Growers can use Tule Vision to take midday leaf water potential readings by simply taking short iPhone videos of their vines. Photos from each video are then fed into a model that reports the readings in real-time to the grower on their phone. Water stress readings and photos are also displayed on Tule’s web dashboard and app.

“Tule Vision gives us the ability to take quick, accurate water stress measurements that don’t require specialized training or cumbersome equipment. This helps us easily create our weekly irrigation schedules. My advice to anyone considering Tule Vision is to give it a try, expect to be humbled, learn from technology, and let it help you become a better irrigator.”

says viticulture consultant Chris Storm.

In 2014, Tule launched Tule Sensors, a UC Davis research-based product that uses field sensors to measure Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) and water stress in crops. The sensors also connect to a field’s irrigation system to measure how much water is being applied. The combination of data is used to make irrigation recommendations that maintain the exact water stress levels that the grower prefers. Using thousands of grapevine water stress measurements from Tule sensors and photos taken by field technicians, Tule was able to develop the artificial intelligence model that powers Tule Vision.

For growers who rely on pressure chamber readings, Tule Vision makes it easier to take more readings in less time. For vineyard managers who are less familiar with pressure chambers, Tule Vision provides a simple, quick, and cost-effective way to take midday leaf water potential readings that show vine water stress. With unlimited users, anyone in the grower’s organization can take readings and access this information to get a more complete picture of vineyard health.

“Since the demo launch of Tule Vision, we’ve received tremendous feedback from users that have allowed us to make improvements to the model and provide an even better experience for growers,”

says Tom Shapland, Ph.D., founder, and CEO of Tule.

One change that growers will notice this season is a feature that enables users to attach an iPhone to an ATV and passively collect readings as they drive down vineyard rows.

“Helping growers achieve their production goals is at the heart of what we do. We rely heavily on our customer relationships and are always looking for new ways to improve what we provide them.”

says Shapland.

Source: Tule

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“This panel discussion is intended to identify the challenges that farmers are facing and where the real opportunities might be in automating some of the tasks they have. We’re doing something that some of the major manufacturers do. They start at the end-client level and understand what the farmers’ challenges are so that they can create the technologies that automate certain tasks. That’s really the premise of this panel: If you had to draw a robot from scratch, what would these advancing technologies address in your agronomic operation?”

Frabotta says.

The roundtable discussion will also dive into the ways that some advancing technologies have failed to deliver on their promises. One area of innovation stands out as having been particularly disappointing.

“As an industry, there is some frustration that full autonomy has not been more prolific and commercialized at a faster pace. This speaks to the complexities of level-five autonomy and fully autonomous vehicles. I think the promise of such things has been overhyped and ultimately disappointing,”

Frabotta says.

Frabotta gives an example from the automotive industry. Tesla recently halted the rollout of its Full Self Driving beta software update. Even the name of this driving mode is somewhat facetious. Experts have described it as “enhanced cruise control” rather than a true self-driving vehicle. Frabotta notes that some overly ambitious agriculture technology companies have made similar claims then failed to deliver. While the results have been disappointing, there’s a genuine opportunity for technology companies and robotics manufacturers to improve future offerings.

“As we realize the complexities of that kind of fully autonomous technology, it forces us to examine what’s really necessary. There are always going to be tasks that are easier for farmers to manage. They don’t necessarily want machines to make decisions about those things because they want to be in control,”

Frabotta says.

It’s also important to note that not all of the market’s innovations have been lackluster. Frabotta says that variable-rate technologies have been rather successful. While the fertilizer sector helped to popularize variable-rate applications, he believes that crop protection will be the next frontier for these types of technologies, particularly in situations where the inputs are costly.

“With the variable-rate application of any input, there’s going to cost savings because it is site-specific and not broad-spectrum or broadly applied. I do think farmers are interested in learning about those opportunities, but in this World FIRA session, the farmers can really pinpoint what they want automated. They will talk about the things that might be monopolizing their time or energy, and by managing those things, the farmers can focus on the profitability of their operations,”

Frabotta says.

At the end of the day, that ability to succeed in this industry is what connects each of the panelists, despite their many differences in location, environment, crop mix, operation size, regulatory standards, and more.

“A lot of these farmers are going to be specific to orchards, vineyards, row crops, etc., but there is some commonality to what they’re all facing. They all have export markets; they all have a need for profitability. And really, what we’re talking about isn’t about technology. It’s about the profitability of the farm. Any way we can create a conversation that helps farmers evaluate their current and potential profit, I think that will resonate across all the different production systems,”

Frabotta says.

Source: Agricultural Robotics

The post Robotics Manufacturers Take Note: Growers Need New Solutions appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“High-value crop production requires the ability to pull implements and conduct harvesting operations over rows of varying widths without damaging the crop,”

said Dennis Ogle, marketing manager for John Deere.

“The 6120EH provides up to 30 inches of drawbar ground clearance to avoid damaging the plant or roots during applications such as cultivating, spraying, transplanting and harvest.”

In addition, specialty operations that include vegetables and fruit farms demand extra-slow tractor speeds than traditional transmissions may not be able to attain. The creeper transmission allows for speeds as low as .14 mph to accommodate hand-harvesting operations.

New features on the 6120EH include:

• High-crop axle maximum clearance of 33 inches
• Multiple tread spacings of 72, 76, 80 or 84 inches
• Creeper transmission minimum of .14 mph at rated engine speed
• LED lighting package
• Precision ag components (John Deere AutoTrac Universal 300, 4240 Universal Display, StarFire 6000 Receiver, and JDLink)
• Less drawbar and draft link option

“Input costs for growing high-value crops continue to rise each year. The 6120EH, with its high clearance, helps protect crops and maximize production and quality on every acre, while also improving harvesting efficiency,”

Ogle said.

The post John Deere Introduces New 6120EH Tractor for High-Clearance, Low-Speed Applications appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“We have reviewed the health and safety regulations for group gatherings and determined that it is in everyone’s best interest to cancel this year’s convention. This is very unfortunate, as we are celebrating 50 years of advocating for Western Canada’s wheat farmers,”

said Gunter Jochum, President.

All convention registrants will be receiving an email that outlines the refund process and book purchases.

As a part of the Wheat Growers celebration, the book “Warriors for Wheat” was written to commemorate the past 25 years.

“Warriors for Wheat is not just the history of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, but also the impact of government decisions on grain and oilseed farmers across Western Canada,”

said Clayton Kotylak, Saskatchewan Director.

As an alternative to the convention, a series of webinars will be offered for members and guests.

“We are all becoming used to online webinars and while we all miss the social interaction with our colleagues, the Wheat Growers are pleased to present speakers on the issues that impact us all,”

closed Jochum.

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