Precision Pays

With fertilizer costs and 2009 cropping plans being top-of-mind right now, variable-rate (VR) application is an option you should explore to improve efficiency.

But where does one begin their thought process to understand the value of VR? The story of Durango Farms in Lacombe, Alberta is a story worth reading because it walks you through their thinking. This presentation was part of 2008 FarmTech Foundation of Alberta’s annual conference on new technology, environmental issues, agronomy and farm management topics. 

From Durango Farms experience, their advice is to do your homework to see if VR has a fit in your fields. From their experience, here are their 10 tips for looking at VR technology: 

1) Plan ahead. Make buying decisions that will allow implementation of VR at a later date. 

2) Allow enough time to make sure the systems are all working properly. 

3) Draw on experience and knowledge from others. Have a support team that you can draw on. 

4) If you are variable rating more than one product try to avoid blending. Much easier system to handle field to field if you have 

dedicated tanks for individual products. 

5) Larger air seeder tanks allow more flexibility and reduces tank changes during the season 

6) Use systems that give you feedback. As applied maps and yield monitors help to confirm what you did and the results. 

7) Understand practical implications between soil testing and application. Fall banding and winter wheat are examples of working 

within a narrow window. 

8) Fine tune your system over time. You are treating your fields differently than in the past. Understand the response and make 

changes accordingly. 

9) Define your limiting factors and their economic costs and then build the appropriate response. 

10) Look for other opportunities zone management can provide. 

Ethanol production is taking off throughout the U.S. It seems a new ethanol plant is popping up every week. Well, maybe not every week. But, it is safe to say that, with the recent high gas prices and the recent push for alternative fuels, ethanol plants are coming online at an accelerated rate.

This recent surge in ethanol production means corn growers are looking at corn in a new way. Starch is now a high dollar attribute of corn and that means farmers are interested in ways they can get more starch out of each crop yield. Therein lies the problem. Matias Ruffo, a post-doctorate researcher from the Crop Physiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says his studies have found that nitrogen fertilizer can have a negative impact on ethanol yield and starch concentration in corn.

But, Mattias says his research in the U.S. has found ways to minimize that loss and optimize ethanol yields from corn. Mattias says that through the use of a variable rate nitrogen, a precision farming technique, farmers can have a positive impact on ethanol yields compared to the traditional uniform nitrogen application. In effect, Matias says growers can increase their ethanol yields through an exact nitrogen rate application to their crops. This technique, he says, means corn will have a less negative response to Nitrogen as it relates to ethanol yield. This result is even more successful, he says, when it’s applied to specific hybrid corn varieties. Mattias says nitrogen will have a more negative impact on yellow, non-specific corn than on a hybrid designed specifically for ethanol yields.

“The ethanol plants will be benefited by having a precision ag program as far as their work with farmers because they will see an increase in their ethanol yield as a grain with improved quality,” Mattias said.

I interviewed Mattias about his research on the impact nitrogen fertilizer has on ethanol yields. You can listen to my interview with Mattias here: Mattias Ruffo, post-doctorate researcher with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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The ease of precision agriculture has given a couple agriculture instructors the opportunity to offer their students some hands-on education. Well, an article in the Emporia Gazette said both precision ag and access to the Deer Trail Implement complex located just west of Emporia made the hands-on lesson a reality.

Thirty-five K-State students trekked form Manhattan, KS to Emporia, KS to try out John Deere’s 4830 and 4930 self-propelled sprayers first-hand. Both sprayers are equipped with precision agriculture hardware and software. The 4830 Sprayer uses a GreenStar 2 monitor with precision guidance mapping and variable-rate software in it’s cab, while ag enthusiasts can find a SpreadStar Controller in the cab of the 4930 Sprayer. A SpreadStar™ Controller offers operators precision dual-product rate control from the cab. The technology can apply single or dual product or fertilizer at 20 mph with a spread pattern up to 105 feet. The Emporia Gazette article reports that the Deer Trail Implement complex was meant to foster a learning atmosphere:

When Deer Trail Implement was building its $2.3 million complex west of Emporia on U.S. Highway 50, one feature Deer Trail Manager Richard Garber was excited about was having a smart classroom.

Garber envisioned the room being used by the community and students as a place to learn about agriculture.

Last week, the classroom fulfilled that vision when 35 K-State students traveled from Manhattan to Emporia. The students were juniors and seniors enrolled in a chemical applications systems course taught by John Slocombe and precision ag technologies class taught by Dr. Randy Price.

