What's hot and what's coming in computer-assisted farming

Headnote

Computer technology has come to US. farms to stay and manufacturers are meeting the demand for computer-assisted farming with a bounty of products.

Several manufacturers have described what's new, what's in the works - and what they're most excited about.

John Deere's most popular tool for computer assisted farming is the GreenStar Combine System, a global positioning system (GPS) that ties into satellites.

"As the farmer is going through the field," says Barry Nelson, a public relations manager with Deere, "it will measure moisture and yield, and tell the operator the exact location in the field. From that, the information downloads onto a PC card that the farmer can use to create maps on his home PC. The maps will then show him yield differences and moisture level of the crop across the field."

Even farmers who don't choose the entire GPS will usually want some instrumentation to read what the yield or moisture of the crop is as its coming into the combine, says Nelson. "They might get the moisture tester and a yield monitor within the machine so they know throughout the field where the yields are good and where not, so they can analyze why some part of the field didn't produce."

Deere's 1900 commodity cart also utilizes the GreenStar display to enable the operator to easily configure the cart and tool, and to recommend settings to achieve the desired combinations of seed and fertilizers. Application rates of the seed meters and dry granular meters can be adjusted to six rates on the go, a feature also available in Deere's folding planters, Models 1760, 1770 and 1780.

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