Ag Leader Technology Precision Point Blog

International Perspectives: Ag Leader Europe Welcomes New Employee

2013-05-08T14:26:58Z

Ag Leader Europe welcomes Anita Van Iperen as the new office administrative assistant. At home, the Van Iperen’s run a 40 hectare family owned farm near the Ag Leader office. The family has pigs and produce mostly potatoes and sugar beets and some wheat and corn. Their sugar beets, especially, score extremely high in the quality scores. The sugar content is one of the highest in Holland.

Anita earned a bachelors degree in Laboratory Technologies at the International Agricultural College Larenstein at Wageningen, with the Specialization in Biochemistry / Microbiology. Anita has been working for 15 years and her longest contract was at a wholesale trade company for laboratory equipment and chemicals. Mainly doing sales work, but also in purchasing bulk chemicals. Anita’s experience is in customer management in a CRM system, contacts with logistics partners and working with field service supports. Also general marketing support activities, including preparing price settings and product promotion. Anita has experience in sales and customer services, order intake and dispatching. This also includes RMA’s and updating Key Performance Indicators, sales reports. She likes to help customers in ways that are best for both parties.

Working with and for people, assisting, advising and helping them and delivering a proper product is what Anita likes most. She also enjoys troubleshooting when necessary, always keeping the customer as satisfied as possible.

In the past Anita had many contacts with logistic companies. Searching for the best carrier against the best price is a very hot item these days, and very interesting for Ag Leader too. I think these qualities are reason enough to welcome Anita on board.

Load Prescriptions into Ag Leader® Integra and Versa Displays

2013-04-29T10:54:31Z

With the use of prescription files increasing over the past few years, more and more people are realizing how beneficial proper product placement has become. Many of our customers use prescriptions to variable rate year round from liquid and granular application to planting. I thought it would be a nice refresher to walk through the process of how to import your prescriptions step-by-step.

To begin there are three types of files currently supported by the Ag Leader® Integra and Versa displays; .AGSETUP, .IRX, and .SHP that can serve as a prescription file.
Here is the step by step process:

1. Start by selecting the Wrench while on your map screen. You will need to open your product tab to gain access to this feature.

2. You will then need to select Rx next to Prescription.

3. On this screen you will notice two USB icons. This is because the current configuration loaded is a two bin dry spreader machine - meaning I have two products I can load in. In some instances you may only have 1; in others you could have up to 8 for the Ag Leader® Integra. Simply select the USB icon for the product/products you would like to import a prescription for.

4. Locate your prescription on the card and press on it. You will then see the map filter in on the right, showing you the rate zones for the field. This will also be a way to make sure the correct prescription is being loaded. Push the forward arrow to continue.

5. On this next page it will ask you to: Select Raster. This simply means chose the “layer” you want to import. In some instances an .IRX prescription can be created with multiple channel’s all in one. You will just need to select which one you want to import on that particular file.

6. You will have successfully added the prescriptions when you reach this page. The red minus signs signifies a prescription is loaded and you can remove that file at anytime by selecting the red minus icon.

7. Your prescription will appear on the mapping screen once it is loaded. To utilize the prescription loaded you will need to press the Rx button located on the product tab.

For more information on loading prescriptions or creating prescriptions, please call into Tech Support @ 515-232-5363 or email us at support@agleader.com.
You can also learn how to create prescriptions using Ag Leader SMS software by clicking here.

Meet Ag Leader’s Field Support Staff

2013-04-18T12:12:08Z

Did you know Ag Leader’s Machine Guidance Support has regional field staff? If you didn’t, then let me tell you about them. The Machine Guidance Support Group is now up to three field support technicians. They are located in key areas of the US to best support Ag Leader’s growing needs in the field.

Seth Schrader is the seasoned veteran of the group located in Northeast Indiana. He has been with Ag Leader in this position just under two and a half years. Seth is a graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s in Ag Systems Management. He is also involved in their family farming operation where they grow corn and soybeans as well as raise hogs. Before his time with Ag leader he spent 4 years as a Precision Ag Technician. Seth covers the territory of East Central and Northeastern US.

