The marketing and engineering staffs at AGCO spent the last year working together to take the “oranges” out of the “apple and oranges” choices customers make in buying square balers. The result is a classification system that gives customers an idea of a baler’s capabilities — regardless of what size bale they desire.
A substantial research project concerning cover crop use and involving farmers across the nation gives farm equipment dealers some positive light to shine on the practice as they work with customers incorporating the fast-growing practice into their management plans.
Equipment and farm services dealers who sell the “dollars and cents” benefits of precision farming have some new sales fodder. This includes a pair of USDA reports that look at cost savings and increased returns for corn farmers using information-based production tools on average size operations.
With the slump in commodity prices over the past 24 months, and increasing overall price volatility for farm products, Cole Carling says many farmers are looking for ways to stabilize their income and are searching for new enterprises to spread out their financial risks.
Shell Lubricants unveiled a significant overhaul of its heavy duty diesel engine oil portfolio recently to meet the needs of the new API CK-4 oil category.
Two years ago in this column, we told you the familiar CJ-4 diesel engine oil category was living on borrowed time as regulators continued to make demands on engine designers to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. Today, that prediction is reality with a new CK-4 category, announced for a broad range of off-road equipment and light duty diesel powered pickup trucks.
The cover crop movement got a significant boost recently with the creation of the Soil Health Institute, an organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. It is focused on protecting and enhancing the vitality and productivity of farmland.
We’ve heard for years that “information is power” and one needs to look no further than the travel industry to see the effects online commerce has had in the buying and selling of airline tickets and hotel room rentals. Very few people call a travel agent to take care of those things today, whereas 20 years ago, company or independent agents booked nearly all flights and a significant amount of lodging and rental car business.
Lower commodity prices (i.e., less money to spend for new equipment) and an industry-wide move to faster field speeds with ground-engaging tools may reignite farm interest in the mining industry’s long-standing practice of hard-facing tool surfaces to renew their shape and protect them from additional wear.
Recent research by the Conservation Tillage Information Center shows American farmers are beginning to use cover crops in their rotations to conserve moisture, boost yields of subsequent cash crops, fight erosion and add organic matter to their farm fields. With estimates predicting 20 million acres of U.S. cropland to be seeded to cover crops by 2020, the trend amounts to a significant new agronomic enterprise in many areas, even if cover crops are not considered a cash crop.
Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.
At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.