Picking up rocks is traditionally tedious and backbreaking work, but very necessary given the ever increasing cost and sophistication of field equipment in harm’s way. In the past year, a company called TerraClear deployed early versions of its Rock Picker solution, which employs a rock-mapping drone paired with a compact track loader or skid-steer that identifies rocks and clears the field.

TerraClear is an applied AI and robotics company based in Idaho. Founder Brent Frei grew up on his family’s farm in Idaho and returned to this passion after founding and growing a successful tech company called Smartsheet.

“This is something I’ve personally dealt with my entire life,”

said founder and CEO, Brent Frei.

“There are more than 400 million arable acres worldwide that have been waiting for a cost-effective and productive solution to this problem. Repetitive tasks like this are optimal targets for automation, and the technologies we are bringing to the field dramatically reduce the labor and time needed to prep fields for planting.”

The company recently announced Series A funding of $25 million led by Madrona Venture Group, bringing the company’s total funding to $38 million. Earlier this year, TerraClear released the first Rock Picker, which quickly sold out. The second run will be delivered at the end of this summer.

The Rock Picker enables customers to remove rocks with the touch of a button. It currently works on a compact track loader or skid steer, but will soon be compatible with front-end loaders on tractors. With absolute convenience, it takes less less than five minutes to mount the picker and it works in any field condition.

From traditionally cultivated to no-till conditions, seeded fields, stubble, or even pastureland, the Rock Picker minimizes compaction and ground disturbance on the soil. This is an increasingly important factor in modern farming which emphasizes soil conservation practices such as no-till and minimum till practices. In addition to expanding the windows when rocks can be picked, the tools expand who can pick rocks, enabling both the young and old to contribute.

TerraClear’s Rock Picker picks an average of 400 rocks per hour and can pick up rocks of up to 300 pounds.

“The TerraClear team has incredible passion and expertise in both the customer base and the technology needed to address this huge problem for farmers,”

says Matt McIlwain, Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group.

“Rock picking fits into the category of dull, dangerous, and dirty. It’s a perfect application of robotics and AI and we are excited to back this team and mission.”

TerraClear’s future product roadmap includes integrating AI and computer vision with a fully autonomous rock picker platform, creating a Roomba for rocks.

“We’re working every day towards a fully autonomous solution for rock picking – and that is a multi-year project. Along the way, we’re building solutions that solve this problem better than anything out there,”

says President Trevor Thompson.

“The TerraClear team’s iterative approach to building means getting real solutions in the hands of farmers faster.”

TerraClear also offers mapping and clearance services for those looking for a plug-and-play solution to picking rocks. Working with TerraClear or third-party drone services, TerraClear maps fields, uses AI to locate large rocks and then deploys the Rock Picker to clear the field. Few ag-tech solutions couple the ‘information’ with the ‘physical solution’ in a true end-to-end offering. While both have proven to be useful as standalone products for farmers, their combined level of efficiency really opens the opportunity for a profitable service business as well, something that the company is trialing in multiple regions this fall.

In addition to scaled production and sales in 2022, the team will use the injection of capital to accelerate the development of autonomy and grow the team in Washington and Idaho.

Source: Terraclear

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Reliable data flows are essential for precision farming. Successful fertilizer, crop protection and planting and sowing strategies depend upon access to accurate information about the previous years’ yields and site-specific yield differences. To ensure that this vital information is provided seamlessly and at the farmer’s discretion, the FieldView platform and the Claas Telematics portal can now be connected through the Claas Api — offering access to new data science capabilities and ensuring seamless transfer of harvest information and insights from Claas Telematics to FieldView.

“Data management is at the core of profitability and efficiency on the farm,”

says Blair Hardie, Product Manager, Efficient Agriculture Systems (EASY).

“This new ability to synchronize data will help farmers improve their profitability, manage risk and save valuable time by gathering data and conducting analysis all in one easy-to-use portal.”

Overview of API in Action

The Automatic Documentation add-on option in Claas Telematics facilitates driver-independent, field-specific and site-specific documentation. This makes it possible to obtain a complete overview of each field worked with data automatically being assigned to the field based on the boundary. In addition to machine data and consumption figures, yield data and measurements from NIR sensors can also be documented. When a farmer or contractor connects their Claas Telematics account to their FieldView account via the Claas Api, the documented harvest data from the Telematics system are retrieved and sent to the FieldView user’s inbox as jobs. From there, the customer can select the files they’d like to sync with their FieldView account and further process the complete field-related documentation in FieldView.

