Demo Trading

4 Ways to Get More Value Out of Agriculture Equipment and Technology

From retrofitting existing equipment to routine maintenance, there are several ways growers and their advisors can maximize use of their ag equipment and technology. Uncertain. Challenging. Or the one we continue to hear the most, unprecedented.

From retrofitting existing equipment to routine maintenance, there are several ways growers and their advisors can maximize use of their ag equipment and technology.

Uncertain. Challenging. Or the one we continue to hear the most, unprecedented.

Even as companies are trying to show empathy with all the chaos COVID-19 has caused, these buzzwords have started to fall on deaf ears as we are inundated with corporate placations on struggle and fear. Although we may be tired of hearing them, the root of the words have truth: economically, things are tricky right now.

While farms are considered essential businesses and haven’t been shut down during the pandemic, to say growers are operating under “a business as usual” philosophy couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to equipment and financial management strategies.

Investing in the Existing
Growers’ equipment that was slated for a sale or trade-in at the local dealership may now have to remain fixtures in the fleet for another year, or two, or even more. New technology solutions they hoped to add this year may have to be put off for the time being.

But this isn’t a bad thing. Buying new machines and technology are not the only ways we can advise growers to invest in their business and remain profitable.

It’s always good advice to help growers get the most out of what they have but in these uncertain times (there, I had to say it), this advice becomes crucial. How can we help keep those older pieces from deflating in value faster than necessary? How do we advise keeping those used items valuable for the operation instead of feeling old and slow?

Looking ahead to this winter and with a little forethought, we can make the most out of the tagalong equipment and technology that may be around for another year or two – or more. Agronomic and technological tools are often thought of as too expensive or inaccessible, but there are many ways to upgrade equipment without buying brand now.

With the economic road ahead still unclear, here are four ways growers can invest in their existing equipment and technology.

Table of Contents

1. Utilize the Under- (or not at all) Utilized

A seasoned piece of equipment may have new value by properly utilizing its features fully, particularly when it comes to technology. Too often, growers fear technology, seeing it as something unknown they have to learn. However, in many cases that “new” technology isn’t necessarily that new, it’s been there all along, and fully-utilizing it may mean increasing productivity, and reducing cost and time spent.

Story from the Field
I was recently calling on hundreds of growers that needed to accept terms and conditions on agronomic software through our equipment partner, John Deere. I learned, not only were many of them not using the software, they were not even aware of it and what it was capable of doing for their farm management. More importantly, they did not know how much value they were leaving on the table by not using the technology and John Deere Operations Center, an account which they already had access. In fact, a couple of them thought I was trying to sell them the program, not simply encourage use of a software they already had.

As a follow up, one grower asked me to come out and show him how to use the Operations Center. As I was going through the different tools, he was engaged in the opportunity and asked if needed to upgrade from his old display and GPS equipment to utilize the software.

The answer? No upgrades were needed! What was even better, the software was 100% free.

He will now be saving money with map creation next spring – a task which he had paid for and relied on from his seed dealer – as well as saving time with his sprayer record-keeping – which he could have been utilizing with his rate controller – among other things.

Total extra cost to this grower? Zero dollars.

Added benefit of fully utilizing technology already purchased? Priceless.

2. Look for Upgrade Options

New features and technology are among the most attractive reasoning for buying new equipment, to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive. When new machine purchases just are not feasible, it is good to know that most new opportunities from equipment manufacturers can be retrofitted back to previous year’s equipment. Instead of buying that new piece of equipment, growers may be able to give the reasonably newer pieces of equipment a quick upgrade.

Story from the Field
Earlier this spring, a brand-new John Deere R4033 sprayer sat outside a grower’s shop. We excitedly looked around the straight-out-of-the-box (quite literally) sprayer that he had received to demo and was going to use the next day.

As we did our pre-start walkaround, we went over the agronomy and business highlights of some of the features – but I could tell he was uncomfortable. When he had signed up for the demo, he had been eager and optimistic about adding the new sprayer to his fleet, particularly because he was interested in its Deere ExactApply system.

