Moonlight dual screen Laptop concept-Brooke White

This is a laptop that has a touch screen display on the lower segment that doubles up as a mouse or can carry out the operations system in the background. You can also use it as an extension of the screen. The frame is sensor controlled and lights up in the dark. This laptop is still currently being established, so it should be coming out in the near future. They don't have much of a description of it other than what I have mentioned, but I just thought this would be neat to see because it's coming out soon. I got this info from http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/04/moonlight_dual_screen_laptop_concept.html

Alert system guards against metal theft~ Larissa Hileman

In reading last month's Buckeye Farm News, there was a section about a new Website www.scraptheftalert.com that broadcasts descriptions and photos of metal materials that have been reported stolen and also provide the contact information of the investigating law enforcement officer.
The article states that OFBF is continuing to explore ways it can work with the scrap metal industry and local law enforcement to address farmers' concerns over metal theft. OFBF has met with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries considering the above mentioned web-site. Although it is widely used by scrap dealers, many communities are unfamiliar, farmers and Farm Bureau members can educate and be helpful by making law enforcement officers aware of the resource.
Being a Farm Bureau member myself, education serves many purposes in opening peoples eyes and ears and to be aware of situations. I see using web sites such as this as a resource will provide communities with the education to become proactive.

Helping Cows Make Less Methane- Andrea Tholen

The U.S. dairy industry wants to make the cow of the future by the year of 2020 to pass less gas and as a result prevent global warming. The cow project aims to reduce intestinal methane, the single largest component of the dairy industry's carbon footprint, said Thomas Gallagher, chief executive officer of the U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc.'s Innovation Center in Rosemont, Ill. If researchers change the ration they feed to their dairy cows they found as a result that they can ultimately get the cow to produce less methane gas. After all the cows are the ones responsible for most of the methane gas produced on a dairy farm. Another way they are looking to change the methane production is to change the microbe bacteria in the cow's rumen, but there is still lots of reserach to be done. I think this is a really good idea and hopefully it will stop methane production in the future and limit global warming.

GPS Farming- Andrea Tholen

Farmers use tractor-mounted GPS receivers to record location. This information helps determine how much fertilizer, weed control, and water is needed in various locations of the field. Additional soil analysis combined with market information about predicted crop prices helps farmers decide what is the best crop rotation. I thought this article was really cool and I think it will help farmers obtain a better crop output if they have that detailed of information about their fields.

Seasoning Made Easy-Emily Spahr

Gone are the days when cooking took hours to complete from refrigerator to the dinner table, and as such, the days of marinading may soon be a past time. Students at Virginia Tech have discovered a new way of adding flavor quickly and efficiently to a piece of unseasoned meat. The product is called "Spice n Easy" and is a small nugget of seasoning which when inserted in the middle of a piece of meat will dissolve completely, releasing flavor throughout.

The nugget is created by following a hard candy approach to develop the flavor releasing object. The main ingredients are comprised of sugar and water heated and then spices are added. Once the mixture has cooked long enough, it is folded to ensure uniformity and then cut into small pieces to be used in meat. Currently there is only two flavors in the works: Cajun and Italian.

Another plus side includes the ability to be used in a variety of meat from beef to chicken to fish. However, don't expect to find it on your grocers shelves just yet- it's still in the development phase, but they are looking for an industrial partner to produce Spice n Easy on a larger scale.

Full Article

Bovine Genome Decoded- Emily Spahr

Genetics as it is known is recent years has not always been so technical and well understood. In the past, the practice was at best an estimated guess to try and produce favorable outcomes. On top of that, little was know why the animal turned out the way it did. With recent advancements in DNA technology and the genome project, scientists now better understand how and why an animal is "built" the way it is.
Several hundred researchers from various countries were able to isolate individual genes and determine how they code for specific functions. Scientists were able to isolate the specific cell markers which code for the digestion process in the four chambered stomach and also the cells which code for milk production.
With a better understanding of this, scientists and geneticists alike can now more closely and carefully determine favorable genes in order to further improve herd qualities which could soon translate into improved meat and milk production.
Article

Bayer uses sheep to manage Landscape- Brandy Brinson

Biotech company Bayer, recently launched a unique two week long green initiative. The company brought 1, 450 sheep to its Richmond California to graze on the 17 acres of grass there. The sheep are managed by Living Systems Land Mangement. The sheep are expected to eat around 115,000 pounds of vegitation during their stay. The sheep will help reduce the chance of fire and encourage native plants to grow. THe razing animals also reduce the need to mow the grass, which will cut out gas powered lawn mowers and other landscaping tools as well as pesticides and herbicides.

algae as a biofuel-Bethany Swinehart

I was reading the April edition of Ohio's Country Journal when I stumbled on this article. There is research being done at the University of Illinois, where algae is among the top new raw materials for biofuels. One of the qualities which makes it in the top is the fast reproduction that it has. There are millions of pounds of algae growing in the worlds water sources from the oceans to the creek out in the back 40 at your grandma's there is algae.
The way that algae is being processed now to create algae-diesel is similar to that used to make soy-bio diesel. However the cost to gain the algae oil is still too high for mass production. The process used now is call transesterification, however there is work being done to with thermo-chemical conversion. This process puts the product in a sort of pressure cooker which as it is heated and with the help of pressure creates a biocrude oil.
According to a researcher this is how the earth formed its petroleum reserves back in the day, man-kind has just speeded the process up!

