Invariably when I talk about manure spreader calibration there are a few chuckles. The image of a manure spreader doesn’t call to mind a piece of equipment that needs calibration; it is the equivalent of a hammer in a carpenter’s toolbox. No calibration or explanation needed — you just use it. However, as nutrient management and its corresponding linkage to water quality continue to grow in importance, all livestock owners and anyone who hauls and applies manure needs to become more aware of managing manure as a source of nutrients. When nutrients are purchased as commercial or synthetic fertilizer, we talk about an application rate in pounds of a particular nutrient that should be applied per acre. The desired application rate is achieved by using a calibrated fertilizer spreader. We can do the same with our manure spreaders.
The application rate for manure spreaders is generally expressed as tons per acre or gallons per acre.… Continue reading
Twin Disc, global leader in industrial power take-offs, has recently debuted its RO 114/214 “Remote Over Center” PTO. The ground-breaking unit leverages a patent-pending design to remotely engage the over-center mechanism in the time-proven, best-selling Twin Disc SP 114/214 PTO and is complimentary to the previously released RO111/RO211.
When complex machinery configurations or location hinder easy access to activation, the RO 114/214 can be engaged and disengaged remotely via a control valve and/or electronic control. Hydraulic or pneumatic actuation is achieved through ports, making access to the fittings uncomplicated and straight-forward.
Hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is required only to engage or disengage the PTO, the fluid or air supply can be shut off when not needed. Without the constant hydraulic or pneumatic flow of other designs, the unit is far more efficient and cost-effective than that of its competition.
The RO 114/214 is dimensionally similar to Twin Disc’s current mechanical SP 114/214 and continues to utilize one 14″ friction plate in the 114 and two plates in the 214.… Continue reading
It is very likely that you will not be using your sprayer again until next spring. If you want to avoid potential problems and save yourself from frustration and major headaches, you will be wise to give your sprayer a little bit of TLC (Tender Loving Care) these days. Yes this is still a busy time of the year for some of you, but don’t delay winterizing your sprayer too long if you already have not done so. You don’t want a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity because you did not properly winterize it before the temperature falls below freezing. Here are some important things you need to do with your sprayer this time of the year.
Rinsing
It is very likely that you did the right thing when you used the sprayer the last time: you rinsed the whole system (tank, hoses, filters, nozzles) thoroughly.… Continue reading
Deere & Company have announced a joint development agreement with Scherer Design Engineering, Inc. to develop and commercialize kernel processing solutions for self-propelled forage harvesters.
“Deere is committed to developing industry leading kernel processing solutions with the goal to drive higher milk production in dairy cows”, says Jon Chase, global director, self-propelled forage harvesters and heads. “This arrangement with Scherer will only strengthen Deere’s offering and our ability to deliver clear benefits to custom operators and dairies.”
Scherer has manufactured aftermarket rolls and kernel processors since 1999. With this agreement, John Deere and Scherer will develop a broader set of industry leading options to harvest crops and to produce feed for dairy cows.
“We are extremely pleased with this agreement,” says Jason Schiebout, manager and co-owner of Scherer. “John Deere dealers will have access, through this allied agreement, to Scherer Kernel Processor products, including aftermarket kernel processor (KP) rolls.”
For 2017, this agreement allows John Deere dealers to offer twin-cut replacement rolls for John Deere Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters.… Continue reading
AgSynergy has introduced the Genesis RAZER. This is the newest and most versatile row unit in their lineup. The Genesis RAZER is a single disk, high speed minimal disturbance opener for single or dual placement of anhydrous ammonia, liquid or dry fertilizer. The Genesis RAZER works in a wide range of conditions from no-till to conventional tillage at speeds from 5 to 10 mph.