With this connectivity, yield values and yield maps from a Claas combine harvester or forage harvester can be used in FieldView to generate site-specific planting prescriptions or fertilizer maps for the coming season. This helps farmers increase their profitability, actively manage risk and save valuable time by gathering data and conducting analysis all in one place.

Each individual customer connects their two accounts. Agronomic information is exchanged only between the accounts of FieldView and Claas Telematics customers who chose to enable the offering. Farmers or contractors can independently revoke the connection in the Claas Telematics or FieldView portal at any time and disable the data exchange.

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Is this technology right for everyone? Not necessarily. Studies have shown smaller, relatively flat fields with a uniform soil type often have a consistent distribution of nutrients. A straight rate application is just as effective at getting the right nutrients applied as a variable rate machine in these situations. However, many farms in Ontario have at least some rolling ground and can be challenged with several soil types in one field.

Ontario farmer Tony DeBruyn works his own land and does some custom work on corn, soy and occasionally some wheat in Chatham-Kent. DeBruyn’s work area includes some rolling fields near Lake Erie. To maximize his yields in the area they farm DeBruyn has been using variable rate application for some time.

“We don’t look to variable rate for cost savings in fertilizer,”

says DeBruyn.

“It’s the matter of putting the product where it’s needed. We looked at variable rate when it first came out. The co-op we work with would take soil samples.”

And naturally, they thought that more fertilizer should be put on the poorer soils. However, that’s not the case.

“We found that our poorer soils can only produce so much. The better soils are really able to increase yields with the proper nutrients applied.”

Along with focusing on fertilizer where it’s needed to maximize yields, Debruyn is also concerned about his environmental impact.

“We’re near Lake Erie, and we’re concerned about algae blooms and what regulations the government may come with regards to fertilizer application. We decided we want to put our fertilizer where it’s going to be the most beneficial. That way, we’re increasing yields and creating less runoff with the fertilizer.”

Continuing on his goal to improve application methods on his land, and through custom work, DeBruyn has spent the last five years researching the variable-rate blends. Tony is looking to apply this research with an applicator that could meet his needs.

Tony has purchased one of Salford’s BBI MagnaSpread3, multi-product spinner spreaders. DeBruyn’s Salford spreader is capable of creating a blend of three fertilizers at once and varying the application rate for each product on the fly to match the prescription that he’s had created based on soil sampling. The spreader is ISOBUS compatible, allowing him to keep using the same GreenStarTM 2360 terminal that he uses for other precision operations on his farm. Application equipment that is ISOBUS compatible allows one terminal move between the tractors and control various implements. Although ISOBUS isn’t foolproof compatibility, depending on firmware versions and terminal “unlocks”, the fact remains that using one control terminal across multiple implements is the best way to maximize the farm’s investment in precision controls.

When asked about the learning curve to setup his new spreader for multi-product, variable rate application DeBruyn said he was nervous at first but when he got his machine and was impressed with how easy it was to get started. Having individual scale kits on the separate hoppers helped make calibration easier.

“We were surprised with how easily the GreenStarTM connected to and controlled the spreader. With one person, it took about 30 minutes to calibrate it, and with two people you could do it in less time.”

DeBruyn emphasized that variable rate application requires precision. Consistent soil sampling is important to build the prescription maps. Also, spreader calibration and knowing the density of the product you’re spreading is essential for accurate, uniform application. DeBruyn says in his operation, they will double-check the product density when they notice the material consistency change, even if it’s coming from the same truckload of fertilizer. This ensures they have accurate applications.

Source: Salford

The post [Job Story] Salford Advanced Precision Technologies in its Application Equipment Influenced Canadian Farm Results appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Antony van der Ley summarised the past year by saying,

“We are happy and grateful that we were able to maintain our production throughout the past year without placing the health of our 1,631 employees worldwide at risk. We have achieved our ambitious goals for both sales and results and are very satisfied, even though we exited the field sprayer sector. We have also been able to bolster our service for specialist dealers, farmers and contractors at the highest level. We managed the challenges of COVID well by providing many smaller-scale demonstrations and digital offerings. However, we would certainly be delighted if we were able to have face-to-face contacts and events again soon so that we can demonstrate the benefits of our methods on the fields for everybody to see.”

