DMancastar Finning, ‘Saturday, January 17, 199$ Agco Launches Touch-Screen GPS ATLANTA, Ga. - If you can point and touch, you can use Fieldstar. • That's because Fieldstar, the new GPS precision farming sys tem from Agco, features and exclusive touch-screen com mand center that displays vital yield data and combine perfor mance with just the tap of a fin ger. Called, the Datalbuch com mand center, it will be available as a part of Fieldstar in Agco brand combines, including all rotary and conventional models of Gleaner and Massey Ferguson, starting in January 1998. "We believe Fieldstar is die most user-friendly GPS package out there," said Jerry Weaver, general marketing manager, Fieldstar™ at Agco. "Our engi neers have created a central control unit that records and displays all key harvest func tions involved in GPS-farming just by tapping the screen. "In field tests this fail, form ers loved the way it worked," he said. "Now they have GPS data right at their fingertips.: In addition to the touch screen display, Fieldstar includes a yield sensor mounted in the clean grain elevator, a moisture sensor that continually samples grain flow at the grain bin loading tube, a DGPS receiv er and antenna mounted on the cab, and a communications unit I—tailed out of sight to seduce cab clutter. A dot matrix printer in also available far installation in the cab to providt on-the-go print «uts in bard copy format The office support package includes two data transfer cards, a data card reader and Windows-compatible mapping software. The mapping software is programmed to transfer field data to color yield maps, l\ar graphs, pie charts, and individ ual field profit maps. Each data card is about the size of a credit card and holds 30 hours of har vest information for easy down loading to the farm office com puter. Minimum computer require ments for Fieldstar are a 486 DX2, or higher, computer using Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 with 8 meg RAM, or higher, 20 meg of hard drive space and a color monitor VGA. A tape drive backup is also recommended. Agco offers two satellite signal correction options—differential New Belt Feeders For Lengths Up To 200 Feet POUND, Wis. - The new Patz Model 1208 Feeder uses a 12- inch belt and deep-trough, open center pan sections for feeding up to 1,000 pounds per minute. The Model 1608 Feeder uses a 16-inch belt for feeding up to radio beacons and satellite dif ferential. Differential radio bea cons, opefated by the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, is a free service buy only covers farm land near coastlines and navigable water ways. The satellite differential option covers every acre of North America but has a sub scription fee. "The Datalbuch screen dis plays information in bar graph format" noted Weaver. "It's also very easy to customize the order in which combine functions and crop data are displayed to meet operators' preference.: Three screens can be accessed with a tap of the finger, Weaver noted. The transport screen indicates ground speed, local time and GPS status. The main menu screen is used to set up daily harvest programs, and covers combine settings, crop settings and system diagnostics. The harvest screen reports yield, yield dry, moisture, crop temperature, elevator speed and also ground speed. Data can be summarized by trip, field and job categories, including acres per hour and bushels per hour. Yield, mois ture, and capacity graphs are also sub-divided into current and average readings. Yield and moisture sensors constantly relay information to the oommumcations an it which acts as the brain of Fieldatar. It ivimtiinaa harvest data with GPS loaatiim signals «od passes ft fo the Oatalbadi center for in-cab display and logging onto the data card. A forerunner to Agoo's pre sett Fieldstar system has (wen commercially used in Europe in Massey Ferguson combines since 1992. "This experience, along with extensive field test ing in the U.S., has played a major role in the development of a total GPS package that's designed to work together and is easy for producers to use,: Weaver said. Agco plans to expand por tions of Fieldstar to its White planter brand, which introduced the first variable rate seed drive in 1996. This technology permits farmers who operate selected models of White planters to manually adjust seed popula tions on-the-go from the tractor cab. The Data Touch unit of Fieldstar has been designed to go from combine to tractor for use in future variable rate appli cations like these. 