AMS News - May 2012

By Justin Childears
Director Precision Farming Services 

As we move through the remainder of row-crop planting season and start to turn our attention to spraying, summer tillage, and irrigation activities - please make sure to download all spring field documentation information to Apex™ software as soon as possible to ensure retention of the data for further management decisions. The value of these data sets in making future geospatial based decisions is very high and also proves historical practices. Below you will find a few topics that may be of interest for your late spring and summer field activities. Please contact one of our AMS specialists or your local service department if you need field support with any of your AMS equipment. We would be glad to assist in “Making Farming Easier” for your operation.


GRC & SCP: If you have a pull-type sprayer and haven’t already incorporated a Greenstar™ Rate Controller (GRC) in your operation, now is the time take advantage of the integration and efficiency of a GRC. In combination with a John Deere Section Control or Swath Control Pro™ (SCP) activation for the GS2 or GS3 display - efficient application of inputs can be maximized with automated on/off sectional control in already applied regions (especially headlands) – saving increasingly high input costs in these areas. Automated sectional control on a GS2 or GS3 display will also interface directly with John Deere self-propelled sprayers without the need for a GRC. I would encourage you to talk with one of your neighbors who have invested in this technology to get their perspective on this AMS experience and the return on investment available with these technologies.

AutoTrac™ (AT) on Combines: Even though wheat harvest may seem like an issue to worry about after you make sure pivots are operational, remember as you make harvest preparations this summer that using AT on broad acre harvesting operations improves harvesting efficiency dramatically. Whether using an AutoTrac Universal (ATU) or a fully integrated hydraulic AT system, both methods allow more accurate, even, and timely crop intake into the header – especially in conditions where visibility limits harvesting speeds. AutoTrac™ also helps reduce fatigue and allows the operator to focus on harvesting speed and threshing operations to get every possible bushel in the grain tank.

Harvest Doc (HD) on Combines: Along with using your AMS equipment for guidance tasks in harvesting operations, don’t forget to document those variable yield volumes with the same equipment. Understanding yield fluctuations throughout each field on a site-specific basis is fundamental when using GPS technology for later variable rate applications. Let us help you make sure you are gathering accurate harvest documentation data to understand the variability within your fields. We can then help you maximize the potential of each acre with your subsequent crops using variable rate application technology.

Soil Moisture Monitoring: As we mentioned in the March edition of the flyer, we are again excited to offer capacitance soil moisture probes to enable you to remotely understand varying soil moisture conditions in your fields in a near real-time method. Probe sensor information is delivered through the internet to your PC or mobile device on an ongoing basis and is refreshed approximately every 2 hours. The probes relay soil moisture characteristics through the top 3 ft. of the soil profile to assist in understanding rainfall events, potential irrigation volumes and scheduling, crop root development, and plant water uptake over time and have applicability in both dryland and irrigated scenarios. To get more information on soil moisture monitoring devices, see the announcement in this flyer and contact any 21st Century Equipment employee to make commitments. We’d be glad to help you incorporate water monitoring into your other precision agriculture efforts and show you the return on investment potential of this technology product as well.

New Products: Be on the lookout for new functionality like Remote Display Access (RDA) and Machine Sync for the GS3 2630 display coming later this year. These features build on the proven GS3 display platform and offer additional features to further leverage your AMS investment in streamlining your operation - ask your local salesperson for details.
 

Let us know: Ask The AMS Specialist