Equipment

By Erdal Ozkan

This is the time of the year you must complete shopping for nozzles because the spraying season is just around the corner. Each part of the application equipment plays a critical role in achieving maximum performance from the sprayer. Therefore, each component must be selected carefully and must perform successfully the tasks associated with it. Although nozzles are some of the least expensive components of a sprayer, they hold a high value in their ability to influence sprayer performance. They help determine the gallon per acre intended application rate. They also influence the droplet size, which plays a significant role in achieving improved penetration into crop canopy and better coverage on the target pest — both affect the efficacy we expect from pesticides applied. 

The wrong choice of nozzle may hurt in several ways, but here are the three most obvious.

We may end up with streaks of untreated areas causing non-uniform pest control; or simply complete failure or ineffective pest control which require repeat applications; and finally, we may end up losing a significant part of the pesticides applied in the form of spray drift.… Continue reading

Picture four men sitting around a kitchen table. The discussion is serious, but the conversation isn’t strained. The topic is the challenge farmers in southern Ohio face when trying to find the equipment they need and knowledgeable people to service it. To the business owners having the conversation, the solution is fairly obvious, challenging as it may be. When the chairs slide back from the table the men shake hands and a unique relationship is formed with the goal of better serving southern Ohio’s agricultural community.

That is how Harold Neuenschwander and Marcus Miller of Harold’s Equipment and Mick Heiby and Frank Burkett of Hills Supply brought two of Ohio’s strongest agricultural service companies together to offer better customer service and more equipment options in Southern Ohio. Harold’s Equipment and Hills Supply began working together out of Washington Court House in January of this year. It’s not an acquisition and it’s not a buyout of any kind.… Continue reading

By John Fulton

With planting upon us, it is important to ensure both your planter and associated technology is ready to go. With seed costs and the desire to maximize yield potential, placing seed and fertilizer accurately and a way to eliminate mistakes including generating compaction. Checking your planter can helps it plant more uniformly and place seed at the proper depth. Having errors during the planting operation can impact yield and ultimately profitability for a field and the crop. Yield potential has a season-long cumulative negative effect of yield limiting factors (YLF’s). We frequently state that corn hybrids or soybean varieties have the highest yield potential when in the bag. University research has noted that errors at planting can impact corn yield. For example, a 10-bushel per acre gain can occur from good seed-to-soil contact. Further, uneven emergence can lead to a 5% to 9% yield reduction in corn. Therefore, seeding depth and downforce management are critical for optimization of planter performance.… Continue reading

Apple Farm Service, Inc. is excited to announce the addition of their newest location in Washington Court House, Ohio. Beginning April 1, the Washington Court House location of Baxla Tractor Sales Inc. will be owned and operated by Apple Farm Service, Inc. 

 “We look forward to continuing the excellent customer service that the team at Baxla Tractor has created and building new relationships,” said Bill Apple, President and CEO of Apple Farm Service. “We wish Chris Baxla and his other two locations the best as they transition from three stores to two.”

Baxla Tractor Sales Inc. will continue to operate their two other locations in Seaman and Batavia. These two locations will not see any changes, and will operate under the same management that their customers have been accustomed to.

“I’m happy we could work together on this transition,” said Chris Baxla, owner of Baxla Tractor Sales Inc. “I’ve known Bill Apple for years.… Continue reading

Responding to strong farmer demand and proven performance, Kinze will expand its True Speed high-speed planting technology to five more planter configurations for the 2022 season. The company is also introducing several new features to enhance its innovative Blue Vantage planter display. 

            Kinze’s 4905 True Speed planter will debut this spring in 16- and 24-row models, providing corn and soybean farmers with seed placement at speeds from 3 to 12 miles per hour. The high-speed technology, developed by Kinze, enables farmers to double the acres planted in a typical day, while maintaining precise singulation and seed spacing with various seed shapes and sizes and quick seed type changeover.

            For 2022, the expanded True Speed lineup will include:

• A 4905 12R30 configuration, well-suited for smaller operations or a second planter for smaller fields. All three 4905 planters will also offer increased fertilizer capacity for 2022.  
• 31/32R15 split-row and 16R30 configurations of the Kinze 3665, a 15-inch soybean planter for high-residue conditions with the versatility to also plant crops in 30-inch rows. 