Now he had arrived at demo day and was becoming acutely aware that a new sprayer wasn’t likely to happen in the next year or two. But he still had a fundamental need for the ExactApply for production success.

When he admitted this, I explained that ExactApply could be retrofitted onto any R-Series 2014 or newer. Rather than break the bank buying new, he might be able to find a used sprayer on the market and retrofit it with ExactApply.

This is a valuable lesson for growers and trusted advisors. For us advisors especially, it might be worth building a retrofitting plan for a grower, one that focuses on utilizing value-added or newer features on existing equipment as a way to keep it functional and high-performing for a few more years.

This can also be a good strategy for increasing the trade-in value of the equipment down the road, even during some critical years of depreciation if a grower can’t afford to trade in during that window of opportunity. It certainly cannot stop depreciation, but it might make it manageable until the grower can afford to update keystone pieces of equipment.

3. Don’t Allow Wear Out to Wear Down

While it may not be this year or even next, if a grower plans to trade in a tractor, the best advice to give right now is to maintain and care for that machine at 100%.

Story from the Field
“I felt like I had to take my shoes off before getting into the cab!” my co-worker quietly exclaimed as he got out of a customer’s tractor. I laughed because I expected nothing less from this grower and anything he owned. Even his riding lawnmower had a gleaming finish.

The tractor was a 2010 Deere 8285R but you would never guess it’s a decade old by looking at it. One could assume it was fresh from the factory in Moline, IL. The interior was pristine, the oil ran clear, and the grower had documented – down to the last filter change – what work had been done in his shop.

Simply put, well-documented and systematic maintenance, along with meticulous cleaning and upkeep, are the simplest yet most underutilized values that can be put into a tractor. Some growers don’t want to bring in their equipment for annual inspections with their dealer partner but all should be handling their own maintenance – then recording the work that has been done.

Not only is it a solid investment in extending the life of a machine, the proof of routine maintenance and overall care is evaluated on a trade-in. It is hard to replace a first impression so taking the time to care for the machine and keep it in good condition can go a long way in adding value. Plus, there’s the simple value of working in a cab that doesn’t have an anxiety-building amount of dirt, garbage, and clutter. As my mom used to say, mud is incidental, grime takes time.

While it may not be this year or next year, if the grower is planning to trade in that tractor, a strategy of care and cleaning establishes him or her to get the best value when that time comes.

4. Don’t Let the Little Things Get Away

Speaking of investing in today’s equipment for tomorrow’s trade-in, the added value growers can put into their machines goes beyond cleaning and maintenance, to also include more significant upgrades and repairs.

Story from the Field
As an example, consider precision equipment firmware updates. One of my customers is the proud owner of a 12-year-old, Deere 7R Series that still had a 2600 display and a StarFire iTC geolocation system. She asked my coworker and me to look at it for an appraisal and, as we jumped in, learned it was the fastest-booting 2600 we’d seen in years. It took only seconds to load and was ready to work even before we were.

The simple reason: the grower had been updating it, like clockwork. Every time there was a new update, she was downloading her data into Operations Center and deleting it off the display as soon she was done with it. A simple but effective practice is making sure updates are done and the data in managed.

Someone who had not been so diligent may have needed a new system, one that would cost thousands of dollars. In this case, the grower was able to keep the system and upgrade out of the iTC (which was going to be non-functional in a few months) for less than half the cost.

The concept isn’t just in precision technology that needs occasional fixes. How many times has something non-vital broken off on something you own and you just shrug your shoulders? I am as guilty as anyone; almost everything I own has a part broken off that I just never get around to fixing. However, for growers, those little repairs can make an item feel managed and increase the experience of sitting in that cab an extra year or two, not to mention increase trade-in the value.

