• Keep Safety in Mind this Planting Season
  Spring is typically the busiest time of the year for farmers, and when rushing to take advantage of ideal planting conditions, it can be easy to neglect simple steps for staying safe and healthy while in the field.
• Lawsuit Raises Questions About Fluid Quality
  A recently filed lawsuit has raised questions about the quality of Tractor Hydraulic Fluid in the marketplace. Learn how to ensure you use high-quality brands.
• Get the Most Out of Your Tier 4 Interim Engines During Planting
  Adjusting insecticide spray equipment can be tricky. That's why USDA scientists have released two mobile phone apps to make things easier.
• Slow Down And Stay Safe
  USDA's Occupational Safety and Health Administration offers a checklist to reduce illnesses and injuries on the farm.
• Ready Your Sprayer
  Pay close attention to sprayer maintenance to get the most out of your investment in pesticides this season, says Erdal Ozkan, ag engineer with Ohio State University Extension. He offers the following tips for improving sprayer performance.
• Take Time to Thoroughly Clean Spray Tanks
  With many of the herbicides required to control today's problem weed species, the margin for error in sprayer cleanout is small.
• Experiencing Power Hop in Certain Field Conditions?
  Pro offers ballasting basics to keep your tractor running smoothly.
• Tire Tips You Should Know
  Engineers at the AgTech Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, have identified three areas where careful attention can improve tractor performance and affect traction power costs.
• Industry Insider: Hottest Topics in Tillage
  One expert shares the latest trends in tillage to keep an eye on, such as vertical tillage and strip-till.
• Farm Bill Needed Now
  Farmers from coast to coast can't finalize 2013 production plans without a farm program in place.
• Use Long-Term Trends as a Planning Guide for 2013
  To get the most from each acre, plan for next year by looking at the long-term weather trends.
• Driving Home the Importance of High-Quality Fluids
  Hundreds of attendees at the Sunbelt Ag Expo visited the TractorLife.com booth and learned about the importance of using high-quality fluids in tractors.
• Farm Tax Burdens Will Likely Escalate, Starting Jan. 1
  Both substantial tax write-offs for farm machinery purchases and generally low farm income tax rates are expected to terminate in 2013, unless current or newly elected officials act quickly.
• 8 Tips For Winterizing Your Sprayer
  As cold weather approaches, be better prepared for a harsh winter.
• 303 Tractor Fluid: Problems Offset Upfront Savings
  The cost savings from 303 can be offset quickly by lower productivity and repair costs.
• New Life for Used Tires
  Looking for a way to save on new tires? Consider having older tires retreaded.
• Wrap Up Fall Field Work Before El Niño Winter
  Growers along the southern-most areas of the West and Southwest should complete harvests and related field work in a timely manner this fall due to the increased chance of above normal winter precipitation caused by El Niño.

• John Deere Adopts a Chemical After-treatment for Final Tier 4 engines
  John Deere introduces new diesel exhaust fluid to improve fuel efficiency.
• Video! Manufacturers Making Big Strides with Tier 4 Innovations
  Farm equipment manufacturers have been investing heavily in new technology aimed at helping them meet EPA emission standards. One of the approaches uses a compound called diesel exhaust fluid or DEF to reduce those.
  
• Maintenance of Interim Tier 4 Engines
  What are the new oil change intervals? Are engine oils backward compatible?
  
• Buying a Tractor with a Tier 4 Engine: 5 Questions to Ask
  Farmers should ask several questions when buying machinery equipped with a Tier 4-compliant engine, including what type of emissions control equipment it contains.
  

• Tractor Life On the Funny Farm
  Cartoon Caption Contest Winners' Gallery
  
  
• Latest Cartoon: Submit the winning caption and win a baseball cap.

• Tool Shed articles delve into farming's most perplexing problems and highlight product solutions to help you solve them. Check out the latest articles now!
  
