Precision Ag

Ag Groups: U.S. Agriculture Would be Gravely Harmed by LightSquared's Plans

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Groups urge adoption “without delay” of proposals to withdraw LightSquared conditional waiver and prohibit its planned wireless network.

Source: American Soybean Association

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) International Bureau, the American Soybean Association (ASA) and other organizations representing farmers and agribusinesses in all 50 states today declared that “high-precision GPS technology is vitally important to American agriculture, and would be gravely harmed by LightSquared’s plans.”

Precision Ag Technology Savings

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:44:00 +0000

By Matt Darr, Iowa State University

The use of precision farming products continues to increase. With increasing input costs, producers are often looking for ways to adopt technology to make farming operations more efficient and productive. Two precision-ag products – auto guidance and automatic section control – lead the way in cost savings while also enhancing the productivity of machinery operations.

FCC Blocks LightSquared Proposed Network

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Source: American Soybean Association

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Tuesday its decision to block the planned development of a nationwide wireless network by communications company LightSquared over concerns that it cannot be fixed to coexist with global positioning systems (GPS). The American Soybean Association (ASA) has been at the forefront of the discussion of this planned network’s significant and adverse effects on farmers. ASA President and Syracuse, NE-based soybean farmer Steve Wellman issues the following statement on the FCC’s decision.

Think Different: A Difference in Thinking

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:37:00 +0000

In this issue we coincidently have two stories that mention the same technology. But the thinking by two different sources, who both reside within the same campus, seem almost polar opposite. An engineer views active crop-sensor technology as one of the next big things in precision agriculture. The agronomist sees all the problems and issues with the technology.

Technology to Track | Telematics, Crop Sensing are the Next Big Precision-Ag Tools.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:22:00 +0000

In the world of precision ag, two technologies are the next big thing, says Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer. They aren’t newly developed technologies, but they are the next big wave in agriculture.

Precision Ag: Know What You Need

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:28:00 +0000

As a follow-up to the last issue’s discussion on precision-ag technologies, I have spent more time with Dan Frieberg, of Premier Crop Systems, Des Moines, IA.

It finally dawned on me that one of the reasons precision-ag technology is not used more by farmers is there are few providers that do what Premier Crop does. Dan summarized the 10 things they do to get the results in increased yields we wrote about in last month’s article; namely double the yield increase over the county average for the last 10 years. He says:

Farming on The Edge | Strip Intercropping Edges Capture More Light, Reward With Higher Yields

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:31:00 +0000

How can we translate “farming smarter” and technology into an extra 40 bu.? Fasten your seatbelts for a tour of what may be the future of corn and bean farming.

Farming on the Edge

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:20:00 +0000

Bob Recker, Waterloo, IA, explains strip interecropping and its benefits.

With Technology, Believe In The Impossible

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:14:00 +0000

After recently attending a couple of big ag events I have a newfound respect for how difficult it is to stay on top of changing ag technology. It’s especially challenging to even know what some of the new technology acronyms stand for, like CORS, GLONASS, CDMA, SBAS, DGPS, WAAS… They almost sound like old Russian spy terms that only James Bond could decipher.

Turn Data Into Profits | Wireless Technology Helps You get More Bang from Your Information Buck

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:30:00 +0000

By Matt Darr, Iowa State University Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Anyone can collect data, but it takes effort to turn it into knowledge. You may have 10 years’ worth of “as applied” or “as planted” data, by field. But if it’s still on the card and you haven’t adjusted your fertility, planting population or other data accordingly, you haven’t benefited. Let’s talk about turning your information into profits.