Equipment

To commemorate the rich legacy of Axial-Flow combines, Case IH is excited to launch the 50 series Axial-Flow combine lineup with a special-edition 150 series combine. The 150 series combine features International Harvester heritage styling, color schemes and decals reminiscent of the first Axial-Flow combine in 1977. The memorable white cab top and tire rims give way to the latest harvest advancements to help producers put more grain in the tank.

The productivity enhancements of the legendary single rotor technology, Cross-Flow cleaning system and 2-speed electric shift transmission enable the 150 series combine to handle varying harvest conditions and crop types.

“We’re excited to bring back the retro stylings of the 1977 International Harvester Axial-Flow combines, now paired with productivity enhancements desired to help today’s producers harvest more of what they grow,” said Kelly Kravig, Case IH harvesting marketing manager. “For older generation farmers, this combine is a throwback to their earlier farming days.… Continue reading

Today’s crop breeders are trying to boost yields while preparing crops to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in crop plants’ DNA. A robot developed by the University of Illinois to find these proverbial needles in the haystack was recognized by the best systems paper award at Robotics: Science and Systems, the preeminent robotics conference held last week in Pittsburgh.

“There’s a real need to accelerate breeding to meet global food demand,” said principal investigator Girish Chowdhary, an assistant professor of field robotics in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the Coordinated Science Lab at Illinois. “In Africa, the population will more than double by 2050, but today the yields are only a quarter of their potential.”

Crop breeders run massive experiments comparing thousands of different cultivars, or varieties, of crops over hundreds of acres and measure key traits, like plant emergence or height, by hand.… Continue reading

On Saturday July 28, 2018 in a wheat stubble field on the east edge of Alvordton, Ohio, antique tractors of all types will arrive with moldboard plows in tow as well as “antique” farmers will arrive with grandchildren in tow. Massey Harris tractors of all sizes will arrive and tractor enthusiasts as well as nostalgia seekers will come to “see how we used to do it.”

The Annual Plow Days Event is hosted by the Alvordton-Millcreek Township Volunteer Fire Department in cooperation with Kunkle Farms LLC and Darin Meyers Farms.

This year’s event will feature big power and big iron with not one, but two Big Bud tractors. Featured tractors will be a 650-50 Big Bud, one of only 5 Ag models produced and the only remaining in the United States pulling a DMI 21 bottom hydra-flex moldboard ploy, the largest moldboard plow ever produced. Also featured will be a 525-50 Big Bud, pulling an 18 bottom Will-Rich plow, also the largest model produced by the company.… Continue reading

By Barry Allred, USDA Research Agricultural Engineer and Greg Rouse, GIS Coordinator, Ross County Soil and Water Conservation District

To improve the soil water removal efficiency of drained farmland, and thereby increase crop yields, new drain lines are often installed between pre-existing drain lines. Retrofitting an agricultural subsurface drainage system in this manner requires accurate maps of the drainage pipe that is already in place. Repairing poorly functioning portions of a subsurface drainage system likewise requires an accurate field map of the drainage pipe network. Furthermore, to better evaluate the overall environmental risk of nitrate and phosphate release into the environment from farm fields, the intensity of subsurface drainage practices within an agricultural landscape needs to estimated, which can be accomplished if drainage pipe maps of the area are available. Consequently, there are both economic and environmental benefits to finding effective and efficient methods for mapping agricultural subsurface drainage systems.… Continue reading

By Dee Jepsen

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) continue to grow in popularity for rural and agricultural use. Originally designed for sports and recreation, the ATV is now common on many farms and ranches in the U.S. With this increased use comes increases in injuries and fatalities. And the costs for emergency room visits associated with ATVs grow each year.

The 3E Model for injury prevention

The 3E Model is used by occupational injury specialists to help reduce injuries and fatalities. Simply stated, the 3Es of the model are: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. The use of a combination of these components can be effective in reducing injuries.