  

» View article archive

• What to Look for When Buying a Planter
  The planter is an essential piece of equipment on the farm. Here's what you need to know when buying your next planter.
• ISOBUS update
  Getting different brands of farm implements and tractors to work with each other has long been a crapshoot on Midwest crop farms.
• Implement Braking: 7 Facts You Need to Know
  At agricultural machinery conferences across the country, engineers have been meeting to talk about implement braking.
• How to Buy Your Next Planter
  Growers are advised to do their homework before buying a new planter that won't work as well as the old model.
• Minnesota Farmer Changes His Farming with New Tillage Implement, Soil Warrior
  A different perspective gives grower nudge to changing his tillage implement.

• Wireless Management of Precision-Farming Data a Reality
  Wireless in-field access to powerful data management software and the transfer of data from computer to field has not worked efficiently, until now.
• SIMA Paris Farm Show Gallery
  The SIMA farm show in Paris featured new technology, including a field robot in the Amazone exhibit and height-adjusting cabs for self-propelled sprayers, found in several company displays.
• Photo Gallery! 20 Technologies Changing Agriculture
  From gadgets to herbicide, the break-neck speed of changing technology affects agriculture in a number of ways.
• Photo Gallery! What's Ahead for Combines in 2013
  Model year 2012 was a huge year for new combine introductions, as manufacturers were under the gun to meet Tier 4i emissions deadlines with new, cleaner-burning engines.
• John Deere Launches New Hay and Forage Equipment for 2013
  John Deere has released its 2013 lineup of equipment for the hay and forage market.
• 3 Trends in Precision Farming
  Here are a few of the recent trends that are shaping precision farming.
• New Driverless Tractor, Grain Cart Systems Coming This Year
  See the new systems to be released.
• Putting the Brakes on the Move Toward Bigger
  Bigger may not always be better, and thanks to newer technology, we may start seeing a resurgence of smaller, more nimble, farm equipment.
• A Salute to Agricultural Innovation
  See the winners of the 2012 AE50 Awards and tell us what you'd rank as the most earth-shattering ag innovation in the past 20 years.
• New Tractor Cabs
  See a generation of cab creature comforts to make you forget you're behind the wheel.
• It's 10 O'clock. Do You Know Where Your Tractor Is?
  Here is a look at the latest telematics systems on the market.
  
  Telematics can enable you to access real-time equipment location and current operations information with a smartphone or computer.
  
  Some advanced systems also relay application prescriptions and as-applied data to and from field equipment.
• 2011 Guide to New 150-Plus-HP Row-Crop Tractors
  Case IH, John Deere, and New Holland have launched new series of 150-plus-hp row-crop tractors for 2011, and Versatile and JCB have also come out with new, more powerful models.
• Using Precision Ag to Save Time and Money on Your Corn and Soybean Farm
  Remote sensing tools and variable rate applications are helping farmers apply 35 to 40 percent less nitrogen to their crops in Minnesota.

• Reducing Energy Use in Production Agriculture
  See the first steps to take to lower your energy use and costs.
• Taking Stock Now Saves Energy Dollars
  There's money to be saved by taking a close look at on-farm energy conservation.
• Diesel Deposit Control Additives – You're Never Too Clean
  With fuel economy, power and emissions at stake, keeping fuel injectors clean is more important than ever, especially for today's newer, more complex equipment.
• Shift Up, Throttle Back
  Learn one operating procedure that can significantly reduce fuel costs, without spending a dime.
• Farmers Improving Fuel Efficiency with Tractor Maintenance
  Consistent maintenance of farm tractors keeps Iowa farming enterprises running smoothly in any kind of weather. A new publication explains how routine maintenance and small adjustments in day-to-day operations also improve fuel efficiency and total energy costs.
• A Little Effort Can Save A Lot Of Fuel For Tractor Operators
  Fuel economy is a topic at the top on most people's minds these days, and farmers are no different.
• How to Calculate Your Tractor's Fuel Efficiency
  University of Nebraska Tractor Testing Laboratory website contains a wealth of information on tractor performance and fuel efficiency.