Equipment Management

Photos taken before the smartphone era have significantly lower quality and resolution than what’s possible with the latest mobile devices.

ISA At-Large Director Brady Holst tells us how utilizing data to analyze all parts of a business can help in your decision making.

Spring is in full-swing and a lot of beans and few acres of corn are already in the ground here in Central Illinois. The weather has certainly thrown us a curveball this spring with cool, yet dry conditions. Although the cool weather has kept a lot of farmers parked, some took advantage of the dry conditions to plant early beans or work the kinks out of the planter. Today, planters seem to be the most upgraded and rebuilt piece of equipment on many farms, thus the need to get those kinks out early in the spring. Corn planting is [...]

Soil Health Action Plan: Technology plays an important role in nutrient and water management at Schroeder Farms Water control structures improve field drainage and water conservation Variable rate technology applies nutrients where and when they are needed Doug Schroeder began farming because he enjoyed driving a tractor. His love for sitting in the cab, hand on the steering wheel, was a big part of his decision to spend his life working the family farm. Now, with technology advancements, he says he barely needs to touch the wheel. “The cab looks like something from NASA. We have about four LED [...]

Some growers roll soybeans, but should you consider it? This practice started in western Minnesota and the Dakotas. Growers would roll fields after planting to push rocks and stones back into the ground and level out the field. It made harvesting and hitting higher yields easier because the heads could be run close to the surface and cut more pods. But over the years this practice has morphed into rolling beans a bit later, after emergence, to increase branching and pod set. On a soybean plant, the growing point is at the top of the plant. This growing point [...]