Robotic feeders-Sarah Ervin

Automatic feeders are another new technology designed to make life on the farm a little easier. These automatic feeders can be used with any specie, this website is dedicated to horses. The feeders that I have seen work by scanning an animals neck band and distributing feed exactly how the farmer has designed it to, in the perfect mixture and measurements. Rations are changed by the farmer, and the machine distributes the rations according to it's programming.

These horse feeders work by filling the feeder with a bag of feed, setting the timer, and the feeder with distribute the feed in the correct amount at the correct time. For a more detailed explanation and more information, visit here.

Cargonaut-Brooke White

First off, I like to look up weird stuff and this is difnitely proof!

This thing is called a cargonaut. It's a "humanoid" flight robot that carries you luggage to your desired location. It was made to relieve peoples stress about hauling luggage around during traveling. The cargonaut can deliver your luggage within minutes. Sometime in the future, they will be available in certain public places. All in all the goal is to relieve people from taking transits and the burden of carring luggage around.

*The red and white part is what your luggage is put in.
There are more pictures located at this website http://www.tuvie.com/cargonaut-humanoid-flight-robot-that-carry-your-luggage#more-2094

Science fair Elisa scott

Ok i feel old and out of place and I'm just now ready to grad!! That little movie on carmen did me in!! lol but it also got me thinking about way back when .... Science Fair . please say there is somone else like me that did the science fair every year a lived for it. I did in my olden days at USV. i remember the usual favs like a battiery potaoto and the gushing volcano then of course the more abstract ones the science geeks did like my twin justin ( cousin really but one a few days apart in age so everyone called us the twins) he made some ink substance that could disapeare and reapeare by changing the ph of the paper. man did i think he was cool. all thins thinking lead to me google this years international science fair catergories this year is still in the works but just listen to last years......
Omattage developed a more efficient and less expensive way to screen for food additive
contaminants, including those responsible for the recent deaths of many pets. By developing
biosensors based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), Omattage’s research provides a new way
for ports and warehouses to more thoroughly screen for food additives and other contaminants that
could be found in food imported into the United States.
Raoof’s research provided new insight into how a better understanding of mathematical knot
theory could help resolve classic biochemical problems. Specifically, her work focused on the
Alexander-Conway polynomial invariant for chord diagrams to help prove how to classify
molecules on a structural basis.

Dude theses are high school aged kids truth be told the most mentally changling thing i did in high school was trying to not get caught skiping class anf these kids are screening food for additives!!

P.S for all my fellow Chicago peeps the high school has a group of kids in this years national contest.

Genomics and Dairy Cattle- Sarah Ervin

A new way to develop a better specie of dairy cattle is through the new genomics technology offered by some artificial insemination companies. Genomics is a way to look at the genetic potential of an animal through its DNA samples. This allows for someone to breed good cows to good bulls, ultimately developing a genetically superior group of dairy cattle. This technology is also available for beef cattle, as well. If you want to read more on this topic, go to this site and read the article.

robotic milkers- Sarah Ervin

Robotic milkers are a recent development to help tend the cows without constant attention from an actual person. The cows come in twice a day to be milked. Each cow wheres an ID band that is scanned by the machine. If they have been in already for that milking, the machine opens the gate to release them, if they haven't, it begins the milking process. Lasers are used to line up the milkers with the cows teats. The machines clean for milking prep, milking, and apply teat dip as a barrier to bacteria on each cow after the milking.

This technology allows a farmer to milk many more cows without the extra labor. The cows do have to be trained to enter the milkers, but once they are, it is a seamless process. Many farmers have not adapted because they prefer the hands on approach to milking so they can see and touch the cows frequently. Also, the machine is expensive and many farmers cannot justify the cost. For more information on the robotic milkers, visit this website.

AfiMilk: A Sheep and Goat Comprehensive Management System-Larissa Hileman

Over the past five years, my younger brother has started his own Boer Goat farm. Though his main focus is to produce his own wethers for fair and doe's for breeding, the whole family focuses on making profits and finding ways to continue our education in the goat industry. This device is three years old, but when you read the article http://www.export.gov.il/Eng/_Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=3212&CategoryID=399, you will notice that it is based in Israel. We do not milk our goats but I still think this system would help in any scenario. It claims to provide tools for management of individual animals, fertility, kidding, health problems, nutrition, and allows for identification of possible culls in the herd. I really think this system will be helpful and will allow for improved efficiency, productivity, and extra profits.

