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Agriculture is no stranger to technology. While innovations in software, hardware, and bio-based solutions offer increased precision, they can be challenging to adopt.
Three farmers share successes and lessons learned from applying agtech on their operations. They are:
Hedges: “Even a few years ago, my planter had five to six different screens collecting data but it was from different sources and disconnected.” Now, Hedges has seen data connectivity improve, which in turn leads to better-informed action on the farm.
Gaesser: “We do a lot of our own on-farm trials, and it makes it easier and faster to adopt new practices when we can determine readily if it’s working or not.” Better use of data and new tools like variable-rate technology allow Gaesser to do more for nitrogen management independently.
Pitstick: “We saw more computer-based tech like GPS develop in the mid-1990s and autosteer in the 2000s.” Pitstick says he could identify the return on investment for autosteer but an unexpected benefit was the human comfort factor of being able to work longer days with less fatigue.
Hedges: He says technology really brings value through in-season management based off of environmental conditions year by year. “Our goal is optimization of yield so depending on the year, I can adjust and reapply dollars where they’re needed most for the most efficient use of resources.”
Gaesser: “Technology has to show that we are gaining somewhere, whether it’s making our life easier or providing better yield or the same yield with more efficient use.” He says identifying where there is room to improve on their operation and then testing technology on a small scale is the best approach.
Pitstick: He says the technology that made it onto the farm was what could be adopted quickly. “GPS soil sampling and yield mapping was key because it could identify field-by-field variability.”
Hedges: In-season management is game-changing technology that Hedges adopts. “We’re using global satellite imagery, WinField United field-monitoring tools to see how fields are trending, and the field-forecasting tool built on algorithms and tissue sampling to hone nitrogen efficiency.”
Gaesser: “One of the newest technologies we invested in is a sprayer with individual nozzle shut-offs to work around waterways and grass structures. That makes us more efficient with time while preserving the integrity of our conservation.”
Pitstick: “Anything GPS-based helps us do a better job of farming and we can calculate the return on investment to know it has a payback.” Pitstick says some of the imagery and crowd-sourced data is harder to put a value on but if there is something to learn from it, it’s worth doing.
Hedges: “My barometer for technology is if it delivers a significant return on investment and optimization to yield.” Hedges looks at everything from a fungicide application to agtech from that ROI standpoint.
Gaesser: “Having a network of people to talk to is useful in managing tech fatigue because there’s usually someone doing something I’m not or trying something I’m interested in.”
Pitstick: “I do a lot of consulting with ag tech start-ups and recommned they ride along on the farm with me to see the real pain points.” If it isn’t a pain point, Pitstick says he’s less likely to adopt it.
Hedges: “In the next five to 10 years, I think we’ll see sophisticated disease models that are predictive and allow us to increase our profitability by writing a variable-rate fungicide application prescription.”
Gaesser: “Automation for sure is going to increase. We’re starting to see self-driving tractor technology and more precision technology like robotic sprayers. There will be management-intensive solutions available.”
Pitstick: “Predictions are always out there but usually technology is adopted slower than expected. Autonomous machines have to get smarter. Microbial space is one of the upcoming frontiers. The industry so far has focused on crops above ground but moving forward, we’ll see science and technology improve how microbial populations below ground release nutrients.”