An agronomics analytics service already used on more than 26 million acres is moving into the Canadian market, boosted by a recently announced US$3.2 million investment by M12—the corporate venture arm for Microsoft. “What it means is we will be scaling across the Americas,” said Anastasia Volkova, chief executive officer and founder of Australian startup […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Household name eyes ag imaging
Sony’s system uses a drone-mounted multispectral camera with two sensors to help producers create field maps
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sony is bringing its digital camera and image processing expertise to the agriculture imaging market. The company’s scouting solution uses a drone-mounted multispectral camera with two sensors that capture 12 megapixel RGB, compressed RAW images and two megapixel, near infrared and red channels for NDVI maps. It also has a built-in […] Read more
Soil moisture sensors piece of cake to install
The sensors update information through a LoRaWAN or cellular network, enabling access to data any time farmers want it
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A rubber mallet and a smartphone are all the tools needed to install Sensoterra’s line of soil moisture sensors. “You stick them in the ground, you whack them real hard until they’re snug to the ground, and they are installed,” said Bas van der Velden of Sensoterra at InfoAg in St. […] Read moreApp offered as add-on to existing farm management systems
An image analysis service offers a smartphone app that identifies plant diseases, pests and weeds. “We are not a farm management system, we are a value-add, bolt-on to farm management systems,” said Craig Ganssle, founder and chief executive officer of Farmwave. “We do image analysis from disease and pest identification, diagnosis, severity rating, and we […] Read more
Self-propelled baler is an independent spirit
Large producers and custom operators are likely buyers of Vermeer’s new round baler, which needs no tractor to power or pull it
LANGHM, Sask. — Vermeer is making the rounds through farm shows and farmers’ fields in Western Canada this summer with its ZR5 self-propelled baler. J.B. Atkins of Vermeer said producers most likely to be giving this unit a serious tire kick are large producers and custom operators, especially where two baling units can be replaced […] Read more
Farm media group builds Discovery Farm
A new concept helps farmers discover agricultural innovations in a hands-on manner. The Glacier Farmmedia Discovery Farm was announced by company president Bob Willcox during the 2019 Ag In Motion innovation ceremonies in Saskatoon. The GFM Discovery Farm is a 640-acre property dedicated to agricultural events and demonstration plots near Langham, Sask., which Willcox said […] Read more
Plot trials measure value of seed treatments
A planter provides slightly higher canola emergence compared to an air drill but the difference may be erased by a seed treatment, based on initial results of demonstration plot trials near Langham, Sask. The Field of Excellence trial plot is a 380-acre space dedicated to field-scale and small-scale demonstration plots. It is a place where […] Read more
Fertilizer delivery made quickly
Amazone’s trailed spreader gets fertilizer to ground quickly and accurately with variable rate control
REGINA — With a spread width up to 54 metres and operational speeds of up to 30 km-h, the Amazone ZG-TS trailed spreader is capable of quickly getting product to the ground. “The capacity is about 1,700 pounds per minute. That means you can spread a big amount in pounds per acre and still drive […] Read more
Saving on connections to and in the field
LoRa Alliance is made up of more than 500 member companies working toward large-scale deployment of the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) by promoting the LoraWan open standard. “We have a technology standard so you know that a device you’re working on will work anywhere in the world on any network. It’s based on […] Read more
Precision ag struggling for full acceptance
Many new digital tools are not adopted yet as farmers wait to see a return on investment from technology
The term precision ag has been around for decades, and like other terms ubiquitously used, it can be difficult to know what someone means when they say it. To address this concern the board of the International Society for Precision Agriculture approved a definition of precision ag on June 20, which is as follows: “Precision […] Read more
