand to broad-acre seeding.

“Support for air carts for seeding and fertilizer application is something our growers have requested, and Ag Leader now provides a valuable precision farming tool for broad-acre operations,” says John Howard, Product Manager. “The calibration enhancements, meter prime feature and support for meter circuit clutches provide benefits such as AutoSwath, data logging and mapping and variable-rate seeding or fertilizer application for these operations.”

Additional features of the air cart support include tables for referencing stored meter calibration values to reduce the chance of error; variable rate control by product for more efficient use of inputs; support for bin level and fan speed sensors; and an automatic meter shut off option if fan speed falls below a minimum setting. The air cart support is available with Ag Leader’s INTEGRA display.

If your farm operation needs precision farming equipment that can help manage water, check out the new Trimble AG GCS200 system.

Specifically designed for land leveling and drainage applications, it works in conjunction with a laser transmitter to provide automatic machine control of implements such as scrapers and drainage machines, helping farmers to manage water on their fields regardless of crop type or water requirements.

The system is ideal for implements with PT valves, and can use either dual rigid mast control, or single electric mast control. Key components include the LR410 laser receiver and the new CB60 control box, providing a digital elevation display that can be used in both survey and control modes.

The CB60 control box delivers greater flexibility than its predecessors with configuration options for both surveying and grading. Owners of existing control systems can use the CB60 box as a drop-in replacement product, so customers with existing P.A. Laser Grade Control systems do not need any new cables or components.

The AG GCS200 system and the CB60 control box are compatible with English or Metric units and can be used with several types of laser controlled water management and field-leveling products.

“Drainage and leveling professionals have experienced that through the use of laser-guided leveling and drainage equipment, they can substantially improve productivity and accuracy as well as provide the grower with increased crop yields,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president and general manager for Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “Now, the AG GCS200 makes it easier to keep laser-leveling equipment operational and productive on scraper and drainage type implements in the field.”

The AG GCS200 system and the CB60 control box are available now. Contact a local Trimble dealer at: www.trimble.com/locator for more information.

We talked briefly about the numerous new products from Raven during our Farm Progress Show coverage, but wanted to give you a closer look at several of them.

For variable-rate seeding and planter control, check out the new OmniRow planter control, which works in sync with the company’s new Envizio Pro II field computer and optional Slingshot RTK/Online service.

Population control by row. Variable-rate seeding, automatic on-off planter control and real-time seed monitoring can be managed by individual rows or section. Everything you need for higher yields and eliminating costly skips, doubles and overplants.

In the zone. With OmniRow’s real-time seed monitoring and singulation ability, helping you maintain optimum tractor speed for maximum yields and efficiency is a snap. You’ll also know immediately when something’s amiss, so you can keep little things from becoming costly mistakes.

Better records. Better decisions. Documentation and mapping capability allows you to compare seed hybrid/variety selection and pest management and fertilization practices to get the very most out of your fields. With Raven’s new SmartYield yield monitoring system you don’t have to take our word for it. Come harvest time. You’ll know.

Improve your existing system. If you have a planter control system, OmniRow can make it better by using existing factory installed or after-market components. Three levels of readiness to meet your equipment needs. Available today for most popular models—and expanding.

Check out more key features and benefits.

Designed for dealers, crop consultants and other ag professionals, new FieldRx is a web-based precision farming engine that creates customized site-specific recommendations for any crop.

Just in time to begin soil sampling in preparation for the 2011 growing season, FieldRx is bringing crop consultants and agricultural dealers a more user-friendly program for writing custom fertilizer prescriptions. Designed by ag professionals for ag professionals, FieldRx was created to eliminate the frustrations with existing precision ag software programs while providing concise grower reports and smaller controller files.

“We’re really excited about bringing FieldRx to market because of the solutions and time-savings it’s going to bring to crop consultants and dealers,” said David Krueger of Ag Software Designs. “FieldRx will streamline the process for using VRT data and making custom recommendations to growers.

A highlight of the FieldRx engine is the ease of uploading field borders and sample points. In addition, lab results can be imported directly into FieldRx from some labs without the user having to manually obtain and upload the data.

