The higher cost of seed and fertilizer has prompted many farmers to seek ways to save money lost through duplication and waste.

The answer, says Joe Brunker, a John Deere AMS consultant at Sloan Implement in Mount Horeb, is high-tech equipment. For example, one system uses global positioning information to shut off fertilizer valves in areas where it has already been applied.

Savings from less waste mean the payback time for high-tech farm equipment is about two years, he said.Recent innovations include:

• John Deere sectional swap control: The system uses global positioning to shut off valves on sprayers and other equipment when it passes over ground that has been covered. Brunker said the system has been available as an after-market addition but now is an option on Deere equipment.

• Case IH Precision Hoe 800: Announced last month, the hoe is designed for small-seeded crops such as wheat and is equipped with electronic controls that can link to monitors on Case IH tractors. Farmers can control drill functions and fold back sections of the 50-foot to 70-foot-wide hoe from the tractor cab.

• Real-time kinematic global positioning: The GPS devices used by motorists approximate the position of the car. RTK pinpoints the position down to inches, which allows farmers to precisely align fall fertilizer with spring planting.