The Cattle Pages--Tiffany Sanders

There is now a new site that ranchers and farmers can visit to retrieve an answer they need to about the cattle industry. The site is http://www.cattlepages.com/ which you can find a directory, discussion board, pictures, newsletter, market reports, and so much more about the cattle industry! I think this should be a great site to answer any question that one may have and should be a fast and easy way to connect with the outside world. This piece of technology is able to connect so many ranchers and farmers that we will be able to learn from each other in a much easier and efficient way.

Back to New Sheep Technology or maybe Not-Megan Mullet

My family raises sheep, thus my interest in new sheep technology. The problem I am finding is that when I google "new sheep technology," I keep stumbling upon interest things that have NOTHING to do with the sheep industry. The last blog I posted on sheep was slightly more related than this one. I found a guy-Ben Gallagher that fixes computers and designs posters and websites for him. On the web he is famous for making cartoons of Gerald the Sheep. To the left is one of Ben's famous cartoons and he posts a new cartoon almost daily to his website bengallagher.com. To make this story even better: Gerald the Sheep is now on Twitter! And we can all follow him at @geraldthesheep. As we already discussed twitter in class and no one came up with a good reason for twitter, I think this Ben Gallagher has entirely too much time on his hands to make a cartoon sheep have a twitter account! I for one think that more of us need to be volunteering our time if we have that much time to spare!!

Farming Looks Good Even in Tough Economic Times

The consequence of less people going out to eat tends to pick up orchard business, according to Armock, president and co-owner of Riveridge Produce Marketing in Sparta. While people will put off buying houses and cars in a bad economy, they still need food.
In 2008, American farmers and livestock producers had estimated cash receipts of $323.4 billion, up 13.6 percent from the previous year. "If energy prices go back up again, that will be probably harmful to our food economy," says Phil Schwallier, district educator at Michigan State University Extension's Clarksville Horticultural Experiment Station. These type of statements and stats give a breadth of relief to farmers.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/economy_unlikely_to_affect_man.html

Students Learn About Sustainable Agriculture aaron williams

Why is it so hard for colleges to have more hand on classes for student to get there feet wet. When looking at schools when you were in high school what did you really look at? Somethings you looked at was what state you live in, where your parents went, what school you like the best, and what major you wanted to do. You didn't think of is this going to be a class where i sit in a room and watch a power point on how plants grow or am i going to go outside and grow our own plants and learn that way. Ever time you get put in a situation that you learned about in college i hope you got to do it live because it might be really hard trying to teach someone how to AI if you have never done it hands on yourself.

Forages Video

Forages

Seed Command - Stewart Kitchen

One of the most interesting ag technologies to me is GPS units in tractors, and how they impact profitability and production in grain farming. AgLeader Technology Systems has a very impressive online demonstration of this technology in the link below.

http://www.agleader.com/products.php?Product=seedcommand

Using GPS technology on tractors, farmers are able to record the path or their equipment, detect creek beds & buffer strips, and wet soil areas that can't be planted. That information will tell planters and sprayers when to shut themselves off to prevent over planting and wasting chemicals. This will increse profitability, as well as reduce chemical runoff, which is environmentally responsible. Farmers are also able to use this information year to year to plan ahead for the next harvest.

I also have a picture, but AEDE's Laptop is telling me there is an error on the page trying to load the JPG :) I will keep trying.

AGCO e3 technology-Brandy Brinson

AGCO's e3 technology is a clean air technology that the company is offering on its tractors (Agco, Massey Ferguson, and Challenger). The technology is a Select Catalytic Reduction system that lowers the Nitrogen Oxide and other particles that can be in emissions from the exhaust of diesel engines. The reduction takes place within the exhaust system with a Diesel Exhaust Fluid. A liquid urea solution is heated and turns into ammonia, and reacts with the Nitrogen Oxide and converts the potential pollutants into water, nitrogen, and small amounts of carbon dioxide. The product is carried on a separate container on the machine and uses about 3 gallons of the solution per 100 gallons of fuel.

Cow Video

Watch Aaron's cow video.

Students Learn About Sustainable Agriculture aaron williams

I hate sitting in a classroom and watching some boring power point about how to grow crops. When picking the right college for me i wanted to look into a school that had more hand on classes. Thats why when student are about to graduate from high school they need help at looking at the school they want to go to. Sustainable agriculture is a major goal at some colleges. They teach the need for farming to improve the environment and make good use of natural resources. You don't sit there and read it you get right in the field and learn it. The only thing i could say about what school to go to is the one that has the best damn band in the land.

