Photo by Todd Vogts
Advancements in technology are quickly evolving in an attempt to simplify and improve life, and a major part of life is agriculture. New technology is being utilized to improve and make agriculture more efficient. Mid Kansas Coop offers a wide range of technology to help farmers get the most out of their land.
Field Marketer Brook Mitchell said one significant form of technology being used by MKC is the Veris Rig.
The rig, which is pulled behind a tractor across the field, offers farmers a wide range of information that was not readily available before. The Veris Rig maps soil type variability, elevation variability and pH variability.
Mapping the soil type variability helps with determining higher versus lower yielding areas of the field.
“Low clay percent soil types can be lower yielding since they have lower water holding capacities and will cause drought stress earlier than higher clay percent soil types,” Mitchell said.
Elevation variability shows the highs and lows of the field and can expose drainage issues, resulting in lower yields.
Higher or lower pH can have a very negative impact on yield loss. To combat this, Mitchell said, by using the rig to map the pH variability, MKC is able to get a variable rate lime application map to apply lime at variable rates.
“We get the variability information by running this rig across the field in 60 foot swaths giving us soil type data every second and pH data every 7 seconds,” Mitchell said. “This data is brought into our precision (agriculture) software where we get the maps.”
MKC has been running the rig since November 2008 and has been offering farmers more detailed information about their land, making it possible to ward off potential problems. The producers that have utilized this information have been dryland to irrigated farmers.
“Dryland farms have been the main target for this rig, due to lack of lime being placed on the fields. And unlike pivots, they do not have water available to run across the service with high calcium loads in the water,” Mitchell said.
However, Mitchell said they have started to notice more pH variability on irrigated fields than previously thought.
“Some pivots that we would expect to have higher pH’s are starting to show areas of low pH’s — potentially due to lower calcium in the water than expected,” he said. “We have also seen tape irrigated fields showing lower pH’s (5.2), which might be attributed to the fact that the water is moving in 18 inches below the surface and the calcium can’t move readily up to the surface, which is causing a drop in pH.”
The response has been great with producers trying out this technology and seeing the benefits and signing up more fields to run.
Producers are also discovering that the data from soil type/elevation maps of the Veris Rig can be utilized with the data from the yield monitors on their combine to create yield zones.
“When we overlay the maps, we can create a pattern of higher yielding areas versus lower yielding areas,” Mitchell said. “By maximizing areas of high yield and reducing input costs in the areas of low yield, the producer can increase his return on investment.”
For producers that don’t have yield monitor information, Mitchell commented that the soil/elevation maps from the Veris Rig are a great source to start building information that will allow them to adjust fertilizer inputs later on.
Texting services keep watch over the markets
A simple yet effective form of technology available to MKC patrons is a texting service provided by Team Marketing Alliance that informs recipients of the grain markets. Three texts a day are sent out, one in the morning predicting what the markets are going to do, one in the afternoon as an update on how markets are doing and one after the markets are close to tell how they did.
TMA is working to improve and refine this service. Information Services Manager Matt Friesen said there will be some changes in the near future.
Right now customers can only choose to receive market updates from five locations, which may not be the location nearest them.
“They will be able to choose the location nearest to them,” Friesen said. “They will also be able to receive up to 10 texts a day.”
Customers will also be able to receive weather updates. Users will be able to manage their account themselves and make changes at will online.
Friesen said the texts are a helpful service to busy farmers.
“They can get up-to-date information immediately when they want it,” he said. “They don’t have to call in and ask what prices are doing.”
Increasing the number of texts from three to up to ten allows the recipient to be constantly updated on grain markets throughout the day.
“Prices are always moving,” Friesen said. “Having the information available quicker keeps the farmer constantly updated and they are able to view it anywhere they have their phone.”
Cell phones monitor fuel levels
Another form of technology being used by MKC to offer convenience and efficiency to their patrons is the use of cell phone monitors in fuel tanks in the country.
The cell monitors are used in areas where a land line phone is not available by the patrons who still want their fuel tanks monitored.
“The units are self contained monitors you install on top of the fuel tank that has a cell phone monitor built into the unit,” Terry Lambert, certified energy specialist said. “The monitors keep track of the fuel level everyday and report to CHS the inventory and order fuel to the tanks when necessary.”
CHS offers the monitors on a rental basis to MKC. Level Devil is the company that has the patent and builds the “Cell Monitors” to CHS specifications.
“Agreements are made by CHS and the different cell phone companies for block rates of cell phone minute use to keep the operating cost as low as possible” Lambert said.
After a testing period of six months in some of the worst cell reception areas in the MKC territory, an agreement to use the units was signed and MKC has been using them regularly for the last four years.
“The farmer doesn’t have to worry about fuel level, ordering fuel, and gets consumption billing,” Lambert said. “All the advantages are for the customer in this time of volatility in commodity markets.”
Lambert said the response from patrons has been positive.
“The customers like the units without having to worry about providing a land line phone in some remote areas of their farming territory where the cost is prohibitive,” he said. “They receive all the advantages RFD and land line monitors use.”
MKC Patron Kellan Kopfer has been using the cell phone monitors for about two years and said they seem to be doing the job well.
“Convenience of the monitors is what I like,” he said.
Kopfer switched to MKC because the supplier he had didn’t offer the service and he needed to manage his fuel costs better.
“It is pretty darn accurate,” he said. “I don’t really have to do anything, and I never run out. I’m pretty happy with it.”
– Stacy Goble
