Leading the way with Generation 4 Guidance

Precision Farming Basics

The Precision Ag world is full of options, the starting point for most is AutoTrac, it allows us to confidently create evenly spaced rows past sunset, in rain, dust, or fog. This helps maintain top machine and implement performance, resulting in a uniform field. Managers gain trust in their operators, because they can focus less on driving, and more on the function of the implement. An Auburn University study has shown operators can reduce their overlap by 10% over the course of an entire day. It’s well known that AutoTrac reduces overlap, but the big savings are in fuel, fertilizer, seed, chemicals, equipment wear, and time. 

In order to use AutoTrac you need to set up guidance lines. The Operations Center has rolled out the ability to create guidance lines from your computer. This is done in Land Manager, by selecting the side of the field in a recorded boundary you want the straight track to be parallel with, or by punching in the latitude, longitude, and heading in for the A and B points. This is an easy way to prepare for the growing season from the warmth of your house. 

Using a Generation 4 display, there are four different types of basic guidance tracks that can be created: Straight Track, Curve Track, Circle Track, and Boundary Fill.

 Straight Track has many options when recording where you want your B point to be after setting your A point. A quick way to set a track in a Generation 4 display is the Quick Line shortcut key at the bottom of the display, which is an Auto B Straight Track method which may be handy in a tillage scenario where you want to quickly snap a line. Another cool Straight Track option is Access Path, which allows for the creation of field roads equally spaced across crop passes and enables the use of AutoTrac on both access paths and crop passes. 

The Boundary Fill is an option for autosteering on headlands. When there is a field boundary present, guidance lines will automatically be created to match that boundary inside and outside of the perimeter. There is no need to mess with recording that first pass anymore, after a few button presses that first pass can be automatic. This capability allows the headlands to be planted after the center of the field to avoid compacting soil on planted seeds. The end-of-row can be set with Section Control, and sections will shut off automatically in the headland.

As farmer’s technology needs increase, the Generation 4 family of displays continues to evolve into a well-rounded tool for every crop and operation. There are so many factors you can’t control that can affect the bottom line. Take one more off your mind and let Generation 4 Guidance lead the way. 

Want more information? Contact our R&S Precision Farming team today!