Ag tech Newsletter Spring 2014 by everium llc

Precision Ag U P DAT E Spring 2014

FROM BATTLEFIELDS TO FARM FIELDS

Will UAVs Transform the Future of Agriculture? As farmers continue to embrace technology as a means to work smarter and produce more, another tool with the ability to change the face of farming as we know it is almost literally poised on the horizon. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have the potential to help growers oversee millions of acres throughout rural America, saving them big money in the process.

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UPCOMING EVENTS July 10 Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day Moultrie, GA July 24 -26 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Panama City Beach, FL

Used primarily by the military up to now, drones may soon be making their way from battlefields to farm fields. Experts point to agriculture as the most promising commercial market for drones because the technology is a perfect fit for large-scale farms and vast rural areas where privacy and safety issues are less of a concern. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the trade group that represents producers and users of drones and other robotic equipment, predicts that 80% of the commercial market for drones will eventually be for agricultural uses. In preparation, companies are already developing unmanned aircraft systems, like Trimble’s UX5 Aerial Imaging Solution, equipped with cameras and other sensors to survey crops, monitor for disease or precision-spray pesticides and fertilizers. Drones are currently used overseas in agriculture, including in Japan and Brazil. At the moment, only public agencies and individuals who have acquired special certificates of waiver can use drones in the U.S., and they must do so under tightly controlled conditions. Later this year, the FAA is expected to propose rules for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. This should cover most uses on the farm. When regulatory standards are finally set, the AUVSI expects things to take off in a hurry. A March 2013 report prepared by the group forecasts a $13.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy within the first three years. That number is expected to grow to $82 billion by 2025. “Like the rest of the precision ag industry, here at Ag Tech we are excited about the future possibilities offered by agricultural drones,” said Josh Pitts, Ag Tech’s Executive VP of Retail Operations. “By staying on top of the latest industry developments, we will be able to offer our customers access to that technology as soon as it is FAA approved and available. And then, well, the sky’s the limit!”

The Southeast’s Leading Precision Ag Company

GROUND PREP Q&A

Josh Herrington of Ag Technologies Precision Ag Services Team answers your questions about nutrient management What is ground prep? Prior to planting, the soil needs to be prepared, usually by some form of tillage or chemical "burn-down" to kill the weeds in the seedbed that would crowd out the crop or compete with it for water and nutrients. Tillage methods can be divided into three major categories, depending on the amount of crop residue they leave on the surface: conventional tillage, reduced tillage, and conservation tillage. Residue slows the flow of runoff that can displace and carry away soil particles.

How is ground prep implemented? Ground prep tillage can occur anytime between harvest of the previous year's crop and spring planting. In the eastern Corn Belt, most tillage is usually done between March and May for corn, and can be as late as early June for soybeans. In some cases, tillage is done in the fall, after harvest. In southern states, planting can be considerably earlier or later because of their longer growing season. The optimum time for tillage (to prevent soil erosion) is just before planting. However, wet spring weather can often make it difficult to get equipment into the field as early as needed to optimize yield. Late planting can seriously reduce yields.

What is the benefit? Ground prep helps control weeds by uprooting or burying them and softens the soil to prepare a good seed bed, allowing easier planting of crops. It also exposes organic matter to oxygen, helps to release soil nutrients for crop growth, and reduces compaction of soil and its bulks density to allow for rooting and to improve soil structure. Proper preparation improves the infiltration of water and incorporates any soil amendments including organic materials, lime or fertilizer while helping to control diseases and various pests associated with soils. By prepping the ground, planters can assist operations that are needed to shape level the soil to have a more uniform water application. Obviously, farmers find these benefits very important for their farms and have adapted their own techniques to suit the soil types available on their farms. No one recommendation can be given for all farms or cropping systems in a country.

How do I get started? To get started with your land prep or tillage practices, you should come up with a plan that works for your farm or farms. Some farms may benefit by using a no till or strip till method or it may be that conventional tillage is what works best for you. Your Ag Tech Sales Representative can help you choose the correct equipment and the correct guidance solutions to help save you time and money.

