Drone, solar technology startups abound at 2023 Greater Peoria Farm Show

Dec 06, 2023

By Tim Alexander

The longest-running uninterrupted trade show and event in the 42 year history of the Peoria Civic Center, the Greater Peoria Farm Show, plowed familiar territory but also offered a glimpse at the typical Midwest agricultural operation of the future. Advances in drone technology and renewable energy sources for farming and rural life were in more evidence than ever before, paced by advances in drone application capabilities and new solar energy products scaled for rural homes and businesses.

According to Ron Bormaster, show manager for Midwest Shows, which produces the GPFS and five other U.S. farm shows, six agricultural drone companies were present at the Peoria show, which ran from November 28-30 in the Civic Center’s main exhibition halls and covered over 150,000 square feet.

“I’ve been here for 28 of the show’s 42 years, and when you get something new (in agriculture) it’s going to be at the farm show. We’ve got all the drone companies within 200-300 miles sitting right here in Peoria,” Bormnaster said.

As for renewable energy, local solar energy providers such as Harvest Solar of Champaign were busy educating show patrons about newer, more-compact solar generators and panels for rural homes and farms. Accentuating the new solar technologies available to rural dwellers, a new primary sponsor for the 2023 GPFS was announced: Farmers Powering Communities, a cooperative project focused on preserving America’s productive farm and ranchland while expanding renewable energy.

As usual, agricultural tractors were on display, from the newest, largest models down to smaller garden and orchard varieties with AGCO-FENDT agricultural production tractors sharing space with smaller Kubota BX models and other brands. Bormaster said that when the farm economy is clicking on all cylinders, the Civic Center Convention Hall fills with farmers and other tractor buyers anxious to kick the tires-- or treads-- on the new models.

“If the farmers have good crops and good yields, they will have excess money to make new purchases. (Tractor) sizes are getting bigger, and you’re seeing more of the 260-275 horsepower variety. They’ve gotten more innovative in how they run, and you’ve got more electronics on them. (Farmers) will crawl around and in them to have a look,” he said.

As the first major post-harvest farm show of the season in the Midwest, farmers look forward to seeing the newest offerings from the larger tractor manufacturers that will be available the following season. However, it is the presence of local Illinois manufacturers, retailers and ag service providers-- some of which have been with the show since its inception-- that defines the character of the GPFS.

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.