More in Equipment

Feb. 1, 2012

Article

Crop Whisperers | “We used to waste more water than we use now to grow a crop,” says one moisture-monitor user

Driving with a broken fuel gauge isn’t just inconvenient, it’s risky. So most logical drivers would keep the tank full for fear of running out of fuel at the most inopportune times – or better yet, fix the fuel gauge. The blind hope required to drive with a malfunctioning gauge is exactly how Nick Lammers describes most folks’ approach to moisture management....More
Jan. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Tires or tracks? | What’s the Best Way to Avoid Soil Compaction?

Are tracks or tires better for reducing compaction from loaded grain carts? “The answer is, it depends,” says Randy Taylor, an Oklahoma State University Extension ag engineer....More
Jan. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Rolling Between the Rows | Minnesota Farmer’s Invention Smashes Rootballs Between Rows, Extends Window for Ground Rolling.

Jason Zimmer’s heart sank every time he looked at the field. The west-central Minnesota farmer had rolled a quarter-section of soybeans the day after planting, in May 2010. The soil was a bit tacky, and the big roller caused the moist ground to crust, hindering emergence. “Rolling hurt my stand bad,” he says. Stands dropped 30% on the slopes and hills – a big price to pay for harvest ease....More
Dec. 30, 2011

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Farm Equipment: Sure Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To--Part II

Here's round two of old farming equipment Digital Editor came across at her grandparents' farm recently. From another Allis tractor to an old Gleaner Six hopper to a McCormick grain drill, there's no shortage of vintage equipment at the Johnson farm in south-central Minnesota. Do you have some old equipment in the back 40? Email us your photos and we'll post them here! Send them to csd@csdigest.com.
Dec. 1, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Simple Yet Sophisticated | Student Adapts Equipment for Variable-Rate Application

One young farmer tailors his family’s farm equipment to keep up with precision agriculture. When J.D. Riffel finishes his Kansas State University master’s degree in agronomy next year, he plans to head back to the family farm near Stockton, KS, where he’s already testing precision-ag technology with a custom-made, variable-rate fertilizer applicator....More
Nov. 25, 2011

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Farm Equipment: Sure Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To 1

This Thanksgiving Digital Editor Jen Bennett spent some time at her uncle and grandparents' farm. Walking through the back acres, looking at all the old equipment her grandpa used back in the day got her thinking: They sure don't make things like they used to. Older equipment is fun to look at, and something farmers, non-farmers and people of most ages can enjoy. Check out some of the old things on the Johnson farm, along with photos submitted by readers. Do you have old equipment around your farm site? Send us your photos! Email them to csd@csdigest.com and we'll post them to the gallery here!
Nov. 22, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Slurry-Seeding Synergy | New One-Pass System Combines Light Tillage, Manure Application, Cover-Crop Seeding

Manure and cover crops are a natural combination, but livestock farmers are often too busy in the fall with harvesting and manure application to worry about putting in a cover crop. Now, a new seeding technique makes it more practical for Midwest growers to reap the benefits of cover crops without an extra field pass. Slurry seeding combines liquid manure injection, low-disturbance tillage and cover-crop planting – all in one efficient operation....More
Oct. 25, 2011

Article

8 Tips For Winterizing Your Sprayer

It is very likely that you will not be using your sprayer again until next spring. If you want to avoid potential problems and save yourself from frustration and major headaches, you will be wise to give your sprayer a little bit of TLC this fall. Yes this is still a busy time of the year for some of you, but don't delay winterizing your sprayer any more than necessary....More
Oct. 18, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Farmers: Be Cautious, Safe Working Around Grain Bins

There is just something about a wagon full of grain that seems to be inviting to jump into and wallow about in it. The feel of the grain flowing like water through one's fingers and wrapping around one's feet is almost comforting. However those feelings of delight can quickly turn into feelings of fright. What many forget or do not realize is that flowing, moving grain can shallow a person in seconds, especially when the grain is been drain from below such as in a grain bin or grain wagon....More
Oct. 13, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

TractorLife.com Webinar Will Help Farmers Understand How New Tax Regulations Impact Their Operations

TractorLife.com, a website that helps farmers maintain and extend the operating lives of their tractors, will host a free 60-minute webinar to address new depreciation rules and how they will affect farmers’ operations....More
Oct. 7, 2011

Article

Take Precaution to Avoid Combine Fires

Combine fires cause serious injuries and millions in property losses each year – this harvest is no exception says Daniel Humburg, professor of Ag & Biosystems Engineering Department at South Dakota State University....More
Oct. 1, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Colossal Launch | John Deere Unveils Newest Equipment for 2012

