Should I Start With Yield Maps Or Soil Tests? It depends on your area of the country. In some parts, soil testing on grids has been popular for years. In which case, it's a natural to add GPS to that...

You probably won't find a more competitive market segment in agriculture these days than GPS steering. But despite the differences among manufacturers and marketing, there's one thing they agree on - the potential buyer needs to be absolutely clear...

Precision agriculture clearly is one of the most exciting components of the emerging agricultural technology field. Yet, it is critical that producers resist the temptation to approach precision agriculture like a kid in a candy store, who grabs every...

Wider adoption of remote imagery in agriculture has always been dogged by some critical shortcomings. First, it can prove complicated to interpret and turn into activity in the field. Second, the turnaround time from when an image is taken...

Not too many years ago, the concept of a tractor or combine or application rig steering itself across the field wasn't much more than a curiosity. Today, GPS steering is taking the agriculture community by storm. Including application and...

As we hear talk of a new millennium and the changes the world must confront, agriculture is looking at one of the broadest revolutions the industry has ever experienced. Every segment of the agricultural industry will be touched by...

Agricultural history is filled with stories about individual innovations, framers whose tinkering resulted in successful new products to improve production. How will historians capture the innovation and development of precision agriculture? It's clear to many that doing precision "on...

Consider some of the drivers of change in production agriculture, which already are happening. These drivers support even greater precision in agricultural production practices. First, environmental pressures will continue to increase at the farm level. Farmers will need to become...

Those who are having success with today's precision agriculture techniques indicate that these are the keys to successful implementation: Establish reasonable expectations. With a strategy in place, what are your expectations for performance in the near term? Realistic expectations...

Starting at wheat harvest in southern Texas in June and continuing at least until the last double-crop soybean is pulled from the pod in November, thousands of growers will be experiencing their first ride with a yield monitor at...

If you've looked at your yield monitor read out and thought, "You know, I could use this to do some field research," you're on the right track. "Anyone can do on-farm research," says Dan Anderson, on-farm research coordinator at...

GeoVantage started out serving the forestry industry with imagery, and currently also serves the urban planning and environmental management markets in addition to agriculture. It took some time to get the agriculture division refocused, but the company is ready...

Using GPS, the SeedCommand system communicates with SureStop clutches to turn planter sections on/off based on field maps and already-planted areas. The clutch starts and stops seed flow by temporarily disengaging the seed meter, eliminating double-planted areas as well...

RapidEye's prime contractor, MDA (MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.) has been conducting tests to ensure proper measurement, analysis and verification of the system's performance and product quality. "This is where MDA hands us the keys to the system," said Wolfgang...

The 262 receiver is a low profile, combination GPS receiver and antenna, offering a choice of accuracy levels depending on operations. The 162 receiver serves as a low-cost, all-weather, Differential GPS (DGPS) smart antenna when less demanding applications are...

We were prompted to ask this question after spotting a story in the Washington Post about the deterrent that cost would be to potential subscribers of broadband internet. The Post quoted a study by the Pew Internet & American...

When it comes to precision agriculture practices, there are plenty of big brains in Nebraska. The proliferation of irrigation, in particular on corn, provides opportunities to try all measure of techniques and products to squeeze that extra dollar out...

Iowa's CORS network is truly statewide, comprised of 80 base stations to provide coverage to virtually anyone who has use for the correction signal, including agriculture. The capability was demonstrated at last summer's Farm Progress show, as the system...

I just got back from a fairly overwhelming trip to Denver, where Trimble invited me to check out their latest product offerings and upgrades as part of its annual week-long dealer meeting. The star of the show was the...

Clutch Control. Using multiple clutch control modules, Ag Leader's SeedCommand system now supports up to 36 sections of planter clutch control. Along with this new capability, Ag Leader will now support row-by-row section control on 30-inch rows. The outside...