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Tag Archives Precision agriculture — page 3

Ukko Agro pulls together farm-specific data from weather stations installed at strategic locations on-farm along with crop details, management practices, crop growth stages and spray history to give growers information on potential disease risk.
News

Startup’s predictive model can help with spraying decisions

Ukko Agro Inc.’s analytics platform said to predict disease risk up to a week in advance

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An Ontario company with predictive crop models that can help farmers optimize when and where to spray fungicides is the only agriculture-focused innovator chosen for the 2022 Google for Startups Accelerator Canada.  Ukko Agro Inc. has developed an analytics platform that alerts farmers to disease risk up to a week in advance and predicts crop […] Read more
Uptime for robotics depends on humans getting input delivery right.
Machinery, News

Precision field logistics

Succeeding with autonomous machinery in row crops requires focus on getting inputs and equipment to the field at the moment it’s needed

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Logistics carry the day, not tactics – or so goes the military adage.  However true on the battlefield, the saying also has resonance in crop production. It holds true for autonomous field implements, just as it has for analog equipment, though tech developers don’t always get the message right away. Why it matters: Field robots […] Read more
This trial conducted by Farming Smarter’s Field Tested Program on a farm near Coaldale, Alta. compared the performance of a precision planter to an air seeder when planting canola. Stakes were used to identify which treatment was applied in each pass. That way, when the research team came back later, they could match the results to the treatment. Manager Lewis Baarda is pictured reviewing equipment calibration and seed rate protocols on his cellphone prior to the next pass.
Crops

Are on-farm trials a fit for your operation?

Testing something on the farm isn’t the same as conducting a scientifically valid field-scale trial

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Glacier FarmMedia – We’re hearing more and more about producers conducting their own on-farm trials to sharpen their management decisions. And it makes sense. Before committing to a practice, product, or variety, many growers want to see results on their own land. But on-farm trials demand time, resources, and determination. “You have to keep in […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops, Machinery

Agco buys Manitoba ag autonomy firm JCA

Massey, Fendt maker boosts precision ag capacity

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International farm equipment maker Agco is aiming to boost its bench strength in the precision agriculture and autonomous ag sectors by buying a Prairie software and hardware company known for both. Agco, the maker of machinery brands including Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger and Valtra, said Monday it has bought Winnipeg-based JCA Technologies for an undisclosed […] Read more
Targeting moisture at planting can help with the critical emergence period.
Crops, Machinery

Moisture, fertility drive planter development with more precision

Clean Seed and Precision Planting reps discuss new tools and challenges

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Even weight distribution, greater row down pressure, on-the-go population control — each is a focus for developers of modern planting technology.  With sky-high fertilizer prices and variable growing conditions, equipment companies say systems that deliver more precise fertility and moisture management are key.  In a spring 2022 interview, Shawn Livingston, Eastern Canada regional manager for […] Read more
Once the data is uploaded to the SWAT Cam servers, crop and weed maps are generated. So far, there are 13 different crop models and four weed models available, and in 2023, plant stand counts will be available for some crops.
Crops, News

Capturing field realities on the go tells tale

Croptimistic’s SWAT Cam’s automated cameras and machine learning models are designed to monitor crops

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Glacier FarmMedia – Advances in machine learning have enabled agricultural companies to deploy new systems that enhance their services. One of the latest companies to hop onto the artificial intelligence bandwagon is Croptimistic Technology that is going to market with its SWAT Cam in a limited release this summer. Derek Rude of Croptimistic said SWAT […] Read more
Wheat researcher Dennis Pennington says growers should establish “green area index” canopy growth targets to generate a canopy that maximizes light interception and radiation use efficiency.
Crops

Many factors involved in mastering precision wheat

Planting, application and equipment considerations affect process

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Seed uniformity, spacing, depth, row width and other factors contribute to wheat canopy structure and yield.  Dennis Pennington, wheat researcher and extension specialist with Michigan State University, says management practices and technologies designed to optimize planting offer growers significant opportunity.  The main goal is to generate a canopy that maximizes light interception and radiation use […] Read more
“Don’t try and use more than one data platform with USB sticks,” said a panelist at a recent precision ag conference. “You’ll drive yourself completely nuts, nothing will work, and you’ll end up quitting.”
Crops

Precision technology wins and losses

Farmers discuss if, and what, precision agriculture tools are worth the investment

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Chuck Baresich has been utilizing precision agriculture tools on his family’s Bothwell area no-till cash crop operation since 1998.  “We have been at the forefront of lots of technology whether it’s an auto-steer system, fleet management tools, precision application on the sprayers,” he said. “We’ve tried to be one of the first in trying new […] Read more
A CNH manufacturing plant at Sorocaba, west of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil. (Photo courtesy CNH Industrial)
Crops, Machinery, Markets

CNH sees revenues rising to 2024 on precision agriculture plans

Margin at agricultural unit seen at 14.5 to 15.5 per cent

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Milan | Reuters — Italian-American vehicle maker CNH Industrial on Tuesday gave guidance for a total revenue growth of up to 24 per cent through 2024 as it presented a new business plan after spinning off its truck, bus and engine units. In a bid to focus on its higher-margin agriculture and construction machine businesses, […] Read more
Multi-purpose autonomous equipment such as Raven’s OMNiPOWER platform and AutoCart are being tested along with other autonomous equipment such as weeding robots by a new collaborative working group. It aims to find the successes and fix any flaws so that it may be commercialized sooner.
Machinery, News

Bothwell business establishes autonomous working group

Haggerty Creek Ltd. expands applied research into farm robotics

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Autonomous equipment is not a new pursuit for the team at Haggerty Creek Ltd.  It established an autonomous working group in 2021 and now the elevator, equipment dealer and ag-service provider hopes to push the development of autonomous field technologies further through collaborative field research.  “We started the working group so we could coordinate our […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

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