Donors Choose - Natasha Hupp

A new website allows teachers to request things for their classrooms. Anything from pencils and pens to a new projector or even a trip to the zoo can be found listed on the website donorschoose.org. The website allows anyone to browse these requests by region, topic, or need. They have also teamed up with several large organizations that will pay for half of the money needed if a project is finished. his effectively doubles the amount you gave. If you donate $100 or more to a project or finish a project you will recive thank you letters in the mail from the students. I have personally finished a project and recieved letters from 1st graders thanking me for helping them get a projector for their classroom.

This website is a great way for people who want to donate for education or for teachers to get the much needed items for their class.

Finding jobs throughout the US Elisa Scott

Just like everyone my age, the leaving college entering the real world of work, we all have those freak out days. Or what I like to call "I HATE OHIO MOMENTS". This day came for me march 31 after the 6th thanks but no thanks resume` letter. I got on line and googled agriculture jobs in the US and fornd this super website<http://www.usajobs.gov/> and filled out the resume` section. I found over a thousand jobs i qualified for in ohio alone and now have my first responce for a second look in Wahington the state at the Olympic National Park. this is a great web site to help anyone else in finding a job!! it is also one of the coolest examples of interactive technology i have been able to figure out and use. I hope you all atleast check it out it is a super resource too. xoxo E

Internet in the Cab- Joe Zimmerman

I have spent many hours in the cab of a tractor with my dad or by myself. The only two things that one can do is listen the the fading radio or talk to one another. This know longer has to be the case though. Raven Industries has just launched a Viper with Internet access. It is the first of its kind to bring cyber digital waves to corn and soybeans fields across the Midwest. The card technology that the Viper has is the same that is in cell phones. Farmers also have the opportunity to use a USB WiFi adapter too.

Fleet Management- Joe Zimmerman

With the number of farms getting bigger, farmers often have to use a large number of truck to haul their grain to the elevator. One common problem that many farmeres have of recent though is drivers who tend to take a long time hauling which often leads the farmer to wonder where they may be. With this in mind, farm owners are starting to adopting technologies used in commercial trucking businesses to monitor and manage fleets from a single computer screen. Its known as telematics. It includes vechicle-tracking devices and software that shows where all vehicles are located at any given time.

The Solar Automower-Brooke White

This weird looking machine is an automower which is solar powered. It was created by a company call Husqvarna which is the largest producer of outdoor equipment. The automower is the worlds first automatic hybrid lawn mower. It has solar panels as well as a battery back-up. All you have to do is put it out in your yard and it will do it's job; you don't even have to be around. It's also very good at handling rough terrain and slopes up to 35%. Another great thing about the automower is that when it needs charged, you don't have to mess with it because it goes to its charging station by itself. It also includes an alarm, so if someone tries to steel it, you can be notified (HAHA!!)....The automowers purpose is to reduce emissions and labor.

*No offense, but I don't think I would EVER invest in one of these!*

For more info about the automower, check it out at this website www.peachygreen.com/going-green/solar-powered-automower

Kindles in the Classroom [Tara Milliken]

Obviously, I'm going to remain hooked on the technology that is being made more readily available to teachers, since that is my chosen career, and this particular blog is no exception. I mentioned the Kindle on the first day of class, but since a lot of people still seemed fairly uninformed about the advancing technology created by Amazon, I thought I'd take it one step further. The Kindle is a software and hardware platform that allows the user to read electronic books (e-books), and was first released by Amazon.com in November 2007. The second generation, or Kindle 2, was just released in February of this year.

The Kindle all but eliminates the need for hard copies of various texts - you can find everything from essays, to newspaper subscriptions, to nearly every book imaginable online, available for purchase to read on the Kindle. And, teachers are beginning to take an interest. A recent article in the Salt Lake City Tribune details the purchase of 147 Kindles for teachers to familiarize themselves and uncover ways to promote literacy in the classroom. Currently, the market for Kindles in the classroom remains small to non-existent. However, officials expect schools to begin making a slow transition to this mode of new education. Not only would it eliminate a tremendous paper trail, but free of space required to store textbooks, allow updated versions of a text to be accessed immediately after publication, and relieve students of the days of lugging around an over-filled backpack.

A recent report also announced that printing the NY Times costs twice as much as sending every subscriber a free Kindle -- not that I am in favor of such an action. For me, at least, there's something gratifying about sitting down with a cup of coffee and reading a real, printed newspaper. But, it would appear that this ideal may not last forever. For more information about the Kindle, check out http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3098353127&ref=pd_sl_41di7k8jq1_e.