Kerri Birdwell is the second field tech that we hired. She is located in Central California and covers the western seaboard of the US. Kerri graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Ag Systems Management. After college she worked as an Irrigation Specialist for 2 years until she joined Ag leader in the fall of 2011. Kerri was raised on and continues to have a strong involvement in her family’s cattle ranch.

The newest addition to the team is Ryan Mauzey. Ryan has been with Ag Leader since January and is located in Central Missouri. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Missouri with both bachelors and masters degrees in Ag Systems Management with an emphasis in Precision Agriculture. Prior to working with Ag Leader Ryan worked with an Ag Leader dealer for almost 5 years. Ryan’s territory is South Central and Southeastern US.

Now that you know who they are, let’s talk about what they do. The field support staff’s primary goal is to help the office staff when we are unable to fix major issues over the phone. They also play a large role in dealer and customer training during the summer and winter months. Days when they are not in the field are spent just like any other support staff member taking your calls, helping improve training and documentation for dealers and helping out at farm shows.

Ag Leader is pleased with the addition of field support and looks forward to growing our field staff in the future.

Organize Field Trials by Creating a Prescription

2013-04-11T08:19:53Z

If you have followed my posts, you have seen a few that mention field trials (either by accident, or just observations in the field), and what you can learn from them. For those that are interested in doing trials, but not interested in the time it typically takes, there are tools in SMS to create them ahead of time and load as a prescription if you are properly equipped. Whether you are variably applying products across a field, and want a check strip, or if you area applying a fixed rate, and want to do a few different rates, SMS has the tools to assist you.

If you are using the Basic Prescription Editor, you can create your prescription as you normally would, and then in the prescription editor, use the “Convert Prescription” tool to change the map to a small raster/grid based map. This will enable you to use the Paint brush tool to “Paint” your check strip, or trial wherever you want. Tip: make the trials long enough, wide enough, and inline with the planting direction. I like to have about 400 -500 ft. long so at harvest time, there is enough usable area for the trial.

If you are using Advanced, you have 2 ways you can create a trial. The first is to create a new generic layer with polygons that have the rates you want, and incorporate that logic to the equation editor. The other way is to take the prescription you created, and Edit the layer to select the cells where you want to place the trial, and Edit the Selected Objects and change the rates that are going to be applied.

After harvest, you can use the query tools to compare the trial areas with the adjacent passes to show the success of the trial, and if your applications are on the right track.

Upgrade Your Ag Leader® Integra Display!

2013-04-09T08:10:28Z

Ag Leader recommends all of our growers stay up-to-date with firmware releases to ensure operation on the latest software improvements available. Along with display improvements, module firmware is also upgraded through the display firmware assuring your hardware is also functioning efficiently.

This spring we released version 4.0 for the Ag Leader® Integra and Versa displays and have released all firmware downloads to the general public. Some of you may remember when we removed the Ag Leader Integra firmware off the knowledgebase when transitioning from 2.x firmware to version 3.0. This was done because moving to 3.x firmware is a major file change within your display and will cause important information to be erased during the upgrade process. Data that will be deleted includes: Configurations, Equipment, and Products. Other data such as: Growers, Farms, Fields, Operators, Boundaries, and Patterns will transfer over to the new format.

To alleviate any issues, Ag Leader provides “cheat sheets” for all of your configurations and settings; which ensures all important information is gathered and then correctly transferred back onto the display once the upgrade is finished. You can locate all of these cheat sheets under the 3.6 download for the Ag Leader® Integra found here.

Tech support has been receiving a lot of calls this spring with people trying to upgrade their Ag Leader Integra display from 2.x firmware to the most recent version 4.0. As discussed earlier, due to the file upgrade process in version 3.0 we must first move from 2.x software to 3.6. This way all important information is copied over safely prior to moving to 4.0.

Those of you skipping over 3.x firmware will receive this error:

Once you have transitioned from any 2.x software to any 3.x firmware you will not have to worry about any important information being deleted from your display. The major file change ONLY occurs when transitioning from 2.x to 3.x firmware.

