Being successful in business, farming, or life means overcoming new challenges everyday. Join Precision Planting's Product Support team as we deliver new learnings and unpack deeper understanding with each episode. We will be interviewing, investigating and sharing our conversations from customers, engineers, dealers, sales managers, product support and more. Smarter Every Season is the premiere Precision Planting podcast for anyone excited to follow along and learn with us.
This weeks topics include 25.1.5 UpdateEnd of planting MaintenancePlate storageSpeedTube storageLiquid System WinterizationCleaning the planter Wear parts inspectionvApplyHD Winterization Guidehttps://assets2.brandfolder.io/bf-boulder-prod/84mntx752mbq2cskf6ftn89b/v/1081484808/original/vApply%20Service%20and%20Maintenance%20(955731).pdf
With planting season well under way, call drivers have slowed in their variance of issues. Replant and needing to delete coverage is starting to creep up, but with the changing of seasons, Josh Robinson joins Nate in studio to talk about getting sprayers rolling. What are the installation, setup, configuration, and spare parts to be thinking about as everything gets rolling?
The episode topics includded are General Specialty Crops Row spacing vs. Effective row spacing/Controlled row spacingImporting Prescriptions 2025.1.x Current .1 version to be onRate Control Module modes Using liquid as a coverage source
This weeks topics include General Flow Rate Adjustment and Orifice Worksheet https://cloud.precisionplanting.com/product-resources/planter/flowsenseEMFlowSense plumbed backwards Flow Source with vApplyHDGen 2 Liquid systems 2025.1.x Row Cleaner Alerts vApply Base Calibrations
The episode topics are as included:- DeltaForce Health check- Section EMHD on .02025.1.x- Failure state causing beeping driving through the field on .1.- SpeedTube- The blue light on .1 is gone.- GPS has been added to the planter- Override Mode in DeltaForce- Sound loss on .1
Spring Updates are in full swing as calls increase in Support. This week, the topics are as follows"General Power vs. CAN Swath25.1.XBaud Rates Swath Auto vs. ManualHybrid video - https://cloud.precisionplanting.com/product-resources/2020/2020-gen-3-25.1.xDMC Configuration
Week two of weekly updates Hans and Nate cover:Case 2100 lift switch expectations vac sensors on .1When do we update from 24.1 to 25.116" displayEvent logsCustom Seed ExitsRow Cleaner Control Modules Rate control modules
With planters already rolling down south, and operations starting up all around the country, the spring updates have arrived. Nate and Hans talk a little bit about what things need to be kept in mind as we start getting planters out and rolling as well as some wide spread diagnostics to keep in mind.
With the diagnostic season upon us, Tyler, Hans, and Clay sit down and discuss some common questions that we get when dealing with hydraulics. What are some of their best pieces of advice when it comes to an install? Where do I start with diagnosing an alternator? And much more as we prep for the busiest season for support. - Tachometerhttps://a.co/d/0Ls7yNe-Hydralic Flow Meterhttps://www.hydracheck.com/catalog/flow-products/flow-meter-test-kits/inline-flow-meter-test-kits-reverse-flow-capable/
Aaron Herrmann, Precision Planting R&D Agronomist, joins Nate in studio to talk about one of, as Aaron would state, "the most underrated product in Precision Planting", SmartDepth. What is the king of depth when it comes to depth? What factors impact our decisions when it comes to making depth changes? Listen along as they tackle all of that and more.
Freya sits down with Engineer Ian Radtke and R&D Agronomist, Cory Muhlbauer, to talk about Reveal. We chat on Reveals origin story to the newest developments and how the coulter wheel is making a comeback on Reveal.
Drew and Tyler are joined by Josh Stoller, Region Manager, and Cory Muhlbauer, R&D Agronomist, as they tackle FurrowForce. First, what is the main difference between FurrowForce and other closing systems, followed by the bulk of the conversation around how do I set it for success.
Wendy Ulirich joins Nate in studio as we get to hear a little bit about what's going on in the world of radicle. What things have we learned and what direction is the Automated Soil Sampling System.We are still adding participants to the Crop Response Trial! Follow the link below for more details. Radicle Crop Response Trial Link: https://radicle.ag/crop-response-trialsr
Freya and Drew are joined with Bryce Baker, Marketing Manager, as they discuss 2025's Winter Conference. What things have stayed the same? What aspects have changed? Bryce also gives some additional advice on how to make an event memorable.
As the new year is upon us, Nate gets the chance to have three Region Managers, Gavin Burges, Eric Huber, and Gabe Scheidt, and two Dealers, Justin Steffen and Jakie Neudorf, in the studio to talk about their new year's resolutions or just some goals for the new year.
