This year was our first attempt at variable rate seeding.  It was also our first year with Optimizer a product which provides the variable rate prescriptions among other data.  As always this spring we were in a rush to get things planted according to Mother Natures schedule.  The first three fields I tried it on failed, as it kept kicking off half of my planter whenever I got to a boundary or waterway.  I tried adjusting the auto swath out of boundary settings so that it would keep the rate unchanged, and even disabled auto swath around the field edges but still half of my planter next to that boundary would disengage.  Finally after talking it out over the phone a couple times it dawned upon us that the clutches weren't disengaging but the hydraulic drive itself.  So after the phone call I looked at my Integra display and sure enough there was a setting in the Equipment configuration for "Rate outside Field".  Here I could finally select the Rx Default rate that we had entered when loading the shape file / Rx from Optimizer.  This is what troubled us the most as we knew that rate had to come into play somewhere.  Once this was configured it worked great other than some of the seeding rates being too high / low for certain parts of the field.  We will be working with optimizer and another topic will be posted about that it.

As we move farther into the world of precision ag technology here at Lewis Farms, I felt it would be a good idea to start blogging about the different things learned along the way.  Not only to help ourselves remember different tips and tricks but so others could read about it also.  Just a brief summary of what AgLeader technology we have added to our equipment lineup in the past couple years.

1. Integra Displays
2. Auto Swath
3. Planter Clutches
4. Yield & Variety Mapping
5. Auto Steer & GPS
6. Variable Rate Prescriptions (SMS Software)