Planting 2023 is underway in much of the Beck’s marketplace, and still WEEKS off in other areas. Regardless of where you are with your planting season this year, your Beck’s precision farming department wants to give a few helpful tips and resources for you.
Specifically on the FARMserver software there are two things I would like to touch on quickly that relate to weather. At the top right hand of the home screen (Figure 1), you have access to BAMWX weather videos that are updated daily (and during planting sometimes multiple times per day). This Indiana based and agriculture focused weather provider gives you insights on the whole corn belt and the systems and trends moving through the area and what can impact field conditions. If you’re needing some insight on when it’s go time and when it might be time to park the rig in the shed, these videos can help with that decision.
The second handy feature (Figure 2) that is used often by FARMserver users that might not be very well known is the ability to see a map view of the last 24 hour rainfall amounts by field. When you’re on your field map in the current year, there is an option to turn on a layer of 24hr Rain Total. Turning this on will show you the variability in the rainfall amount across your operation. These insights can help for operational efficiency when deciding what fields will be ready to go first and what direction we should point the tractor and planter or sprayer in the morning.
The #1 pain point for many operators every year is having to relearn, setup, and troubleshoot monitors. We take time off from field work and we forget exactly how to navigate the monitor we are using when we jump back into the tractor. Iowa State University’s Agricultural Engineering department has a great resource that will walk you through step by step for most any monitor you have and any operation you are trying to figure out. For example, below are a few screenshots of a Case Pro700 and a John Deere Gen 4 with red boxes around the tab you are supposed to touch with each step. The website is cited below.
sites.engineering.iastate.edu/darr/display
Plant 2023 has been delayed in many areas but has been off and running in others. If there is anything Beck’s and your Regional FARMserver team can do to assist your success this spring, please contact us! We wish you a safe and happy planting season in 2023!
Zach Christianson | Regional Precision Technology Specialist