If you have any questions please contact your local Ag Leader Dealer or call Support at 515-232-5363.

Learn More About the New CAN Switchbox!

2013-04-09T08:07:31Z

Ag Leader introduced a new integrated switchbox in late February of this year. It combines the Auxiliary Input Module with the analog switchbox for a cleaner installation and appearance in the cab. Externally (pictured below) it retains much of the same look and dimensions of the analog switchbox. It is available now in kit part number 4100879.

The picture below highlights the equivalent connections between the CAN switchbox and the Auxiliary Input Module.

You can see how they both have the same connector types. On the CAN switchbox, connections are as follows:

4 pin Cannon connector for CAN A communication

6 pin Deutsch connector for a Radar connection

12 pin Switch A connection for external inputs such as an application foot pedal or jump start switch

During normal operation the green power indicator will flash, representing CAN communication.

International Perspectives: Ag Leader in South Africa

2013-04-09T08:03:47Z

Back in the middle of February, I took my annual trip down to South Africa to meet our distributor Nel Precision Farming. Mac has been working with Ag Leader for several years already but it was only in 2011 that he started his own company to distribute Ag Leader products in South Africa.

My visit in February coincided with his first sales meeting for his dealers since starting the company. It was a good turn out and all were happy to hear about the new features that are now available in version 4.0. Of course, there was also a lot of good constructive feedback for product improvements and features for the future.

During my time here, I also managed to visit some customers. One of these was Johann Pistorius who farms 1500ha in Mpumalanga, South Africa, of which 270ha is under centre pivot irrigation. He grows mostly maize (corn) and soybeans. His father started the farm in 1964 and Johann now has full control of this farm.

Paul Rose visiting Johann Pistorius’ South African farm

To say Johann has attention to detail would be an understatement! I have seen many farms around the world in my time but this is up there with the best of them in terms of a well run business and adaption of Precision Farming Technologies. By virtue of this trait, Johann also expects a lot out of his equipment and nothing less than the best will do. He now runs 4 ParaDyme RTK units; one for his STX main tillage tractor, one for his sprayer tractor and 2 for both his planting tractors. There is also a SP sprayer running on RTK. At the beginning of the season, after harvesting his soybeans, he sprays Ammonium Nitrate over his fields.

The STX 485 then goes over the field with a Zonetiller that can very its depth as needed from between 20cm and 45cm. In the same process, a seedbed is formed and P and K corrections are applied. The two planting tractors that plant the seed directly on top of the ripper ridges, then follow. And lastly the sprayer tractor is used for post spraying operations. Both planters are fitted with Hydraulic Seed Rate Control, SureStop Clutch Control, Seed Tube Sensors and a DirectCommand Liquid system.

The sprayer tractor is also fitted with a DirectCommand system. He has been extremely happy with the Seed Command and Direct Command systems and if the ParaDyme performs as well this season as he hopes then he will have the Rolls Royce of Precision Farming systems!

It was a very interesting day with Johann and like most SA farmers, he had a lot of ideas on how we can improve our products for the future. I am already looking forward to my next visit to SA!

Ag Leader Academy Wraps Up a Record Breaking Training Season

2013-04-09T08:01:22Z

The beginning of 2013 started out as a record breaker here at the Ag Leader Academy. With the onset of the new online training platform and the addition of two new courses, the attendance numbers have never been higher.

Between the months of January and March, we had a 26% increase in the number of dealers that walked through the Academy doors for hardware training compared to last year at the same time. Since the launch of the new online courses last November, we have been able to increase the total number of dealers trained by 30% over a year ago! These numbers together represent an over 50% increase in the number of dealers trained here at Ag Leader.

There are more Ag Leader dealers than ever taking advantage of the trainings offered. This training leads to more accurate quotes, faster and more precise system installs and the high quality of support that producers expect when buying Ag Leader products!