Many features incorporated into the Genesis RAZER allow it to meet the demands of farmers and commercial applicators in the fertilizer application marketplace. The Genesis RAZER includes 20” of independent row unit travel. This superior row unit travel is achieved by utilizing active hydraulic down pressure to each parallel linkage equipped row unit, resulting in consistent application depths of nutrients. The adjustable knife design minimizes plugging by allowing constant flow of residue and soil while maintaining close tolerance to the blade. Unlike competitive row units with angled blades, side wall compaction is minimized with the Genesis RAZER row unit due to the use of straight coulter blades, resulting in true vertical application.… Continue reading
Soon it will be time to heat the greenhouse. The heating system may have been working when it was last used this past spring, but those systems have had several warm and humid summer months to degrade.
A heater or boiler out of tune will use more fuel than necessary and could produce harmful exhaust inside the greenhouse. In addition, new cracks or other air gaps in the structure will quickly leak heat. Checking over the greenhouse structure and heating systems as fall approaches will save your heating costs.
Heaters
Service space heaters or boiler serviced once a year. Check with your natural gas or propane provider to see if heater inspection is a service offered. Hire a qualified service technician to perform regular maintenance. Gains in efficiency can more than pay for a professional tune-up.
There is some basic maintenance for a gas space heater, but only perform as much self-service as you feel comfortable with.… Continue reading
On-farm grain storage can be a key component of any farmer’s grain marketing plan, but what if you don’t have enough? There are now some options for grain storage that may be just what some farms need to leverage what they harvest this fall.
On-Store is a new, fully aerated temporary grain storage system that is offered as a 20,000 or 50,000 bushel system.
“The most important aspect of On-Store systems, with the widening basis and new for immediate storage, is that these can be up and operational in just one day,” said Scott Gladish, On-Store’s national sales director. “So, you’ve got all that additional storage in a small amount of time and added flexibility with harvest time logistics when there is no need to choose between sitting at the elevator or sitting in a combine.”
The On-Store systems consist of a galvanized steel grain ring, grain vac unloading system ports and an aeration system that is equipped with a five or 10-horsepower fan.… Continue reading
On the west end of Equipment Avenue at the 2016 Farm Science Review sits a plethora of impressive farm equipment. In this video, we take a rundown of what all Salford Equipment has on display at this year’s show. Visit them at booth 200 to talk with their experts plus see their machinery in action at the field demonstrations.… Continue reading
National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 18 to 24, 2016. This annual promotional week commemorates the hard work, diligence, and sacrifices made by our nation’s farmers and ranchers. The 2016 safety theme is “Farm safety – A legacy to be proud of.”
From a safety professional’s perspective, the term “sustainable agriculture” takes on a whole different meaning than that talked about by lawyers, tax advisors and insurance agents. Estate transitions and succession planning are management tools that can leave a lasting legacy for the next generation. Safety advocates believe that working safely and being conscientious of best management practices, are other ways to leave a legacy for the next generation of farmers.
I have often said, it’s difficult to determine where the backyard ends and the barnyard begins. This phrase helps illustrate to many rural and non-rural people the struggle that we have in agriculture to separate the home place from the work site.… Continue reading
As the use of precision agriculture continues to increase across the US, it is more and more important to ensure that all equipment is prepped, calibrated, and ready for a successful harvest. One of the more common uses of precision agriculture comes in the form of yield mapping. Yield maps not only help growers understand end-of-year performance within fields, but also can be used to characterize in-field variation. Information about this variation is often used by service providers to deliver prescriptions, recommendations, or other information back to the farmer. Because yield maps continue to be an important data layer to learn from and help drive changes or decisions at a field level, proper management of the yield monitor in 2016 is key in order to generate accurate and reliable yield data. Grain moisture and test weight, along with grain flow through the combine, will vary within passes and across the field. … Continue reading
The Farm Progress Show, as its name suggests, brings to the forefront the latest in agricultural technology each year. This past edition was no different as Case IH and New Holland each unveiled their autonomous tractor concepts at the annual Iowa event. Case’s cabless tractor system was presented through video alongside New Holland’s driverless machine, ran completely by computers while performing the same operations of other human-ran row-crop tractors — with ease.
What it comes down to is robots at work in farm fields.