“Our goal in developing FieldRx was to put users first by saving them time and eliminating the potential for human error that can arise from manual data input,” said Lance Ramthun of Ag Software Designs. “A lot of VRT programs currently on the market are extremely time-consuming to set up, and one wrong click while inputting data can be very costly for dealers.”

FieldRx boasts a minimal learning curve for users, who only need access to the web to get started. Furthermore, users don’t need a high-level of computer proficiency to operate the program.

“We know software and new technologies can be very intimidating to users, especially if there is a lot of potential for error,” said David Hydrick of Ag Software Designs. “People are going to be extremely satisfied with how easy FieldRx is to use.”

In addition to soil test recommendations, the FieldRx engine has the power to support many other variables for prescription writing in future releases. Other capabilities include web services that are available for other vendor’s software tools to upload data directly to FieldRx.

For more information about FieldRx, please visit www.fieldrx.com or call (888) 336-0029.

More equipment companies involved in precision agriculture are deploying remote diagnostic capabilities as part of a broader telematic system offering.

Farm Industry News offers a fascinating look at some of the current technology.

After being on the agriculture market for almost a decade, telematic systems that once were thought to be useful mostly to large farming and custom application operations with far-flung equipment fleets are beginning to offer features that smaller operations may find attractive as well.

The newest systems offer remote diagnostics of power equipment, real-time combine monitoring and on-the-go transfer of prescription application, as-applied and yield maps. GPS-based features like current location, field and transport speeds, and idling versus working time also are becoming more sophisticated.

Read the rest of the story.

Trimble recently introduced its latest in-cab, touch screen CFX-750 display. The 8-inch, full-color display allows farmers to choose the specific guidance, steering and precision agriculture capabilities that best fit their farm’s particular needs. The farmer can upgrade the CFX-750 display as business needs change, including adding GLONASS capabilities, or adding section and rate control for crop inputs such as seed, chemicals and fertilizer.

When the built-in, dual-frequency receiver is upgraded to GLONASS, it provides the option to nearly double the number of available satellites from which to receive satellite signals.

For precision planting operations, the CFX-750 display is compatible with Trimble’s Field-IQ crop input control system and Tru Count clutches and can perform section control on up to 48 sections. Add rate control with the Field-IQ system to save costs and increase yields while also keeping records of what was applied. Additionally, operators can increase visibility from the cab by using the two live video feeds on the CFX-750 display to view the implement being pulled behind the vehicle.

“The Trimble CFX-750 display features the industry-leading Trimble Maxwell 6 chip that tracks up to 44 satellites simultaneously including GLONASS,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president and general manager for Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “This is a great high-performance, entry-level platform that can be upgraded to the Field-IQ section and rate control system as the farmer’s needs grow.”

The CFX-750 display is affordably priced starting at US$2,995 MSRP and is expected to be available in September 2010. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information.

Conservation. Sustainability. Water Quality. These hot topics are on the minds of government, and should be a continued focus by every grower. As you look at your operation, and your investment in precision farming equipment, it pays to think proactively and adopt components that can improve your environmental footprint.

I spoke the other day with Iowa farmer Tim Palmer, who also is president of the Conservation Districts of Iowa—a group of 500 county commissioners who are responsible for carrying out state laws and programs within district boundaries. Palmer had just returned from their annual conference where the theme was ‘Mastering Conservation 101.’

“Our whole conference was all about topics focused on improving water quality. If we can keep soil in place, water quality automatically improves,” he says. “We discussed many ways to help educate growers on conservation methods; about how there’s more to soil quality than organic matter and yield. And we offered breakout sessions on planter adjustments, managing no-till residue, precision farming, value of no-till, livestock grazing management and other topics.”

Chad Huedepohl, DirectCommand sales manager for Ag Leader Technology, spoke to the group about how precision farming tools can help promote conservation practices. He addressed three areas during his talk:

1. Auto guidance: “I talked about the myth that auto steer only works in fields with straight rows. Our SmartPath technology tracks the contours in a field as you drive the first path, then it takes over the steering during subsequent paths—which helps growers farm fields differently to keep erosion in check. And auto guidance eliminates row marker trenches that can turn into highly erodible gullies during heavy rain events,” Huedepohl says.

2. Efficient nitrogen application: “Our OptRx crop sensor system can help growers reduce excessive nitrogen application by reading the crop and applying only the amount needed, instead of applying a flat rate of nitrogen across whole fields.”

