As much as I’ve enjoyed visiting with our readers on this page during the past few months, you’ll have a new face to look at starting with the next issue of Precision Farming Dealer

The Auburn University Extension ag and biosystems engineer says he works with farmers all the time who have been collecting precise field data with the ultimate goal of making better crop management decisions. But, though the original question's fairly common, the answer isn't.

Investing in agro-ecological agricultural practices, backed by the right technology, balanced against traditional wisdom would help ensure food security, said eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan on Monday.

Rainfall data collected by a network of radars operated by the National Weather Service will be integrated into an application that helps farmers forecast corn yields throughout the growing process.

As interconnected and precision agriculture continue to make an impact on farming, the IDEAg Interconnectivity Conference, which is scheduled for June 25-27 in Altoona, Iowa, has received attention from top farm producers in more than 20 states, and several countries including Canada, India and the United Kingdom.

This is an excerpt from an article on AgWeek, by Jonathan Knuton, which examines the financial value of precision farming.

Agri-Trend's Geo-Solutions division strives to connect farmers to the best professional precision and agronomic services available. Agri-Trend's Geo Coaches team up with dealerships to provide the support necessary to farmers in their region.

GEOSYS has confirmed an effort to constantly update satellite images of specific fields throughout the growing season. The latest images of fields — combined with pertinent agronomic data — are available to farmers and their dealership partners to optimize the in-season decisions they make.

AGCO has launched a 150 hectare (371 acre) farm and learning center near Lusaka, Zambia. "Africa has tremendous growth potential in the agricultural equipment sector and our mission is to provide agricultural solutions for the continent's farmers," said Hubertus Muehlhaeuser.

Raven Industries, Inc. announced that Stephanie Herseth Sandlin will become the company's General Counsel and Vice President — Corporate Development, effective September 1, 2012.