Enforcement

In agriculture, there is little enforcement when it comes to ATV usage. The most common U.S. violation is the use of ATVs, and their Utility Vehicle (UTV) counterparts, on paved roads. By design, ATV’s and UTV’s are designed for off-road use, which is much different from cars, trucks, and motorcycles.… Continue reading

JD Equipment Inc., a leading John Deere Dealer with 8 locations in Central Ohio, is pleased to announce the hiring of Eric Driscoll as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective July 2, 2018.

Driscoll, an Idaho native, joins JD Equipment after leadership roles with Driscoll Management Company and Stotz Equipment. Most recently, he served as CEO and President of Driscoll Management Company, where he led the executive team and oversaw several business units involving cattle, row crops, hay export, potatoes, baking and transportation. Driscoll earned a degree in Ag-Business from BYU-Idaho.

“I am excited to join the leadership team at JD Equipment and help grow the customer oriented approach to business,” said Driscoll. “By serving our customers with the best in equipment, parts and service, we help ensure our mutual success, both now, and in the future.”

“JD Equipment is committed to serving our customers, which includes adding to our leadership capabilities, so that we can keep pace in a constantly changing business environment,” stated Jeff Mitchell, CEO.… Continue reading

JD Equipment is pleased to announce the expansion of the Zanesville facility.

JD Equipment recently broke ground on the $1.1 Million expansion. When completed, the Zanesville location will have a total of nine acres of land with 25,000 square feet of building space and an improved outdoor equipment display area. The building addition will enhance the service department’s capabilities, as well as increase the size of the showroom.

“We are excited for our employees, the city and, most importantly, our customers who put a lot of trust us… We want to assure them that we are positioning ourselves to be even more support-driven than we have been in the past,” commented CEO, Jeff Mitchell. “This project was made possible with the support of the Muskingum County Port Authority, as well as city and county officials.”

The expected completion date for this project is fall of 2018.… Continue reading

JD Equipment, Inc. has acquired the Georgetown, Ohio, and Flemingsburg, Kentucky, John Deere dealerships effective June 7, 2018. The locations were formerly owned by Cahall Brothers, Inc.

Jeff Mitchell, CEO of JD Equipment commented  “We look forward to serving the communities where both stores are located. Cahall Bros. has a long history of providing quality products and services to their customers and JD Equipment will continue that tradition. JD will emphasize excellent customer service and a wide selection of equipment and parts to meet the needs of all customers. Further, we wish Kyle Cahall and Roland Cahall well in their retirement and appreciate their efforts in growing a strong business with skilled employees. We are pleased to announce all employees at each location have joined JD Equipment, which will ensure a smooth transition for our customers.”

The Georgetown store will be managed by Dan Hodges and the Flemingsburg store will be managed by Todd Hickerson.… Continue reading

By Erdal Ozkan, Ohio State University Professor and Extension Ag Engineer

Much of the pesticide applied today using conventional spray equipment for pest control in floral, nursery, orchard, vineyard and other specialty crop productions is wasted in a number of ways. Most of this waste is due to the sprayers used and how they are operated.

Using conventional sprayers in orchards, for example, the growers simply turn on the sprayer at one end of the row of trees and stop spraying at the other end. The spraying is done continuously, regardless of the gaps between the trees. This gap could be rather wide in some cases, up to 30% of the area sprayed. This means we may waste at least 30% of the pesticide sprayed using conventional sprayers.

Moreover, in a nursery, or an orchard we not only have gaps between trees, we also have a tremendous variation in the size and shape of targets we spray: some short, some tall, some bushy, some slender.… Continue reading

Today’s cattle producers need more from a bale processor — simplicity, durability and versatility. Vermeer took this list of needs and created the next step in their processor evolution with the new BPX9010 bale processor. This all-around bale processor is designed for a variety of applications including distributing a consistent, uniform windrow in the pasture or bunk line and spreading bedding with consistency at ranges up to 50 feet (15.2 meters).

“Livestock producers are embracing the use of bale processors — they want to find efficiencies in their operation and increase feed palatability,” said Shawn Wang, Vermeer product manager. “In order to enhance our current lineup of bale processors, we enhanced our existing BPX9000 design to now introduce the BPX9010 bale processor.”