Last year Lemken, the AgroVision Company, took a clear decision on its future direction by stopping field sprayer production and focusing its strengths fully on the manufacture of modern precision hoeing technology. This has already yielded initial success: Lemken’s subsidiary Steketee has distinguished itself as an innovation factory and increased its sales by 30 percent. Its product portfolio includes customisable hoeing machines, which support highly economical weed control thanks to camera-controlled individual plant detection. The new fertiliser spreaders, which Lemken offers in a wide range of models to service very diverse operating conditions, have also been established successfully on the market.

Sales in the German home market have remained consistently high, although international sales dominate with a 77 percent share in total sales. In 2020, the company’s largest markets included France, Russia, the USA and the United Kingdom, with substantial increases in sales for the last three of these countries.

The family-run business is very optimistic for the current year of 2021, given the high levels of incoming orders. In view of the high growth expectations, Lemken invested in state-of-the-art assembly processes in the company’s Haren factory, which has been completely set up for the manufacture of seed drill technology since the beginning of the year. New market offerings include the hybrid cultivator Koralin 9 for ultra-shallow tillage, the compact cultivator Kristall for working widths of up to 10 metres and the new OptiStone overload protection for ploughs. In the seed drill segment, Lemken has started manufacturing the updated, new Saphir and Solitair models, including a double tank/hopper (for more seeds or fertiliser), the Solitair 23 front tank with ISOBUS control and the 6 metre-wide Solo seed coulter bar with independent chassis. Among new products to be introduced are a large-scale seed drill and extended precision drilling technology with the Azurit and its innovative DeltaRow technology.

Lemken is additionally firmly committed to digitalisation and networking, offering solutions for precise field work and smart data management. The iQblue connect system, which has been awarded by the German Agricultural Society (DLG), will be the first accessory system on offer that intelligently automates the operating functions of tillage implements via the tractor controls.

Source: Lemken

The post Lemken’s Solid Market Focused on Seed Drills and Hoeing Technology appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

AGCO Corporation announced that its 9350 DynaFlex draper header with AutoDock header docking system for Fendt IDEAL combines has been awarded the prestigious 2021 Davidson Prize for agricultural engineering excellence.

“The Davidson is among agriculture’s highest engineering honors, and AGCO is immensely proud of this recognition from ASABE and AEM,”

said Kevin Forth, AGCO senior tactical marketing manager.

“The Dynaflex with AutoDock is a perfect example of AGCO’s intentional development of smart solutions that are designed from the ground up with farmers’ needs in mind.”

The 9350 DynaFlex draper header with AutoDock header docking system is a 50-foot flexible header with the industry’s first automatic system for efficiently attaching all mechanical, electrical and hydraulic connections of the header to the Fendt IDEAL combine. AutoDock allows operators to connect and disconnect the header without leaving the cab of the combine, a necessary first step on the way to future total automation of the harvesting process.

The Davidson Prize is awarded by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) to their three top-scoring AE50 winners that represents the best of each year’s new products. The DynaFlex, along with seven other AGCO products, was awarded an AE50 award in November 2020.

“AGCO’s DynaFlex Header with AutoDock represents the diversity of agricultural engineering that continues to bring advanced technology and exciting improvements to the marketplace. J.B. Davidson would be amazed at how advanced farm equipment has become,”

said Darrin Drollinger, executive director at ASABE.

“This is AGCO’s first Davidson Prize and we’re very proud of the honor,”

said Barry O’Shea, AGCO vice president, product line leader, upon accepting the award on behalf of AGCO.

“It’s the result of a tremendous amount of work by many dedicated people at AGCO, but it began with input from our farmer-customers and we’re very happy to provide them with a solution that makes their jobs easier and more productive.”

Consistent with AGCO’s deep focus on the farmer, the AutoDock was inspired by voice-of-customer surveys and interviews designed to uncover specific customer needs and develop solutions that address them. AutoDock was developed to reduce the time farmers spend hooking up and disconnecting their headers, which the new product now handles in five seconds. The system also recognizes the specifications of the header and can automatically configure combine settings, such as header dimensions and sensitivity settings for header height control. Safety features provided by the system’s autonomous capabilities mean that operators can configure the header without climbing in and out of the cab, docking and undocking may be performed without assistance, and driveline and hydraulic connections are accomplished automatically. These advantages reduce time-consuming chores, eliminate errors, and improve farming performance.

“We’re excited about the advancement of ag engineering and the positive impacts it has on farmers’ ability to work more efficiently,”

said Curt Blades, senior vice president of Agriculture for AEM.

The 9350 DynaFlex draper header with AutoDock header docking system is compatible with AGCO’s Fendt IDEAL combine.

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