Prime Meridian and IDEAg together in June…What a Great Idea!

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

Prime Meridian is set to connect with growers and industry technology leaders at the second annual IDEAg Interconnectivity Conference to be held June 26-27 in Altoona, Iowa.

IDEAg is literally a “meeting of minds” coming together to discuss the farm of the future when it comes to connectivity and data. Prime Meridian will be there alongside industry names like John Deere, Raven, SST, SatShot and wireless telecommunication players like Verizon.

For Prime Meridian, IDEAg is the perfect venue to show how its services can connect clients to their data but also “interconnect” all the data coming from multiple sources. The term interconnectivity is being pushed to the forefront in modern agriculture as nearly everything on the farm whether moving or stationary will literally be “talking back” in the future.

If you’d like to connect with Prime Meridian in Iowa at the IDEAg Interconnectivity Conference, visit booth #20 and check out the IDEAg website at: http://www.ideaggroup.com/ideag-interconnectivity.

The Magic Is Back: EC Makes A Comeback

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

In the early days of precision agriculture there were a lot of technologies arriving on the scene that captured the title of “The Next Big Thing.” One of those “Big Things” was something called “EC” – the acronym for electrical conductivity.

The theory was that by shooting an electrical current into soil to measure resistance and logging that data with GPS you could make an “EC Map” of your field. Why? For many it was like being able to peer into a soil’s soul as you could discover its character and how it might react under certain conditions. In scientific terms the EC data told you how much of your soil was sand verses clay and helped determined its water and nutrient holding capabilities.

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In the early 2000’s the “IT” piece of hardware to have in your precision stable was a pull-type coulter EC rig called a Veris or an EM-38 machine that sort of looks like you’re pulling a landscape timber with wheels attached!

So, it was that EC maps became the “IT” layer to have in your precision portfolio trumping at the time the even still fascinating colored yield maps and those variable fertility layers. For a brief moment in time EC soil data was considered the “magic bullet” – the “go-to” layer for making management decisions involving variety selection, seeding rates and nutrient and herbicide applications.

What happened next? Reality sank in and it was discovered EC data is not exactly magic – but it isn’t snake oil either. It is tool – a layer of data – no different than yield data, topo data or fertility data. Unfortunately because of this reality, EC mapping went through a sophomore slump as precision service providers went back to their meat and potatoes services like making GPS soil sampling and making yield maps deeming EC data not worth their time or effort. Both metaphorically and in reality EC became regulated to the fencerow right next to the 5-bottom plow that nobody used anymore.

Fast forward to today. EC is back – and so is a little bit of the magic! Retooled and this time with a purpose. The difference this time is that EC data is being leveraged to validate traditional data such as yield maps and soil type maps. It has also become a foundational layer as variable-rate seeding technology has hit the mainstream. It just makes sense to better understand things like the water-holding capability of your soils before deciding on how many seeds per acre to plant.

The other big reason for EC’s comeback is another new acronym called VRI – “Variable-Rate Irrigation”. VRI is literally an electronic prescription that tells your pivot how much water to put on as it moves across the field. Again, it is just common sense that something that determines the water holding capabilities of a field’s soil be used when determining how much water to apply to the soil!

It is because of these reasons that we at Prime Meridian believe that this time EC is back and it’s here to stay simply because now there is relevance as we’ve discovered ways to apply what we can learn from it.

At Prime Meridian we saw this coming and for the past several months we’ve been gearing up to integrate EC services into our offerings to our clients. We already offer basic ala carte EC data collection and mapping but be looking for pending announcements on how you will be able to integrate EC data into popular our multi-year Prime Packages – making it more affordable and easier than ever to collect EC data on your farm. In addition, we’ll be offering new EC data combos by combining it with other advanced data layers like topo data and aerial imagery.

It’s nice to know that EC data was not a one-hit wonder and it’s good to see that the sophomore slump is over. It is now clear that it is about to graduate to a whole now level.

What do you think?

There’s An APP For That! Prime Meridian Offers Digital Field Scouting Reports

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

When Prime Meridian first brought its multi-year precision data packages to market nearly 2 years ago we did something a little groundbreaking. We decided that for any qualified client that signed up for one of our Prime Packages we would include a free Apple iPad tablet.