Autonomous tractors are no new concept. The Autonomous Tractor Corporation was formed in 2011 with the goal of converting already marketed tractors to those without drivers as well as the production of newly automated systems. This latest showing by the two companies highlights the first serious effort by large equipment manufacturers to jump towards the completely robotic way of life. With GPS assisted tractors having been in the fields for several years now, the technology has allowed for more accurate position measurements, opening the goats to robots planting crops.… Continue reading
A Purdue University agronomy professor and an aeronautical engineering technology student joined an international team of researchers in Germany this summer to explore a new use for unmanned aerial vehicles — known as UAVs or drones — in meteorological research.
The project, funded by the Purdue Climate Change Research Center, is one of the first to use UAVs to explore the nocturnal boundary layer, a stable atmospheric layer that forms during nighttime hours when the ground is cooler than the air. While daytime airflow is mostly predictable and measurable, nighttime airflow is poorly understood and difficult to measure, said Richard Grant, professor of agronomy at Purdue.
“Air essentially sloshes around at night,” he said. “The movements are much slower than in the daytime. Things are much more stable at night and therefore harder to predict.”
Deterioration in profit margins for major Midwestern field crops over the last three years has created a changing environment with respect to farm machinery and equipment investment. The strong returns for Midwestern field crops from 2006 to 2013 together with favorable tax incentives (bonus depreciation and Section 179 expensing) led to strong demand for new and used farm machinery and equipment over this period. The subsequent period (2013 to present) of lower crop prices and profit margins has led to relatively weaker demand for farm machinery and equipment over this period. This weaker demand has led to softer markets for used equipment and trade-ins. These lower prices for farm machinery and equipment trade-ins has created a higher rate of implied economic depreciation for this machinery and equipment compared to the previous high profit period.
An analysis of farm machinery and equipment sales data from the online used farm equipment sales platform, Machinery Pete, allows us to examine the change in resale prices of used farm equipment over the period of profit margin change from 2000 through 2015.… Continue reading
Challenger, a global brand of AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO), introduced an entirely new category of tractors to North American agribusiness operations during the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The Challenger 1000 Series tractors, the largest fixed-frame tractors in the world, are the agricultural industry’s next ‘must-see’ innovation. Designed to deliver lower cost of ownership and improved productivity per acre, the Challenger 1000 Series tractors can be the single solution for both heavy draft and row crop work.
The Challenger 1000 Series tractors combine the power of a small-frame, articulated 4-wheel drive with the flexibility and speed of a lighter-weight, fixed-frame row crop machine. They are offered in four models ranging from 396 to 517 engine horsepower with a weight range of 31,204 lbs. (14,153 kg) to 50,706 lbs. (23,000 kg).
“Agriculture in North America is undergoing yet another evolution as operations become even larger and require more efficiency and productivity from their overhead investments,” says Josh Keeney, tactical marketing manager at AGCO.… Continue reading
Customers who have their own “how-do-I-do-that” kind of questions now have a convenient, trustworthy, one-stop resource for the answers. John Deere and Frontier Equipment have launched a new website, TipsNotebook.com, offering more than 45 helpful articles and videos on how to tackle many of those property jobs and projects.
“Go to TipsNotebook.com and you’ll find the kind of how-to information customers are really looking for,” says Scott Geier, manager, sales/marketing, John Deere. “You’ll find instructions and product information on a range of topics including gravel drives, fence building, garden building, mowing, seeding, snow removal, water control, and much, much more.”
TipsNotebook.com grew out of conversations with customers about what information they really wanted when working with their equipment. Tips and ideas about ways to maintain and improve their property and get the most out of their equipment were clearly at the top of their list.
“There are other places that have this kind of information,” adds Geier.… Continue reading
Transporting large combine heads is a daily task during harvest. Yetter Farm Equipment introduces the 8500 Head Cart Trailers to make the job safe, quick and easy.
