Precision Pays

The benefits of precision farming to help capture carbon in farm fields is receiving press within the current debate of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy & Security Act, a.k.a. (HR2454).

While controversy surrounds this bill on several fronts–from lack of offset inclusion for agriculture to larger energy costs being pushed back to consumers–North Dakota farmer and National Farmers Union (NFU) president sees farmer benefits in cap and trade.

In a recent Wichita Eagle story, Johnson thinks farmers should be allowed to sell greenhouse-gas offsets to help pay for input costs that he says will be driven up by proposed climate change legislation.

We want farmers to have an income opportunity out of cap and trade,” said Johnson, whose group has approximately 250,000 members nationally, including about 7,500 in Kansas.

Johnson said farmers will need the additional income because more emission control devices will cause fuel and fertilizer prices to increase, which will push up ag input costs.

But Johnson is concerned about the Waxman-Markey bill, climate change legislation under review by House committees that would establish this country’s first mandatory cap-and-trade regulations.

As the bill stands now, there is no provision for agriculture to sell offsets.

He said it’s important that the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and not the Environmental Protection Agency — regulate ag offsets because the USDA has done the most scientific research on ag greenhouse emissions.

As proposed in the bill, companies that emit more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year would fall under cap-and-trade regulations. Very large manufacturers and energy companies most often fall into that category.

Johnson said it has been estimated that 30 to 50 percent of the nation’s economy will come from industries that will fall under the cap regulations.

With perhaps the exception of about 30 very large feedlots, agriculture is not part of that group, said Chuck Rice, a Kansas State University soil microbiologist and an expert on cap and trade.

Give credit to farmers and their creativity. Not only are they saving time, input dollars and the environment thanks to the tools of precision agriculture, some growers find ways to use it to enhance their personal lives.

Vega, Texas grower Braden Gruhlkey used his John Deere GreenStar GPS-based guidance system to accurately plow the letters of his marriage proposal to his girlfriend Lauren.

“I just used an A+heading line for the top and bottom  of the letters. I used this as a guide to see how big to make my letters.  Then I just made ab and a+ heading lines to make the letters. And it worked nice because when I got one letter finished I could use the same lines and  just shift track them. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and I did it all in the field. I thought it turned out pretty neat.”

Then, on April 18th, Braden took girlfriend Lauren for an airplane ride and popped the question. 

With the help of GreenStar, Braden’s creativity was a huge hit…she became his fiance.

The cost of fertilizer has more growers looking for increased efficiency. And growers I talk to who use soil sampling, fertility maps and the variable-rate technology of precision farming are very pleased with the results.

One tool that growers are excited about is the new high-speed anhydrous toolbar that John Deere introduced last summer. The 2510 Series of nutrient applicators is designed for high-speed application (10 mph) with minimal soil disturbance. And growers can achieve variable-rate control with the GreenStar 2 (GS2) Rate Controller.

“We’ve designed these tools for different applications and are introducing the following new model configurations,” says Dave Wendt, product manager, John Deere Des Moines Works. “The 2510H is for high-speed application with low soil disturbance, the 2510C is for conventional application, and the 2510S is for strip-till/conservation tillage applications.

Leading the pack, is the highly productive 2510H Nutrient Applicator which features a revolutionary new design that allows operators to cover more acres in less time, at field speeds of ten miles per hour. Equipped with precision-injection technology, it’s capable of applying anhydrous ammonia at high speeds with minimal soil disturbance.

“These field speeds enable productivity rates approaching 40 acres per hour,” explains Wendt. “This level of productivity translates to 20 to 50 percent more revenue generated per hour than a similarly sized conventional applicator.”

The 2510H delivers three-season capability–from fall-applied anhydrous, to preplant applications, to sidedress season. “Sidedress season is when the “big bar” productivity in a compact row-crop package really pays off,” says Wendt. “Due to the low-disturbance design of the applicator, it’s able to apply anhydrous soon after planting and triples the typical sidedress application window. This allows the operator more time and flexibility in the field to complete sidedress applications.”