3. Reduced chemical and seed over-application: “As growers adopt more contour planting to reduce soil and water movement and erosion in square fields, they create more point rows which can lead to over-application of seed and chemicals,” he says. “With auto guidance and row/boom shutoff, that problem is eliminated. Our AutoSwath technology combined with planter row shutoff devices not only provide less corn lodging and herbicide over-application, it saves on seed and chemical input costs, too.”

Visit these links for more information.

Conservation Districts of Iowa http://www.cdiowa.org/index.html

Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District Annual Conference
http://www.cdiowa.org/AnnConf10/Ann%20Conf%202010%20Program%20draft.pdf

Ag Leader SmartPath http://www.agleader.com/2010/07/08/smartpathtm-“drive-and-guide”-guidance-pattern-introduced-by-ag-leader/
http://www.agleader.com/products/guidance/guidance-patterns/

Ag Leader OptRx http://www.agleader.com/2010/02/15/optrx/
http://www.agleader.com/products/directcommand/optrx/

Ag Leader AutoSwath http://www.agleader.com/products/directcommand/

I don’t know about you, but extended windshield time–be it going back and forth in fields, hauling grain, or traveling to a farm show–is a good time to ponder what’s next in your business.

To this end, one of the hottest precision farming tools of the year is planter section control, due to quick payback thanks to seed savings. To help you ponder more, check out this good publication compiled in 2010, “Automatic Section Control Technology for Planters,” produced by the Alabama Cooperative Extension system.

It talks about benefits, the required components, installation tips, pre-season checks and a list of companies that offer the technology. Perhaps this technology may make a good Christmas present to improve your farm operation!

AgWeb caught up with Missouri Farmer Dennis Isgrig at a recent farm show. Check out this video to learn how he uses the free WAAS signal and has adapted technology to his older planter to keep costs lower and pay it back quicker.

“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

Research shows a lightbar can pay for itself in three years on only 300 acres. It can be done with a GPS receiver that receives the free WAAS correction signal that functions within 12-inch accuracy.

This was just one precision farming economic message presented by Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer, during a field day at its Northern Research Farm field day, according to a story in AgriNews.

“This is suitable for non-critical guidance, including tillage, spraying and seeding/drilling,” Darr said. “They are also used for autoswath systems on sprayers, but accuracy will decline in larger fields.”

Investing in a $2,000 light bar for a sprayer can cut chemical costs by 4 to 8 percent per year, Darr said. In areas with rugged terrain, the savings have been as much as 17 percent.

Dual frequency correction offers advances over single frequency correction and provides pass-to-pass accuracy within 4-inches or better, Darr said. This works well for precise auto steering for planting and for planter section control. It requires a yearly subscription that can range from $800 to $1,500.

Real Time Kenematic, or RTK, correction is the most accurate GPS correction because it uses a privately-owned reference station located close to the GPS receiver. RTK can provide one-inch pass-to-pass accuracy and is the only GPS correction that provides year-to-year position stability. RTK allows controlled traffic, strip tillage/fertilization/planting and extremely precise autosteering. Darr said that although RTK receiver costs have come down, the investment is still high from a cost and complexity standpoint.

RTK networks maintained by groups of implement dealers are available for a subscription fee. The cost is similar to a dual frequency subscription.

Read the story to learn more about more network choices and their value.

Despite the heavy rains at times followed by high heat and humidity, around 800 growers, retailers and crop consultants came to Farm Journal test plots near Bloomington, Ill., to gain in-depth knowledge from experts at the recent Farm Journal Corn College.

During this week-long classroom and in-field event, hosted by Farm Journal field agronomists Ken Ferrie and Missy Bauer, participants gained hands-on information about such topics as planter impact on root growth and development, variable-rate population and nitrogen, the significance of water pH on herbicides, lime quality and application methods, and much more.

Ag Leader Technology was one of the sponsors of the event, and the company hosted a luncheon ‘Learning Session.’ “We talked about crop sensor technology from A to Z—from helping growers understand how the technology works to what farmers need to consider when adding the technology to their operation,” says Jessica Reis, Marketing Communications Specialist for Ag Leader.