The durable BPX9010 bale processor is designed with a direct drive system for less maintenance. An optional straight forks and powered sidewall kit gives producers the versatility to process bales both round and square.… Continue reading

By John Fulton, Trey Colley, and Jenna Lee

Collecting in-season data including scouting intel and imagery can be useful on the farm. For those conducting on-farm studies, collecting data beyond yield can provide valuable context when evaluating yield results post-harvest. There are several mobile applications (APPs) available today that can assist with scouting and collecting data. The value with many of these APPs is having:

1. Information at your fingertips
2. Efficient collection and storage of data, images, notes, etc.
3. The ability to share collected information with others quickly
4. Access to collected information later in the season, post-harvest or next year
5. The capability to geo-tag while collecting data and images
6. Data and information available when evaluating post-harvest results.

One app that allows you to have all of benefits in one is the Ohio State PLOTS App. This is an on-farm research app provided by The Ohio State University free of charge. PLOTS allows the user to set-up replicated field studies, capture geo-tagged notes/images during the growing season, and performs statistical analyses on collected crop data.… Continue reading

Krone NA announced that Lowe & Young in Wooster has been recognized as their highest Retail Sales Volume Dealer in the U.S. for fiscal year 2017. Krone is a global leader in the manufacture and sales of hay and forage equipment, doing business in 40 countries.

Earning this prestigious recognition as a retail sales leader for Krone takes significant effort, as each year over 200 equipment dealers compete for this distinctive recognition. To be considered for this award, the dealerships must have exceptional sales, service, and parts departments. Thus, this recognition confirms that Lowe and Young employees have exhibited tremendous commitment to serving the needs of their customers.

Lowe and Young carries the Krone forage equipment product line,  including the BiG X forage harvesters, BiG M mower conditioners, BiG Pack large square balers, Comprima Round Balers, Disc Mowers and Mower Conditioners, KW Tedders, and Swadro Rakes.

“We at Krone truly appreciate the Lowe and Young dealership’s exceptional efforts to achieve this award,” Brent Raines, Regional Product Manager for Krone. … Continue reading

For farmers who didn’t perform basic maintenance of their grain storage system following the 2017 harvest, it’s better to tackle that work now rather than trying to fit it in later this season, said Gary Woodruff, conditioning applications manager for GSI.

He cited five of the most important steps:

• Check all conveyor belts for proper tension and any needed repairs.
• Inspect chain drives for tension and lubricate.
• Remove any debris from inside and outside of the dryer, and clean the inside of the control box.
• Lubricate all greaseable bearings on dryers, conveyors and other equipment.
• Make sure safety cages are secure, and that all safety shields on motor drives and dump points are in good condition.

“Rusting and other machine deterioration occurs faster in warm weather,” Woodruff said. “A clean, lubed dryer or material handling piece of equipment will last longer and be ready for next fall.”

In addition to this basic work that farmers can handle on their own, Woodruff encourages them to contact their grain system dealer for additional pre-season maintenance that requires specialized expertise.… Continue reading

Bane-Welker Equipment is proud to announce four of their 13 locations achieved Case IH Pinnacle status in 2017. There are 613 dealer locations across the country participating in the Pinnacle Program. Of those 613, only 27 total Case IH dealer locations achieved Pinnacle status in all six categories: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Parts, Service, and AFS. Four of those 27 dealers were Bane-Welker stores and one was the Bane-Welker Equipment, LLC in Georgetown, Ohio.

“We could not be prouder of our team for their hard work this year,” said Phil Bane, CEO of Bane-Welker Equipment. “We are committed to excellence and customer satisfaction 100% of the time. Having four of our thirteen locations reach this goal is impressive and we won’t take that for granted. We will continue to work hard for our customers at all 13 locations.”

The Pinnacle Program represents the highest level of excellence in the Case IH dealer network.… Continue reading

Since Yetter Farm Equipment introduced the 2966-002 Residue Manager for John Deere 60/90 Series openers, growers have experienced effective residue management and improved emergence. Now, the 2966 is available with air-cylinder control, making it even more powerful and effective.