As dealers are putting on spring customer trainings across the country and producers start to head to the field, the training staff is staying plenty busy as well! Through the use of the new Absorb training portal we have started to offer our dealer network a series of recent webinars. These webinars have covered topics that have been in high demand the past few years, including OptRx® crop sensors, new product updates and new firmware improvements. If you’re part of our dealer network here at Ag Leader, be on the lookout for any upcoming webinars, as well as additional online course offerings!

Gear up for Spring Planting 2013

2013-04-09T07:51:59Z

Believe it or not as of March 20th spring has officially begun. This means it is time to get prepared for planting. As such I have decided to provide you with a list of things to do in regards to your guidance system before you dive into the season.

Make sure everything is hooked back up correctly after winter storage.
Switch from fall vehicle configurations to spring vehicle configurations.
Does everything work correctly? Perhaps try creating an AB or A+ line. Drive one direction and then back on the same tracks (track on track). Are your tire marks on top of one another or does some tuning need to be done to get your system performing on point?
Update all firmware to the latest versions
- ParaDyme-2.8.23332
- GeoSteer-1.2.25298
- AGL Integra/Versa-4.0
- Edge-5.1
- Insight-9.1
- Renew subscriptions
  - OmniStar
  - RTK ReadyConnect for correction by cell

If you have any questions remember you can call Ag Leader Tech Support at 515-232-5363. Our spring hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday 8am-4pm and Sunday 12pm-4pm Central Standard Time.

2013 Pre-Planting Guide

2013-04-09T07:29:47Z

Soon you will be fueling up your tractors, dumping bags of seed and working long hours to get your crop in the ground. Why not take a few minutes and make those stressful days run a little smoother by verifying your Ag Leader investments are in operating order prior to hitting the fields?

Your first step will begin with powering on your display to manage data, update firmware and to create a backup. Be sure the Grower, Farm, and Field information is current; add your varieties for the upcoming year into your product list, and delete any unused data. We do recommend verifying the harvest data from 2012 has been successfully imported into your software program as well. Finally, load your planting configuration to the run screen to verify all modules located on the planter are communicating with the display.

Current firmware for your display can be found here and should be updated prior to the start of the season.

Once your display is ready you will need to move to the components located on the planter. Each of the links below will give you a step by step guide to ensure your clutches, seed tube monitoring, population monitoring and hydraulic drives are working as they should. Don’t forget to check out the Seed Command Pre-Season Checklist for more helpful steps!

Seed Command Pre-Season Checklist

Clutch Control Module Quick Reference Sheet

Seed Tube Monitoring Module Quick Reference Sheet

Planter Population Monitoring for Kinze PMM

Hydraulic Seed Control Quick Reference Sheet

With many of our customers running the new Hydraulic Down Force system this spring; we recommend looking over your planter’s physical setup. This includes all of the row unit hardware such as gauge wheels, seed disk openers and height adjustment levers. Check over cabling and hydraulic hose routing for pinch points or problematic areas. Other important components to check include toolbar height and your toolbar level.

Toolbar Height- From the bottom of the toolbar to the ground should be around 20 inches. We recommend verify this distance with your planter manufacturer. This measurement should be taken in multiple areas across the planter in level field conditions. Ensuring proper toolbar height will provide your actuators’ full range of motion while moving across the field.

Toolbar Level-Check for a level planter toolbar. An unlevel bar will cause weight to be improperly distributed throughout the planter. Top and bottom row unit linkage bolts should be flush with each other as well. Bushings may also need to be replaced on row units if too much free play is found while lifting on the back of the row unit.

To verify actuator and hydraulic circuit operation you will need to:

Lower Planter
Enter Manual Ground Speed
Engage Hydraulic Remote
Once the above steps are completed you will need to select the Device icon in the upper right corner of your Ag Leader® Integra display and then select Down Force Module. Once highlighted; press Diagnostics. You will then see a page like this:

On this page you will be able to detect your sensor status as enabled or disabled as well as current sensor readings for your channels. Hydraulic pressure in PSI is also shown. This diagnostic page is an excellent way to determine that all sensors are reading and reporting back to your display.

For any questions you may have please contact support@agleader.com or call 515-232-5363.