“It was an excellent dialogue with growers, who helped remind us how cutting-edge this nitrogen sensor technology is from their perspective, which is different from those of us who deal with it daily,” Reis says. “We talked a lot about how growers can add sensors to gauge crop health during a postemergent herbicide application, as well as how the sensors, such as our OptRx Crop Sensor, can be incorporated into a nitrogen application program. It was a great learning session for us as well as the growers.”

Sponsors of the event also participated in a trade show area to answer any and all questions. “We had a lot of questions about planter section control, such as our SureStop Clutch and SureVac Shutoff, to help grower save seed costs,” Reis says. “Data questions, such as how to analyze years of collected data for improved management decisions, were very popular. We helped growers understand the benefits of our SMS Basic and Advanced software, and how it can work with data from many types and colors of equipment.”

For more information from this third annual event, visit www.farmjournalcorncollege.com. And check out RFD-TV on September 1 as Corn College TV will air 30-minute educational programs weekly.
Visit these links for more information.

Farm Journal Corn College http://www.agweb.com/farmjournal/farm_journal_corn_college/

OptRx Crop Sensor http://www.agleader.com/products/directcommand/optrx/

SMS Basic Software http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-basic/

Successful Farming recently compiled various statistics on how precision farming pays, based on the experience of some farmers and university experts. Check out this story from it’s special summer 2010 issue, where they highlighted such benefits as:

• Strip till and RTK guidance saves a huge amount of hours and fuel savings, while delivering big conservation and environmental benefits.
• Planter clutches can save 3-7% in seed costs.
• Banding P&K can reduce rates as much as 40%.
• Spray boom section control can save 5-15% in input costs.

Producers came to learn at the recent Precision Ag Expo field days held recently in North Dakota. Numerous questions, according to a story in Farm & Ranch Guide, aimed at gathering facts about zone maps, satellite imagery and variable rate precision farming.

Kelly Sharpe, of GK Technology, Inc., in Halstad, Minn., said his company creates variable rate mapping, taking an image from a field and creating zones based off of this input image.

Zones are soil sampled and fertilizing and seeding maps are created. The producer receives a prescription that he can input into his GPS system to apply fertilizer and seed at the correct rates while traveling across the field.

“Economics has forced us to make more money off the same acres,” Sharpe said. “There’s a lot of variability in every field caused by topography and soil types. Maps can show you where there might be more leaching of nitrogen or different soil types requiring different treatments.”

“You could put 30 pounds of nitrogen on the top of your hills and 90 pounds on the bottom of your valleys and it might not be accurate,” he said. Zone mapping is the solution to putting on the right amounts, and it can be done “right from the cab,” Sharpe said.

Check out this piece to learn more about the benefits of satellite imagery and variable rate manure application.

For farmers who deal with the planting and spraying challenges of farming on contours, terraces and hills, there’s a new guidance pattern from Ag Leader Technology that offers help.

Called SmartPath, this new ‘drive and guide’ pattern is designed for fields beyond the straight and flat, and it doesn’t require the traditional set-up using beginning and end points.

“If you have farmed contoured fields, you know there is no sequential pattern that is followed; it’s much more random. With SmartPath, once you drive the first pass, all subsequent passes are GPS-guided to follow the previous path,” says Matt Leinen, product manager with Ag Leader. “This pattern will make planter row shutoff or sprayer boom shutoff technology very effective, especially when dealing with the convergence of many point rows.”

While this type of pattern isn’t unique in the industry, Leinen says their technology is designed to follow the best path. “The challenge with this type of pattern is the convergence of numerous paths which come together that are unevenly spaced. We designed the SmartPath to select the right path.”

This pattern is available with any of Ag Leader’s manual guidance, assisted steering or automated steering products, including the INTEGRA and EDGE displays, as well as the OnTrac2 and ParaDyme steering systems.

SmartPath is joining a family of guidance patterns available with Ag Leader’s guidance and steering, including Straight AB, A+, Identical Curve, Adaptive Curve and Pivot. It is available in the following firmware releases: Version 1.5 of the INTEGRA display and Version 3.5 of the EDGE display. Updates can be downloaded from www.agleader.com, under ‘Customer Support’. http://www.agleader.com/customer-support/

Visit these links for more information.
SmartPath http://www.agleader.com/media-center/
Steering products http://www.agleader.com/products/steering/