-Submitted photo
Mike Wilson sprays a field using Ag Leader technology. Ag Leader offers tools for steering accuracy, planting, applying chemicals, harvest and more.

AMES — Ames happens to be a mecca of technological advancements for the ag industry, including the tools developed by Ag Leader Technology.

Twenty-five years ago, Ag Leader was launched by an engineer with a dream of making farmers’ lives better. That dream led him to inventing the first commercially successful on-the-go yield monitor.

“Ag Leader produces technology that will work in any color/brand of equipment. By staying flexible and ensuring that our technology works with the equipment that you already have, this helps keeps costs low and provides easier entry into precision ag for those just getting started,” said Brett Buehler, one of Ag Leader’s territory managers.

For starters, InCommand displays show valuable data and offer a WiFi adapter that allows them to connect to any WiFi hotspot. DisplayCast shares valuable information about a field, guidance lines and coverage maps with any other connected InCommand display that are using the same DisplayCast login.

InCommand and AgFiniti work together to connect all machines, displays and devices, and show live maps and stats from the field, multi-year analysis and queries, row-by-row mapping and more.

“For a small operation that is owned and operated by the same person, the InCommand display can be used in every piece of equipment for tillage, planting, spraying, fertilizing and harvest. Providing usability year-round keeps the investment small and makes it easier to use, eliminating the need to relearn other operation-specific technologies,” Buehler said.

“For large operations with multiple people performing field activities at the same time, utilizing DisplayCast and connecting to AgFiniti provides simple data transfer, data storage and field operation tracking along with information sharing between each InCommand display and connected devices through AgFiniti.”

Ag Leader also offers tools for steering accuracy, planting, applying chemicals, harvest and more.

“With rising input costs, efficient use of those inputs — being chemicals, seed or fertilizer — is more important than ever. Variable rate technology is available for almost every operation on the farm and is able to be controlled via the InCommand displays. Beyond variable rate, more efficient swath control options can be added to the planter through SureDrive or SureSpeed, which provide individual row control,” Buehler said.

AgLeader’s newest sprayer technology called RightSpot features automatic nozzle-by-nozzle swatch control, droplet size control and turn compensation, which ensures the right amount of spray reaches every part of the field.

“This virtually eliminates all over and under application. In addition to the savings in chemicals and more accurate application, RightSpot improves operational efficiency by providing a wider window of application speeds while the precision individual nozzle control allows the operator to focus on what is ahead, rather than what is happening behind,” Buehler said.

Ag Leader also offers a variety of planting technologies such as SureForce, which provides a near instantaneous adjustment to down force on each row. Force on the gauge wheels is measured 200 times every second, which is used to determine if more or less force should be applied to the row unit.

“Seed placement can further be improved by adding our unique SureDrive to your existing planter, which eliminates all the chains and bearings connected to the planter’s seed meters. Smoother operation from the SureDrive electric drives provides individual row swath control, improved singulation performance and turn compensation, which provides precise seed spacing around contours,” Buehler said.

For seed metering performance, Ag Leader offers the SureSpeed system, which, like SureDrive, is an electrically driven meter, but also replaces the standard seed tube with an electrically powered tube that carries and places the seed in the seed trench.

“This system provides unparalleled seed singulation and seed spacing. In addition to the high accuracy of the SureSpeed system, it also removes some of the more traditional planting speed barriers we’ve become accustomed to. Whereas a traditional planter performs best at 5 mph, SureSpeed is designed to perform at slow speeds slower than 5 mph, as well as speeds all the way up to 12 mph,” Buehler said.