A research farm, field tile manufacturer and unmanned aerial vehicle vendor will be among the stops at this year’s InfoAg pre-conference tour.

The Monday, July 15, tour departs from the Crowne Plaza in Springfield at 9 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m. The event leads into the InfoAg Conference slated for July 16-18.

Registration for the tour and conference is available at www.infoag.org. Early-bird special registration rates are available through July 1.

The Brandt Consolidated Research Farm will be the first stop of the pre-conference tour, where Ed Corrigan, senior agronomist, will discuss the company’s research program.

The Brandt stop also will feature Sean Arians of Monsanto, who will detail that company’s Integrated Farming Systems platform.

IFS aims at getting more from every acre by integrating Monsanto’s knowledge in seed science, field science, data analysis and precision equipment to develop solutions optimized for the conditions of a farmers’ field.

During a visit to Springfield Plastics, a field tile manufacturer, visitors will see the state-of-the-art process that produces pipe from pellets. Steve Baker will lead the tour that also includes an installation of a saturate buffer strip, an example of the latest controlled drainage.

Drones will be featured at the final stop of the day. UAV vendors including AutoCopter and Aerial Precision Ag will demonstrate their products at Holmes Field.

The InfoAg conference, touted as the leading event in precision agriculture, brings together industry leaders, retailers, researchers and farmers to learn about the latest crop production technologies.

Conference topics this year include the globalization of precision ag, unraveling the mystery of precision ag and soil variability, management zones, ag apps for smartphones and tablets, variable hybrid planting, variable rate seeding, field data issues, precision irrigation, precision drainage and nutrient management.

A hands-on workshop also will be available. These sessions allow for getting firsthand assistance in working through on-farm research, data analysis, nitrogen models, agriculture apps and other topics.

Those interested are to bring their computers to the workshops to get help installing and using the precision ag tools.