Cow Urine Saving Bees- Andrea Tholen

Researcher's in India are suggesting that cow urine can potentially save bee's from disease. The urine helps ward off microbial diseases that effect bees, and some researchers are using it extensively while breeding honey bees. Ruchira Tiwari, a researcher at the institute who has done three years of research on the subject said, “We have used cow urine and with that we have seen that within seven-eight days, the breed becomes healthy. The urine actually works better then medincines and the production of larvae from eggs increases where as with medicine it decreases. I thought this was a pretty cool idea because most people would not think that cow urine could have an effect in the process of getting honey that many people eat.
Cow Urine Saving Bees

Robots to Slash Farm Labour Costs-Nicole M. Pleiman

The researchers from the University of Warwick's horticultural arm, Warwick HRI, and its manufacturing engineering section, Warwick Manufacturing Group, are working on a number of robotics and automation products that will vastly reduce the labour costs of farmers and growers. One of the projects includes a robot that will pick mushrooms. The robot has the ability to find and pick only the mushrooms that have achieved a particular size. The robot works at a vastly higher degree of accuracy in comparison to humans, but has not yet reached the potential to pick at such a fast rate. The robot does however have the ability to work 24 hours.

To read more about this and other great advancements visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/ne1000000157337/

Hybrid Corn--Tiffany Sanders

Over the last couple of years there has been a huge jump in the improvement of crops and one of the biggest one is the introduction to hybrid crops. Making crops stronger by combining the wanted traits of a crop is a great technology improvement to help against crop loss. In the article, Don't Forget Disease Resistance When Choosing Corn Hybrids by Candace Pollock and help from Peter Thomison and Pierce Paul from The OSU Extension of the OARDC. This year there were many tests that were conducted including, 225 hybrids representing 38 commercial brands. By selecting hybrid corn a farmer can reduce his problems with disease because Paul and Peter have make corn plants that are resistant to certain strains of diseases in different areas. To read more about this great advancement you can visit http://www.ohio4h.org/~news/story.php?id=3893 .

Vision Robotics-Megan Mullet

The technology I found is related specifically to harvesting oranges and apples. The machine consists of two robots-one that uses vision to scan and identify oranges (or apples) in the grove. This robot records information about the oranges (or apples) such as the positions and sizes. Then the other robot having eight arms picks the oranges (or apples) quickly and efficiently. This machine would save the farmer quite a bit of money because labor is becoming very expensive (especially the labor that requires physical work). The machine would also be able to provide data for the farmer. Lately our country and others have seen many food recalls that trace back to produce. By recording information while the produce is being picked, it might make it easier to trace the problem back to the contamination faster with fewer people getting sick. I know that the recalls have not been related to apples or oranges but could this machine be implemented with other produce?

Another route I can see this machine going is to seed corn. This would relate more to our part of the country. There is a farm back home (Dull Homestead) that currently hires around 100 kids (ages 14-20ish) during the summer to de-tassel their corn. I went to school with a few of the boys from this farm and I know that they have difficulty finding good workers. No one really wants to walk through a field when it is 90 degrees are hotter and pull tassels off of the corn. This machine could be something that seed corn farmers should look into for future utilization. For more information visit this website: http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/topics/agricultural_robotics/

Robots Finding Their Way Into Gardening- Emily Spahr

Robots are in the research stage for gardening at MIT. Currently they are being used to tend to a tomato garden with little to no human interaction with the actual plant. Such robots are able to do so through a central program that creates a care schedule for a robot to follow, and in turn the robot sends back pictures and information regarding the plant conditions(i.e. water requirements, plant health, fruit development, etc.)
While such improvements may prove beneficial in the long run there are a few major hurdles it must surpass before such a trend takes full effect. One such example would be the need for the software to adequately and efficiently adapt to a number of plant species for which it may be used. This needs to occur not only on a program level but also on a mechanical level as well. Another hurdle would be that of cost. In the current economy, such an advancement must be very cost effective and beneficial in order to survive.However, I believe that this technology will ultimately become more prevalent in the slightly distant future.
Full Article

Lely Discovery Mobile Barn Cleaner- Ryan Langenkamp

Stay on my theme I find this really cool also this robot is call the discovery. It actually scraps the walk ways of the barn all day expect when it is charging. It scraps the manure into the holes in the floor. It is safe for the cows to be around and it actually will go around them and remember it still has to scrap that area. I thought this would be great for keeping the cows cleaner and less likely to have mastitis. Again check out this video to see it work.

http://www.pennerfarmservice.com/EC/Penner/Portal/Portal.aspx?CN=4F7AF9B662E8&MN=99B96951EAED

Water Beds and Cows? ~Larissa Hileman

Advanced Comfort Technology, Inc. have redesigned this hippie trend with local merchants all over the world. This idea has been very successful and is receiving amazing reviews. Farmers are seeing the truth behind these water beds as milk products have increased up to around 10 to 15 percent. These beds are also reducing the occurence of injuries within the stall therefore reducing the use of a veterinarian for minor swelling or inflammation of the knees or hooves.
The water beds are designed by a bladder that can hold 15 gallons of water. The material is reversible and cleanable as is used as protection, comfort and traction. Though some farmers are still in "udder" disbelief, many are already seeing great increases in the amounts of their milk products.