The key innovation on the new 2966-002A Air Adjust Residue Manager for 60/90 Series openers is the 2-inch by 4.5-inch stroke cylinder controlled by the 2940 Air Adjust In-Cab Controller, which allows growers to adjust the up and down pressure of the floating residue manager from the tractor seat.

“This effective and versatile residue management tool helps producers get over hurdles they face during seeding, such as residue hairpinning, inconsistent seed depth and placement and lack of seed-to-soil contact,” said Andy Thompson, Yetter territory manager.

The new model mounts to the arm of John Deere 60/90 Series Openers. The Air Adjust Pneumatic Controller and Compressor Kit then mounts to the air seeder to create the ideal ride for the floating residue manager as it follows the soil terrain.… Continue reading

In Almeria, Spain, IoF2020 project stakeholders demonstrated a proof of concept focusing on interoperability and compatibility between farm machines, sensors and software.

The IoF2020 group uses the ADAPT Framework focusing on interoperability and compatibility between farm machines, sensors and software. ADAPT is an open source software toolkit from AgGateway, based on a universal data compatibility model that uses plug-ins to enable translation between different proprietary data formats.

“In everything we’re doing, we’re focusing on understanding the daily challenges of our customers and supporting them with products and solutions that make farming easier,” said Andreas Klauser, Case IH brand president. “This project is another great step that will help farmers to increase efficiency by using their data without any boundaries.”

With the proof of concept demonstration, the IoF2020 partners confirmed their commitment to and progress on an open and interoperable system, through which data can flow seamlessly between different value chain participants.… Continue reading

Calling all skid steer and track loader operators! It’s time to show your skills at the rodeo — the Skid Steer Rodeo, presented by Apple Farm Service.

Are you the best skid steer or track loader operator? Apple Farm Service will be at the Clark County, Preble County, Auglaize County, and Darke County Fairs to find out.

Contestants will be timed as they finish a series of obstacles while operating a skid steer or track loader provided by Apple Farm Service. These obstacles might include tasks like scoring a soccer goal, stacking a handful of pallets, lifting a bucket of water without spilling, and other fun-to-watch obstacles. The operator with the fastest time will walk away as the best operator in the county. First prize will win $150, second prize is $100, and third prize is $50.

Come and watch as these contestants show off their skills in front of the grandstand.… Continue reading

Ohio Ag Equipment, headquartered in Broadview Heights, was recently recognized by AGCO Corporation for achieving a Five Star rating in its 2017 Dealer Excellence Program, AGCO’s annual dealer evaluation review. Ohio Ag Equipment was one of a small group of dealers across North America to achieve a Five Star rating in 2017.

Andy Thompson of AGCO Corporation presented Ohio Ag Equipment with a plaque as recognition for their accomplishments in the Dealer Excellence Program.

“We are excited to earn this high honor and recognition from AGCO,” said Mike Mampieri, General Manager with Ohio Ag Equipment said. “I am proud working with such a dedicated and customer focused team. We work very hard to provide outstanding product support that our customers expect and deserve. Ohio Ag Equipment is proud to stand among an elite group of dealers across the U.S. and Canada.”

The AGCO Dealer Excellence Program evaluates dealers’ performance in all areas of the business including sales, parts, service, marketing, training, financial management and facilities with the ultimate goal of improving customer satisfaction.… Continue reading

While farmers may be eager to get into the field this spring, a few simple maintenance checks will ensure their tires are ready too.

It is costly to have tire problems in the field. Farmers are often working against the weather, and Mother Nature only gives them a small window of opportunity to get their fields planted on time. In fact, delayed planting can cost as much as $570 per hour.

“As a farmer myself, I know all too well that itch to get into the fields as soon as the weather starts to change,” said Brad Harris, manager, Global Agriculture Field Engineering, Firestone Ag. “It is important to examine tires when you prep equipment for planting season. Our 7-step tire check list helps find problems and repair tire issues before they result in costly downtime.”

Checking the tire pressure is a good place to start.

“We need to figure out what our axle weights are and then use that almighty inflation pressure gauge to make sure that we are setting it correctly,” Harris said.… Continue reading