The South Dakota Soybean Council has posted a video on YouTube of a TV segment by reporter Michelle Rook that aired recently on KELO-TV news. The spot briefly describes how farmers are using precision agriculture technology to be even better stewards of the environment. Great message for non-farmers to hear!
The 2011 Commodity Classic is one for the record books.
Attendance at the annual meeting of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers shattered previous records. Total attendance was more than 4826, breaking the previous record at Nashville three years ago by almost 300. Total number of growers was over 1600, compared to the previous record of 1513 in 2009 in Grapevine. The number of media was down a bit, but still a pretty substantial 126. Next year, Classic is back in Nashville, maybe to set yet another record!
In a show of unity, the leadership of the National Corn Growers Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the American Soybean Association and the National Sorghum Producers issued a joint statement on the federal deficit and debt reduction following the conclusion of the Classic business sessions.
“We note that agriculture made a down payment in cutting spending when the Department of Agriculture directed $4 billion in savings under the Standard Reinsurance Agreement for federal crop insurance toward deficit reduction. We believe any further reduction in discretionary spending should recognize and reflect this contribution. We would also note that agriculture-related programs represent less than one-half of one percent of the federal budget.
“Looking forward, we believe any meaningful approach to deficit and debt reduction in the FY2012 budget must encompass all entitlement programs and all discretionary spending. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to develop a budget that successfully addresses the need for federal deficit and debt reduction balanced with the need of ensuring a successful agricultural economy.”
Special thanks to John Deere for helping to sponsor our coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic!
2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album
AgWired coverage of the 2011 Commodity Classic
Take a look at a story in Indiana Prairie Farmer that selected ten different agricultural technologies of interest this year.
They listed:
- Raven Sling Shot system
- Connected Farm concept
- GSI Binspector
- Grain entrapment rescue tubes
- Votivo nematicide seed treatment
- SmartStax corn
- Agrisure Viptera trait
- Surveillance sunglasses
- Vertical till revolution
- Kixor herbicide technology
While every farmer knows the value of preparing and calibrating the planter and sprayer, the same holds true when calibrating the electronics and software that control these implements—especially if you vary rates across the field on the go.
Hopefully you pulled out that owner’s manual, or enlisted your local dealer’s help, several weeks ahead of pulling into the first field with a planter full of seed. “The equipment only works as well as the set-up, so running the calibration software on your monitors should be an annual event,” says Nick Ohrtman, Technical Support Supervisor for Ag Leader Technology.
Since there’s no real standard procedure when calibrating for variable-rate technology, it is critical that you follow the guidelines in the owner’s manual of both the piece of equipment and the monitor that is driving it. “Our display monitors, like the Insight or INTEGRA, have a calibration wizard that walks you through seed meter calibration, allowing you to count the actual seed that drops per revolution, which is critical for variable-rate seeding” he says.
“If your variable-rate monitor is set to plant 34,000 seeds and the population monitor says you’re only seeding 30,000, then that’s a sign that the calibration was done inaccurately. If this happens with our system, when both monitors are running through our display, an alarm sounds when the populations don’t match up,” Ohrtman adds.
Granted, most calibration settings made are saved by crop, but it is still wise to recalibrate every year for each crop. “Once you’ve calibrated for corn and soybeans, then every field will use the same calibration. And the calibration doesn’t change when you’re switching plant populations,” he adds.
For growers using planter section or row shut-off technology, it’s advised to make sure your settings are correct each year. “With our AutoSwath system, there are three different settings available, so it’s wise to check the owner’s manual every year, as well as do a dig check in the soil on the first round to make sure the row shut-offs are working correctly.” Nick talks about tips for using AutoSwath in his blog post here.
For more information:
Calibrating Equipment for Variable-Rate Application
Variable Rate Equipment – Technology for Weed Control
Gear Up For VRT (Farm Journal, March 2009)
This year’s winner of the American Soybean Association scholarship has a passion for precision.
Ben Bellar, a high school senior from Howard, Kansas, was named the 2010-2011 Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Scholarship recipient during the 2010 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California. The scholarship package, made possible through a grant by BASF, included a one-time $5,000 education award, a trip to the Commodity Classic and special recognition during the ASA Awards Banquet. Ben is pictured here at the BASF exhibit on the trade show floor with ASA First Vice president Alan Kemper of Indiana and Nevin McDougall, Group Vice President, North America Crop Protection Division at BASF.
As an active member of the ASA and FFA, Ben has been raising soybeans since he was a child and plans to study agriculture technology management at Kansas State University next year, something he decided when his father “finally broke down and bought a GPS” about six years ago. “I just like days when I can go out there, hit one button, go for half a mile, pull out a magazine and read it until I get to the end of the row,” Ben told me during an interview.
Listen to or download that interview in the player below and thanks again to John Deere for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s Commodity Classic.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
John Deere adds a new economy-sized, versatile 4630 self-propelled sprayer to it’s 30-Series lineup that is wired to add valuable precision farming tools.
The new 4630 Sprayer is ideal for cotton farmers who want a low-cost, comfortable, and productive machine that’s simple to operate. It’s also ideal for corn, soybean, or small-grain producers that want a productive yet comfortable machine with advanced options. The 4630 Sprayer replaces John Deere’s discontinued 6700 Sprayer.
“When they order a 4630 Sprayer, customers can choose between a narrow 72- to 88-inch, or wide 90- to 120-inch axle configuration. In areas where corn or soybeans are planted on traditional 30-inch rows, the sprayer’s wide axle configuration allows it to straddle three or four rows providing ultimate stability for the operator. In cotton country, the narrow configuration gives the sprayer the ability to straddle two 36-, 38-, or 40-inch rows that allow cotton producers to stay on hard centers. This axle flexibility allows the 4630 to fit in most crop applications in North America and around the world. Plus, its C-channel frame and air-ride, four-link suspended axle provide an exceptionally smooth ride that lets you spray at speeds up to 17 mph,” says Nick Weinrich John Deere product manager.
