GPS

Adopters Get Rapid Return on Precision Investment

A recent study conducted by independent research firm dmrkynetec demonstrates that precision agriculture adopters gaining a speedy return on their technology investment.

The Time is Right For Precision Ag Technologies

Given the new dynamics triving global agriculture these days, the International Plant Nutrition Institute shared the following thoughts on why the time is right for adoption of preciision ag technology.

Cotton And Precision: RTK Payoff

Three years ago, grower Jared Fiveash was asking what a real-time kinematic GPS system could do for his operation. These days, he finds himself trying to find something the system can’t do.

GPS Receiver Technology Update

This season’s GPS receivers offer more convenience and accuracy to users at both ends of the adoption spectrum.

Lightbars: Improving On The Basics

Basic lightbars have been around for a long time now, but manufacturers are still finding ways to make them better.

The GPS Evolution

WHEN IT COMES to precision farming, global positioning is the heart and soul of any strategy. And as the GPS revolution rolls into its second decade since it truly became a widely available public access technology, much has changed for the better.

GPS, And More Of It ...

My partner on the sales side of PrecisionAg, Dan Bellanger, is a true technology enthusiast. Virtually every time we travel together, he has a new toy to show. Several years ago when iPods were still a glint in Steve Jobs brilliant mind, Dan had a music storage device that would utilize an unused bandwidth on the car radio to "broadcast" a song from the unit to the radio. You'd have to put up with the occasional interference from an emergency or traffic broadcast (not to mention Dan's eclectic music tastes that recently included some really bad early Bee Gees songs) but it was pretty impressive for the time.

Now, it's GPS .. specifically, a Garmin he recently purchased. He got hooked on it during a trip we took together to Biglerville, PA to see the rig manfacturer GVM's facility. When it was over we needed to get to Baltimore in a hurry, and he had gotten the Garmin on a whim as a rental car option for the day.

If you've never been to southeast PA, many towns are nestled in hilly terrain with curvy, seemingly indiscriminate two lane roads winding everywhere. No fear, Dan loaded the airport code and we made it unscathed and on time.

"You know, we'd still be driving today if I hadn't had the Garmin," he likes to say. It's his main defense for having purchased his own, which we used last week on a trip to Memphis.

And apparently, many of you are discovering, and/or expanding your use of, global positioning systems. In our reader poll earlier this month, almost 40% of you said that you will be expanding your use of GPS for both personal and field work use. About a third of you will be using GPS more for field work, while just over 10% of you will use it more for personal reasons. Only 17% said they have no plans to use GPS more in 2008.

As prices come down, functionality increases, and the benefits become more apparent, GPS use will continue to expand, bringing in new users and expanding the horizons of current users. Unfortunately, Dan and I won't be able to tell folks that we're late for a meeting because we "got lost."

Rawson Introduces GPS-based Speed Sensor

The ACCU-SPEED System from Rawson Control Systems uses global positioning to measure speed, providing a more accurate alternative to ground speed radar guns.

Google Offers Low-Cost GPS Tracking

The Trackstick II is now available from Google, a portable device that provides GPS tracking information for a wide variety of applications.

Innovation: Tru Count Automates Planter Clutch

PrecisionAg eNews -  Tru Count's GPS-driven planter clutch has been quickly adopted by precision manufactuers and OEMs as well as growers for it's efficiency benefits.