The Iowa Power Farming Show was held Feb. 2-4 in Des Moines with exhibits filling up Veterans Auditorium, above, plus Wells Fargo Arena, and Hy-Vee Exhibit Hall.

DES MOINES – What has been proclaimed as the Upper Midwest’s largest indoor ag equipment show was held last week in Des Moines.

The 55th Iowa Power Farming Show filled just about every inch of Wells Fargo Arena, Hy-Vee Exhibit Hall and Vets Auditorium with exhibitors showcasing virtually anything to do with Iowa agriculture and more.

Rollin’ the prairies

One particular implement that is not necessarily new to the industry, but is growing in popularity in central Iowa is land rollers.

Glenn Brewster, sales manager for Rite Way Manufacturing Co. Ltd., in Imperial, Saskatchewan, Canada, said the land rollers his company offers are from 11- to 85-feet and are designed to improve seed-to-soil contact, which helps speed up seed germination of soybeans and also offers a huge benefit for harvesting.

Harness Nature, an energy systems provider was at its second Iowa Power Farming Show in Des Moines. In the booth is Steve Bartels, Dan Broderick and Bob Vakoun.

“They push trash, clods and residue down so the cutting bar goes down can cut beans closer to the ground,” said Brewster. “A farmer can roll the land before the beans are planted or after planting. Everyone’s trying different things.”

Reports of increased yields, Brewster said, have been varying from one- to six-bushels to the acre.

Some may believe taking another trip across the field pulling a large implement may cause more compaction, but Brewster said that is just not the case.

“They don’t compact, but compress soil, just slightly,” he said. “It pushes the residue, clods and rocks down to help keep them out of the combine head, you can make a footprint in the soil after the ground has been rolled.”

Brewster said the show had been a great way to showcase Rite Way products.

Eli Troyer, president of AgriDry LLC, had several products on display including the enhanced Bullseye Bin Monitoring System at the 55th annual Iowa Power Farming Show held in Des Moines.

“People have been showing a lot of interest, it’s been a busy show,” said Brewster.

Blowing in the wind

Harness Nature, a company that offers wind, solar or geothermal energy products for homes, farms, businesses or schools was making its second appearance at the Iowa Power Farming Show.

Steve Bartels, owner of Harness Nature, said for wind energy, the company offers wind turbines, ranging in sizes from 1 kilowatt to 2 megawatts.

Getting a system set up, he added, has been made simple.

“We will do a free wind assessment and feasibility study,” said Bartels. “We’re proud of the fact we will not put a turbine up if it is not feasible, we’re in this for the long haul not like other companies.”

They also take pride in the fact that the entire process is done from testing to installation to use.

“It’s all very simple, we do everything turnkey and the price we give you at the beginning is the price,” said Bartels.

He said they will also help with finding any government incentives that are available, including grants or tax credits that in some incidences could result in measurable savings.

Bartels said a wind turbine for the average farm may cost anywhere from $80,000 to $90,000 with a system for a house costing around $25,000.

The average life of a turbine, he said, is 25 years and many see pay backs in seven to 12 years.

“The payback all depends on the wind,” Bartels simply stated. Most of the wind systems the company has set up are being used by farmers, or by people living in rural areas.

“It’s not only good for the environment, but you can also make money doing it by not only generating your own electricity, but getting paid to do it for others,” he said.

MidAmerican Energy, Bartels said, has been a proponent of Harness Nature’s wind systems, which makes the process of having a wind energy system put up even easier.

Other companies have been supportive as well, with more rural electric cooperatives coming on board every day.

Bartels said Harness Nature believes in education and with the help of several supplies, is able to offer schools discounts on renewable energy systems.

Bartels said they sell just about any brand of solar panels and can design and complete just about any solar power system and geothermal systems as well.

Worry-free storage

A product that takes the worry out of storing grain was also on display at the Iowa Power Farming Show.

The AgriDry Bullseye grain temperature and moisture controller with the AgriDry MD (message delivery) offers two different programs, each designed for easy access to grain data.

According to Eli Troyer, president of AgriDry LLC, features include:

• Peace of mind of having a second pair of eyes watching grain.

• Easily accessing data on the Internet or have messages sent by text messages or e-mail.

• Permanent record logging of grain data.

• Ability to create buyer reports to prove grain quality and the company can analyze the data that will provide suggestions to get the most of the investment.

“This is a very farmer-friendly system. If you have access to the Internet you can check your grain,” said Troyer.

The Bullseye is available for all sizes of grain bins and one is used per bin. The Bullseye grain temperature and moisture controller will keep track of the temperature of the grain in the bin and will automatically run aeration fans in order, Troyer said, to help keep grain in good condition.

Contact Kriss Nelson at jknelson@frontiernet.net.