What we discovered was that delivering digital information via 3-ring binders should have been ditched a long time ago. Our clients fell in love with receiving digital precision information digitally. Imagine that?

But what we’re finding out along with the rest of the agricultural world is that these mobile devices are more than a digital one-trick pony. Not only are they good at receiving and displaying digital information but they make pretty awesome field data collectors as well.

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There are a lot of great agricultural apps out there but one in particular caught our eye this spring and we’d like our retail partners and grower clients to give it a spin this growing season. It’s called Scout Pro and what’s different about it is that it does one specific task very well – field scouting. In fact, it is so specific the company offers separate apps for scouting corn and soybeans.

Up until now there has not been a really robust, full-featured scouting application that took full advantage of the power and simplicity of the new mobile platforms like iOS or Android. What makes it so different?

1) Just a few touches and flicks through the app will reveal a rich multi-media library with almost every plant specific pest or disease you can think of. Just identify, tag and touch and everything is geo-referenced and synced back to an online database where all data is sorted by field boundary. Not sure of a particular pest? Just snap a pic with you mobile device and it gets geo-tagged to the field and shared with key advisors.

2) In addition, to collecting data Scout Pro digitally disseminates scouting reports that look like works of art compared to their previous hand scribbled paper counterparts. Plus, reports can literally be sent when exiting a field instead of having to sometimes wait days for a written report.

3) The final and most important perk we see with the Scout Pro app is that all the data once synced with the database is exportable to other key GIS packages. This is critical as scouting data needs to be married with other real-time field information like variety and seed population information and yield maps and fertility data. Wouldn’t you like to be able to relate yield loss in a field to insect damage? Better yet wouldn’t you like to know which variety of corn was more susceptible to things like green snap? That’s the exciting power of this app.

It is for these reasons Prime Meridian is looking to integrate the Scout Pro app and the data collected into its multi-year Prime Packages’ offerings. It certainly is a natural fit and since you’ll have the free iPad anyway, you might as well take it everywhere you go – including to the field to scout bugs and weeds!

Want to learn more? For more information on getting set up on Scout Pro or its cost, please contact Justin Ogle or Steve Cubbage at Prime Meridian at 417-667-4471.

Making it Pay: Applying Aerial Imagery at the Ground Level

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

There is the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. But the question that many growers are asking is…what is the value of in-season aerial crop imagery?

Up until now the answer probably would have been – “not much”. Historically, many factors have diminished the value of “in-season” field portraits in the eyes of growers. Either it wasn’t timely enough as some past services had turnaround times of over 2 weeks. Then, there was the issue of “grainy” images as the resolution on some “satellite” or even “flown” products was less than adequate. Then there was the issue of bang for your buck – in other words was the product worth it? Probably not, if it didn’t arrive on time and/or even if it did it had the clarity of an out-of-focus eye-chart.

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All that being said there is another saying that says don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. The fact is, there is tremendous value in timely, high-resolution aerial imagery that can have an immediate positive affect on a growing crop and future crop-year management decisions. And the good news for growers is today such services are much more timely and the technology has improved greatly.

Seeing the present value in this for its clients, Prime Meridian has teamed with Bill Stocks of Aerial Imagery Solutions of Chadwick, IL to add aerial imagery as an advanced agronomic service for its agri-retail partners and producers.

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The goal is to provide real “information” – not just images back to agronomists and growers so that they still have time to “take action” while the crop can still benefit.

For example, in-season aerial imagery can address such issues as:

Nitrogen deficiency
Fertilizer and herbicide misapplication
Weed and insect infestations
Pivot irrigation equipment or sprinkler malfunctions

In addition to the “real-time” management benefits listed above, there is an agronomic and economic bonus that comes by taking a “rear-view mirror” management approach to the data. By comparing geo-referenced imagery data such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to ground truth data like GPS yield, variety and population information there is a lot one can learn from a bird’s eye view. Some of the types of post-harvest data analysis possibilities include:

Correlation of image NDVI values to actual yield map values
Comparison of image NDVI values to actual nitrogen rates
Evaluating NDVI value differences between different varieties
Looking for correspondence between seeding population rates and NDVI values
Possible relationship between NDVI to actual field topo evaluation values
Comparison of soil EC readings to NDVI values

And the list goes on… As you can see from the above possibilities aerial imagery can produce more than just a “pretty picture”. It is a real-time and rear-view mirror management tool that can yield real results when applied properly. To discover more about Prime Meridian’s new aerial imagery offerings or if you’re ready to schedule your “farm’s” portrait, contact GIS specialist Justin Ogle at 417-667-4471 or via email at justin@primemeridiandata.com.