Many times, especially on ground-engaging equipment like tillage equipment or planters, it is advantageous to do repairs before trading it in. An example: Growers should consider replacing disk blades on a planter. While it may cost a few thousand dollars, it will cost the dealership taking the trade-in much more, even double what it would cost the grower. The costs, such as paying for the parts and the labor from certified technicians on staff will be reflected back on the grower in the trade-in value.

It doesn’t matter if a grower is holding onto a piece of equipment just to get through a hard time or pursuing the opportunity to milk it for every last bit of value before trading in. Investing in a machine or technology now, in any of these four ways, will pay off now and down the road.

Erin Hightower is an Agronomist for RDO Equipment Co. based in Pasco, WA, where she consults with growers on precision agriculture adoption. She has a Masters of Sciences in Agriculture, and Bachelors of Sciences in Agriculture Economics and Management from Washington State University. Email Erin at [email protected] or connect with her on Twitter @RDOErinH. To learn more about Precision Agriculture offerings from RDO Equipment Co., visit www.rdoequipment.com or contact your local RDO Equipment Co. store. See all author stories here.

Broker Reviews

Sollari Review – top 75 Broker ?

Table of Contents

Sollari Review

Sollari is a global forex and CFD broker with trading platforms that is suitable and fully functional for all devices.

This is a good option for all levels of traders, although the product portfolio is average, and there is an inactivity fee to be aware of.

Initially formulated in 2023 to provide a robust forex trading platform, Sollari offering to include CFDs, indices, shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Sollari has several trading tools and features designed to make your trading experience as smooth as possible. The trading platform, has been heralded as a simple and convenient platform without losing the functionality you would find at MetaTrader 4. Some education is also available through the trading platform, and highly responsive customer service is available 24 hours a day.

Please read my full Sollari review for further details of this forex broker so you can decide whether Sollari can meet your needs.

Who is Sollari?

Sollari is a global forex, spread betting, and CFD online broker. Sollari is an online Crypto and Forex Broker providing traders across the globe with cutting-edge technology to trade the world’s markets. In a continuous effort to give their traders a more comfortable and safe trading experience, their experts have been improving their service and solutions ensuring traders have the freedom to trade whenever and wherever they like.

They are headquartered in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines. with offices in Milan, Nassau, Sofia, and Luxembourg and are authorized and

Sollari product range overview

The product range at Sollari is average compared to other brokers. They offer a solid selection of currency pairs and CFDs, no futures CFDs, and an average number of commodity and stock index CFDs. additionally they do offer leverage trading on the main cryptocurrencies.

Sollari Range of Market

Forex trading

More than 50 Forex pairs are available at Sollari with no commission and some of the tightest spreads in the industry.

Indices and Financial Trading

Indices and financial CFDs have flexible margin requirements and low spread , representing some of the industry’s best spreads. There are no overnight or hidden fees of any description to worry about.

Commodities Trading

At Sollari, there are several commodity CFDs, including metals and energies.

Share CFDs Trading

Trade more than 100 company shares without ever owning the underlying security. At Sollari, you can access global stock exchanges with the option to go long and short and benefit from leverage. For non-leverage trading, there is zero commission.

Sollari Accounts

There are five trading account options at Sollari. Of note are the Professional Trading Account and the Islamic Trading Account. There is also a free demo account from where to practice your trading.

Free Demo Account
You can select from the free demo account which platform you would like to practice trading on their trading platform. You will immediately receive $100,000 of virtual funds, which can be used to familiarise yourself with the financial markets and forex and CFD trading.

Islamic Account
This is a Shariah-compliant Islamic account which includes many features that are in keeping with Sharia law.

See here the overview of all the accounts.

