Precision Management

Frank Rademacher is the newest edition to the PCM team and heard about the position because he himself has been a part of PCM for several years and seen, firsthand, the benefits of the program. After graduating from the U of I in 2018 with a degree in Crop Science, he started farming with his father and helped transition their operation to 100% no-till, cover crops, and non-GMO. “I’m excited to use my agronomy background and on-farm experience to help maximize the success of the PCM farmers,” Frank says. Frank enjoys the variety farming brings – combining biology, chemistry, [...]

It’s gettin’ busy in the Midwest. When it comes to harvest, no one knows your land and crops better than you. But don’t forget to dig into your data. On average, U.S. corn and soybean farms generate more than 2,500 data records during a typical 10-month growing season. The data captured this season, and years past, can take you well beyond last year’s yield and this year’s growing conditions and provide invaluable insights to prioritize decisions before, during and after harvest. Digital tools like Granular Insights™ make it easy for farmers to tap into the often siloed data on [...]

As harvest quickly approaches, many things are on the minds of farmers, from who is going to be running the grain cart to when is the best time for each specific field to be harvested. Farmers are chomping at the bit to start harvest, however with harvest comes a very important step in the precision ag cycle: calibration of the machines. What is Calibration? Calibration, in terms of harvest calibration, is the act of baselining a machine’s sensor to a standard measurement in order to have the most accurate yield detection system. Though there are multiple types of calibration [...]

Adopting imagery can be attractive to farmers given the vast array of benefits touted throughout the industry. But if you’re considering making a purchase, be sure to take a few moments to understand why it will fit into your specific operation and what you can expect from the differing products on the market. Here are a few areas to consider when it comes to value imagery and analysis and your operation: Management Optimization With imagery, growers receive a new perspective of the field with the ability to see the entirety of the field at the same time. From this [...]

Digital ag platforms such as Climate FieldView have made it easy for farmers to conduct research on their own acreage. These tools allow growers to verify the results of industry and third-party testing and implement experiments to answer other questions they may have. This recent ILSoyAdvisor blog discusses some of the types of questions you may want to answer in your fields. While it is true that the best results are those gathered in the specific conditions of your own farm, there are a few considerations that should be followed when setting up an agronomy trial. If you took [...]

Transitioning to agtech on the farm continues to be a significant change. Farmers are now expected to do more - they must know the best ways to manage erosion, be a truck driver, manage the books, and add on IT. Each of these jobs alone could be a full-time job, but as times evolve, the need for technology becomes critical for any operation. Here are five practical considerations when looking to implement agtech on your farm: 1. Pay for the technology or service There are many free agtech opportunities but spending money on a service or technology can completely [...]

Farmers rely on new ag technologies to provide efficiencies and advantages needed to grow crops profitably. Agtech companies rely on farmers for input and testing to ensure those innovations meet their on-farm needs and expectations. That synergy is the idea behind an exciting Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) project for 2021. AgTechConnect connects farmers interested in new technologies with agtech companies seeking on-farm testing partners. This program brings Illinois soybean farmers a tremendous opportunity to be among the first to try the latest agricultural innovations—an opportunity increasingly embraced by many farmers across the state. Technology testing has put ISA board [...]

This article was originally published on the farmdoc Daily website by Micah Pope and Steve Sonka. Precision agriculture has become mainstream in commercial agriculture production, and many would agree that it is “the way we farm today.” Utilization of technology varies from farmer to farmer, but the decision to invest in technology is commonly tied to the potential for increased efficiency and profitability. However, over the last couple of years, we’ve observed an interesting paradox when visiting with farmers who use precision agriculture technologies. Often, we would ask: “What is the economic return from use of those technologies?” That [...]

There are many digital ag platforms available to today’s farmers. These powerful tools allow growers to easily summarize and analyze their results from past growing seasons. However, if you are only using your digital platform to look at yield data, you are missing out on an opportunity to improve your operation in numerous ways. Here are five ways you can improve your return on investment with digital agriculture. Optimize your inputs One way some digital ag tools create value is by allowing growers to create variable planting rate prescriptions. These prescriptions can be automatically generated and use prior years’ [...]