Homan Inc  was recognized with The Ochres GSI State Sales Award for (State) during the recent GSI Virtual Dealer Event. The award honors the hard work and success that GSI (Grain Systems, Inc.) dealers demonstrate in serving their grain system customers.

A family-owned business, Homan, Inc. has been serving the area as a livestock material handling equipment retailer since the company was founded in 1958. In addition to livestock material handling equipment and grain storage and handling systems, Homan’s also construct animal confinement buildings where they have rapidly moved to the forefront of the industry in this competitive market.

“This award is a reflection of the confidence our clients in western Ohio and eastern Indiana have in Homan Inc.,” said Dale Everman, Vice President  of Homan Inc. “We want to thank them for their continued trust in us as a leader in grain systems.”

GSI is a leading global manufacturer of grain bins, grain dryers and material handling equipment, including bucket elevators and conveyors, grain bin sweeps and chain loop systems, sold through a global dealer network. … Continue reading

By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Ohio Field Leader: a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff

Spring is less than 40 days away, and with snow on the ground, now is a great time to check for software updates on all the GPS equipment and displays on the farm.

For farmers that use John Deere Ag Management Solutions (AMS) precision equipment, there are some items that must undergo a mandatory update in order to communicate with the StarFire system moving into the 2021 growing season. The StarFire 20-2 Update is mandatory for all StarFire 6000 and StarFire 3000 receivers. The most important part of the 20-2 software update is that it positions the Starfire 6000 and 3000 receivers to continue operating in the future.

The StarFire 20-2 Update first became available in August of 2020. 

“The 20-2 update is needed for the receivers to decode the new language and track the satellite,” said Scott Gerken, account manager for the Kenn-Feld Group.… Continue reading

By Harold Keener, Fuqing Xu, Mary Wicks

Land application of livestock manure provides nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) to field crops and is generally the most accepted and economical use for recycling these nutrients. However, land application of manure has been a contributor to severe outbreaks of harmful algal blooms in the Western Lake Erie Basin and Grand Lake St. Marys. The algal blooms have generated health concerns for those using these lakes as sources of drinking water or for recreation. Runoff of total and dissolved reactive P (DRP) is often the limiting nutrient for freshwater algal blooms. Previous studies have shown that the concentration of water-extractable P (WEP) in manure (expressed as lb WEP/lb dry matter) can help predict DRP in runoff.  Thus, for a given level of P application per acre, reducing the WEP/P level in manure would reduce total WEP application, thereby reducing the potential for P runoff from land applied manure and associated algal blooms. … Continue reading

By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Ohio Field Leader: a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff.

The Ohio State University’s Precision U winter meeting series wrapped up with a look at sprayer application tips and technologies. Joe Luck, Associate Professor and Precision Agriculture Engineer in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln was the featured presenter.

When farmers make a chemical application with a sprayer, the goal is ultimately to protect their crop.

“The first step in achieving this crop protection is to make sure the application is on target and accurate,” Luck said. “This involves proper mixing, including any pre-mixing of products, proper agitation, and direct injection.”

Achieving the desired application rate is a part of the accuracy.

“This can involve the use of a rate controller,” Luck said.… Continue reading

Apple Farm Service is excited to announce their new parts drop-box service as a way to help lower drive times to their customers. The family-owned dealership placed 11 drop-boxes around their four stores.

“We hope our customers take advantage of this new program,” said Kent Holmes marketing manager. “Even if it only saves them an hour of driving, that’s an hour they could’ve used fixing their machine or taking care of a daily chore.”

How does the drop-box program work? Customers can call into any of their four stores and order parts over the phone. Apple Farm Service will deliver their part to any of the 11 drop-boxes they request. The customer can stop by the drop-box at any time to retrieve their part. The best part of this service is that it’s free.

Apple Farm Service Inc. is a family owned agricultural machinery dealership with four locations; Covington, Ohio, Botkins, Ohio, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, and West College Corner, Indiana.… Continue reading

Fennig Equipment’s main location is just outside of Coldwater and has added a second location in Norwalk, Ohio.