	BASIC ACCOUNT	STANDARD ACCOUNT	GOLD ACCOUNT	PRO ACCOUNT	VIP ACCOUNT
MINIMUM DEPOSIT	$5,000	$10,000	$25,000	$100,000	$250,000+
ORDER EXECUTION	Instant	Instant	Instant	Instant	Instant
ACCOUNT CURRENCY	USD, EUR, GBP	USD, EUR, GBP	USD, EUR, GBP	USD, EUR, GBP	USD, EUR, GBP
ACCOUNT MANAGER	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
SPREAD, PIPS	Fixed	Fixed	Fixed & Floating, Variable	Fixed & Floating, Variable	Fixed & Floating, Variable
QUOTATION (NUMBER OF MARKS AFTER POINT)	5 marks	5 marks	5 marks	5 marks	5 marks
LEVERAGE	100	100	200	500	500
MAX. TRADE SIZE	10 lots	20 lots	40 lots	50 lots	100 lots
REQUOTES	None	None	None	None	None
MARGIN CALL LEVEL	40%	40%	40%	40%	40%
STOP OUT LEVEL	30%	30%	30%	30%	30%
TRADING PLATFORM	all devices	all devices	all devices	all devices	all devices
CUSTOMER SUPPORT	24/5 support	24/5 support	24/5 support	24/5 support	24/7 support

Sollari Trading Platform

Sollari provides a web, desktop, and mobile trading platform on their trading platform, which is provided by the High-tech software provider “easytech”.

This trading platform has an excellent reputation among traders.

Sollari Trading Platform

web trading platform

The web platform allows you to place trades directly from your web browser in an easy-to-use interface that is customisable and available in several languages. The web trading platform falls short because of its lack of social trading; however, it is well-designed with several useful features.

There is a two-step login for additional security, and you can search for an asset using its name or by category. Order types include:

I was impressed with both the portfolio and fee reports which were comprehensive and easy to use, with clear information on commission, swap fees, and performance.

There are also the following useful features available on the trading platform:

Trailing stop

Trailing the position of a current price can then trigger a stop order as the price reaches a predetermined distance from a stop order. It works similarly to a stop order but in a more controlled way that aligns with movements in the market.

Market Sentiment

This allows you to closely monitor movements in the market using data from other traders concerning a specific instrument.

Hedging

This allows you to mitigate risks by investing in the same product in a different direction.

Charts

Real-time charts provide up-to-the-moment information, including historical trends, forecasts, and current trends.

Sollari mobile trading platform

The mobile trading platform is in keeping with the web trading platform, with much of the same functionality.

The actual design is well laid out and easy to use with customizability. I found the mobile app fast with personalised watch lists and the ability to open positions directly from real-time charts.

There are price alerts that include statistical alerts, which can be monthly or yearly for currency pairs, indices, etc. Clicking on the alert will automatically open the app on the instrument.

Sollari desktop trading platform

Use the desktop platform. This platform is designed with professional traders in mind, leaving the webtrader as an alternative for beginners and intermediate traders.

There is excellent customizability, some good search functions, and a choice of several languages.

There are several tools and technical indicators designed to enhance your trading activity.

Sollari customer service review

Customer service is excellent at Sollari, with immediate response times across multiple channels.

There are several channels for contacting customer support, including phone and email. When I tested their service, my query was dealt with immediately without even the intervention of a chatbot. The service provided via email and phone was similar, with fast, relevant responses to my queries. Customer service is provided 24/5, which is above average.

Sollari is opening an account.

The account opening process is straightforward, fully digital and quick. You will need your ID.

To open your account, you should first decide on the account type you wish to open

Then you can follow these quick and easy steps:

Select your country of residence
Add personal information, including name and email address
Choose a password
Enter your home address and tax residency
Complete some simple questions relating to your trading experience
Fill in information pertaining to your personal finances, such as income and savings and employment status
Select your base currency
Upload your ID documentation and proof of address, such as a utility bill or bank statement.

Sollari Deposit and Withdrawal

Deposits and withdrawals and essentially free, and the minimum deposit is high compared to what you would find at other brokers.

Before making your first deposit, you will need to choose between the following base currencies:

EUR, USD, GBP

Deposit options include:

Bank transfer
Credit and debit card
Cryptocurrency

The minimum deposit is $5000, which is high compared to other brokers. There are no fees should you choose to deposit via bank transfer from your bank account.

