Welcome to Modern Agriculture!
At the Nebraska Power Farming Show, farmers crowded around the latest new products on display at the expansive show in Lincoln, Nebraska. Here are five products that drew in some of the largest crowds:
This helicopter crop sprayer has been used in vineyards and small acreage crops for several years. Yamaha Precision Agriculture says they will have it in the Midwest for all crop spraying needs within one to two years.
At 10 feet long and 205 pounds empty, the RMax model can carry about 4.2 gallons of liquid spray material. The upgraded FazerR model is coming, which will double that volume capacity. The unit travels 10 feet above the crop at a speed of 10 to 12 mph. The large drone is piloted with remote control and line-of-site operation. The FazerR will have a 390-cc gasoline engine. The downward air draft from the rotors will help spray material to penetrate the crop canopy, Yamaha pilot Glen York tells farmers. The FazerR will cost about $140,000, but will commonly be leased from Yamaha to professional applicators, York says.
The XPR Concave System from Estes Performance Concaves can eliminate grain loss from the threshing rotor of a combine, says John Schmedthorst of the company. This concave is a simple change out in John Deere and Case IH combines, he says.
The notch bar design of the concave, along with the perforated cover plates, evens out the flow of grain in the threshing mechanism and gives more grain-on-grain threshing, he explains. The new concave works for all crops –- corn, soybeans, milo, and small grains. For corn, Schmedthorst says the new concave can save 3 to 5 bushels an acre from going out the back of the combine. The cost is $6,700, which the company claims will pay for itself on less than 1,000 acres of corn use.
The Double NutriFloater planter attachment from Sunco Farm Equipment takes maximum advantage of their 2×2×2 starter fertilizer applicator, explains Kurt Mann of Sunco. The unit can place starter 2 inches to the side of the corn seed furrow and 2 inches deep (or modified to your desire), and on both sides of the furrow. This is better than putting starter on the surface, Mann explains, because surface-applied takes a while to get to the root zone, defeating the purpose of starter. Plus, he continues, placing starter on just one side of the row encourages root growth in just one direction. With placement on both sides, uniform early root growth in both directions helps set a high maximum yield potential.
The NutriFloater planter units include notch disk openers and the Sunco Saber Tooth row cleaners to clear crop residue from the furrow strip. It can adapt to any corn planter and works for cotton and peanuts, too.
This Adjustable Track Row Crop Spreader from Chandler Equipment Company allows you to apply dry fertilizer as a sidedress in growing corn. The narrow tires can be set to the width of your choice from 72 to 120 inches, explains Denny Bell, a Chandler representative. The pull-type spreader has an axle clearance of 35 inches. Hydraulic drive spinners plug to the tractor hydraulics, and can spread dry fertilizer in a swath up to 80 feet wide. Bell says this rig may let you sidedress the most economical form of dry fertilizer, such as urea, in the growing season. It can include a variable-rate control system.
The row crop rig is available in capacities to 12 tons, with an average price of about $50,000.
This rig is designed to solve the issue of seeding cover crops or relay crops into a growing row crop. The Montag Fortifier 2212 is a bulk tank with a blower unit that meters cover crop seed out to the boom of a high-clearance sprayer. Right now, the Fortifier 2212 mounts on newer Hagie sprayers. Using the Montag particulate metering system, it blows the set amount of seed to drop tubes on a 120-foot boom. The cover crop will germinate and survive while the main crop is growing, then be ready to grow rapidly when the corn or soybeans are harvested.
The install kit includes system components, the twin bin, dual scales, the Montag rate controller, mounting hardware, and boom components for approximately $70,000.