Drew and Hans are joined by Product Support Manager, Bryan Jackson, and Support member Kyle hunter as they discuss the ins and outs of setting up specialty crops for success. Getting someone ready to go to the field with a crop that we may not have experience with can be a daunting task. Bryan and Kyle talk about what things go through their minds as they look for the best setup when taking on a new crop.
It's been 1 year since Precision moved into the new shipping and manufacturing building in Morton. Freya asks in Austin Wharram, Director of Operations, and Jay Zimmerman, Production and Continuous Improvement Manager, both out of the Morton Facility to discuss what all has gone well, what things have they done to continually improve, and what things are we looking forward to as a company?
Blake Reynolds and Zach Preston with Reynolds Ag Solutions, and Product Support member, Sean Hansen, join Freya as they discuss the previous spring with CornerStone. What things did they learn, like, and even love? VR CornerStone Aspect link: https://pplantl.ink/cornerstone-ar
Tyler and Hans wrap up the Customer Development series by bringing on Jason Young from Agrovision Solutions LLC. out of Missouri as they tackle the challenge of customer loyalty. How do we recognize when we have loyal customers? And what did we do to create loyal customers?Andy Pace, Region Manager, Joins us again to give his thoughts and share his learnings from all four episodes along with Tyler and Hans. To provide feedback, please email us at: smartereveryseason@precisionplanting.com
Tyler and Hans, back again with Part 3 of our Customer Development series. This episode takes a look at, how do we provide value after the sale is completed? Tyler and Hans welcome Nathan Rogers with Legacy Ag as he explains his approach to continuing to provide value after the sale and delivery of products is completed.Also joining Tyler and Hans by phone is Region Manager, Andy Pace gives his outlook on the interview with Nathan and how he coaches dealers to continue that value after the sale.
What is Dealer Development Days? Nate sits down with Tyler, along with RM Lead, Troy McKown, as they discuss what it actually is. What is the thought behind it, how does Precision choose each class, what are the logistics, and more importantly when are we doing it?
Tyler and Hans continue our series of customer development by inviting Mike Frakes to talk about he shows value in the product before the sale. Whether that's putting a reveal unit on one row and letting the customer run it, or using Panorama to show real area specific data on how a specific product has impacted other operations outcomes. Following the interview, they are joined once again by Region Manager, Andy Pace, as he gives his thoughts and recap to the interview with Mike.
Exciting times for Smarter Every Season as we launch our first series. Kicking it off with Tyler and Hans is Steve Zeiset as he talks about his initial contact with customers with a few seasons under his belt. After talking with Steve, Tyler talks with Region Manager, Andy Pace, as he gives insight into the interview with Steve and what he likes as well as some things he sees as an RM that are beneficial in building awareness within your own business.
Drew sits down in studio with Tyler as they give Shawn Stecklein, a dealer out of Iowa, about his experience with the Precision Symphony Sprayer system. Shawn highlights some of the cool things about symphony as well as pointing out both time and financial savings that he has experienced in his time using symphony.
Tyler is joined in studio by "The big man" General Manager, Keith Crow. As we get to know Keith, we get to hear about some hobbies and interests, things he is excited about for the future of Precision Planting, as well as a few books, Extreme Ownership - Jaco Willink and Leif Babin, The Gift of Leadership - Andrew Burchfield, and more as we get to know Keith.
Freya sits down to get to know the Breman Harvest team with Mallory Dowty and Kyle Schinbeckler and find out about Headsight and Truesight training.
With the excitement of our PTI field days and Agronomy Conference in full swing, Tyler is joined in studio with Clay Scott, Eli Sloneker, Brad Joern, and a phone call with Jason Webster as he discusses what all to expect this summer. From ride and drive to Radicle agronomics, this summer has much to offer as the team works tirelessly to make the 2024 summer the best yet. PTI Farm Field Day Signup: Events | Precision Planting PTI Farm Field Days | Precision Planting | Upgrade Your Farm EquipmentSummer Agronomy Conference Signup: Summer Agronomy Conference | Radicle Agronomics | Radicle Agronomics
Drew and Tyler are joined via phone by Preston Talbert, from Godsey Precision Ag in Eckley, CO, as we take a deeper look into Smart Scout and the value it provides. What processes are used in field, how do we cultivate a conversation with our client, and what clients do we focus on when using Smart Scout?
Would you like to hear some cool stories about the way Precision Planting and our dealer network helped growers and made a positive impact in agriculture this spring? Then you have come to the right place. Join host Tyler Hubert as he talks with 3 Region Managers (Tyson Harris-Pacific West, Gabe Scheidt-Colorado/West Kansas, Eric Huber-East/Central Illinois) about the wins they experienced this planting season.