The Norwalk location is managed by Seth Reisinger and his wife Tammy. Seth came to Fennig Equipment after working seven years in sales at a tractor dealership where he sold the Salford line of equipment as well as tractors and hay equipment. Prior to working for the dealership, Seth managed a fuel bulk plant that served a large farm community. Seth has farmed with his father for most of his life. Tammy graduated college with a degree in accounting. She worked in the accounting field for eleven years. The last six years she worked at a tractor dealership as the Service Writer and eventually moved up to Service Manager. Fennig Equipment is very excited to have the two of them join our team at the Norwalk location.

Fennig Equipment is known for delivering exceptional customer service our customers can rely on based on in-depth product knowledge and hands-on experience.… Continue reading

Bane-Welker Equipment recently announced an expansion of sales and service for Case IH sprayers to all 12 locations in Indiana and Ohio. Previously, Bane-Welker operated a single dedicated spray center out of the Lebanon Indiana location, but Bane-Welker saw the need to expand to fit the needs of their customers.

“For nine years, our customers relied on one dedicated center for sprayer sales, parts and service,” said Jason Bane, President of Bane-Welker Equipment. “We started discussing ways to make it more convenient for our customers and decided it was feasible to offer sprayer sales and service in all stores. We’re excited to roll this out — it will be beneficial to our customers. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

All 12 locations in Indiana and Ohio will offer Case IH Patriot and Trident sprayers, parts and service. The 3 Ohio locations will also offer Case IH Miller sprayers.… Continue reading

Todd Matthews and his brother Jeff grew popcorn for over 30 years on their operation near Ohio City in Van Wert County. Two years ago, however, their popcorn production customer relocated to irrigated acres in the western U.S, prompting the brothers to switch to field corn.

“2018 was an exceptional corn year, which made it really challenging to deliver a lot of corn in the fall,” Todd said. “We knew we needed to increase our corn acres, and that required additional storage capacity. We had expanded our existing grain system as much as we could. We knew we just needed to go with a bigger and better system.”

In 2019, working with their local GSI dealer, Advanced Grain Systems, Matthews Farms installed a new grain handling and storage system. Four bins from the existing system were relocated to the new site — three with 20,000-bushel capacity and a fourth with 25,000 bushels.… Continue reading

Visitors at the Clark County Fairgrounds or the Champions Expo Center might notice another blue tractor making its rounds around the grounds. 

A brand new Powerstar 90 tractor was delivered to the Champions Center the beginning of October. This 86-horsepower tractor will be used frequently across the fairgrounds, completing tasks like finishing the horse arena’s surface, mowing before winter, plowing snow, and whatever else requires a utility tractor. 

“We are so thankful for their continuation of this tractor sponsorship”, said Dean Blair, Executive Director of the Clark County Ag Society. “This marks the third year, and third tractor, that Apple Farm Service has allowed us to use. This is the perfect size tractor to get our jobs done efficiently.” 

Both the fairgrounds and Champions Center will have access to this tractor for the next six to twelve months with a set number of free hours to put on the tractor’s engine.… Continue reading

The prevalent scarlet and gray most often seen at Ohio State ATI is being supplemented with a heavy dose of Kubota orange this fall.

Kubota Tractor Corporation is partnering with ATI to establish the Kubota Tech College training program. Students will be trained using high-tech Kubota equipment in areas such as diagnostics, preventative maintenance, and major repair.

“The two programs that will be impacted are the power equipment program and hydraulic power and motion control program,” said Robby Frutchey, ATI coordinator for both programs.

In the power equipment program, students learn about career preparation, electrical courses, engine diagnostics, mobile heating and air conditioning, welding, and power transmission.

Students in the hydraulic power and motion control program learn fundamentals of fluid power and components, hydraulic circuits, basic electricity, basic pneumatics, analog and digital electronics, power transmission, and computer-aided design.

“While Kubota Tractor Corporation has been a strong ally of ATI in the past, this new partnership will provide an impactful experience in the classroom and help us train the next generation of skilled technicians,” said Kris Boone, assistant dean and ATI director.… Continue reading

Tested chain manure spreaders for true professionals are now available from Fliegl and the test results speak for themselves.

