Precision Pays

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we listen to an explanation of how precision agriculture sometimes actually misses the mark.

The whole idea of precision agriculture is being able to precisely place seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and any other applications in the exact right place at the exact right time in the exact right portion, right? Well, it’s not always that easy. And attendees at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture heard that sometimes you just have to realize that precision agriculture is not that precise.

Auburn University associate professor and extension specialist John Fulton held a session where he explained some of the limiting factors you have to consider when using precision practices. He explained you have to consider the actual physics involved to get the molecules of chemicals to the nozzle tip and how the speed the tractor is moving can affect the actual application.

His biggest advice to the audience was to slow down.

You can hear more of my conversation with Fulton in this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast it in the player below below. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we listen in on one of the sessions at the recent International Conference on Precision Agriculture held in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Ken Cassman with the University of Nebraska’s Center for Energy Sciences Research told the standing-room-only crowd that if you look at the past 40 years of farming and extrapolate those increases to the next 40 years, food production will still fall short, putting the world’s population … estimated to be 9.2 billion people by the year 2050 … and the world’s food supply on a crash course. He says estimates are that agriculture will have to increase production by 1.75 percent a year. Right now the numbers are closer to about a 1.3 percent increase. And Cassman says world agriculture will have to meet that increasing demand without negatively impacting the water supplies, nutrients, and wildlife of this planet.

So what’s the solution? Increased biotechnology to get more out of crops? Cassman says while biotechnology has increased yields somewhat, there’s no good, hard scientific evidence it will be able to meet the growing demands. He believes the real solution is meeting a food crop’s true genetic potential through something he calls Ecological Intensification.

It’s a fascinating conversation, and you can hear more of it in the player below below. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

Professionals, professors, scientists and some farmers will be traveling to Colorado next month for the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Denver … an event that happens every two years, and this year happens July 18th through the 21st at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center in Denver.

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we talk to Raj Khosla, a professor of Precision Agriculture at Colorado State University and the chair of this year’s conference who says this a landmark event, as they mark 20 years of meeting like this.

“It started as a small workshop with a bunch of people in Minnesota.” He says there are several scientific and practioner-oriented papers at this year’s meeting for the anticipated 500 attendees.

While much of the conference is focused on information for the scientists and consultants, he’s hoping to attract more frontline farmers and producers.

“I strongly believe there’s a lot of information for them.”

More information, including how to take advantage of the early bird discount for those who sign up before July 9th, is available on the International Conference on Precision Agriculture website.

We’ll have coverage from the conference, and in the meantime, you can hear more of my conversation with Khosla in the player below. Precision Pays Podcast

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

A South Dakota State professor of plant science is using a formula to optimize planting populations… leading to a more precise way to get the most out of farmers’ fields.

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we talk to Gregg Carlson, who is using an algorithm to figure out precisely in each corn field what the optimum planting population should be for specific areas within that field.

Carlson says his formula even shows what fields should not have a lot of precision techniques applied to them.

It’s a fascinating conversation, and you can hear more of it in the player below. In addition, you can contact Carlson and get some insight on some papers they haven’t yet published at the South Dakota State University Web site.

You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

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The latest in precision agriculture might not be at the ground level, turning the soil.  It might come just a few feet above the top of the crops in the form of the Autocopter.

In this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we talk to Autocopter president Donald Effren, who describes how this little helicopter with a five-foot blade-span operating at about 25 feet above the ground brings farmers and ranchers a level of sophistication that has its roots in the high-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, better known as UAVs, that the military has been flying in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Effren says his aircraft is actually more stable than some of its military cousins.  And with controls that are easier to operate than most hobby shop model helicopters and a price tag of $30,000, in line with most farm implements, this little dynamo could be the next big thing in precision agriculture.

Listen to the podcast in the player below to find out more about the Autocopter. You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

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Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) Director of Research Tracy Blackmer was one of the presenters for the PrecisonAg Learning Center at the 2010 Commodity Classic trade show. Tracy is head of ISA’s On-Farm Network®, which focuses on precision agriculture tools and technology to collect information that can increase growers’ profits from crop production and I interviewed him at Classic for this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

The Iowa Soybean Association started this project nine years ago to study both the environmental and economic aspects of farming practices and to help growers find out what works best for them on their operation. Since that time they have expanded into nine other states. “We’re trying to say that growers can use a lot of the precision ag technologies to actually identify which products or practices are working better,” Tracy says. “In Iowa alone we had over 450 replicated trials.”