Show notes for this Symphony focused episode include:First Day Testing- Starting up the system with OEM swath harness; using the quick start feature to validate proper setup and swath-Helpful notes on flowmeter tags from Deere and Raven-Nozzle sizing resources. Included here is a link to the Wilger Tip Wizard mentioned in the episodeIn Field Tips-Tips on setting the row fail action-How to clean a nozzle that is stuck or partially stuck-What to do when spraying multiple passes in the same field-How to set the system up for y-drop application-Using "Sprayer Purge Control" for cleaning out or draining a boom
Show notes for this Panorama focused episode include:-Best practices for wifi connectivity-Best resources including youtube videos to get started -How to invite someone or get invited to an operation-How to move .0 software data to Panorama-Highlighting some handy diagnostic tools in Panorama-When submitting a ticket, include Operation Name, turn Precision Planting Support on, the field names, and a description of the issue.
Callouts and RemindersSpeed tube high amp draw behavior, note the update on 2024.0.2RowFlow trouble shooting trees.Reminder on Sensing Y requirement for .1 software.Callout for replant instructions online.Special guest, Marcus Lee, joins Nate and Hans as he talks about some of the highlights of Smart Scout, now available, and some awesome learning tools within the application as well as the route for support within the app. SmartsScout available below:Precision News: smartscout (precisionplanting.com)
General Diagnostic Steps- Loss of entire planter, what is the piece of information that will tell us what we should chase down first?What are the lights doing?The light status tells us whether we are chasing communication or power.- Gaps or skips of coverage in field.Dig to verify in ground what we have.Watch the GPS page to see if our GPS speed drops out while running.Watch the lift switch state in field.2024.1.9 - All .1 users should make the upgrade to 2024.1.9Auto Load fixesMapping improvementsFlip implement- Planters/Seeder – Flip implement only works when the plater/seeder is in the lifted state.- Sprayers- Flip Implement will only work when the sprayer is NOT spraying.
General Notes- Replant Instructions are on product resources (linked below) on the steps to take when doing a replant. Products (precisionplanting.com)- If someone is running liquid, and they are running a consistent rate and speed through the field, then it is fully acceptable to run in Constant and take out the time to do a pump cal.Gen 2- On a 2100 series planter, when getting lift state through the Case lift switch either stay on 2020.0.1, or if updating to 2020.0.4 use a Y harness (729818). Another option to get lift state is to install a push button lift switch for lift state.2024.1.X- If you have growers that are going to be running .1, and they haven't started yet, please spend some time with them and go out and make sure that they are set up and ready to go. If the system hasn't been set up yet, it does take some vigilance and time to make sure that things aren't missed.- On a vApplyHD system, we do show shaft speed if we have a shaft speed sensor. This is different from .0 where we didn't, this is a diagnostic tool. We don't control to a commanded shaft speed, but it is helpful when diagnosing things to know what the shaft speed is.
System Wide NotesDiagnostics of compressors - "My compressor won't stop running, or, my compressor wont kick on."Specialty crop and seed corn setup best practices.GPS resources, if there is a display that we don't have a document on and you figure out how to connect and where to set it up in the OEM display, please grab screenshots and let us know the steps that were taken to create a document on it..1If you are on .1, please keep up to date on software updates.specialty crops and seed corn setups and crop change. Different processes in .1 than in .0 softwares.If you have a frame mounted lift switch (primarily whisker switches), you need to do the calibration. If it calibrates to 0 and 100, then put manual percentages in for 5 lowered and 95 lifted.
All systemsResources used often - Setup Videos, Dealer Service Manual, Operation Manuals (RowFlow as an example). FieldView not connected - Check app version is up to date, hard reset of iPad, make sure fvm is green in diagnose page on gen 3, if it seems to be the ipad chord use anker as a brand.24.0.X notesWhen setting up a vApplyHD system that is either turbines removed or EMHD you must change the flow source for ALL rows. Setup - systems - liquid application - vApplyHD - continue to vApplyHD Module Assignements - flow source on far right side. .1 notes1.7 relieves the need for a Rate Control Module to be set up for HD's to function on an uncontrolled system.auto-loading failing is being addressed.
Talking points for this episode are:SRM diagnostics – break the system down as normal to isolate the issue. This does apply to diagnosing a 2150 as well.It never hurts to have a your configs backed up and in the cab. Whether you are updating to a .0 branch or once you update to a .1 branch and get it set up correctly, export your configurations and keep them in the cab.When setting up a liquid system with HD's on it, rate controller. must be configured whether present or not.2024.1.X Specific Sprayers need to be on .1.6 available on the cloud.If you are running on .1, stay up to date on the software updates. It helps us validate fixes we are putting into software but also will provide a better .1 experience.When setting up a liquid system, we have to select the correct style of Rate Control Module as well as the correct mode for the Rate Control Module (base/HD).When changing crop, be sure to change in the fields tab, products tab, active rows in equipment, as well as making sure we are changing our seeds/disk (the last page of vDrive setup).