“The GreenStar™ AutoTrac™-Ready CommandView™ cab surrounds operators with industry-leading visibility, exceptional productivity and convenience that leads to best-in-class operator comfort,” says Weinrich.
Operators pilot the sprayer with a single hydro lever that moves with the ComfortCommand™ seat. John Deere’s AutoTrac-Ready system provides the necessary wiring harnesses to run GreenStar guidance and field documentation applications. Customers can add a StarFire™ global positioning receiver and use it in conjunction with the standard GreenStar 2 1800 Display or optional GS2 2600 Display to run guidance applications such as AutoTrac™ and Swath Control Pro™. The GS2 2600 Display enables operators to create as-applied maps, and to utilize documentation features found in larger John Deere 4730, 4830, and 4930 Sprayers.
The 4630 Sprayer is available with a 60-/80-foot boom that enables operators to spray at either a 60-foot width with the outer booms folded in, or at 80-feet with the booms fully extended. And, there are three tire size options to choose from that include 320, 380, and 420 sizes, so customers can better match their crop and application needs.
Each 4630 Sprayer is powered by a 165-horsepower John Deere PowerTech™ 6.8L, turbocharged diesel engine that’s Tier III emissions compliant. A 70-gallon fuel tank provides up to 16 hours of operating time between refueling.
“The 4630 Sprayer comes equipped with features similar to John Deere’s larger sprayer models, including a 4-wheel hydrostatic transmission that’s matched to the John Deere SprayStar™ spray-rate control system that allows for accurate, variable-rate spraying at speeds up to 15 mph. A 50/50 weight split provides optimal balance for traction control and flotation. Customers may also consider adding traction control and auto air spring leveling suspension system to personalize the sprayer so it fits perfectly into their operation,” explains Weinrich.
For more details you can visit with your local John Deere dealer, or go online and visit the company’s Web site at www.JohnDeere.com.
As we’re well into the dog days of summer, Midwest corn and soybean harvest is looming larger. If you haven’t started combine prep already, it’s time to dust off those owner’s manuals to fine-tune the machine and its data-gathering electronics.
Ag Leader Technology, a sponsor of PrecisionPays.com, offers some good advice in a pre-harvest checklist for owners of their InSight and EDGE displays:
• Create a backup of your spring information.
• Select Copy All Files to save the spring data to the memory card.
• Make sure your display firmware, manual and all connected modules are up-to-date.
• Firmware and manual updates can be found on its website under Support. If you have purchased a new combine or new heads, create new configurations for any setup that is different from last fall. Remove all old configurations.
Combine Inspection
• Check to make sure all cables are properly attached and in good condition.
• Remove flow sensor and inspect for damage.
• Check the elevator deflector and impact plate for wear. Verify you have the proper clearance at the top of the clean grain elevator. Clearance should be between 3/8” and 5/8”.
Other items on the Ag Leader checklist include: sensor calibration, header stop height, distance calibration, temperature and moisture check and grain weight. Consult your manual in all cases. And if you’ve lost it, you can find them on the website.
For more information on pre-harvest preparation, Check out these links:
Yield monitor calibration: Garbage in garbage out – Purdue University.
Yield monitor calibration tips – Ohio State University.
Tips to cut combine breakdowns – Corn & Soybean Digest.
Losses of up to $2 billion per year (10%) in soybean yield is due to rising surface ozone, according to satellite measurements by NASA, as outlined in a recent study.
Above a threshold concentration, ozone inhibits photosynthesis and reduces yield in soybeans, one of the more sensitive crops to high surface ozone levels. On the left are plants that have been exposed to “clean air” and are healthy, while on the right are plants exposed to ozone that are showing injury.
The study, presented at the American Geophysical Union Joint Assembly meeting, May 24 in Toronto, is based on five years of soybean yields, surface ozone, and satellite measurements of tropospheric ozone levels in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. It revealed summertime ozone concentrations consistently exceeded threshold levels at which crops are negatively affected. The states, three of the biggest soybean producers in the U.S., account for a large chunk of the country’s $27 billion annual soybean crop. The study estimates damage to the soybean crop – by a yield reduction of approximately 10 percent – of at least several hundred million in some years in those states alone, and possibly more than $2 billion nationwide.
Climate change scenarios present numerous global problems for agriculture in this century, with the probability of more severe and extended droughts. But there’s also the strong likelihood that as cars, factories and power plants both here and abroad continue to change the fundamental chemistry of the air, the altered atmosphere will negatively impact the biological processes of important crops.
“In the 19th and early 20th century, background surface ozone concentrations were relatively low so that an increase of 25 percent, (5 to 10 parts per billion), didn’t affect living organisms,” said Jack Fishman, a research scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center. “But now, we’ve crossed the line where you can expect to see modest increases in surface ozone result in crop growth being stunted.”
Since the early twentieth century, surface ozone levels in rural areas in the Midwest have doubled, Fishman said. The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that surface ozone concentrations will rise another 25 percent by 2050. In the southern region of the three states studied, peak daytime concentrations often surpassed 60 parts per billion. And so the yields in the southern region definitively suffered. In the northern region of the area studied, averaged concentrations were nearly 20 percent lower, and the impact of ozone was less.
“Background conditions are rising. Precursor emissions are rising,” said Elizabeth Ainsworth, a professor of crop biology at the University of Illinois. “This is likely to get worse in the future and impact a greater area of the Midwest.”
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