http://www.stlbeds.com/articles/2009/03/26/water-bed-cows/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU8_A_EIwAs

Juno- Robotic Feed Pusher- Ryan Langenkamp

Going along with my past blogs I did some more reseach on robots. I found that the Lely a company who makes the lely Juno which pushes up the feed for the cows every couple of hours. I think that this is a great idea coming from someone who worked at a dairy for one quarter at ATI and had to do night checks and push up feed after midnight. I think that this is a very cost effective investment for a dairy who does not want to pay or take the time to push up feed every few hours. Also this allows cows to have food always in their reach every couple of hours. This increases the consumtion of feed which leds to higher milk production levels. If you would like to see this thing work watch this video.

http://www.lely.com/en/yellow_revolution/movie_Juno/index.jsp

Drive-Over Fence - Emily Klein

Cross-Over gates allow small vehicles to drive over a fence without going through a gate. It’s a heavy-duty structure made of steel bars. It is in the shape of a half circle with the bars spaced evenly apart. It can be installed in existing fence line, with fencing connected to the upright pedestals on either side. A retail price for a drive over fence is right around $600.

Automatic Cattle Sorting - Emily Klein

Technology brought many systems that evaluate the amount of fed and water cattle take in. The system is activated by the cattle’s front legs as the animal enters the feed yard. The system is capable of monitoring frequency and duration of cattle at water tanks. The system is able to scan each cattle’s partial body weight which can then be changed into their full body weights. The system gives farmers the point when cost of gain starts to exceed the value of gain. If the system is monitored closely farmers will be able to see if an animal is getting sick by the amount of feed and water it is ingesting. By using these systems farmers can get a look into the future. This technology has given the opportunity for farmers to project growth rates into the future and figure a time period when the calf would be ready to go to market. Below is a link for an article for more information on these systems.

http://farmindustrynews.com/farm-equipment/livestock/0808_farming_automatic_cattle_sorting/?smte=wl

EduCast USB Duplicators~Larissa Hileman

The EduCast USB Duplicator with MP3 Players from Hamilton Electronics serves three main functions without the use of a PC. These include copying audio lessons or class assignments, collects assignments and information into one flash drive for a teacher's review of all students projects, and provides a re-usable and low energy solution to storing and distrubuting classroom materials. I think this technology would be very useful in any type of learning situation as teachers, instructors, presenters could use them instead of printing off many copies of powerpoint presentations and extra reading materials. The EduCast USB Duplicator is also user friendly being a plug-and-play device with the major drawback only being the cost. To read more, follow the link: http://techlearning.com/article/17100

Robotic Milkers- Ryan Langenkamp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FetI-kWBdDM&feature=related

If you have not seen a robotic milker I would look at this video. You could skip to about 2 min into the video and thats when it starts really. I have to say that these robots are amazing on how they clean and tell where the teats are. I think that if they get the price of they robots down to something the farmers can afford and can see a return on it faster than now they will take off. I really can not wait to see what happens to these robots in the future.

Salt Free Farming- Andrea Tholen

Here is a link to a YouTube video that I thought was really interesting on Salt Free Farming.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aCJiGlUSHg

The video talks about the Associate Professor Greg Leslie genuis idea of salt free farming and how it can really help farmers out during droughts. He is from UNSW which is a chemical and engineering school in Austrailia and it was published in 2008, the video says that they hope to have the idea out to many people in a few years. He plans to take water from the ocean and extract the salt from the water so plants will be able to get what they need from it without actually getting the salt (reverse osmosis). They have tested it on common market crops and it proves to be sucessful thus far. This idea would save many farmers from the dry years and be an alternative way for them to water their plants without having to rely on the weather and enviorment.

The Bale Band-It- Brooke White

*This machine is pulled behind a small square baler. When the square bales come out of the baler, they ender into the bale band-it. The band-it then stacks 21 of the bales very tightly and finishes them off with steel bands. When this process is finished, they band-it releases the bundel of bales on the go.

*This piece of farm equipment came out within the last couple of years. It is VERY handy. It sure beats picking each square bale up by hand and stacking! We have one back home and it's very effecient. There is also a little GPS that comes with it that you keep in the cab with you. It tells you if somethings wrong or if you are running low on steel bands. It's also easier to store and move around. As of last year, we were the first one's in Ohio to have one.