The students spent more than an hour in the classroom learning about the latest in agriculture spray technology. They then spent time outside driving John Deere’s 4830 and 4930 agriculture sprayers.

To help demonstrate the value of precision farming equipment John Deere put together a short video clip that includes farmers describing what it has meant to them and their operations. GPS has been around for years and now it’s really popular in cars, mobile phones and PDA’s. But now GPS is literally steering tractors on farms all over America. Sonia Martin has the story on the newest generation of farm tools.

You can learn all about the latest products John Deere has to bring precision farming to your operations by visiting John Deere Ag Management Solutions.

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Steve Hafner
Leroy, MN
2,200 acres of corn and soybeans
John Deere components used: Starfire RTK

Q: How do you utilize your guidance system?
A: I strip till in the fall, place dry fertilizer, build a burm and record all my passes. I put the data card in, come back in the spring and plant right on the fertilizer I just placed the fall before, on the same exact tract. The repeatability is a necessity. It also takes the fatigue out so I can watch the implement work.

Q: What system would you recommend?
A: For my operation and no-till/strip-till when you need repeatability and the ability to stay in the same track, I’d recommend RTK. For someone doing the same work I’m doing, I would go right to the RTK system – I wouldn’t start out on a “lower,” less expensive system. Within a year, I ended up with RTK because it’s that much more accurate.

Once people see what it does, it sells them. It almost has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Guidance systems have just cracked the tip of the iceberg with what they can do now compared to what they’ll be able to do down the road.

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Randy Reznicek
Nebraska
John Deere systems used: GreenStar Yield Mapping System

Q: What exactly is yield monitoring?
A: Yield monitoring is often the first step that producers take in precision farming. This device is an electronic tool that collects data on crop performance for a given year.

Q: What are some of the benefits of yield monitoring?
A: Yield monitoring helps to identify weak areas so growers are able to properly target these specific areas. After targeting deficient areas growers are then able to properly fertilize. This process helps improve weak areas while also saving money. Instead of fertilizing the entire field, yield monitoring makes it possible to single out and fertilize only the segments that are considered weak and lack a proper amount of nutrients.

Q: Can you use yield monitoring by itself?
A: Yes. However, it seems to work better with other avenues such as grid and soil sampling. With grid sampling we find that different areas need different amounts of fertilizer.

Q: How has yield monitoring benefited growers?
A: Growers gain knowledge and insight from devices such as yield monitoring and grid sampling. This allows them to better manage their farms while also making better management decisions. When weak areas are identified and addressed, growers see positive environmental benefits while also seeing economic gain.

Q: Do growers save a significant amount of money while using this technique?
A: Through yield monitoring and the maps they provide, growers are able to identify the most underperforming areas. Growers can then sample the soil of these specific areas while not having to do the rest of the farm. This allows growers the ability to cut back on products. Not every part of a farm needs the same amount of fertilizer, and yield monitoring, with the help of soil and grid sampling, helps producers be selective in what parts of their farms need special treatment.

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Ron Reimann
8,000 acres
Apples, sweet corn, potatoes, wheat, field corn, green peas
John Deere components used: Starfire RTK, GreenStar 2 System

Q: How does the RTK make planting potatoes easier?
A: Before the RTK system, we’d mark out ahead of time so the planter could follow the straight lines of the previous tractor. It took 1 planter operator, 1 marking operator and 2 tractors and usually someone riding on the planter. We’ve eliminated a few of those processes/people now and now the operator can monitor the planter through an on-board computer. The RTK system has really cut our expenses and we get better, more accurate row spacing.

It’s made us much more efficient. We had no idea, once we got into it, the extent of how much it saves us. We use it in all of our planting operations. On corn, we plant more acres with 1 large, 12-row planter using RTK than we did with 2, 8-row planters and no guidance system.

Q: You’re a record-keeping guru. How does GreenStar 2 help you?
A: We use the Grower Approved Practices (GAP) program, meaning that the people buying our food want to make sure we’re doing things right. What we do is track our diesel usage, the time we’re working this ground, and these are all records that processors are requiring. Instead of writing everything down at the end of the day, the GreenStar 2 System is recording all of this for you.

It’s rapidly becoming a necessity – it’s so cost-effective and we couldn’t survive without it.

