Vol 2 - No 1

Help From Above: For Carolina Farmer, GPS-based System Streamlines Planting and More

Written by Larry Trojak

Created on Monday, 30 January 2012 19:57

A 826Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE

In the last 20 years or so, the face of the mid- to large-scale farming operation has undergone a dramatic change. From the use of satellite imagery to enhance irrigation efforts, to the use of computer technology to know the precise egg production of each laying hen, to truly robotic dairy cow milking systems, change has become the rule rather than the exception. And as operating budgets tighten, and costs for fuel, seed, fertilizer and chemicals rise, seemingly unabated, farmers continue to look for ways to increase efficiencies, reduce expenses and strengthen the bottom line. For DMG Farms, equipping each of its two John Deere tractors with a Precision Ag System from Topcon Positioning Systems was a bold step toward accomplishing all that and more. Today, the Angier, NC-based company reports far better efficiencies in its crop planting and fertilizing, has opened up that planting process to workers who might not have otherwise had the opportunity, and believe they will be a much better, more versatile operation because of it.

Lineage in Farming
When the Gardner family made its initial foray into farming nearly a century ago, an advance in technology meant using a steel plow rather than a wooden one. And, according to Clay Gardner, great-grandson of the company's founder, mules were the power behind those farm implements.

"I can't imagine what my grandfather or great-grandfather would say if they saw how much technology was at work in our everyday operation," he says. "And I don't just mean the tractors themselves, which are extremely powerful, with heating and air-conditioning, sound systems, ergonomic seats and so on. I mean things like the basic GPS system we've added to improve our spraying operation; that was unheard of even when my father started DMG Farms in 1968. But we've realized that technology drives improvements in this business, so we've been following the advances made in various areas."

Based on what they were seeing was available, Gardner says they had, in fact, already become interested in a precision ag system, a GPS-based approach to crop planting, cultivation and maintenance. They knew that what had once been simply little more than an automation of the steering system had grown in sophistication to include control over seeding and spraying, the ability to map and log data, and more. A lot of that insight was gained through visits from Josh Kearns, area sales rep for Benchmark Tool & Supply, the regional Topcon dealer.

"Josh had paid us a number of visits and made a real strong case for the Topcon system," says Gardner. "Then, shortly after we had demoed another unit, he asked us to try the one from Topcon. We did, and immediately liked it better. There were a lot of differences between the two systems, so it might not be a fair comparison, but there's no denying that the accuracy was much higher with Topcon and that's what we were after. So, in March of this year we took delivery of a System 350 the newest ag controller."

Calling in the Markers
Clay Gardner and his father David farm 400 acres of their own land and 1400 acres of land which they lease from area residents. In addition to a number of different types of sod, the company plants sweet potatoes, tobacco and soybeans which is traditionally done using a row marker extended off the side of the tractor to delineate and maintain equal spacing between rows. Gardner calls this technique "running rows." With the addition of the agriculture control system, not having to continually watch those markers--and suffer the fatigue that accompanies it--was just one immediate benefit DMG enjoyed.

"Now, we just establish an `A' and `B' point and the system connects those two points and drives the machine, resulting in the straightest line imaginable," says Gardner. "But, while that comfort level is nice, one of the biggest things for us is the ability to have different employees running rows for us. Years ago, when there were more farms, there used to be a lot more workers available with the skill to operate equipment.

"Today, it's basically `what you get is what you train' and this system makes it unbelievably easy to train people. They don't really have to understand how to run a row--the system does that for them. If they happen to lean one way or take their eye off the row for a second, there is no harm done. And having more people to run rows frees me up to tend to other areas of the business. That's a benefit I can definitely use."

More Than Good Looks
While maintaining a straight row might seem trivial to some, to the farmer it is about far more than just aesthetics. Straight rows make the most efficient use of the land available for planting. Being able to maintain a straight line or equal spacing between rows also eliminates a number of potential problems.

"Just as they are everywhere, costs associated with running a farming operation like ours are going up," says Gardner. "Fertilizer, seed, insecticide, herbicide--they are all getting more expensive, so we need to make the most efficient use of them. We don't use a broadcast spreader of any kind. Instead, everything we apply is done using row units--a series of individual components with bins to hold and dispense seed, fertilizer, etc., attached to the rear of the tractor. These help in the actual delivery of the product into the soil, but if the rows aren't straight and either get closer or widen, product is being wasted. The Topcon system, by maintaining straight, evenly-spaced rows throughout the planting or application, eliminates that issue entirely."

He adds that they were recently planting tobacco in a field that had curved rather than straight rows, a particular challenge using a traditional row marker. In such cases, if the rows are not curved just right, water has a tendency to pool which can ultimately damage the plants. In addition, Gardner says they not only plant the tobacco but also cultivate it, which presents an additional challenge for the tractor operator. "If I have a man on the machine and he gets too close to another row, he can take out that row which is costly to us. All that: the contour issues, the risk of accidentally removing plants, the over- or underapplication, has been eliminated. We did this year's entire tobacco crop using the Topcon system, the rows are just outstanding and I can see that cultivation will be a breeze."

The 411 on the 350
The system to which DMG committed, while providing an autosteering function, offers a host of additional benefits which Gardner says he has already tapped. These include a comprehensive control for application and rate, including an auto-coverage feature to eliminate the risk of overlapping or gaps in coverage; an enhanced data management capability which allows them to record data from multiple fields and tasks for different farms, then create detailed reports and multi-year analyses. The 12-inch screen itself, was a huge selling point, according to Gardner.

"Before making our purchase, we demoed a previous version of Topcon's ag system to decide whether it was a good fit for our needs. It obviously was, but running that more bare-bones version afforded us a chance to fully appreciate some of the upgrades made possible with the move to the newer System 350, and the screen was one of those. With the new system, we are able to essentially customize the display to meet our specific needs. We have the option of seeing the operation in a number of different views; we can easily monitor all the critical elements of the operation such as rates and field coverage; and it is all icon-driven so the learning curve for both me and my employees is minimal. Perhaps the best feature is also the most basic: the display's resolution is so clear and sharp that it is easy to read--even in the brightest sunlight. That's an unbelievable luxury."

Topcon, Take Me Away
DMG was so taken with the performance of the ag system, that, after purchasing the System 350, it has been leasing a second system for its John Deere 7830. Gardner says Benchmark Supply was, once again, instrumental in helping them make the move.

"We've had a really nice relationship with Josh and the folks at Benchmark," he says. "They helped us thorough the initial migration over to the new technology and have been with us since. We will be better able to quantify how much of a savings we will realize by making the move, but we're certain that efficiencies have been improved across the board. And you can't say enough about the most straightforward benefit of all: when I or one of my men get down from this machine at the end of the day, the level of fatigue and stress is so much less than it was before. You can't put a price tag on that."

Larry Trojak is owner and president of Trojak Communications, a Minnesota-based marketing communications company.

A 826Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE

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