Farm406

se of soil mapping data that documents good and bad areas in fields may be instrumental in decision making for next year's growing season, but a new product may give operators access to real-time readings that can narrow field problems down to the row via a monitor on the planter. The entire concept of precision agriculture comes down to knowing the specific details of a crop and the soil into which that crop will be planted, then making appropriate adjustments to ensure that everything is planted perfectly and maintained with precision throughout the season. The Precision Planting SmartFirmer is a tool that allows these things to happen. Precision Planting's SmartFirmer functions as a seed firmer regularly would but is equipped with an optical sensor that helps producers take the guesswork out of soil conditions when planting. This optical eye can measure organic matter, residue, and soil moisture while the operator drives through the field planting. Think of this tool as the sort of thing that can check your work to make sure you've done and are doing everything correctly. After you've fine-tuned your planter, purchased the perfect seeds for your climate and soil, and put together a perfect starter program to ensure that your crop gets off to a great a start, you must give your furrows thorough checks so that all that preparation doesn't go to waste. In any field, there are multiple yield environments that are determined by soil type, organic matter, topography, drainage, and dozens of other attributes. To better manage these yield environments, the SmartFirmer high definition organic matter map will be a key input for developing precise prescriptions for planting population, seed hybrid, and fertility applications. "The Smart Firmer helps you understand, across the field, literally in every eighth of an inch, of every furrow, what the furrow environment is like," says Matt Bennett, sales lead for Precision Planting. When planting, it's not uncommon for a farmer to stop once or twice in a field and dig to make sure the seeds are in moisture and to look at the residue in the furrow. The SmartFirmer measures the furrow as it is firming each seed into the bottom of the trench. The information being recorded through optical sensors is instantly sent to the cab allowing the operator to control seeding rate, fertilizer rate, and hybrid based on organic matter, all in real time. "The real time benefit of the organic matter is to have on the go variable rate or change crop variety without having to create a prescription map beforehand, says Chouteau County Precision Ag Specialist, Brent Heiken. "The moisture and residue readings can also be useful real time information as they allow the grower to continuously adjust depth to keep the seed in moisture and keep the row clean of residue." GET THE "DIRT ON YOUR SOIL New Technology Puts Eyes Inside Every Furrow U 43 farm406 By Hayley Lenington-Leray

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