John Deere’s iTEC Pro (intelligent Total Equipment Control) is a completely automated system that can be used on 8030 Series Wheel Tractors with integrated AutoTrac. The system not only guides the tractor precisely through the field, but also automates implement controls, ground speed, and end turns at headland and interior boundaries.

Check out the YouTube video to see and hear what one iTEC Pro user has to say about it. The video clip was sent in by Chris Horob, John Deere AMS Regional Specialist in Fargo, ND and created with the help of AMS consultant Brian Verkuehlen of RDO Equipment, who provides the commentary by voice mail. The video was shot in various locations around Minnesota with a digital camera and edited on a Mac.

Anybody else out there have some precision agriculture video they would like to share? Let us know – we’d love to use it here on PrecisionPays! Email your video to Melissa.

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Paul Smith
Balcarres, Saskatchewan
7,000 acres
John Deere components used: AutoTrac

Q: How has precision agriculture helped your operation?
A: We were running on an 8770 4-wheel drive tractor last year but switched to a 9400 this year. We can take our AutoTrac off the planter and use it on the sprayer and on swath in the fall. We saved a lot of overlap, ran 24 hours a day when we were seeding and could see where things were done and where they weren’t. It just makes things easier to operate and helps with fatigue throughout the day.

It’s surprising – the lack of overlap by using the system – and you realize just how much you DID overlap at times with the equipment. Hybrid seeds and chemicals become costly. But the system does pay. You can take someone with a little less experience, show them how the equipment works and away they go. Labor is hard to come by, so anything you can do to simply things, helps.

Q: How do you use the mapping feature?
A: You can see the equipment on the screen (with no lightbar). You can see what’s been done, what hasn’t been done and acres inside your boundaries. At the end of the day or the season, you can download it on the computer for record keeping. We also use variable rate fertilizer applications, and with mapping, we know where things are lacking.

John Deere precision ag is easy to use their support/dealerships are really good – if you have any questions, they’re right there to help.

You can listen to the interview with Paul Smith here: Paul Smith (4 min mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Gerald Thompson
Colfax, Illinois
John Deere components used: AutoTrac

Q: What value does your precision ag system deliver?
A: Until you use it, you don’t realize how much time you spend steering the tractor through the field. AutoTrac allows you to work longer, avoid overlapping by 5 feet (over doing it by hand), eliminates skips, and allows you to work in inclement weather conditions.

Your last trip is as good as the first one, day in and day out. My father is 77 years old and his attitude is: “Leave me alone – I don’t want to get out of this nice, controlled environment!”

We also chose to buy a smaller combine with AutoTrac because we’re still more efficient. And it’s easy to switch from planting to spraying to harvest.

Q: What would you tell other growers thinking about investing in precision ag?
A: When you buy a new tractor, I wouldn’t buy it without it. It’s like buying a tractor without air conditioning! I just wouldn’t do it. Give it a try – I know you’ll like it.

You can listen to the interview with Gerald here: Gerald Thompson (3:30 min mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Delbert Armstrong, Jr.
Winterville, NC
6,000 acres
John Deere components used: Starfire RTK, John Deere 4720 Sprayer with Swath Control Pro

Q: You’re planting corn. What are some benefits you’re experiencing with the RTK system?
A: I spend 12 to 14 hours a day in the tractor with a 36-row planter. Once I get turned into the rows, I can hit the AutoTrac button, let it go, then watch the row units to make sure everything is adjusted as it should be. This allows me to keep my mind on what the planter is doing instead of turning my knuckles white having to watch the row markers in front of the tractor. It’s easy on me, and my hands aren’t tired from holding the steering wheel all day.

Q: What cost savings have you seen?
A: Seed corn was $75 per bag in 1982. Now it’s $220 per bag. With new planters and the RTK system, I’m more accurate, which in turn, saves money. One of the most cost-effective operations is swath control by saving on nitrogen, and it helps improve yields in the long run. Most people just don’t know what the system is capable of doing. But It all pencils out.

Q: What are you telling your neighbors?
A: More farmers need to invest in precision agriculture. They don’t have to do it all at once, all in one year, but it will quickly pay for itself time and time again.

You can listen to the interview with Delbert here: Delbert Armstrong (4:00 min mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Greg Hannay
Rosetown, SK
John Deere components used: GreenStar 2, John Deere 4720 Sprayer with Swath Control Pro

Q: How do you use precision ag?
A: I don’t know how I ever sprayed without it (the GreenStar 2 System). The major advantage with AutoTrac is parallel tracking as well as the curve track option. I now have the ability to follow a straight path time after time, or strike my own A/B line with degree capabilities.

