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Press Release
August 26, 2003
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Related Contact:
Bruce Lewis
NTech Industries, Inc.
1-707-964-3844
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Farmers in Developing Nations Utilize Greenseeker Hand Held™ to Boost Crop Yield, While Ag Ministers from 30 Nations View Product Demonstration at Global Conference
Oklahoma State University Agronomist Calls it "Leap-frog Technology"
Ukiah, Calif. - NTech Industries' GreenSeeker Hand Held™, a powerful crop monitoring and research tool, has begun shipping to agriculture technology-starved developing nations, including Sri Lanka, China, Mexico, Ecuador and Argentina.
"Farmers in Mexico and Ecuador are incredibly excited about GreenSeeker simply because the N fertilizer recommendation can be obtained the same day sensor readings are taken," explained William Raun, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University agronomist.
Dr. Raun, who helped develop GreenSeeker and manage field trials, said the vast majority of farmers in the developing world have never used soil testing, "thus the system is truly leap-frog technology since it delivers a high-tech, environmentally-friendly methodology to smaller farms in the Third World. All you need to understand the condition of your crop is the hand-held sensor and transportation to each of your fields."
Pull The Trigger
The 13-pound unit, with shoulder carrying strap, utilizes the new HP/Compaq iPAQ PDA (personal digital assistant). With the pull of a "trigger", NTech's second-generation optical sensors are activated and data is captured to a compact flash card.
"The data can be used to quantify basic nutrient response, crop condition, yield potential, stress, and pest impact," explained NTech President John Mayfield.
Mayfield also noted that with nitrogen fertilizer prices expected to rise sharply this fall, GreenSeeker will give farmers technology to improve the return on their fertilizer dollars spent, while maximizing their crops yield.
Global Interest
About the same time the first shipments of the GreenSeeker Hand Held were delivered overseas, NTech was hosting the agricultural ministers from 30 nations in its booth at the first annual Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology held June 23-25 in Sacramento, Calif.
GreenSeeker was chosen by USDA Secretary Ann Veneman to represent the USDA's Cooperative Research, Education & Extension Service (CRESS) as an illustration of the way the extension program works through land grant universities to create new agricultural technology for public use.
Last year, Secretary Veneman presented the GreenSeeker research team with a USDA Honor Award "for developing the most revolutionary approach in a century to fertilizing crops... "
U.S. and Canada Rollout
While GreenSeeker continues it rollout in Third World countries, units are also being delivered to customers in the U.S., Canada and Europe for use as a powerful, but inexpensive way to monitor crop health and deliver optimal quantities of fertilizer to maximize crop yield.
NTech Industries, headquartered in Ukiah, California, is the world leader in optical sensors for agricultural research, precision fertilizer applications, and weed and pest control for military and civilian uses. NTech products represent break-through technology with important revenue generation and environmental benefits.
Information on the company and its products are available on the Internet at www.ntechindustries.com.
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