It’s Thanksgiving Day in the US and we’re thankful for our hardworking farmers and loyal dealers today and everyday. Ag Leader will be closed Thursday and Friday to enjoy the holiday, we will return Monday, December 2nd. We wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving! 

With harvest coming to an end, it is time to start thinking about preparing for tile planning and installation. From checking over tiling equipment to designing and creating tile plans, both can save time and headaches while in the field. Below are a few items to keep in mind when starting to prepare for the tiling season.

At the beginning of the season, before getting to installing tile, it is good practice to check the plow and system over to make sure everything is ready to both survey and install.

Things to check/remember:

Plow Wear Points:

Make sure plow wear points are within spec according to your plow manual.

Cable Connections:

Check to ensure cable connections are fully seated, if components of the system have been used for other operations since last season. (e.g. RTK GPS receiver)

Hydraulic Connections:

Verify that pitch up/down commands make the plow respond in the proper manner.

Verify Plow Measurement:

Plow measurements should be checked to ensure elevation recordings are accurate. This is especially important in cases where the grower is using a different brand  RTK receiver than last season.

Pitch Zero Calibration Number:

To ensure the Pitch Zero calibration number is still accurate, it is good practice to perform a blank AutoTile® install run. Pitch Zero can then be compared to the Suggested Calibration, if value difference is greater than 10, update Pitch Zero to match Suggested Calibration.

Stay tuned for part two of this blog where we’ll discuss water management operations in SMS. For more Intellislope resources, check out the InCommand Feature User Guide, Ag Leader® Integra Quick Reference Guide and the Intellislope Frequently Asked Questions.

Looking for a better GPS solution for planting?

Order a TerraStar-C unlock for GPS 6500 and get a TerraStar-C one-year subscription for $1. 

Order a TerraStar-C Pro unlock for GPS 7500 and get a TerraStar-C Pro one-year subscription for $1.

TerraStar-C Pro 

TerraStar-C Pro is an improved TerraStar signal created just for the GPS 7500 receiver. It offers quicker convergence and higher accuracy. TerraStar-C Pro fills the gap between cost and performance, simplicity and reliability. 

• 1’’-2’’ repeatable accuracy
• 3-month and 12-month subscriptions available
• Free 5-day demo

TerraStar-C 

TerraStar-C was the first TerraStar correction signal Ag Leader offered, starting when the GPS 6500 receiver was introduced in late 2014. This correction signal filled a niche between those needing something better than WAAS for high accuracy repeatable field operations such as spraying, planting or steering but did not need the absolute accuracy (nor cost) of RTK. 

• TerraStar-C is a correction signal option for the GPS 6500 receiver.
• TerraStar-C provides 2”-4” (5CM) repeatable accuracy
• 3-month and 12-month subscriptions available
• Free 5-day demo

Farmers understand that soil fertility is a key component of growing healthy and high yielding crops. While there is much debate on how we accomplish soil fertility and health, there are some general items that are helpful to remember.  

However, because it was an extremely wet year for many across the country it is even more important to soil test this year.   Some of the nutrients found in soil such as nitrogen, potassium, and sulfur are mobile nutrients.  Depending on the texture of your soil, these nutrients can be depleted during excessive rainfall.  A good rule of thumb for wet soils is that if it’s too wet to till, then it’s too wet to sample.

This year please pay particular attention to the nutrient status of your soil.  If you have questions, contact your local agronomist, crop consultant, or trusted advisor for specific questions relating your farming operation.

Soil Test and Yield Map

a. Soil Testing with a management zone or grid approach is a great way to start seeing the variability in your fields and build a plan for the future.
b. Yield maps can help establish management zones to guide soil testing efforts. Yield also helps us see variability not only in space but also through time as each year’s weather and management has a different impact.
c. Yield maps are invaluable when trying to determine what limiting factors are capping yield potential.

Understand the basics of how a recommendation is built

a. There are a variety of methods to analyze soil. Having a basic knowledge of the method a particular lab uses to analyze the soil is important should you try to do any comparative studies from past or future tests, or from another lab.
b. You will quickly see there are many scientific opinions regarding fertility. Try not to get overwhelmed, rather focus on learning principles.
c. Some soil test reports will go into more detail than others. Familiarize yourself with reports from your local lab. Many farmers only look at the recommendation and not the actual test itself, which is not recommended.
d. Remember that fertility equations can involve many variables: crop, yield goal, previous crop removal, pH, etc.

Implement your plan

a. Think through how your plan will work. Will I hire someone to spread lime and fertilizer or will I do it myself? What do I need to effectively record and control the operation of one of my most costly crop inputs?

b. If I hire someone else to apply fertilizer or lime, how can I gain access to the information to be sure the job is done correctly? Can their machine accept the prescription file formats I will be using? What other parties need access to this information and how will I share it?

c. Remember that Ag Leader has you covered with our unlimited use, affordable prescription service based on recommendations from trusted land-grant universities and more. Learn more here.