*If you want to see how it operates, check out this video on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eku5MlKJOiM

Mobile Farm Management- Emily Spahr

As the Internet capabilities of cell phones increase, so does the ability to make agricultural decisions away from a desktop computer. Farmers can now access important market information in real time from popular companies such as DTN and Cargill. In the palm of their hand, farmers can now make more educated decisions by being able to quickly access the latest market reports and weather conditions, allowing them to make their decisions in the fields or shop versus behind a desk.
Another new development is the ability to receive alerts when markets reach a quota the producer sets. This new ability allows the farmer be kept informed and able to make quick decisions to act on such information immediately if he/she so chooses. Weather alerts act in a similar manner, and have added features such as a precipitation estimator, particularly allowing grain farmers the ability to decide if it would be beneficial to work in the fields that day.
These new advancements help make the decision process a little easier, mobile and informed for farmers who don't always have the time to sit in front of a computer screen crunching numbers.
http://about.dtnpf.com/ag/products/producer/mobile/index.cfm

Compident Electronic Sow Feeding~Larissa Hileman

As with any type of marketable livestock, producers are always trying new methods of making their animals reach market weight faster and efficiently. Schauer Agrotonic GmbH, a company specializing in electronic sow feeding equipment, has teamed up with Automated Production Systems to provide their services to pork producers in the United States.

With this type of system, the animals can walk stress free into the controlled entry gate, and with the technology of automatic animal identification, the feeding equipment will know when and how much feed this one particular animal is allowed. Besides this systems efficiency in getting pigs to market in a timely manner, it helps with the maternal characteristics as well. This system will guarantee larger litters with heavier birth weights, safe and swift farrowing, and will the sows or gilts to be more prolific, being able to raise more parities or litters in a more correct body condition.

To read more about this new feeding system, please click on the link below.

http://http://schauer.cn.agenturdns.net/index.php?id=29&L=1

Vlogging [Tara Milliken]

So, I'll make this explaination quick . . . last quarter I was enrolled in EDU T&L 656, Literature for Adolescents. We read a book by author, John Green, a very prominent figure in Young Adult fiction. Anyways, I ended up writing a paper on his works, which eventually led me to check out his website http://www.sparksflyup.com/. While there, I found out about a project he was working on with his brother, Hank Green. The two brothers, who rarely see each other in person, made the decision not to communicate except through video blogs (vlogs) for an entire year . . . all while the rest of the world watched via YouTube. The project is named Brotherhood 2.0 -- you can learn more specifically about it here at http://nerdfighters.ning.com/.

It all sounds sort of goofy -- and I was really skeptical when my professor first informed me of it, but then I began watching just a few of these vlogs and was immediately hooked on the humor and intellect of these two very successful men. They have thousands of followers on their channel, and millions of hits on various vlogs. These brothers are using this form of technology to influences a tremendously huge audience. The definition of a vlog is, in the most simplest form, a video blog, which would be posted to a site available to the masses for viewing purposes. While "vlogging" is nothing new, we rarely see it used in this form . . . for the most part we do not sit down to watch videos on YouTube to become educated, it's main purpose has always been entertainment.

However, true as that may be, I think that teachers should consider tapping into this unused resource. The vast majority of high school students have frequented YouTube at least once in their lifetime. If a teacher can create a type of vlog that is both interactive, engaging, and possibly even humorous they might be able to find another outside-the-classroom connection with their students. They could also potentially have students create vlogs of their own. This idea is very similar to what we are doing here, just taken one step further. If utilized properly, I believe the benefits of this type of technology could take classroom learning to entirely new level.

greenstar light bar--Bethany Swinehart

John Deere has released a technology that is making it easier to plant crops. The greenstar light bar is comprised of 27 lights the three center lights are green and the others (12 on either side) are red. Each light represents 4 inches of error. This light bar can be plugged into any tractor as long as it has an ISO attachment. Another great bonus is that you do not need to have any extra greenstar monitors or equipment to use it.
The picture shows what the lightbar would look like if you were off track a bit and this driver is about 8 inches to the left of where he should be.





http://www.deere.com/en_US/newsroom/2008/releases/agriculture/08072008_greenstar_release.html

Skyscraper Farming-Brandy Brinson

I ran across this article on the Popular Science Website. We all wonder what will happen to farming as the world's population continues to grow. Dickinson Despommier, a scientist at Columbia University suggests that the future of farming is going to be skyscrapers that grow food and are tended by computers. The plants will be grown in cities with the use of hydroponic growing techniques. By growing food in cities where it is most likely to be consumed will cut down on transportation costs and emissions. Most experiments with this technology have been in small scale community parks. Despommier is proposing a 200 million dollar project that would take up an entire city block, and be 30 stories high!