Moving Beyond the Iron to Precision Data Services

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

Iron dealers were there at the beginning of precision agriculture. For many, the piece of precision hardware called the yield monitor started this whole technological revolution in agriculture. Today, it has become integrated into machine as just one of the hundreds of sensors that make up a modern combine.

Yield monitors, planter monitors, sprayer monitors all should be the “domain” of the iron dealer. Because of that fact, machinery dealers are now being faced with whether or not to be more than just a “seller of iron” when it comes to precision agriculture. A recent forum by Farm Machinery magazine at the Ag Connect conference in Kansas City took a look at where and how machinery dealers should position their businesses when it comes to the business of precision data services.

View the full article, “Data Management: Waking the ‘Sleeping Giant’ in Precision Farming,” which features an interview with Steve Cubbage of Prime Meridian, by clicking here.

Drones and Precision Agriculture: The Sky is the Limit

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Steve Cubbage

Autosteer literally changed the face and direction of precision agriculture. That whiz-bang technology came about because once highly sophisticated military technology was commercialized. Just take a look at what has happened. Tractors and combines now roll off the production line complete with GPS from the factory just like it was as common of a technology as AM/FM radio.

Now another military technology is about to infiltrate precision agriculture. Last week the Wall Street Journal took a look at drone technology and how it could change the agricultural landscape when it comes to managing crops in the future. I had a chance to chime in on what it might mean for our industry and I believe we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible. Pardon the pun, but in this case I really do believe the sky is the limit! What do you think?

View the full Wall Street Journal article, “Drones Hit New Turf: U.S. Farmlands,” by clicking here.

Yield Mapping Failure Is Not An Option

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Steve Cubbage

“This year’s crop is so bad I just don’t see the point of yield mapping.”

I’ve heard that line repeated by more than a few farmers this fall as they prepared to go to the field to harvest a severely subpar crop.

I don’t know who started the rumor that yield monitors were only to be used for good crops! Granted there certainly is no pride down at the local coffee shop showing off maps of fields that only produced half a crop. But that shouldn’t be the point of yield maps in the first place. It is not a work of art. It is an agronomic record to learn from. Sometimes Mother Nature teaches us from very hard lessons. Accept them, learn from them and move on.

I understand the inclination to want to wipe disaster years like 2012 from your memory. But turning off a yield monitor or trashing yield data on a crop because it didn’t measure up should never be an option in the age of precision farming. It’s sort of like turning off your young child’s baby monitor because you don’t want to hear them cry. It’s irresponsible in both cases!

I would argue that you actually learn less about your fields and your management practices in a good year than you do a bad one. A lot less! How do you fine tune seed populations to soil in a perfect year? The answer is you don’t. How do you evaluate drought tolerant hybrids if it rains just the right amount every week? If there was ever a year that tested modern seed genetics it was this crop year! How do you gauge nutrient removal if you don’t have a precision fuel gauge like a yield monitor? Nutrient management alone is worth keeping a yield monitor on in both good times and bad.

As you can tell at Prime Meridian we take yield mapping very seriously. It is the cornerstone of many of our multiple year Prime Packages. It is critical information that provides the template for many variable-rate seeding prescriptions. And finally it has become necessary digital data that will be required by government agencies and federal crop insurance. Even if you do nothing with it – collect it, save it and protect it in a secure online AgriMAX account.

You only have so many harvests in a lifetime. They all tell a unique story. It is important to you and your farm’s future not to skip a single chapter.

50, 100, 70 – Winning the Food Production Lottery

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Steve Cubbage

No, these are not the first three numbers of the latest winning PowerBall ticket. However, don’t discount them. Their meaning is linked to this interesting tidbit of information that is circulating among agricultural academics.

“By the year 2050, we will need to produce 100 percent more food coming from a 70 percent increase in technology.”