Current Support Hours:

Monday-Friday: 7am to 8pm CDT

Saturday: 8am-4pm

Sunday: 12pm-4pm

Tech Support would like to wish you all a safe and successful planting season!

Guidance Update in Firmware Version 4.0

2013-03-26T20:55:56Z

Enable/Disable coverage mapping based off steering engage status. By checking the box shown in the screen shot below you can automatically log coverage when the steering is engaged

Define tramlines and receive notification when approaching/on tramline

Tramline Guidance works with straight and identical curve patterns

Incorporation of two nudge settings, small and large, with straight AB patterns

Small and large nudge settings

Show adjacent paths on each side of straight AB and identical curve patterns

Allow A+ pattern to be defined with SmartPath pattern

Guidance patterns can now be selected using a graphic

Patterns are also auto-saved and capable of using auto-name with date/time if one has not already been selected. Last but not least, OnTrac2+ performance on rough terrain has been enhanced. Features are continuously worked on and added as they are completed so stay tuned for more features in the future.

Tips from Tech: Breaking Down for Users of 4.0

2013-03-25T20:54:07Z

A new tool is now available at your fingertips! With the recent firmware release of 4.0 for the Ag Leader® Integra and Versa displays the option to customize operator roles and create managers within your display is now here. This added feature will permit you to regulate who is allowed to manipulate setup items found in the display and what features your operators can utilize. Keep in mind that these options I am about to discuss are completely optional and are not needed in order to operate our displays.

To begin, we have two roles; a manager and operator.

Manager

Full access to display settings and functions
Only user with ability to select operating configurations when display is locked
Can set a password in the display to prevent unwanted changes
Can also be setup as an operator

Operator

Can have full or limited access to run screen and home screen options
Will have NO access to USB or Setup options (Unless setup as Manager)
- Will have the ability to import files from the USB on the run screen
  - Prescriptions, Patterns, Boundaries
  - Managers will set up privileges given to Operator

We also have permission levels associated with Operator setup that will determine which areas of the display the user’s are allowed or limited to during operation. The three available options are Full, Basic, and Custom. Full permission provides complete access to features found on the run screen as well as home screen. Basic permission limits guidance options to; straight AB lines, Smart Path patterns, nudging, the ability to remark A and to save or reset a guidance line. We remove access to the summary screen, legend tab, marks tab, and boundary tab when using the Basic setup.

Finally, the custom permission will allow for a manager to tailor what he would like an operator to have access to in the display; a few examples would be the summary screen, guidance toolbox, boundary toolbox and the ability to remove guidance patterns.

Our overall goal is to minimize the loss of logged data and the accidental removal of configurations and settings. We would like to stress that it will be the responsibility of the manager to remember his or her password and to be willing to work with their operators to be sure they provide access when needed to off-limit areas. We would highly recommend the manager documenting all passwords created in the display for safe keeping.

In the event that a correct password cannot be located; Tech Support will have the ability to unlock the display and should be contacted when all other resources have been expired.

In closing, our objective is to provide security to important configurations, management items, and setup options as our customers see fit and on an individual basis not to take features away.

If you have any questions please contact your local Ag Leader Dealer or contact Support at 515-232-5363 or support@agleader.com.

International Perspectives: SIMA Fair 2013 - Paris, France

2013-03-21T20:40:47Z

The SIMA (Salon International Machines Agricoles) Fair was held at Paris-Nord from February 24-28, 2013, covering over more than 25 ha, and attracted record numbers. Ag Leader was one of the 1,700 companies representing about 40 different countries.

Ag Leader is getting a stronger presents in the European precision farming market. This is reason enough to have a company-owned booth at the second largest agricultural exhibition in Europe. Agritechnica in Hannover, Germany, is the largest, followed by the SIMA Fair.

This leading show for the whole world of agriculture has registered 248,000 attendees. Of those attending, 1 in 4 were from outside of France “abroad”,and more than 330 foreign delegations were represented. The SIMA Fair is visited by Europeans and Africans. Visitors from Eastern Europe and Arab countries also visited the Ag Leader booth.