Authorized Ag Dealer

TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Barbara Warren CORDELE, GEORGIA Corporate Accounting Administrative Assistant

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Guidance Display

Choose either the FMX integrated display, CFX-750 display for spraying operations, or the new TMX-2050 depending on your farm’s needs. TMX-2050 In the middle of a busy season, the last thing you need is a complicated interface. The rugged TMX-2050 display has a large 12.1” (30.8 cm) high-definition touch screen with sharp visuals and a bigger, clearer image. Built on the Android™ operating system, the flexible platform integrates into your operation seamlessly, and the intuitive interface makes it easy for both beginner and advanced users to easily implement precision agriculture solutions. View different mapping layers, such as coverage, speed, and applied rate. Manage your field directly from the display with the Field Manager view—showing fields, AB lines, and boundary information all in one easy-to-access screen. Our CenterPoint™ RTX™ correction service enables precise 1.5“ (3.8 cm) pass-to-pass and repeatable accuracy, while our RangePoint™ RTX correction service provides 6” (15 cm) pass-to-pass accuracy and 20” (50 cm) repeatable accuracy. Our xFill™ technology also allows RTK users to continue receiving precision location data in the event of temporary radio or Internet outages.

TrueGuide Implement Guidance System Control your implement with the Trimble® TrueGuide® implement guidance system, a passive guidance system that monitors and corrects the position of your implement with compensation from your tractor. Wth TrueGuide, your implement's position is dependent on your tractor. When your implement drifts, TrueGuide signals your tractor's autopilot system to pull the implement on line—so you can operate with ease no matter the guidance path. Benefits: • Reduces uncontrolled drift of the implement by more than 50% • Minimizes draft and result in more consistent guess rows • Increase your precision with input placement

Field-IQ Trimble’s Field-IQ™ crop input control system is a flow and application control system that prevents seed and fertilizer overlap, controls the rate of material applications, monitors seed delivery and fertilizer blockage, and controls the height of spray booms. Overlapping inputs will increase your costs and creates nutrient deficiency in soil due to overpopulation of seed. The Field-IQ system controls planter clutches and a variety of air seeder systems by automatically turning sections on/off based on non-farm zones and previously planted areas. Benefits: • Eliminates over-planting • Increases yield • Ensures proper seed spacing • Prevents lodging and nutrient competition • Creates uniform yield across fields • Lessens environmental impact

EXPERIENCE I have enjoyed being part of Ag Technologies since 2006 and watching the growth and expansion of this great company, from just six employees when I began my employment. I was previously employed with Supervalu, Inc. of Atlanta, a retail food distributioncompany, for 23 years and also owned and operated Southwest Greenhouses in Douglasville, GA. BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB I am proud to work with the greatest team of young men and women I know. SPARE TIME Gardening, travel and line dancing FAMILY My husband, Jack, after 41 years of marriage, passed away in 2009. I have a son, Phillip Warren, and a daughter, Cathy Swanger. Phillip has two boys, Braxton and Nicolas. Cathy has two girls, Haley and Whitney. SUMMER PLANS In May, a bus trip to Branson, MO, with a music group. Opry Mania sponsored by Joey Garland from Douglasville, GA.

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It is our mission at Ag Technologies to provide progressive-minded customers a complete solution of precision agriculture with superior products and a professional staff to help inspire, educate and provide first class service and support.

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

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GREG MIMS, SEMINOLE COUNTY, GA

For Greg Mims, 44 , and his younger brother, Clent, growing up on the family farm in Seminole County, Georgia, was a natural introduction into their chosen professions. Today, they farm 3,500 acres outside of Donalsonville with their father. Mims Farms is the latest incarnation of family farms reaching back several generations.

"I've been farming all my life," said Greg Mims. "This is the only life I've ever known."

Cotton is the biggest crop grown at Mims Farms, followed by corn and peanuts, but they also harvest wheat and soybeans and raise a small herd of cows. Ag Tech customers for about 10 years, the Mims rely on guidance systems and auto-steer.

"By running straighter rows, we were actually able to pick up an acre or two," said Mims.

They also utilize auto-boom on their sprayers, cutting costs by using more precise amounts of chemicals, which both reduces waste and saves crops from injury. While he can't imagine any other life, Mims admits that farming has both its ups and downs. "Some years are tougher than others. The last couple of years have been decent, but we're anticipating a tighter year this year. That's when those savings on input costs we get from our precision ag equipment can really help." Another generation of Mims is growing up on the farm, too. Greg and his wife, Stephanie, have a son, Will, who is a senior in high school and a daughter, Katibeth, who is in the ninth grade, while Clent and his wife, Geeja, are busy with third grade son, Rand, and first grade daughter, Claire. From the great-grandfather who started it all to the children of today, the farm has been an integral part of this family's lives for years. Greg Mims sums it up easily in just one sentence. "Farming is just in our blood."