Talking points for this episode are:-Recommendations on when to update a Gen 2 to 2020.0.4-If someone says their SmartDepth calibration wont do the offset portion (.0 or .1 software) make sure the 2020 shows the planter lowered.-Make sure liquid pressure sensor module and rate controller are plugged into same row/location with the same jumper color-Internal battery failure warning on Gen 3 -Flow rate adjustments-use the worksheet attached here and available on the cloud under vapply->install resources. It is worth reading over it in advance.-Watch out for growers getting CAN A and B swapped when hooking up to a planter for the first time. -Gen 3 on .1 software, make sure that the 16" display is being plugged into a DBM on .1 software before connecting for the first time.-Gen 3 on .1, be sure to select the row unit type in the planter profile or DeltaForce load cells will show up yellow. Also make sure they are zeroed.-Gen 3 on .0 or .1 software, make sure that there is a control widget set up and enabled for every product, even for products like flowsense and smartconnectors. -
Drew and Tyler welcome into the studio two of Product Support's own, Allen Huber and Matt Locklear, as they tackle the question of what resources are best used during spring. From product resources to other team members, we get an inside look on what our support team does when taking phone calls.
Radicle Agronomics, a term that has been used around Precision for the last year or so, but what is it? Product Support member Eli Sloneker joins Nate and Freya as they discuss what all is included in Radicle Agronomics, how it is impacting our view of soil testing, and what the future is looking like for Radicle with Precision.
Planning an agronomy day can be a challenge for anyone. Planning your first agronomy day can be even more daunting from when to have it, what to focus on, and how to create the best experience for our growers. Tyler and Hans have a phone call with Bill Lehmkuhl with Precision Agri Services and Blake Reynolds with Reynolds Ag Solutions as they look at what their views are when it comes to putting an agronomy day on. As they tie everything up Tyler and Hans bring on Jason Portner, Precision Planting Region Manager, as he brings in his own views on agronomy days.
Tristan Herrmann from R&D, Ken Sauder (Nothern Illinois Region Manager), and Hans Stutzman (Product Support) join host Tyler Hubert to discuss what they look for to determine Reveal, DeltaForce, and FurrowForce have been set properly in field. They also pass along what they look for next in the event that the "Standard Setting" does not have the desired effect.
It's that time of year again, planter clinics and shop meetings will be here before we know it. In this episode, hosts Freya Watson and Tyler Hubert are joined by Jack Bartholomew and Melissa Mohr from Bottom Line Solutions in Morton, Illinois. Jack and Melissa share what the value has been to their business and their customers businesses by having monitor and planter clinics. They also share the tips and tricks they have learned to make these meetings a great experience for attendees.
The world of fertilizer is always changing. Products being offered, application methods, and new findings in research. Nate is joined by Stu Hirt as they discuss some of the high level ins and outs of biologicals as they are entering the market. What are they? What are the benefits and costs? And how can we utilize them and available programs to make our operation better?Companies with programs mentioned: AgroLiquid with the Smart Start programNachurs Alpine Marco Pivot Bio FMC
Freya and Drew sit down with Juan Roncoroni the European commercial lead and Alex Gonzalez Vega the Regional manager for Portugal, Spain and Italy to discuss how Precision Planting is doing there.
Nate and Region Manager, Chris Creek, sit down and have a conversation about dealerships, breakthroughs, and how to define roles and responsibilities within a dealership for success. What does the vision of the dealership look like and how do we define our roles accordingly?
Tyler and new podcast member, Drew Stout, are joined in the studio by phone from Canada RM, Shawn Livingston, and dealer Nick Zwambag, as they discuss the topic of finding good growers for Limited Commercial Growers. What type of personalities, geographic aspects, and commitments do you have to consider when selecting a good candidate. They also talk about the costs of not being involved in limited commercial products.
Clay and Nate are joined by Product Support Manager and Local farmer Caleb Schleder as they talk about the prevalent issue of high interest rates. What does that look like from a farmers perspective? How can we take a retrofit first approach? And what can we do as a company to help?
Nate is joined by Wendy Ulrich and Doug Wiegand as we hear about the history of Precision Planting from the eyes of Doug from its early beginnings to where Precision is now.
Nate invites one team member from each of this year's training groups to talk about training. What does the class look like, any main topics, and any cool stands that are being used? All of this is discussed during this podcast as well as dates for this year's trainings. For more on training dates and times, visit:https://cloud.precisionplanting.com/news/posts/announcing-dealer-technical-training
Freya starts part two off by inviting Laura Smith into the studio to continue the conversation around hiring. Working in HR, Laura gives a lot of great insight on how to keep employees, make them feel welcomed, helping the current team welcome them, and also practices to keep up on HR tasks in the business. Following Laura and Freya, Matt Bennett finishes off his conversation with Freya and Tyler as he gives his own thoughts on employee retention.