John Deere recently rolled out the red, or should I say green, carpet for what it’s touting as its largest product launch in the company’s 174-year history. New tractors, combines with bigger corn heads and platforms, self-propelled sprayers, wireless technology and a whole lot of hay equipment were unveiled....More
Sep. 27, 2011

Article

Soil Compaction Management at Harvest Time

Farmers are eager to harvest soybeans and corn but the fields are very soggy in much of Ohio. The danger of causing soil compaction is therefore high. Let’s look at ways to increase the resilience of the soil to compaction, to avoid compaction, and ways to alleviate compaction....More
Sep. 26, 2011

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John Deere 2012 Product Launch

Corn & Soybean Digest Editor Greg Lamp attended John Deere's product launch recently. He got a sneek peak at all the new tractors, combines and implements that will be new for growers to use in 2012....More
Sep. 19, 2011

video

Corn and Soybean Digest

Controlled Traffic

Corn & Soybean Digest Managing Editor Susan Winsor spoke with Randall Reeder, Ohio State University Extension ag engineer, about creating controlled traffic in fields. From equipment needs to grain carts, as well as the positives in wet years, Reeder explains what you need to implement a controlled traffic system in your fields....More
Sep. 9, 2011

Article

Limit Harvest Losses In Lodged, Down Corn

Corn harvest has begun and every field will be different this fall. Some fields will be highly productive, and others will barely pay the harvesting costs. Some fields will have good stalk strength and other fields have already gone down, with heavy lodging from wind, fragile stalks, rootworm or some other reason....More
Sep. 1, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Product Spotlight: Residue Managers | Manage Crop Residue with These Tillage Tools

As conservation tillage gains popularity, growers will need equipment to manage the residue. Here is a roundup of residue managers and tillage tools to help corn and soybean farmers in the field....More
Sep. 1, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

New Equipment Sharing Math | How to Get the Numbers to Pencil Out When Your Son Comes Home to Farm

Instead of farming more land to solve this challenge, Ron Miller, Towanda, IL, shared equipment with an old friend. When his son Ben returned from college, they had plenty of labor, but Miller had lost two-thirds of his ground to estate sales. “I was doing some trucking on the side, but farming is what I really wanted to do more of,” Miller says....More
Sep. 1, 2011

Article

What’s New from Agco?

Agco recently launched a number of new farm implements, from high-horsepower tractors to a new planter to new sprayer models....More
Aug. 23, 2011

Article

Yield Monitor Calibration Tips

GPS-based yield data has proven to be an extremely valuable management tool on many farms. However, improperly calibrated yield monitors can essentially generate difficult to interpret or useless data....More
Aug. 22, 2011

video

Corn and Soybean Digest

New Math: Two Growers Share Equipment

Ron Miller, Towanda, IL, has reduced his fuel and equipment expense while upgrading equipment. When estate sales reduced the size of his operation, he moved to sharing A Deere 4720 sprayer and Deere 9770 across 3,500 acres with a partner. By also switching to strip-till corn and no-till beans, he went from three tractors to one newer model, and from 8 gal./acre to 2.5 gal./acre....More
Aug. 2, 2011

Article

Tires, Traction, and Compaction Field Day

University of Minnesota (U of M) Extension is proud to partner with NDSU Extension to offer a Tires, Traction and Compaction Field Day on Sept. 1, 2011 south of Fergus Falls, MN. Registration for the day starts at 9 a.m. and discussion and demonstrations will continue until 2:30. The event will be held rain or shine....More
Aug. 1, 2011

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Big Bins Get Even Bigger

These days, most farmers have sizeable grain bin systems that jut out of the landscape like the Grand Tetons. In fact, some bin setups rival – often surpass – what you’d find at a local country elevator. Many of these Cadillac systems have been built with every intention of expanding further....More
Jul. 12, 2011

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Corn and Soybean Digest

Grain Bin Safety

Safety is paramount to any activity on the farm, and particularly when working in and around grain bins. CSD Editor Greg Lamp talked with Mark Dingeldein with Brock Grain Systems about grain bin safety, avoiding entrapment and some key points to remember when working with your grain bins this summer and fall, and any other time....More
May 26, 2011

article

Ground Rolling Soybeans in 2011

Producers have been pushed to accomplish as much planting possible in the little time given as calendar dates roll by in a late spring start. The goal has been to get the seed in the ground when fields are ready for equipment and between rain events. It has been common across the state in previous years for producers to ground roll fields within hours of planting soybeans....More