Promising Editor’s note: The follow ing is reprinted from the Con servation Impact, October 1994, published by the Con servation Technology Infor mation Center (CTIC). Dan Mcain CTIC Field Specialist There’s no doubt that this new wave of technology is exciting to those of us who want something better for the farmer, but it’s also apparent Agway’s custom-formulated Early Edge starter fertilizer plus our precision GPS soil testing—let you deliver the right nutrients to every section of every field. The result? Plants come up fast, so you get the edge on early market premium prices. Call your Agway Crop Sales Specialist for all the details. TT€RSH€V mKm HBI EQUIPMENT CO. Technology Proves To Growers there are considered. Variable Rate Technology For instance, variable rate technology (VRT) involves matching the rate of a pesticide, nutrient, or seed delivery to the specific needs of a given site in the field. The basic idea is that, once the system is in place, the equipment will automatically deliver the precise or “more precise” amount of any input needed during a pass through fAßyywrj Your farm, your way. The "Smart" Dryer to be details Let Us Help You Make The "Smart" Choice For Grain Drying. Airstream's patent pending Electronic Monitoring Control System offers computerized monitoring and control of all dryer functions •Eliminates troublesome timers and mechanical controls •Provides instant dryer information on a large liquid crystal display •Memory features maintain a history of past dryer operation, dryer throughput and dryer service •Simplifies dryer operation, while enhancing safety the field. The grower can choose from several systems to make this possible: both satellite-related (global positioning systems) and non-satellite systems. Most seem to involve grid-based soil sampling and/or monitors attached to equipment. Only the grower can decide if the expense is a worthy investment. That could be a tough call at a time when much of the technol ogy is still evolving and stan dards are still to be determined. * It’s really smart. A Division of (Ssj) SYCAMORE IND. PARK 255 PLANE TREE DRIVE LANCASTER, PA 17603 (717) 393-SSO7 1-600-432-0066 Com Talk, Lancaster farming, Saturday, March 16, 1996—Page 19 ©(DIM mi NIWO Yield Monitors Yield monitors seem to be the rage for those interested in gathering some information fast. The monitors, mounted on combines, can be set to gather data second-by-second during harvest. The yield data is col lected on a high-volume com puter disc and entered into computer programs that put it in map form. One producer recently showed me his three dimensional yield map and explained how the variation helped him determine problems with his tile drainage system that were hurting yields in part of a field. He noted that, just to look at the field, he would have never known there was * a problem. I hope the increases he expects in yield are great enough that the lateral lines he ran to remedy the problem will pay off. Items To Ponder Researchers at Purdue have _• St7V4 *, „ _ __ The computerized display of Alrstream's Electronic Monitoring Control System Route 30 West at the Centerville Exit. PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC. Pa. Master Corn Growers Association Binkley ft Hunt Bros. Has A Quality Good Used Tractor At A Reduced Price Com Growers Special Save $2,000 UT3158 M.F. 2775 2WD 77 M( 20.8x38 Tires, 80% 3177 Hours, 1000 PTO, 165 HP 514,900 RTNKLET‘HURST ’SCSSST' - 3S@i Bssifsd been doing some limited on farm research into variable rate technology. Here’s some bits and piece of their findings: • Not all the variability found in soil tests and impor tant for crop management. • Mapping techniques used to guide inputs can vary substantially. • Yield data monitors can do a good job measuring average yield but performance at a spe cific point seems more variable. • Don’t expect yield increases on fields already well managed on a whole-field basis. The benefit comes in reduced input use. A key ques tion is if savings cover the costs of VRT applications. • Most equipment and soft ware purchased now will be obsolete in two years, but those who use the current technology will be best poised to profit from the next wave. • Enrolling one or two fields with an input supplier who offers variable rate technolo gies may be worthwhile as a learning experience, even if it is not currently profitable.
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