Listen to the podcast in the player below to find out more about the ISA On-Farm Network®. You can subscribe to the Precision Pays Podcast here.

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Crop farmers seem to get most of the cool tools when it comes precision technology, but there are definitely applications for livestock producers who want to keep track of their animals and make grazing areas more productive and that’s our topic for this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology.

The Precision Agriculture Research Group (PARG) at the University of New England in Armidale has been studying the benefits of real time GPS tracking for monitoring livestock activity, according to Dr. Mark Trotter. “GPS tracking of livestock has been around for several years and a lot of research has come out of Texas, Oregon, Kansas and other places in the states,” Mark says. Mostly this has involved collars on the animals that store information which can be downloaded to find out where they’ve been. “But we are starting to see a shift towards real time GPS devices where the information is transmitted back to the researcher or producer to give them an idea of where their animals are in real time.” Mark says they have been demonstrating the value of precision technology in crop and livestock production through a project called Clever Cattle and Cropping Systems.

Mark and his PARG colleagues will be presenting some of their research at the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture July 18-21 in Denver. Listen to the podcast to find out more.

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Clouds can often interfere with aerial imagery from satellites or high level aircraft, while wet conditions on the ground can make it difficult to use ground based sensors. Research being done in Australia combines ground type sensors with low flying aircraft to deal with those situations.

For this edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by Ag Leader Technology, we go to the Precision Agriculture Research Group (PARG) at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia where they are working on Ultra Low Level Airborne (ULLA) sensing. I spoke with group leader David Lamb about the system and its potential for helping growers who need timely aerial imaging information in challenging weather conditions and potentially saving them both time and money in the process.

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This edition of the Precision Pays Podcast features comments from the leaders of two precision technology companies that recently formed an alliance.

Ag Leader Technology president Al Myers and AutoFarm CEO Herb Satterlee spoke to agricultural media in early December about the collaboration between the two companies and the recently released INTEGRA display and ParaDyme steering system.

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Using ethanol mixed with water in diesel engines could make them more efficient and reduce emissions.

National Corn Growers Association chairman Bob Dickey is also chairman of CleanFlex Power Systems, which is so new they haven’t built a website yet, but what they have done is developed a method to efficiently use ethanol in diesel engines.

Dickey started the idea a year ago when he bought a new John Deere 150-hp four-cylinder turbo diesel irrigation system engine and retrofitted it to use an ethanol and diesel blend. “It worked so well that we applied for a grant at the University of Nebraska and we’re currently doing research there to bring credibility to what we’re doing,” Dickey says.

The company has developed a new hydrated-ethanol fuel called EM60 (a mixture of 60% ethanol and 40% water) to combine with diesel fuel to power diesel engines. “Just like oil and water don’t mix, ethanol and diesel don’t mix,” Dickey said. So, they run two lines into the diesel engine. “The only time the ethanol, water and diesel are together is at the point of combustion and it really works well. The engine runs cooler, it runs more efficient and the emissions are reduced.”

CleanFlex president Ron Preston says they are talking with agricultural equipment manufacturers, railroads, and even bus companies about the idea because the EM60 fuel has the potential to help meet Tier 4 emission standards that become effective in 2011. “There are 60 million diesel engines in the United States,” Preston says. “We’ve been working with EPA and going through the proper steps to make ethanol a solution that will help them meet emissions requirements.”

Listen to a Precision Pays Podcast with Bob Dickey and Ron Preston about CleanFlex by clicking on the player below – or subscribe to our monthly podcast, sponsored by AgLeader Technology, by following this link or the sidebar link.

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This edition of the Precision Pays Podcast, sponsored by AgLeader Technology, offers some timely tips on preparing yield monitors for harvest provided during the recent Iowa Soybean Association On-Farm Network yield monitor webinar hosted by technology manager Patrick Reeg.

The entire webcast can be viewed at www.isafarmnet.com. AgLeader Technology’s pre-harvest tips can be found on-line here.

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We are happy to introduce a new and improved Precision Pays Podcast, a monthly feature with news and information important for growers who want to produce more efficiently. Thanks to Ag Leader Technology for their sponsorship.

In this first edition of the podcast, we hear from champions who choose precision technology and how taking your software mapping solutions to the field is easier than ever before.

Click here to listen to the Precision Pays Podcast precision-podcast-1.mp3

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