Heat Watch System for Cattle Tiffany Sanders

I have always been interested in the cow/calf aspect of cattle and to make money in the cattle industry you need to get your cows bred. Many cattle producers have gone to the breeding techniques of AIing or Artificial Inseminating where the producer needs to catch the cow in her heat cycle. To ensure that you catch the cow in heat you should watch for the signs however, it is hard to watch your cows 24/7 and some cows don't even show signs of heat so thanks to technology watching for heat is made a little easier for producers by The Heat Watch System. The Heat Watch System uses an small electronic device that is glued to the back near the tail head of the cow. Then when the device is set in the cow the small device sends out a signal to a remote computer telling it that the cow has been mounted and logs the standing mounts. This is just wonderful for busy producers because the weight of another cow or a teaser bull triggers the device to ensure that you catch the cow in her heat cycle and to better your chances of successfully breeding the cow. I have included the one of the many websites that show this device and for those who are also interested in this and the website also shows step by step of how to use The Heat Watch System.

http://www.goodecattle.com/heat.htm

ipod Aaron J Williams

When i found out that instead of going to class you can just watch the lecture on your ipod and take your quiz after this why am i going to class? ipods are being put into classes around the world to help students and educators with the learning of there major. the use of ipods have been changing all the time with the different attachments that you can download. In fall of 2004, Duke University gave each entering freshman an iPod and invited faculty and students to explore how the devices could enhance both the academic and student campus life.(they have to much money to throw around) After a year of the experiment now they only offer it to certain class which the instructor uses them. This could help students with family's or with jobs that they can't get to the class room for there education. If this is the case and you don't have to go to the campus for your classes do you think it is fair to pay 3,000 a quarter for your education?

Extreme Sheep LED Art-Megan Mullet

The following link is to a you tube video advertising a new line of HD televisions from Samsung Electronics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw

An article posted through a blog for nytimes.com caught my attention when I saw sheep and LED TVs being connected. Although this isn't a new technology being used to benefit the agriculture industry, I did find it as an interesting use of the sheep industry.

One issue I have with this advertisement is that I can't see the connection between sheep with LED lights strapped on them and LED Televisions. The article on this video said that Samsung marketing department had a hard time coming up with an idea to advertise the TVs because there is no way to compare these new TVs to old TVs on a regular TV or computer screen because of the way they are pixalated. The main reason they chose the idea is because of people like me who find a cool video on you tube, and then send it to 5 of their friend or perhaps talk about it on a blog. I cannot say that I am going to go out and spend a couple thousand dollars on a new TV because they could herd sheep in an effective way but I will say that I did go check out their website because of their video.

Autonomous tractors – Emily Klein

Autonomous tractors are tractors that are controlled by a computer to drive themselves. The technology is still in the works, but articles claim it is almost here. These tractors would be great to be used for tedious fieldwork. One big obstacle that needs to be overcome is the tractor needs to be able to sense that something is in its way. It needs to be able to stop or move around items such as people, animals, telephone poles, or any other type of object. There is no room for error when dealing with this obstacle. One group of experimenters/researchers claim the tractor will be given a route plan that is loaded onto a memory stick and inserted into the tractor so the tractor knows where to go. To read more in depth on the upcoming technology click the two links below.

http://farmindustrynews.com/shop-office/business/technology-changing-agriculture/

http://www.unibots.com/Hako.htm

John Deere: World's Largest Planter - Emily Klein

John Deere came out with a DB120; 48 row, 120-foot planter. The planter was designed for farmers that have a large amount of acres and who want to increase their production. The maintenance resembles any of the 12 to 36 row planters. The 12-row corn head will be consistent with the 48 row planter. The DB120 relies on satellite-based GPS for planting accuracy which eliminates the need for marker arms. In desirable field conditions, the planter will be able to plant 90-100 acres per hour at the recommended speed. The empty weight of the planter is 40,200 pounds and loaded is 47,700 pounds. Its seed capacity is 125 bushels. The availability of the planter will be limited in 2009 but John Deere will start taking orders for farmers who want one to use in the 2010 planting season. The retail price is at $345,000.

Click below to access John Deere's Newsroom with more information. http://www.deere.com/en_US/newsroom/2009/releases/agricultural/02272009_db120.html#

Methane Digester on Dairies-Sarah Ervin

A recently new development on dairy farms around the world has been the establishment of methane digesters. What these digesters do is literally 'digest' cow manure and other organic material, the methane produced is then burned off to prevent it from entering the atmosphere. In some countries, farmers put the methane into a generator and use it as an electrical source, or sell the electricity produced to their local electrical company.

I saw one of these digesters when I was in The Netherlands and they purchased food wastes from food manufacturers and digested the cow manure from their own farm, and sold the methane produced electricity. There is a machine that mixes up the by-products and they are then pumped into a large dome-like container, where bacteria eat the waste, producing methane and then the methane is pumped to a generator to be burnt and produce electricity.Not only is this a easier way to produce electricty, it is better for the environment, too.

The image at the top is what the digesters look like from the outside. They do not all look alike, but this is a good example. To visit a website about a family who has implemented a methane digester, click here.

Welcome to the Ag Ed 532 night blog

Here you will find stories and content about the use of technology within agriculture.