2015 Precision Agriculture Conference: Breakout Session Series: Part IV

Feb 27, 2015

Solving the “I don’t know”

More than 20 professionals from financial, agricultural, weather and other industries gave their time in a series of breakout sessions designed to help the over 200 attendees of the 2015 Precision Agricultural Conference learn about the newest technologies and to pick the brains of the people on the forefront of precision agriculture practices.

The Farms.com coverage of the breakout sessions continues with Darryl Lacey, a precision farming specialist with Delta Power Equipment. His session discussed the lessons farmers have learned recently and how to apply those to the future.

Lacey talked about how the idea of driving straight is where precision agriculture most often starts, but it shouldn’t.

“You won’t save as much money driving straight as you will by shutting off something like the sprayer,” he said.

Solutions vary, but how farmers arrive at the solutions is the difference. With the new technologies, return on investment is a large contributor.

“Farmers love to spend money,” he said. “But what they love even more is when they make that money back and then some.”

He eluded to the past when planting with an auto-boom shutoff or auto-boom height variation was unheard of and now it seems to be the norm.

When it comes to the future, Lacey said he thinks there won’t be a divide among competitors.

“Doesn’t matter if you’re green (John Deere), red (CASE), or blue (New Holland),” he said. “You buy a new tractor, take a tablet, put it on your arm rest and purchase a $2000 app from a store.”

Check back on Farms.com often as more breakout sessions from the 2015 Precision Agriculture Conference will be covered.

Did you attend Darryl Lacey’s presentation? If so, how did you find it? What’s your take on future technologies with precision agriculture?

Be sure to check out part one, part two and part three of the Breakout Session Series.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.