Redball, LLC, has been named distributor of the GreenSeeker optical sensing and application system in the South and Midwest by NTech Industries, Ukiah, Calif.

GreenSeeker utilizes optical sensors to assess color and health of crop plants as an application rig moves across the field. This data is then used in real time to drive variable-rate applications of nitrogen fertilizer or other crop production inputs.

“As input costs continue to increase, growers are looking for solutions that enable them to farm more efficiently,” says Steve Claussen, president of Redball, LLC. “Research has shown that GreenSeeker improves nitrogen use efficiency. We think application of growth regulators and defoliants in cotton also will benefit from GreenSeeker technology.”

The real-time nature of GreenSeeker technology, which was developed by researchers at Oklahoma State University and NTech, is a key advantage over technologies based on satellite and aerial imagery, says Ted Mayfield, chief operating officer for NTech Industries. “GreenSeeker brings together sensing and application into one technology. It is not hampered by cloud cover and can be used day or night. And there is no time lag while waiting for imagery and recommendations from an outside service or consultant.”

GreenSeeker, hailed by the USDA in 2002 as the best new technology in a century for fertilizing crops, has been widely used in wheat. In corn, research trials have shown that sidedressing nitrogen using GreenSeeker can increase profits by almost $20 per acre through lower nitrogen use, higher yields, or a combination of both.

For information, visit Redball on the Web at www.redballproducts.com, call (877) 332-2551 or contact Redball, LLC, P.O. Box 159, 140 30th Ave. SE, Benson, Minn. 56215.