Such a challenge almost sounds like a script worthy of a Mission Impossible episode. The reality of the situation is that it is going to be quite a job for the less than 1 percent of Americans who claim production agriculture as their primary source of income.

For those of you banking on biotechnology as the probable savior of feeding the 9 billion of us in 2050 I would encourage you to go buy another lottery ticket – you might have better luck. You see, biotechnology can only be part of the answer and that’s only if it is used wisely. It is far from the total solution.

Just take a look at this year – the worst drought in a generation knocked average corn yields back over 30 percent in spite of all of our modern “genetics.” We fell from an all-time high in 2009 of nearly 165 bushels per acre to barely clearing 120 bushels per acre this year once the counting is done. Mother Nature just reminded us that we’re far from knowing it all!

In 1950 the average corn yield in the U.S. barely reached 40 bushels per acre. By 1970 it was 80. And as mentioned the high water mark came in 2009 – almost reaching 165 bushels per acre. In essence, I would contend that there have been 3 technological “revolutions” that have propelled modern agriculture forward.

Technological “Revolutions”

First, there was the “Mechanical” Revolution that saw the switching out of the horse for horsepower. Today my great grandfather who picked corn by hand with a team of horses and a wagon would be in awe of today’s modern, mechanized combines.

Second, there was the “Green” Revolution where hybrid seeds, commercial fertilizers and new chemistries fueled an agricultural abundance like no one had ever seen before.

Finally, the “Biotech” Revolution – where science unlocked the Holy Grail of the secrets of life. For many it was the last turn on the Rubix’s Cube of agriculture. With biotechnology anything was deemed possible – drought resistant crops, corn and cotton that make their own nitrogen and a “chicken in every pot.”

But even a company like Monsanto realizes that the biotechnology boon alone will not get us to 50, 100, 70.

So what kind of technology are we counting to increase production by 100 percent if it’s not primarily biotechnology?

That will come from the next revolution – the “Information” Revolution of agriculture. This is the reason Monsanto bought the precision hardware company Precision Planting – it was to gather information from millions of acres. It was to take that information and mine it, analyze it and scour it for the secrets that will lead agricultural production forward. Putting all those “secrets” together, in the right order, is what is really needed to solve agriculture’s Rubix’s Cube.

Agriculture has a big job in front of it. And it’s not just about raising more. It is about using “information” to farm smarter. It is about growing more with less and preserving our land and resources for generations to come. That’s the real mission that the modern agricultural producer must choose to accept.

2012 Drought Will Change the Precision Agriculture Landscape

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Steve Cubbage

The drought of 2012 will leave a lasting impression on a new generation of farmers. It will change farming in profound ways – ways in which we do not yet realize.

When the dust has finally settled on this year’s harvest, the rains return and the cropinsurance checks are written, change will be in the air come 2013.

Possibly one of the most overlooked changes could come within the industry of precision agriculture itself. It is my contention that this year’s drought will change precision ag more than any one outside event in the last 10 years and quite possibly the most since satellites starting orbiting the Earth.

Why? How? What is this guy talking about?

Well the federal crop insurance system is about to write some of the biggest crop insurance loss checks to producers – ever! The federal government is also broke – nearly $16 trillion in debt. It also just so happens that this “weather” event aligned when Congress is in the process of debating the next Farm Bill.

Clearing the future hurdles of compliance and claims for government programs and insurance will require new heights in the level of documentation. Electronic production records produced by the computers in the field during planting and harvest will become mandatory. So quite simply that yield monitor with no GPS isn’t going to cut the mustard anymore. Neither is the pocket paper notebook logging where you changed seed corn varieties.

Crop insurance auditors are going to ultimately require “real-time” data. USDA offices will move toward this for reporting as well. We’ve already seen the movement toward such “electronic” reporting within the industry and this drought is only going to accelerate those moves.

Like it or not, precision agriculture is about to become a government mandate. Are you ready? Is your farm ready? No one knows what the weather will do next year or the year after that but requiring more precision electronic documentation is a 100 percent probability.

To ensure accuracy and consistency in your precision ag data Prime Meridian offers reporting compliance through its multi-year Prime Packages program. For a program that costs $2 to $6 per acre annually it literally pays participating growers back in spades – in good years – or bad.

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