It is that time again for the Greatest Show on Earth! Or at least it is in the global world of agriculture. Agritechnica is the worlds leading trade fair held in Hannover, Germany from 10th – 16th November 2019.

This huge indoor show will attract more than 2750 exhibitors from 51 countries and it is expected more than 450,000 visitors from 130 countries will pass through the doors during this 7 day show.

Ag Leader has been present at Agritechnica since 2007 when we first exhibited with a single 1mx2m table showing the InSight display and DirectCommand®! Since that time the presence of Ag Leader at Agritechnica has grown and we now proudly present our products on a 160m² stand which also includes our sister company Soil-Max.

This year we look forward to welcoming our distributors and customers from all the world to the Ag Leader stand H07 located in Hall 15. Ag Leader will be presenting all our products including the industry leading InCommand™ displays with DisplayCast®, AgFiniti® wireless data transfer solutions and more!

As we go through the harvest season, a lot of questions get asked. How many acres of that variety did we plant? Where did we plant that hybrid? How did these two fields compare? What’s my average yield for the farm?

Sometimes we know the answers to those questions off the top of our head, and other times we need to go somewhere to find that information. Historically, that might mean that you wait to answer those questions until you get a chance to go back to the office. SMS Basic and Advanced users can now easily answer those questions anywhere and anytime by looking at their phone. SMS users current on the yearly maintenance program have the ability to take their data to the field for FREE with the new AgFiniti app.

How to take your SMS data to the field with AgFiniti:

1. Log into www.agfiniti.com with your SMS credentials and accept the Terms of Use.
2. Install the AgFiniti app on your Android and iOS phone and login.
3. Send your SMS data to AgFiniti by using the new AgFiniti Sync tool in v19.5, otherwise you can use the Device Setup Utility tool.

That’s it! You’re now ready to take your data on the go!

At Ag Leader, we understand our employees are the heart of our company, and the personalities our customers and dealers interact with every day. Take some time to meet our team. These are the people who make our company great, and help bring cutting-edge precision technology to the marketplace.

Tell us the basics

My name is Barry Anderson, I work as an Agronomist here at Ag Leader. I’ve been here two years now. I was born and raised in Aurora, Nebraska but currently live in Ames, Iowa.

A couple years ago, we decided to make the calibration process fast and easier to use on our InCommand displays. While our yield monitor has always set the standard for accuracy, we realized growers were cutting corners on their yield monitor calibration. Ag Leader is pleased to offer an improved calibration algorithm for InCommand displays that allows growers to cut the required calibration loads in half and achieve the same accuracy as before!

What does this mean for your yield monitoring experience? Here are some common questions answered.

2. What are some best practices to use with the improved calibration? Has anything changed? 

Again, there have been no changes to the user interface that the grower sees. This is a behind-the-scenes change to the calibration algorithm that creates an optimal calibration for accuracy in fewer loads. 
 

A few tips for getting started: 

• You should retire any prior season’s calibrations before harvest begins in order to maintain calibration accuracy. 
• Familiarize yourself with the calibration guidelines per weighing device, found in the revised feature user guide. 
   

3. I recognize that capturing accurate weight loads is important. What resources are there to help with this?

• For best weight calibration results, a certified scale will be the best weighing method. Second best would be a weigh wagon, followed by a grain cart. 

• A semi-truck load across a certified scale is fine to calibrate with. If you are to perform a second calibration, we recommend for the load size to be the same for optimal results, and that a second load is taken at half-flow. You could also utilize half a semi-truck load size to perform both calibrations instead. 

• We know there are challenges with getting accurate readings on weight calibration. We’ve outlined some best practices for weight calibrations.

5. Will the improved calibration be available for the Ag Leader® Integra/Versa™? 

No, the simplified calibration process and bushel counters will be a feature of the InCommand 1200 and InCommand 800 displays only.

6. How do I access the new calibration through my InCommand display? 

Simply update the display to version 2.5 firmware or greater. No additional hardware required. There is nothing changed in the user interface, simply enter one or two calibration loads and see the improved accuracy gained in fewer loads.

7. How do I know how many calibration loads to take now? 

Single-load calibration – This routine is great for those who may not have calibrated at all in previous years or those who would prefer a faster process over data accuracy. 

Two-load calibration – Using two calibration loads (taken at full-flow and at half-flow), Ag Leader’s yield monitor will generate a full calibration model and achieve the industry-best accuracy comparable to the traditional four-load method. 

More than two calibration loads – If preferred, you may add calibration loads to preserve the method you are accustomed to.  

InCommand is more than just a yield monitor! Check out all the great year-round features here.