1,690 pounds per minute. ■ Economical single-motor drive can feed one or two lots with the bunk split lengthwise. One motor drives both the feed carrying belt and the continu ous-loop, cable-driven plow. Vermeer PELLA, lowi Vermeer has introduced their first entry into the the “big square” bale market The new Vermeer Command- RAM harvests up to 45 tons of hay per hour. It creates an ideal bole size, in dimension and weight, for economical handling and hauling. The solid 38-inch x 46-inch six-tie packages (which can weigh up to 1,600 pounds) enable operators with standard flatbed trucks to transport 33 percent mote “big squares” (versus the 4-foot x 4-fool packages). They also pro vide a mote stable foundation for uniform stacking and storage. CommandßAM features a unique, state-of-the-art hydraulic plunger drive system which com presses the hay in the chamber on ly “on command” when the chamber is full In addition to im proving hay distribution during the plunging process and produc ing mote uniform and consistent slices for feeding, the hydraulic drive system sharply reduces an nual repair, maintenance and equipment replacement costs by using fewer moving parts, elim inating high-wear plunger chains. MOLINE, 111. - Featuring 11 feet of cutting width, the John Deere WF1655 wide-area front mower grooms large open areas in half the time of traditional 72- inch mowers to reduce labor costs. With its three-deck mower setup (one front and two wing mowers), operators can also count on smooth power from the hydraulic drive system. This system allows the decks ta float and follow ground contour with out belts or shafts restricting movement. The 51-hp WF1655 is equipped with a dean-burning overhand-valve Yanmar diesel engine for ample power. Increased flexihittty results in higher productivity for com mercial grounds care techni cians, sports-turf managers and Satellite Link Used To Introduce Weed Control Technology CHICAGO. 111. Two of rim latest discoveries in weed control wen introduced to American farmcn recently by way of an other new technology: direct satellite-Upk television. American Cyanamid need the studio* of Channel Earth (channel 283 on the DirecTV service) to present via satellite information about Raptor™ herbicide for soy beans and Lightning™ herbicide for IMI-com® hybrids. Raptor is the newest member of the imidazolinone family of herbi cides. “It offers broad-spectrum contact and residual control of For feeding up to six lots dif ferent rations, an instant reverse motor drives the plow. A control panel uses reed switches to control the plow for flexible layouts of lots. These feeders can be cus tomized by adding options such as hoppers, convey sides, feed deflector, belt wiper, wind boards, and covers. Goes ‘Square’ Baling Din new Vermeer Com mandßAM harvests up to 45 tons of hay per hour. It cre ates an ideal bale size, In di mension and welBM, tar eco nomical handling and haul ing. sprockets, gears and gearboxes. “The simpler, hydraulic drive is designed to decrease downtime when the hay’s ready and increase production over an entire season,” according to A 1 Van Dyke, sales manager of Vermeer’s Agf Divi sion. "The reversible hydraulic drive feed system, operated from the tractor seat, can save hours of hand work unplugging a baler. Hydraulic relief valves geminate time spent replacing shear bolts. Buie maintenance and service re- Hydraulic Drive Allows Decks to ‘Float’ golf course superintendents. The WRl6ss’s mower docks operate independently, allowing operators to raise a wing mower to pass by a tree or mow a tight area. "Hie wing decks also turn off and ob automatically when raised and lowered. The WF1655 delivers strong torque with miserly fuel econo my, and provides high visibility with extra trimming ability in an overall well-balanced machine. When mowing hillsides or slippery areas, extra traction is available .by the WFMSSSb foll-tiasto' nr on demand four-wheel drive and differential lock. Additional fea tures inchsde i > 11 for iiygewM6ie4o aids operator a tilting steering coluwft for added comfort and operating ease. arose dnm 30 beandhaf and gmas weeds, pins NMianri flexibility that’s uumstrbii by m* ntber postcmergencc eonmct and re sidual heriscide," aw Pat Camp bed, vice pstrident af— rirting at Lightning is lha newest hstbi cide for use on Odl-Oon hybrids, which have been specially bred to tolerate imidazolinone herbicides. “Lightning is an imidazolinone herbicide applied postemergence that provides contact and residual control of most grasses and broad leaves." Campbell said. “That in cludes foxtails, crabgrass, woolly K ' C * quircments are significantly duccd. “And daily maintenance i service takes just minutes. A mote' servi sary. forks also Van The on ha? flow throu; to die use of The piling chamber suit, able, 22 per ling < legume feeding apart ' ably), Unifc ties are. mg crop. to haylage. FaHturiog n feat* MMh, Vw mm Otar* 1 «Mmmi front mower mmorncNDinai. _ «n t» isgan that ami coats. OHMS, wild PKM millet, vetUeC coddebw mi: ‘Thete new products ttrale the American commitment to bringiog die belt crap protection > modem technology has to Campbell said. Channel Earth is the Tl satellite-link channel dev clusively to serving ranchers, and It is estimated that a DirecTV’s more than lion subscribers live •
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers