PrecisionPartnershipA Special Growers’ Guide from the American SoybeanAssociation, September 2007

This publication is sponsored by John Deere Ag Management Solutions

Strategic Focus on Success Since its founding in 1920, the American

Soybean Association (ASA) has been resolute in itsmission to increase market opportunities andvalue for U.S. soybean farmers. ASA’s efforts arefounded upon a regimen of strategic objectivesthat focus on keeping U.S. soybean producers themost efficient and successful in the world.

“With an ever-growing global demand for soy-beans, and the reduced number of soybean acresplanted this year, the United States has to findways to grow more soybeans more profitably onevery acre planted,” said ASA President JohnHoffman, a producer from Waterloo, Iowa.“Precision farming methods are one of the keys to increasing productivity and improving the competitiveness of U.S. agricultural products inworld markets.”

The ASA approached John Deere about part-nering in an effort to educate farmers on precisionfarming and provide information to evaluate howthis new technology might fit into their operations.

The result is the ASA-John Deere “Reach for theStars” Program, a program that represents an edu-cation-based partnership that encourages produc-ers to “Reach for the Stars” with global positioningsatellite technology and support systems that willconserve resources and advance farm manage-ment practices to new heights.

“As the world’s leading producer of agriculturalequipment, goods and services, John Deere isfocused on the success of ag producers aroundthe world,” said John Deere AMS MarketingManager Mike Park.“Innovative precision ag solu-tions allow greater efficiency and productivity,ultimately leading to greater profitability.”

John Deere Ag Management Solutions(AMS) is at the leading edge of providingproducers with many of the technologicallyadvanced tools and services necessary topromote and secure agricultural sustainability.A prime example is the John Deere GreenStarTM

System, which enables producers to make bettermanagement decisions, increase productivity, andprovides value throughout the entire farmingoperation.

“I believe precision agriculture is one of thetechnologies that will help U.S. soybean producersremain competitive and profitable in the futurethrough increased efficiency,” Hoffman said.“It is

one of the key elements that will help soybeanscompete for planted acres, and it is also one of thetechnologies that will improve the sustainability ofU.S. soybean production.”

Through precision agriculture, producers canmore accurately evaluate optimum planting ratesand more precisely apply fertilizer and crop protec-

tion chemicals.“ASA and John Deere are

working togetherto help pro-

ducers betterunderstand

precision ag sys-tems, and be

able to make aneducated decision

on how they will fitinto our operation,”

Hoffman said.“Notonly for the sake of

our bottom-line, butfor U.S. soybean cus-

tomers around theworld, precision ag is a

technology that’s worthconsideration.”

About the Contest Earlier this year, ASA held a nationwide preci-

sion ag contest to provide growers with an oppor-tunity to use one of 15 premium level precision ag systems on their farm for the entire 2007 U.S.growing season, and after the program ends,

Sign up today for this educational program and contest

and you could be one of 15 growers selected to

use a premium level John Deere precision ag system* on your

farm for the entire 2007 U.S. growing season.

The American Soybean Association is partnering with

John Deere Ag Management Solutions

to bring U.S. soybean producers

an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about precision ag systems.

Sign up now to receive a free packet of precision ag information, plus

complete contest rules and entry information.

If you want to bring more productivity to your farm, regardless of the color of your equipment,

this outstanding program is ideal for you.

qualified participants will be offered an opportuni-ty to purchase the entire system, or just the com-ponents they want to own, at a greatly reducedprice. More than 500 growers completed theonline entry form for the “Reach for the Stars”contest.

“In today’s fast-paced business environment,electronic communications are becoming moreand more critical to farm success,” Hoffman said.“We felt it was important to select growers whohave an interest in using these new technologies.”

In addition, ASA checked contest entries forcompleteness, and began looking at other demo-graphic and geographic information, whichbrought the list of semi-finalists down to 138growers. ASA then reviewed individual growerresponses to questions such as,“Why are you interested in using a precision ag system on yourfarm?,” and “Tell us why you should be selected to use a premium level John Deere Precision AgSystem on your farm for the entire 2007 U.S.growing season.”

That process resulted in the selection of 15contest finalists, and 5 alternates, that best repre-sented a broad spectrum of growers by location,farm size and experience level. For more informa-tion about the contest, visitwww.SoyGrowers.com/pa/.

Summer Survey Data To determine the growers’ experience with

component installation and field usage, the ASAconducted an in-depth survey of the 15 contestwinners in July. Each winner has the opportunityto use the StarFireTM iTC receiver with SF2 signal,the GreenStar Display 2600 with an AutoTracTM promodule, an AutoTrac Universal Steering Kit, andApex Farm Management Software.

When they entered the contest, seven of thewinners reported they were already using a preci-sion ag system, while eight of the winners said theyhad no prior experience with precision ag on theirfarm. Membership in the ASA was not a require-ment, but later it was determined that nine of thewinners are in fact active members of the ASA.

“It was no surprise to me that the majority ofthe winners were ASA members,” Hoffman said.“ASA members are recognized as early adopters ofnew technology, and I think ‘Reach for the Stars’ isone of many reasons our members value theopportunities ASA provides.”

The GreenStar system was installed by all 15winners in one or more tractors. Six growers alsohad components installed in harvesters, and five in

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Rating Product Performance of GreenStarSystem by Contest Winners

Two growers said the performance exceeded their expectations

Four said they were very pleased with every aspect of the product

Five reported being generally pleased with the performance

Three said the product performed as they expected it would

One grower reported being disappointed with the performance*

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Field Green Star System Usage Hours byContest Winners

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*This grower, who installed the system in an articulated Case tractor that had a large spray tank mountedon the front, said he hasn’t got all the kinks out of his system, but is looking forward to using the systemon his combine this fall

sprayers. Nine of the growers felt their John DeereAMS dealer was very knowledgeable about theequipment; five said that the dealer knew what todo or found the answers; and one felt that theprocess was about average for other equipmentinstallations.

When asked about the crops they covered thisspring with the GreenStar system, growers report-ed using the GreenStar system on a total of 26,197acres. The data provided by these growers indi-cates that they collectively tested the GreenStarsystem this spring for more than 3,000 hours inactual field usage under real-world conditions.

Growers’ Comments The contest winners were also asked to

respond to essay questions. For this issue of ASAToday, ASA is featuring comments from seven ofthe winners who were able to participate in one ofthe three regional precision ag grower meetingsthat ASA hosted in partnership with John Deereduring July.

When asked about the greatest advantage ofhaving a GreenStar system installed on his equip-ment, Peter Kramer, who farms 1,100 acres nearGibbon, Minn., said,“Being able to plant longer inthe day with less fatigue and not worrying aboutfollowing the marker when it’s dark.”TheGreenStar system “allows me to watch the equip-ment and monitors more closely, giving me higherquality stands and populations in the field.”

Scott Chesnut, who farms 1,600 acres nearBoone, Iowa, had similar thoughts.“Having the capa-bility to do precision farming while planting andspraying for long hours under marginal conditionsand still not experience operator fatigue,” Chesnutsaid. He went on to say,“The AutoTrac allows you tooperate under very marginal conditions when visibility is impaired by dust conditions, driving into

the sun in late afternoon, or at night while trying tofinish before a coming rain storm.”

When ASA visited with Chesnut at the Mortonmeeting, he explained that he had a difficultspring with too much rain leaving numerous wetpotholes. Chesnut said that after he mapped thoseareas, it was incredible to watch as the AutoTracUniversal Steering navigated around those areasand right back on track on the other side.

Neal Kuhn, who farms 400 acres near Manilla,Ind., said,“Since I am 69 years young, the ease ofoperating equipment has been a great pleasure.My rows are very straight and I can spray in thesame wheel tracks at all times to help prevent

compaction.” Minimizing com-paction was a benefit sited by several growers.

The greatest advantage for ChrisVon Holten, who farms 1,300 acresnear Walnut, Ill., was,“The ability tomove components from one piece ofequipment to another, and have theGS2 system up and running in a

short time.”Von Holten also said,“The GS2 withAutoTrac has allowed me to eliminate overlaps,and I can spray faster because of not having to tryand see the foam marks after they settle into thesoybean canopy.”

When asked how the GreenStar system hashelped add value to his farming operation, DavidOberbroeckling, who farms 1,400 acres nearDavenport, Iowa, said “Auto steer is really a smallpart of the big picture. The mapping and perma-nent records are the most valuable part; docu-menting where you did it, when you did it andwhat you did. It sure beats scrambling to find your notebooks.”

Oberbroeckling added,“This year we plantedcorn and soybeans without using markers.”TheGreenStar system “makes it possible to have vari-ety strips anywhere in the field by not plantingstrips and coming back with different varieties.”Even while planting on the contour,Oberbroeckling said,“Every row in uniformlyspaced, which was impossible before.”

For Curtis Clayes, who farms 1,000 acres nearDelmar, Iowa, the value of the GreenStar system isin “more accurate application of fertilizers, sprayingchemicals, and with planting.”

Ronald Tersteeg, who farms 3,000 acres nearBird Island, Minn., said “The GreenStar systemallowed me to get more acres planted each day,and on tillage equipment, it saved money andtime by avoiding overlaps.”Tersteeg also said heappreciates being able to work after dark.

The panel discussion in Morton, Minn., included (left to right)University of Minnesota Precision Ag Specialist JoseHernandez, John Deere AMS Regional Specialist JasonSchildroth, contest winners Ronald Tersteeg, Peter Kramer andScott Chesnut, and John Beadell of Kibble Equipment, is thelocal John Deere AMS specialist from Redwood Falls, Minn.(ASA photo by Bob Callanan)

Precision Ag Meetings

Many producers took advantage of the uniqueopportunity to learn about the value of precisionag systems at one of the three regional growermeetings that were held in Morton, Minn., PlainCity, Ohio, and Bettendorf, Iowa.

Minnesota Soybean Growers Associationimmediate past-President Bob Worth, OhioSoybean Association President Mark Watkins, andIowa Soybean Association President Ray Gaesserwelcomed growers to the meeting in their respec-tive state and produced an overview of currentstate activities.

ASA President Hoffman, and ASA Board mem-bers Rob Joslin and Gary Joachim, each participat-ed in one of the meetings and made a presenta-tion on how precision ag is helping to meet globaldemand for U.S. soy.

“These meetings are a great opportunity foranyone who has considered integrating precisionag into their operation,” Hoffman said.

Guest speakers included Jose Hernandez, aResearch Specialist/Lecturer in the PrecisionAgriculture Center, Department of Soil, Water, andClimate at the University of Minnesota; Matt Darr, a

Research Associate & Precision AgricultureSpecialist with the Agricultural EngineeringDepartment at The Ohio State University, and MarkHanna, an Extension Agricultural Engineer withIowa State University.

In addition, John Deere AMS personnel pre-sented an overview of precision ag equipment andfarm management software, which was followedby an open panel discussion featuring contestwinners. After lunch, participants had an opportu-nity to take part in equipment demonstrations fea-turing the John Deere GreenStar 2 System includ-ing the AutoTrac Universal Steering kit and thenewly introduced iTEC Pro!

A series of three more regional grower educa-tion meetings is planned for January 2008.

“Anyone who sees benefit in improving farm-ing efficiency, regardless of farm size or equipmenttype, will gain valuable information from these ses-sions. It will also be a great opportunity for grow-ers to see first hand some of the new technologythat John Deere has introduced,” adds Mike Park.

Watch for additional details of meeting datesand locations in future ASA publications.

Participants at the Morton, Minn., meeting had an opportunityto take part in equipment demonstrations featuring the JohnDeere GreenStar 2 System including the AutoTrac UniversalSteering kit and the newly introduced iTEC Pro! (ASA photo byBob Callanan)

At the grower meeting in Bettendorf, Iowa, Bob Braden gets ahands on demonstration of the GreenStar 2 System with thehelp of Josh Uhlman, AMS Regional Specialist. (BCSCommunications photo by Melissa Sandfort)