Latest News From Smart Farming

To bring new ways to connect its agronomy insights with customers, Growmark and 29 of its member FS companies are launching the myFS Agronomy app in conjunction with Intelinair.

Unsure about soil conditions at planting? Smart Firmers can help with that.

A handful of planter manufacturer reps share several tips and lookouts to ensure the planter is working properly this spring.

Once a niche tool used by agronomists and consultants, farmers are starting to take notice of drones and consider the technology more often. Here's the latest on swarms, service providers and security concerns.

With Steward Link’s background in federal, state and private funding opportunities and Taranis’ focus on technology, the companies share this partnership will help them better serve ag retailers and farmers. 

A recent breakout session at World Agri Tech Innovation Summit laid out some of the unanswered questions farmers need to sort through before adding a selective spraying system.

Tim Hushon, sustainability and technology director at The Mill, details how sustainability factors into their ag retail business and how to partner with farmers on the technology adoption required.

As farmers embrace Smart Farming and digital agriculture solutions in greater numbers, machine connectivity is the uniting force that enables all of the potential to pay off in the end.

There are a number of practices that can create passive income on your operation, but the level of effort and investment to implement them varies.

Sarah Beth Aubrey explores the advantages and disadvantages of early adoption in the ag industry.

According to the company, the use of PhotoSeed technology has the potential to lower a crop’s carbon intensity score.

“We are talking about fuel produced in 2025, but that is going to use the crop we are growing this year,” Mitchell Hora says.

Spray drones are growing more ubiquitous and more scalable across agriculture. One company has unlocked the ability to deploy three at once and it’s a Smart Farming game changer.

“We are really in a second phase of ag tech,” says Ryan Raguse, co-founder of Bushel. “We aren’t in an overly mature state—we’re still somewhere in the middle ground."

A Minnesota grower asks Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, how to improve upon the soil fertility on 90 acres he is renting for the first time this year.

The new 45Z tax credit passed in the Inflation Reduction Act, slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2025, means a farmer's carbon intensity score will soon be worth more, especially if your corn goes to an ethanol plant.

Take a reasoned, purposeful, and proactive approach to adding new technology.

Here’s how to get the biggest ROI from your layers of data — and use the information to spot issues in time to improve this year's crop.

Yield Optimizer is a digital tool that uses independent seed trial data to help farmers make seed selections with guaranteed yield performance. CEO Billy Rose tells how it gives farmers peace of mind.

Whether it's planting, spraying, soil sampling or harvesting, new tools are turning the information you collect into actionable insights.

It’s been said high-yielding corn needs 25" of moisture per acre per year. In 2023, when Mother Nature didn't cooperate, management strategies to retain moisture coupled with new traits made a difference at harvest.

Being prepared will further instill you as a trusted advisor and someone ready to outfit a customer's farm for the future with its complete digital dataset.

Just because tar spot was mostly a no-show in 2022 and 2023 doesn't mean that will be the case in 2024. Charting humidity levels can help predict if the disease will strike.

In a year with razor-thin margins, at best, corn and soybean growers can use a variety of new technology and tried-and-true agronomic tools to score higher yields this season.

In the West, automation is geared toward smaller, driverless equipment. In the Midwest, major manufacturers have introduced their largest horsepower combines and tractors yet, all with autonomous capabilities.

The National Agricultural Aviation Association shares what indicates a professional aerial applicator.

These smart farming trends and example products highlight greater efficiency, maximum yields and environmental stewardship.

Minor space weather events have temporarily knocked out corrections signals over Canada and The Dakotas in the past. Would your farm be ready for a more severe outage?

The NewLeaf Symbiotics team says reluctance to try biologicals is often a result of feeling overwhelmed by the options available, making education key as the space continues to grow.

If weather stresses have you looking for ways to give your crop a stronger start this spring, consider whether a plant growth regulator could be part of the solution, especially in high-yield environments.

Data — a word that packs a punch but can be hard to define. From planting to irrigation, it's necessary to have a digital record of these field activities to participate in sustainability and crop traceability programs.

The 2024 AgLaunch startups bravely pitched straight to the farmer masses at the event. While truly an impressive class, only one would be chosen for the coveted top honor.

Both companies have existing initiatives to grow the biologicals market.

The influence of one ag retailer propels multiple farms’ success, and the opportunity is further highlighted with this season’s growing challenges.

Biome Makers said it pairs artificial intelligence with its soil database to decode soil biology and provide growers with more actionable information.

Two new studies from Locus Ag and Pivot Bio found the use of biological products consistently increased yields in a variety of crops across a range of growing conditions.

During testing, the company found only 4% of CRW larvae chose roots treated with TS201 when given a choice between treated and untreated roots.

Through the Frontier Fields program, a select group of farmers will document their experiences with a biological product over the course of a year.

Four-dollar corn dominated discussions, but farmers remain open to new innovations and machinery as spring planting and the promise of a new production season beckons.

The company says AGMRI Analyze will help growers narrow down what might be limiting their crops’ yield and help them make more informed decisions for next year. 

This is a new seed lubricity agent applied at plant as a talc/graphite replacement which also provides a micronutrient package (5% phosphate, 1% iron, 3% mnagenses, 2.5% molybendum, 10.5% zinc.)

Rick Rice, AMVAC director of application technology, says grant programs aren't meant to forever subsidize a particular practice, but instead act as a catalyst for new participants to see its benefits.

The company’s BioAgonomics project will focus on the connection between agronomic practices in crop production and the value provided by biologicals.

“Our mission is to improve and expand our program to create additional opportunities for even more American farmers,” said Leonardo Bastos, Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Services at Bayer Crop Science.

A new S7 series combine, high-horsepower 9RX tractors, C series air carts and Hagie STS sprayers with factory-installed See & Spray Premium highlight a splashy group of product intros.

The company says its year-over-year growth includes more farmers paid (215% increase in new growers), more fields enrolled (333% more new acres and a 297% increase in new fields) and more credits produced each year. 

To date, tens of thousands of acres have been planted with SIMPAS-Applied Solutions (SaS) through the SIMPAS application system.

Evan Fust says his team is ready to take on the challenges alongside their customers with a new go-to-market structure.

Farm Journal's machinery and technology editor was on the ground in Louisville last week. Here’s a handful of the trends we saw down in Bourbon Country.

The announcement means more streamlined use and experience for farmers, which can lead to more data-driven decision making for farmers and ag retailers.