Growers wanting to learn more about planter technology, variable rate seeding and data management can do so during the Northwest Ohio Precision Agriculture Day Aug. 6, offered by experts with Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The field day will offer information on precision planter technology and will feature discussions and demonstrations from college researchers and farm equipment, seed and technology professionals, said Eric Richer, an Ohio State University Extension educator.

The event, which is geared toward producers, crop consultants and anyone interested in precision agriculture, will feature presentations from OSU Extension and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center researchers.

OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college.

“Planting is our most important step in order to achieve a successful crop come harvest,” Richer said. “Our hope is that people come away with management ideas and practices that will better help them incorporate seed, steel and technology into planting their crops.

“There will be a little bit of something for everyone, for people with existing equipment and those producers who may be looking at new planters. The sky is the limit on some of the things that we can do with planter technology. We want to expose all producers to the many ways that technology can benefit their growing operations.”

The event is from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Fulton County Fairgrounds, 8591 State Route 108, in Wauseon. The program, which includes lunch, is free but pre-registration by July 31 is required.

Topics to be discussed include:

  • Agronomics of variable rate seeding
  • Latest precision planter equipment and technology considerations        
  • Data management
  • The value of precision agriculture technology

The afternoon session will include field demonstrations featuring several planter models with a focus on how to maximize planter performance and successful deployment of precision planter technologies, Richer said.

Four hours of certified crop adviser credits are available, he said.

For more information on the field day or to register, contact Richer at 419-337-9210 or richer.5@osu.edu. More information can be found at http://www.fulton.osu.edu.