With corn planting season around the corner, the annual routine of getting planting units ready for a new growing season is well underway. The planter setup and calibration process should account for the size of corn seed going through the planter, notes Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds in this latest Corn School episode. “Look at that bag of… Read More
Category: Machinery
The first rule of the 3Rs (no, not Fight Club) is to reduce, then comes reuse ahead of the third R — recycle. Farmers are already reducing total plastic needed by buying crop protection products in large totes vs. jugs, but those large totes need to find a final home eventually, too. Of course, farmers… Read More
We’re in the midst of a smartphone app era, some as trivial as games of pursuit, others as significant as financial management. In agriculture, we’ve seen the use of apps truly grow, from a few simple calculators to tablet displays. But, some apps seem to make the mainstream market before spreading their roots into agriculture. That’s… Read More
Farm auction season is winding down, but not before things get really heated — there are certainly no shortage of sales to attend, but hot deals have been in short supply. That phenomenon has inspired this latest Kickin’ Tires podcast with co-hosts Shaun Haney and Jim Hale. That’s right, we’re talking online vs. in-person and… Read More
Top-end speed for tractors has climbed over the years, as farmers look for ways to reduce the amount of time spent transporting equipment. Faster road gears have become more valuable as farms grow in size, with longer distances between fields. While it might exceed what’s practical on most North American farms, a new Guiness World Record for fastest tractor speed… Read More
How far off are we from having individual nozzle shut-off and control? We’re not there yet, says Doug Prairie, with Raven, but new nozzle controls systems are improving spray precision dramatically. In this episode of TechTour, brought to you by Dow AgroSciences, Prairie sits down with Real Agriculture founder Shaun Haney to talk Raven’s new… Read More
New Holland unveiled its Flexi Coil P Series air carts this January, with a nod to a history of innovation. “The P Series air carts are a fresh example of Flexi-Coil’s long-standing heritage of innovation,” said Jason Hardy, New Holland crop production marketing manager. “Our product design team conducted extensive research with customers to make sure… Read More
To justify purchasing a new piece of technology for a farm, its value can’t be based on the “wow factor.” It must solve a problem and improve the overall efficiency of the operation. With that in mind, are farmers being sold more technology than they need? Should a producer have to pay for the cost… Read More
Versatile has developed a new DeltaTrack for low-speed, high-torque requirements, the company has announced. Called the DeltaTrack Creeper, the tractor is the first of its kind to be factory-approved for use in low speed applications such as tile plowing. The DeltaTrack Creeper is based on the DeltaTrack Scraper Special but will run in-field at a… Read More
If there’s one job on the farm that everyone fights to have, it’s certainly not picking rocks. It’s a dirty, time-consuming task that never seems to end, and no matter how attentive the operator of the pull-type (or walk-type) picker, there will always be rocks left in the field. Though the Flexxifinger ‘Quicker Picker’ doesn’t… Read More
Calgary-based Rocky Mountain Equipment, through a subsidiary, has entered an agreement to purchase all the shares in Manitoba agricultural equipment dealer Chabot Implements for $6.8 million. A family-owned business started in 1935, Chabot sells Case IH and other brands through locations in Portage la Prairie, Steinbach and Elie. Chabot also handles Kubota, Buhler and various shortlines through… Read More
Kinze has announced its electric drive metering system will be available in the 3660 12 row and 16 row planters for the spring of 2016. “The adoption rate of new technology and electronics in the agriculture industry is phenomenal,” Susanne Veatch, Kinze’s vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a release. “As farmers ourselves who… Read More
Hot on the heels of the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville last month, three of the big equipment manufacturers rolled out spiffy new certified pre-owned equipment programs — what’s all the fuss about? And is the extra shine and gloss of a certified sticker worth heading to the dealer vs. hanging out at auction… Read More
Rather than marketing grain right off the combine while basis levels are wide, grain bin manufacturers say they continue to see strong interest from farmers in the Corn Belt in storing more grain on-farm. Whether for marketing or logistical reasons, there are a combination of factors driving the trend, says Jeff Cravens of GSI in the… Read More
You could say the day when tractors “talk” to each other in the field has arrived, as John Deere has expanded its field automation system to include coverage map and guidance line sharing between machines. New Machine Sync features unveiled last month build on the application’s ability to link a combine with a grain cart to allow the combine operator… Read More