Bank transfers take several business days.

Withdrawals can be made using the same methods accepted for deposits, and there are no withdrawal fees for electronic wallets and credit/debit cards.

Sollari safety

Sollari is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) but is performing full due diligence to comply with AML regulations.

In addition, all client funds are held in segregated bank accounts to protect those funds should Sollari go bust.

The Sollari negative balance protection protects client funds should their balance go negative.

Sollari fees

Sollari has low CFD and forex fees and average non-trading fees.

Fees can be separated into two main categories for a CFD and forex broker: trading and non-trading fees.

Trading fees

The trading fees will vary depending on the financial instruments you are trading within each asset class. Trading fees can be charged as a spread, a commission, or a financing rate.

Spreads differ between the bid and ask price for a foreign currency price. Here’s how Sollari spreads compare against some other forex brokers:

Non-trading fees

Sollari has low non-trading fees as they do not charge deposit and withdrawal fees, and there is no account fee.

Inactivity fees are charged. There are inactivity fees to be aware of. However, these will only kick in once your account has been inactive for several months and you have a positive balance.

Who is Sollari suitable for?

Sollari is suitable for all levels of traders looking for a solid trading platform and very competitive spreads.

The selection of account types is aimed at both retail and professional investors.

Demo Trading

The Advantages and Negatives of Forex Demo Trading

Table of Contents

Intro to Fx Demo Trading

Despite the placement as the planets greatest monetary market, the forex marketplace only became easily available to retail traders in latest years because of the introduction of sites based trading via on-line forex brokers.

Aspiring forex investors can right now make use of digital trading systems – like the extremely well-known MetaTrader software program
(offered as a free of charge download by MetaQuotes Software program Company ) to access the large forex market thou they might trade only in very small amounts themselves

The majority of on the web brokers will support MetaTrader and could also provide their own proprietary platforms or web-centred dealing interfaces.

These types of systems typically enable traders to do a quick overview of the currency marketplace and maybe carry out some specialized evaluation, in addition to permitting them to gain access to trading necessities like purchase access and deal delivery for a wide selection of foreign currency pairs.

free of charge fx practice account

Like a common way of motivating forex investors to use their offer setup solutions and first deposit funds with them to make use of as trading accounts perimeter, many online forex brokers will offer a free of charge fx practice account to potential or existing clients.

Referred to as a forex demonstration accounts, such unsecured debts enable a trader to encounter a hands-on demo of what seems prefer to trade currency pairs in the forex market with this broker without placing any actual money at risk.

Although using a FX trading demo account has several benefits for traders, some tricks are well worth talking about because the technicians of getting into a demonstration operate and the producing emotional responses an investor can possess while controlling it can differ significantly from the encounter of live forex trading utilizing their personal hard-attained money.

Additional common demonstration accounts circumstances which make them vary considerably from an actual cash financed account include broker-imposed period limitations and set debris of virtual foreign currency.

The subsequent areas of this content will talk about starting up an on the web trading demo accounts, in addition to probably the most significant benefits and negatives of using a demonstration forex account in comparison to utilizing a live fx accounts for trading foreign currencies.

Starting Up a Free of charge Forex Demonstration Account
Simply about any trustworthy fx broker will allow potential and current customers to open up up a demo account with them free of charge to enable investors to practice currency trading using digital money.

Demo accounts traders frequently also get access to at least a few of the broker’s customer providers and consumer support personnel to ensure that they can obtain a much better feeling for what coping with the broker will end up being like when they determine to finance a trading account with genuine cash.

Investors desperate to open up a demonstration trading accounts can typically get around to the site of one or even more forex demonstration brokers and adhere to guidelines shown there for opening up a demo or practise account with the brokers they select.

Selecting the greatest fx demo accounts for your requirements might require critiquing those provided by a number of online brokers with different features in order to make an knowledgeable decision which broker is the best partner for your start.