Every path is deadly accurate. The active screen map paints you a picture of the whole field as to what you have and have not done; there is no confusion as to what and where you’ve done it. Then we have a printable document for customer use and custom applications.

Q: What are the advantages of using precision ag products?
A: When you consider chemical and fuel costs, when you spray something that’s as high as $25 to $30 an application per acre, it doesn’t take long on an overlap to lose money. You can set your course and hold that path which saves a lot of money in a short amount of time.

My neighbors say they can shoot a bullet down the furrows – it’s that straight. And, my 73-year-old father has the freedom to still be actively involved. We can work a 14 to16 hour day without being fatigued.

Q: Have you ever had a question about your GreenStar system?
A: Yes. But the John Deere support and dealer network is very strong. We’ve never had any major issues, and the minor ones we’ve had were solved quickly. John Deere product support is available 24 hours a day.

You can listen to the full interview with Greg here: Greg Hannay (5 min mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Russ Lanphair
Sikeston, Mo.
John Deere components used: AutoTrac

Q: What motivated you to use a John Deere AutoTrac precision ag system?
A: We had been using lightbars, and they worked, but they really didn’t make it any easier. It seemed as though we spent more time watching the lightbar than we did anything else.

Now we use the GreenStar 2 system during planting – we know we’re getting the Nitrogen rate that we want, where we want it.

Q: On what other applications do you use AutoTrac?
A: We’ve used it to change Nitrogen rates and now we’re doing prescription work with anhydrous and seed rates.

We more than justify the cost of the system. We were doing everything manually, but now we’ve eliminated the human error.

You can listen to the interview with Russ here: Russ Lanphair (2 min mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Brian Allenbaugh
5,000 acres of rice, corn, milo, wheat, beans
Augusta, Ark.
John Deere components used: Mapping, AutoTrac

Q: How do precision ag products benefit your operation?
A: We were early adopters of GPS systems and have been using them for about 11 years now. Over the years, we’ve seen significant improvements in guidance packages. They are easier to use and there are more things to use them on. The mobility to move them from tractor to tractor is really amazing. Next year, we’re looking at incorporating aerial photography and soil maps.

Q: What are the cost savings to owning precision ag products?
A: The mapping function allows us to analyze acres down to a “T”. We start planning for the next year immediately when we get off the combine. In the winter, it enables me to set a game plan for the next year for each field.

The AutoTrac system enables me to save on fuel, chemicals, seed and time. I was skeptical about the accuracy when we first investigated the system, but I’d hate to go without it now that I have it.

I use the John Deere system on my 1780 planter and 4700 sprayer. AutoTrac pencils out – it more than pays for itself. Growers can save money on about anything you hook up to your precision ag system.

The Precision in Practice column brings you the latest reports from producers across North America who have put precision farming into practice in their own operations. Visit this column regularly to see what your neighbors are saying about precision farming and how they use it on their farms.

Short broadcast interviews with these and other producers can be found in the Precision Ag Minute archives.

Burt Heinrich
Stripper Cotton
Lorenzo, Texas
John Deere components used: AutoTrac, Swath Control

Q: How do you use precision ag?
A: We use AutoTrac for drip irrigation – it’s important that we stay right on the rows and replicate them each year as to maximize water use. We need to be right on the money and this system allows us to do that. If one row gets too close to the underground tape, the water distribution is uneven and I end up with one row of smaller cotton.

We also recently started mapping our fields. I’ve got a good lister, but it’s still hard to put a perfect print over something that’s “not” perfect. But the mapping systems are making it easy.

Q: What are the benefits to owning a John Deere system?
A: We are able to operate more hours and run through the night. We have also put an inexperienced Texas Tech employee to work who had about 100 hours on a tractor. This would’ve been unheard of had we not had the AutoTrac guidance system. Also, our labor and chemical costs have gone down considerably. In today’s time in agriculture, efficiency is a BIG word. I feel that whatever this is costing me, I’m getting more than that back.

Q: How do you use Swath Control?
A: We operate a 24-row boom system with swath control to regulate the boom spray. This makes our sprayer more efficient with no double spraying. All I have to worry about it not hitting posts and turning around right. I guarantee it – it helps you get more done in an hour.