With the 2020 crop season approaching, ISU Extension has a tool available to help farmers, crop advisers and agronomists understand almost every machine display on the market, for everything from planting to harvest. The interactive monitor guide, available on the Extension website, offers step-by-step support for managing products, loading and executing variable rate prescription maps, setting up split planter configurations and exporting data.
The guide features drop-down menus for users to choose the operation they are doing—Harvest, Nitrogen, Planting or Wireless Data Transfer—and select the brand of their display, the display model and the function they want it to perform. The site will provide a guide for that specific need and walk the user through the process.
While the site is designed to be used on a mobile device for easy access in the field, it can also be used on a desktop computer to reference from home.
While most operators understand how to use their displays well, some of the finer details can be tricky when it comes to utilizing and exporting data. The online guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to operate the display for each brand and model.
If you are a crop advisor who works with multiple displays or a farmer wanting to master your own display, this interactive site can provide the knowledge and reference you need throughout the crop season. The website is updated periodically as manufacturers release software updates and new monitors to their product line.
For questions or more information about the website, email Ryan Bergman at rbergman@iastate.edu.