At the booth, we proudly could explained the new features from 4.0, the latest release. This was highly appreciated. We learned that our customers need more information and explanation of our newest update.

Next major exhibition for Ag Leader Europe will be the Agritechnica, November 2013.

Get to Know Tech Support - part 9

2013-03-20T20:36:41Z

By now, you may have noticed some new voices in Technical Support. “Putting a face with a name” is one way Ag Leader strives to make our Customer Support as personalized as possible. At Ag Leader, we place high importance in our staffing quality and would like to continue to introduce our full-time staff as we grow the Technical Support department. This week’s blog will focus on introducing three more of our recent full-time employee additions: Lee Miller, Brendan Drtina, and Nick Hageman.

Lee Miller

Lee started with Ag Leader in January of 2013 as part of the Technical Support team. Growing up and assisting on his family’s row crop farm in Rockwell City, Iowa, Lee has been involved with agriculture throughout his life. Prior to becoming a member of the Ag Leader team; Lee graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Agriculture Systems Technology in December of 2012. Outside of work; Lee enjoys spending time with his family and friends, attending various tractor pulls, and collecting farm toys.

Brendan Drtina

Brendan has been working for Ag Leader as a member of the Technical Support team since January of 2012. Brendan is originally from Ridgeway, Iowa, where his background in agriculture includes working on his family’s corn and soybean farm as well as neighboring farms; where he utilized precision agriculture equipment for various operations. Brendan graduated from Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa. In his spare time; Brendan enjoys hanging out with friends and family and tinkering with things on the farm.

Nick Hageman

Nick Hageman started working for Ag Leader in January of 2013; for the Hardware Technical Support department. Nick is originally from the Decorah area in Northeast Iowa. He has a background in agriculture that involves row crops, beef production, and a small dairy. Nick graduated from Iowa State University in 2012 with a degree in Agricultural Studies. Nick enjoys helping out his parents on the farm, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities.

I would also like to take this opportunity to mention our current Support Hours:

Monday – Friday: 7am to 8pm CDT
Saturday: 8am-4pm
Sunday: 12pm-4pm

You can reach Ag Leader Customer Support at 515-232-5363 or support@agleader.com. Please remember to check out our video tutorials, as well as the information available on the Customer Support website for more product information.

International Perspective: OptRx® Proves Itself in a Tough UK Season

2013-03-19T20:22:31Z

Last week, I had the opportunity to catch up with some of our UK users of OptRx and see how they are getting along.

Last year was a particularly tough year for a lot of UK farmers. It rained most of the summer which lead to a difficult harvest, reduced yields and then tough drilling conditions for the subsequent crops. This ultimately lead to some uneven, patchy emergence and in some cases, winter wheat has only just been sown in the last 2-3 weeks!

While all our customers have seen the benefits of using OptRx over the last few seasons, most are now saying that 2013 will be a great test for them as they now start the Nitrogen spreading for the year. In fact, by the time you read this most will have applied the first round of N.

During these visits, I met up with RAC Contracting from Leicestershire who have been using OptRx for the last 3 years and are now offering real time VRA N to all their customers. In fact, they have bought a second machine complete with OptRx for the 2013 season!

James told us of an interesting field that they used OptRx on last year. It had been partially planted with peas the year before (2011) and had OSR on it last year. The grower has asked them to apply N differently in the area where the peas had been but this would have meant driving across the way the field had been planted as well as having a ‘false’ headland in the middle of the field for turning. James convinced him to let them spread the field normally and let the OptRx do “its thing”. The maps below show the results of that application:

Needless to say, the customer was very impressed and it brought home the value of using OptRx over the entire farm. OptRx had applied less N where the peas had been and the resulting application rate was with 1-2kgsN/ha of what he had wanted to apply anyway. And it was a far more efficient way of spreading the field for James.

Having covered approximately 10,000ha last year of total fertilizer spreading, they hope to increase that area this year. OptRx gives them an extra edge over their competitors as well as providing a relatively inexpensive investment.