News Releases

AutoFarm AFTracker Automatically Steers Implements
GPS steering eliminates planter, lister and cultivator drift

Menlo Park, Calif, USA—February 14, 2006

AutoFarm®, the leader in GPS precision farming, announced today the availability of AFTracker™. The system actively steers towed and hitched implements to ensure precise implement placement in variable soils, pivots and hills. AFTracker is an add-on upgrade to the AutoFarm RTK AutoSteer® system.

Automatic tractor steering systems give a grower precise control over the tractor, but
growers find the implement still slides up to 10 inches on hills or in contours. Crossing
variable soils or old rows may also cause the rig to jump the desired line. This previously
unavoidable drift causes costly gaps and overlaps.

The AFTracker addresses critical row-level accuracy by steering the implement in concert
with the tractor. Coulters mounted on the back of the implement act as a rudder to steer the
implement to the desired position. In rolling hills, field tests show that average drift of a
towed implement is reduced from seven inches to one inch.

“In-the-ground accuracy is what counts in agriculture. AFTracker ensures precise
placement of inputs while minimizing compaction and crop damage,” says Deane Malott,
director of marketing. “Implement steering delivers the next level of GPS automated
steering performance.”

AutoFarm’s exclusive GPS technology resolves tractor and implement positions in a single
receiver. This centralized machine control allows the vehicle and implement to act together
to deliver superior field results.

AutoFarm developed AFTracker in a partnership with Orthman Manufacturing.
Responding to an industry trend towards larger equipment, the companies combined their
expertise in GPS and implement design to build a robust solution for precision control of
larger equipment.

“Implement Steering is a valuable addition to GPS guidance that brings together the
necessary precision to perform critical operations and minimize input costs,” says John
McCoy, president, Orthman Manufacturing, Inc. “We are excited about the industry
leading position AutoFarm has taken in bringing this technology to reality.”

For a downloadable document of this article, click here

For more information on AFTracker, please visit AutoFarm’s website at www.gpsfarm.com.

About Autofarm
AutoFarm, a division of Novariant Inc., is the premier solutions provider for precision
positioning and intelligent control systems. AutoFarm manufactures and markets Global
Positioning System (GPS) receivers and precision agriculture solutions for automatic
steering and leveling based on its experience in advanced aviation landing systems.
AutoFarm can be found on the web at www.gpsfarm.com or reached at +1-866-428-8632.

About Novariant, Inc.
Novariant is the premier industrial solutions provider for precision positioning, intelligent control systems and positioning infrastructures.  The company’s precision solutions are enabled by the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other patented location and communications-based technologies to automatically steer equipment, map terrain, and land aircraft. Founded in 1994, Novariant can be found at www.novariant.com.

Media Contact: Travis Murdock
travis.murdock@gpsfarm.com
+1-650-644-1408
Web Newsroom: www.novariant.com/go/newsroom