Precision Planting 2025 Winter Conference Highlights

Everyday improvement was the overall theme of the 2025 Precision Planting Winter Conference held in late January in Tremont, Illinois, and live streamed to 10 locations across the United States and Canada.

“For a lot of years, this event has been about how you prepare for the next year, how you can get better for the upcoming season,” said Bryce Baker, Precision Planting product and brand manager. “How do we improve on our farms for 2025 and how do we understand your questions and serve you better for this coming year?”

Planter Improvement

“Nobody on planet Earth has done more research on singulation than Precision Planting,” said Mike Schlitt, Precision Planting regional manager. “For every 1% I can improve my singulation, that’s a 2- to 4-bushel gain.”

He said at planter clinics it’s not uncommon to see meters running at 92% or 95%, highlighting the importance of checking performance prior to planting.

“I like to call every row unit a planter,” he said. “If I have a 16-row planter, I have 16 planters, because each one has to do its job.”

One component of planting that is sometimes overlooked is depth, but small adjustments can mean a big difference in emergence and, ultimately, yield.

Adjusting planting depth based on the moisture line throughout a field increases even emergence. Precision Planting’s SmartDepth tool allows adjustments from the cab in increments of 1/10 of an inch and can be paired with SmartFirmer to sense available moisture, allowing for informed decisions on optimal depth.

Sprayer Improvement

When it comes to spraying, the ability to apply the right amount of product exactly where needed is essential both for the environment and for your bottom line.

“If we can variable rate, we can put a high rate on the big weeds, give them the full punch of your program, and then on the small or sparse weeds we can use a low rate because they don’t need as much for control,” said Aaron Herrmann, Precision Planting research agronomist.

Preventing weed escapes at the end of the year is important when you consider how prolific many common weeds are at producing seed.

“I’ve dug pretty deep into waterhemp and I’ve come up with figures from around 28,000 to 160,000 viable seeds produced by a single female plant each year,” Hermann said. “What happens to all those seeds? With 17 waterhemp per acre, times an average of 50,000 seeds per plant, you have 850,000 seeds per acre.

“Even at only a 25% germination rate, and 99.98% weed control, you’ll end up with 42 waterhemp per acre the next year, along with all of their seed plus any other viable seed from the year before.”

Fertility Improvement

Understanding your soils allows you to make better decisions throughout the growing season. Radicle Agronomics is Precision Planting’s suite of soil sampling and analysis tools to aid in the fertilizer recommendation process.

Using GeoTubes – water-resistant, reusable soil sample containers – GeoPress packages and records soil sample data automatically. At the winter conference, the GeoPress Lite was introduced.

“The GeoPress Lite has a smaller footprint to allow for more options and configurations,” said Adam Vaccari, Precision Planting product engineer. “It’s a more cost-effective way to get on the platform.”

The GeoTubes are then loaded into a Radicle Lab, where the soil is analyzed with results sent to an app you can access from your phone or other device. The tubes are then sterilized and can be reused.

the title “The Benefits of Mindfulness in Daily Life”

In our fast-paced world filled with constant distractions and stressors, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected from ourselves. This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and aware in the moment, without judgment. It involves paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations without getting caught up in them.

The benefits of incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives are numerous. One of the key benefits is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. By staying present and focused on the current moment, we can prevent ourselves from getting caught up in worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. This can help us feel calmer and more at peace.

Mindfulness can also improve our mental clarity and focus. By training our minds to stay present, we can enhance our ability to concentrate on tasks and make better decisions. This can lead to increased productivity and efficiency in our daily lives.

Furthermore, mindfulness can improve our relationships with others. By being fully present and attentive when interacting with others, we can deepen our connections and strengthen our communication. This can lead to more fulfilling and harmonious relationships.

Additionally, mindfulness can enhance our overall well-being. By tuning into our bodies and emotions, we can better understand ourselves and our needs. This self-awareness can help us make healthier choices and foster a greater sense of self-compassion.

Incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives can be as simple as taking a few moments to focus on our breath, practicing gratitude, or engaging in mindful activities such as yoga or meditation. By making mindfulness a regular part of our routine, we can experience the numerous benefits it has to offer in improving our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

In conclusion, the practice of mindfulness offers a wide range of benefits that can enhance our daily lives in numerous ways. By staying present and aware in the moment, we can reduce stress, improve focus, strengthen relationships, and enhance our overall well-being. So why not give mindfulness a try and see the positive impact it can have on your life?