“Our Head Cart Trailers were designed using ideas from farmers and dealers. They provide the performance our customers are expecting,” said Tyler Thomas, Yetter territory manager. “They allow clearance for the Stalk Devastator™ or stalk stompers on corn heads, facilitating easy transport and attachment or detachment from the combine.”
The trailer design is durable, ready to meet the demands of moving heavy draper heads and large corn heads. Each cart has quick tie-down ratchets and straps that tightly secure heads to the cart. All carts are equipped with twin rest brackets that are adjustable and work with various combine head models. “These rest brackets can be adjusted without tools,” added Thomas.
Yetter Head Carts are available in widths of 27′, 32′, 38′, 43′ and 48′.… Continue reading
JD Equipment, the largest John Deere dealership group in Ohio, is proud to announce that registration is open for their 2016 Fall Expo(formerly World’s Largest Combine Clinic). The 2016 Fall Expo will be held Friday, August 26 at their London, OH location located at 1660 US 42 NE, 43140. This year’s event will welcome guests from all across Ohio and surrounding states.
Participants at the 2016 Fall Expo will have the opportunity to attend classes instructed by JD Equipment’s agriculture and farm equipment experts that focus on various functions of John Deere combines and other John Deere related products. Class topics this year will cover Combines, Field Prep, Precision Agriculture and Nutrient Management. One hour of CCAcontinued educationcredits will be available for the Nutrient Management class (0.5 NM, 0.5 SW). Safety seminars will be available to attend at any time during the event and field demonstrations will be available following lunch.… Continue reading
If an equipment malfunction or power outage occurs in an agricultural facility when nobody is there to notice, the environment can quickly become deadly to animals or plants. For example, failure of a greenhouse heater on a cold winter night could freeze plants. Ventilation failure on a hot summer day can kill animals. To help prevent such losses, a monitoring system can be installed and programmed to send an alert if critical environmental parameters reach dangerous levels. With the right sensors, alerts can also be sent out in the event of ruptured water lines, power outages, and/or other equipment failures. A monitoring system will hopefully never be used, but if it is, could easily pay for itself the first use. Functionality, reliability, safety, false alarms, and costs should be considered in selecting an alarm.
Alarm functionality
An alarm can be a stand-alone device or an integrated part of a plant or animal facility’s environmental controller.… Continue reading
Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc. announces the addition of the Model 1400 with 1400 gallon capacity to its NutriMax liquid fertilizer applicator line. The NutriMax applicator helps ensure optimum crop performance through the precise placement of nutrients during the growing season when most needed by the plants.
The NutriMax applicator optimizes the grower’s equipment investment for liquid application with a durable, long-lasting design for years of high-speed application accuracy. The Model 1400 toolbar is manufactured with 7”x7” tubing on the mainframe and wings and is available with a 40-foot toolbar that folds to 30 feet for dual-width application with a variety of row spacings from 22” to 36”. Its patent-pending folding design provides a narrow 13’4” transport width and height for safer road travel and the 36” toolbar clearance enhances the application window.
The exclusively designed 1,400-gallon tank is constructed of thick-walled polyethylene for long life and a containment tank sump that functions like a sump within a sump for holding the last 20-30 gallons of liquid on sidehills and inclines to maintain a primed pump.… Continue reading
Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc. announces its new 55 series Seed Runner self-filling seed tenders for enhanced operator ease and gentler seed handling. Seed Runner seed tenders are ideal for the widest variety of bulk seed handling including corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts and wheat.
The original patented, self-filling dual-compartment Unverferth Seed Runner bulk seed tender set new standards for functional design innovation when first introduced in 2006. Seed Runner seed tender innovation continues today with a new lower profile tank design and gentler conveyor design for easier and smoother filling.
The exclusive patent-pending rubber belt design features U-shaped rows of cupped, offset cleats for gently carrying seed at up to 40 percent higher capacity. The rounded discharge chute is fitted with a rubber lining for even-gentler seed handling. Two standard downspouts are included – 4-foot flexible for central fill planters and drills; two-stage telescopic with 34-foot reach on XL models and 30-foot reach on others.… Continue reading
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