Ag Leader Technology Blog

Last week, we shared an introduction to the Value of Data from Adam Gittins, Precision Ag Sales Manager with HTS Precision Ag. Below is a follow-up post from Adam – ”How do you make data pay?” from the HTS Precision Ag blog.
How do you make data pay? Data will lead you to management decisions that make a [...]

A few months ago, we posted our first guest blog about the Value of Data from John McGuire. Today, Adam Gittins shares his thoughts on the topic.
Adam is a Precision Ag Sales Manager with HTS Precision Ag. He developed a love for agriculture at an early age while helping out on the family farm in Neola.  [...]

In past blog posts, we have talked about universities putting an emphasis on precision ag education. The Alabama Precision Ag Extension team is another example of an educational institution working with precision ag. This summer, they held a Management Zones/AgGIS Workshop with the goal of educating Alabama farmers on the basics of generating and properly [...]

At Ag Leader we believe the data you collect has a lot to teach all of us about improvements that can be made on the farm. Some of the problems on the farm will be addressed by the next generation that enters the agricultural fields. Thus, we continue to collaborate with colleges, assisting them with hardware, [...]

There are several SMS users that are realizing the value of data on their own operation or through their business, and I’ve asked some of these users to share their stories. Today, John McGuire shares some of the ways SMS software benefits his business and the value it brings.

We are excited to announce the second annual Educators’ Training at Ag Leader Academy to be held August 3-4. This training is especially geared for colleges who are equipping students to work in precision agriculture. We have been partnering with educational institutions for many years, assisting with curriculum, software and hardware needs, and training for [...]

The crop is about planted here, and I am beginning to plan for side-dressing corn. In our operation we have a target range of total N that we would like to provide the crop. That range is a lbs/ac goal, something like 175-250lbs/ac goal.

Things are busy on our operation in southeast Iowa! Corn planting is progressing nicely, and we should be done in a few more days. Here are a few key updates from our planting season so far.

It is planting season in the Midwest, and this means that farming activities are increasing. One item I have been trying to manage on my operation is guidance lines. In our operation, consistency of the planter following in the exact same path as our strip-tillage machine, as well as ensuring the sprayer is also moving [...]

As the use of technology continues to increase in agriculture, the fundamentals of growing food for expanding populations do not change. Similarly, the fundamental question of why you use technology on your farm continues to be essential. This is a simple question with a variety of answers. You may answer, “so I can save on [...]

Reflecting is a good exercise, so I wanted to start the New Year recapping the new products and features that Ag Leader introduced. As I began to do so, I found myself asking the question, “why do we do what we do?” This made me realize that just as important as what we’ve done is why [...]

Harvest is progressing nicely here in southeastern Iowa. The bean crop is all but finished and corn harvesting is in full swing. It was a very rainy growing season but the yields are still respectable. Earlier in the season, when crop scouting, it appeared that yields were going to be below the normal county average, [...]

Exciting news! We will be releasing the latest version of SMS Basic, SMS Advanced and SMS Mobile soon.  As you may have already read, the SMS Mobile release will include the added ability to install SMS Mobile on devices with a desktop operating system such as tablets, netbooks or ruggedized laptops.  (For more info, click [...]

I want to share a few more interviews from the educators who attended the training held at the Ag Leader Academy (previous post, click here). Many institutions are integrating real-life precision data and technologies into their classroom to teach in unique ways and use real information. The following video includes educators’ comments on how they [...]

Teaching precision agriculture is an important focus at many educational institutions, and Ag Leader is dedicated to supporting this education by working with the instructors. We recently held a two-day training with many of these educational leaders discussing how technology is benefitting agriculture and sharing ideas about how to teach this information to the next [...]

I don’t know about your farm shop, but our shop is in dire need of some organization and cleaning. We have spent the last three months doing everything we can do to keep the planter, strip-till machine, sprayer, semis, trucks, tractors and numerous trailers operating with seed, fertilizer and chemicals. The shop area is vitally [...]

Keeping accurate records of all areas planted for a crop, has become a necessary part of agriculture. If you take part in government programs, you need to make a trip to the local FSA office to certify the acres and specify the crop planted on each field. If you have changed field boundaries, planted corn [...]

This is a fun time of year.  A time when we watch the crops grow from a seed to a mature plant. Perhaps only a farmer would call watching a plant grow a fun time!  The growing season is the best time to continue to learn how the complex environment of weather, soil and plants [...]

Precision ag tools can improve efficiency in the field.  These tools also provide information from the field to be viewed with computer software.  With so much technology and ways to improve your operation, the difficulty is deciding which solutions are right for you.  I’ve heard it said, “there are a lot of rabbits to chase [...]