Studies have also proven that producers can reduce their nitrogen rates when sidedressing compared to fall application. At today’s fertilizer and corn prices, this adds up to considerable savings for the producer.

Nebraska Farmer magazine took a look at the technology last fall. 

A group of leading and innovative companies have joined together to recommend national legislation to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. And a national cap-and-trade carbon reduction system using precision technology is at the heart of the program.

Robert W. Lane, chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company, joined other business leaders in Washington D.C. recently to unveil the U.S. Climate Action Partnership’s “Blueprint for Legislative Action.” The blueprint is a comprehensive and detailed set of integrated policy recommendations for developing legislation that would create an environmentally effective and economically sustainable national climate protection program.

“We are pleased that USCAP has reached consensus on a comprehensive Blueprint for Legislative Action which reinforces our commitment to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  In order to effectively address climate change internationally, the U.S. must play a leading role.  Significant cost savings to the overall cap- and-trade system can be realized by utilizing robust levels of offsets, both domestically and internationally, as this Blueprint reflects.  

“The agriculture, forestry, and land use sectors have the potential to reduce and sequester a significant portion of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions, as well as generate renewable energy and produce low-carbon fuels.  A robust emissions offset program established from the outset of cap-and-trade will create opportunities to reduce emissions or increase sequestration practices that can generate revenue for rural communities, provide multiple environmental and social benefits, improve air quality, and ensure cost-efficient emissions reductions.” 

This effort includes 26 companies and five environment groups as members. Business leaders from these committed companies participated in Congressional briefings and a public press conference to announce the blueprint.

For more information, visit www.us-cap.org.

The buzz is all about precision…steering, strip-till, fertilizer placement.

During Successful Farming magazine’s annual Crop Tech Tour, editors asked growers what technology worked in the field this year–given weather extremes that ranged from severe droughts to floods. 

Tom Loitz of Geneseo, Illinois, says his new strip-till system combined with row shut-offs on his planter showed strong payback when he entered the field to begin harvest recently.

“As I got out there this fall and opened up some fields, could really tell the difference with the row shutoffs versus last year when didn’t have them. The overlap wasn’t there, and you could really tell the difference. I think it’s a nice benefit,” he says, adding that the auto-steer system he’s used for the last four years is possibly “the greatest thing ever” in how it reduces his fatigue while running in the field.

Other farmers cited fertilizer costs, and found that moving to strip-till not only saved input dollars but helped the plants use fertilizer more efficiently. And one grower cited John Deere’s RowSense technology that helped him pick up down corn.

Steve Clementz, a precision ag adviser and farmer near Geneseo, Illinois, says things like precise sprayer swath control and auto-steer have helped farmers make up time that was lost because of poor early-season conditions that delayed planting. Also, tools like Deere’s RowSense will help farmers pick downed corn, which became an issue after a severe wind storm hit Clementz’ area earlier this summer.

“RowSense takes the stress out of combining leaned-over corn,” he says. 

Watch videos of two growers who describe their technology successes during their 2009 cropping season.

The Farm Science Review is taking place in London, OH and I got to attend the precision ag field demos yesterday and found John Deere on the job.

I spoke with John Deere’s Jamie Bultemeier (pictured on the left). He was conducting a precision tillage demonstration. Jamie’s an agronomist by training so he focuses on crop production as it relates to seeding, tillage, sprayers and GPS equipment.

In his demonstration he was tying two of those together. He says they have a John Deere 2510S strip till rig being guided by John Deere RTK sub inch accuracy steering to allow for repeatable planting next spring. After running down a row a little ways he stopped to talk with farmers and they commented on how moist the ground was even though there had been little rain of late.

Questions he gets asked a lot include, “How should I set it? What fertilizer should I use? What kind of attachments should I put on?” He says he’s spoken with about an equal number of farmers who are using the technology and those who aren’t yet.

You can listen to my interview with Jamie using this link: Jamie Bultemeier Interview (mp3 file)

I also caught Jamie doing an end of the row run during his demonstration which you can watch here:

If you’re interested you can see a lot of pictures I took at this year’s show in this photo album: Farm Science Review Photo Album

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