When starting a demonstration account, you may even require to choose a quantity of virtual money to fund the demonstration accounts with and get into some personal data to determine yourself with.

In case you feel worried about offering your true personal data to a broker you are will to try not really you have more freedom as no documentation is required for this in general, the moment you open a real account your KYC documentation will be needed for compliance and this protects the broker as well as the traders from money laundering and fraud.

You can also open up a new e-mail account to get communications about the demo forex account if you are concerned about getting your personal email address offered to third celebrations like digital email entrepreneurs.

Pros of Forex Demonstration Trading Demo_trading_advantages

The two beginner and experienced forex investors regularly make use of demo accounts to rehearse trading currencies and check out a fresh broker or trading strategy.

Some of the more common advantages of interesting in forex demo trading consist of the following:

Observe if You Like Trading Foreign currencies

Those fresh to trading foreign currencies or trading generally can use an fx demo accounts to find if they are psychologically and psychologically appropriate to the bustle of trading forex. Everyone is usually different, and some people might actually appreciate trading currencies, as the activity might not match others’ preferences, personas or lifestyles at all.

Operate Forex without Risk Whilst Learning or teaching how to trade

– Beginners who are still learning how to operate foreign currencies frequently experience substantially even more assured putting their real cash in danger in the marketplace if they have an opportunity to try points away from 1st. A demo account allows them to place their training into practice in a near to actual existence environment without placing their genuine money at risk. This enables those to make common beginner’s mistakes while they find out without needing to spend for the effects out with their very own bank.

Practice Great Cash Administration Methods –

One of the secrets to taking pleasure in long-term success when trading forex requires learning to apply well-established cash administration concepts. A demonstration accounts allows a brand-new or skilled trader to practice such methods completely on true exchange rate actions and see on their own how the common benefits accumulate to their demo account in digital money earnings.

Find out to Control Your Feelings When Trading –

Probably the most difficult elements of trading for many people consists of learning how to control their psychological reactions to earning and shedding deals in such a method that it stimulates overall success. Dealing properly with normally regular mental replies to producing and losing cash – such as dread, avarice and wish – can often differentiate the effective fx investor from the loss.

Check a fresh Trading Technique Without Jeopardizing Actual Money –

Smart experienced traders and beginners as well will generally wish to check the achievement of any new trading technique they arrive plan before applying it in a live trading environment. This kind of enables them to accustom themselves to pursuing the program and also to function out any insects in it that may become obvious while using it as real exchange price movements happen.

Try Out a New Broker’s Trading System –

Unless you are utilizing the Mt4 system that a great deal of on-line forex brokers support, you will most likely want to make use of a demonstration accounts to observe whether a fresh fx broker’s private internet or client structured trading platform is usually ideal for your trading requirements.

Examine if a Fresh Broker Offers Useful Features and Solutions –

Fx Brokers keen to possess you open up a live trading account with them will frequently provide demonstration investors gain access to their unique customer features, educational and information services, and customer support departments. This can be a great method to examine your quality of the broker’s general solutions before carrying out any actual trading money to ensure they are the type of trading partner you will need keeping your accounts.

Broker news

Donald Trump blasts ‘fools’ who oppose good Russian ties

US President-elect Donald Trump has posted a progression of tweets censuring the individuals who contradict great relations with Russia as “‘dumb’ individuals, or nitwits”.

Mr Trump promised to work with Russia “to comprehend a portion of the numerous… squeezing issues and issues of the WORLD!”

His remarks came after an insight report said Russia’s leader had attempted to help a Trump race triumph.

Mr Trump said Democrats were to be faulted for “gross carelessness” in permitting their servers to be hacked.

In a progression of tweets on Saturday, Mr Trump said that having a decent association with Russia was “no terrible thing” and that “lone “idiotic” individuals, or simpletons, would believe that it is awful!”

He included that Russia would regard the US increasingly when he was president