In addition to liquid manure, many farmers also use solid manure for organic fertilization. Fliegl has therefore expanded its spreading technology product portfolio to include chain manure spreaders. The first model type could already be seen at AGRITECHNICA 2019. Since then there has been more tinkering, development and testing so that the KDS spreader, from small to large, is now ready for the organic nutrient transfer. A DLG test of the “KDS 270 Muck Control Tandem” proves its ability in black and white.

The Fliegl KDS 270 Muck Control is a universal spreader with a scraper floor and a horizontal 2-disc spreader. The loading space of the KDS 270 with a height of 1.4 meters, a width of 2.15 meters and a length of 7 meters has an enormous capacity of around 21 meters.… Continue reading

With anticipated shortages of grain bin capacity this fall, some farmers will be relying on unconventional storage solutions. And that could lead to grain quality issues without proper management, said Gary Woodruff, a GSI district manager and grain conditioning expert.

He notes that good conventional alternatives available to farmers include pile systems involving wall panels, a tarp for weather protection and proper aeration. A flat storage building, specifically equipped with aeration tubes or tunnels, can also safely hold excess grain, he said.  

Woodruff, however, says unconventional storage sites — a machine shed, for example — pose risks.

“The first is a structural issue,” he said. “If you pile corn in the building without additional support to the walls, they can blow out. Grain is a movable product, and any corn against a wall can cause structural failures.”

The other concern is grain quality.

“If there is no aeration system, the grain should be stored at 13% moisture or below, late in the season after temperatures are down to 50 degrees to prevent spoilage,” Woodruff said.… Continue reading

Case IH is expanding the lineups of Precision Disk^™ 500 series air drills and 2000 series Early Riser^® planters with two new configurations. A new single-rank configuration with 15-inch spacing is available for the Precision Disk 500T single disk air drill — an ideal option for soybean seeding and other specialty crops in both no-till and conventional tillage fields. For the 2130 Early Riser stack-fold planter, a new 18-row configuration with 30-inch spacing will help producers cover more acres.

New configuration of Precision Disk 500T single disk air drill 

Built on Agronomic Design^™ principles, Precision Disk 500 series air drills are known to deliver highly accurate seed placement regardless of tillage, residue or cropping practices to give each plant the best start possible. The new soybean special configuration available for the 500T model offers a single-rank design with a mounted tank, giving producers a simple, yet effective and efficient, seeding solution.… Continue reading

AGCO Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, hosted dealers and media this week to celebrate its greatly expanded Fendt distribution network and introduce five new products to North America. The public may tune in for a virtual preview of the new Class 10 combine and expanded offering of tractors during a virtual product preview at 10:00 a.m. EDT, Friday, August 21. Registration is now available at www.fendt.com/us/.

“These exciting new Fendt offerings represent the next chapter for AGCO, our growing dealer network and, most importantly, our current and soon-to-be customers,” said Bob Crain, senior vice president and general manager for AGCO North America. “For the first time, we’re offering a comprehensive line of Fendt tractors in North America to serve the needs of livestock and hay producers and those with large-acreage crop operations.

“Fendt represents excellence, efficiency, reliability, quality and passion to AGCO, our dealers and our customers.… Continue reading

The Bushel Plus System has revolutionized the process of checking for harvest-loss with the ability to quantify grain loss and calibrate the loss monitor faster and safer.

“It has been featured on the television program CORN WARRIORS USA,” said Dave Burgei, S.I. Distributing, Spencerville, Ohio. “It is proven for soybeans, and small grain such as wheat, oats, barley, canola and rice, as well as corn.”

Burgei reported farmers have have saved anywhere from 2% to more than 10%, when they used the Bushel Plus system. Burgei listed the four steps in the Bushel Plus process.

1) Magnetic system attaches to any combine.

2) The drop pan can be released remotely.

3) The sample is cleaned within seconds with the optional Bushel Plus Air Separator

4) The grain is weighed with the Bushel Plus scale and quantify results with the Bushel Plus app

The Bushel Plus drop pan system attaches magnetically to the underside of the combine.… Continue reading