Farmers currently using precision ag practices give their perspective
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
Exhibitors, attendees and other farming and agricultural enthusiasts filled the halls of the Best Western Lamplighter Inn for the 2015 Precision Agricultural Conference.
For two days people were treated to a variety of speakers and breakout sessions where they could learn about the newest technologies available to improve the efficiency of their farming operations.
Before anyone might consider using any of the new technology on their farms, they’d more than likely ask “does it work?” The conference’s closing panel featured four farmers currently engaged in precision agriculture practices to share their experiences to the other farmers in attendance.
Ryan Marshall, a 7th generation farmer who with his wife Marissa operate Market & Little Farm store, talked about the benefits of using cloud-based technology on the farm.
The main upside to using cloud-based applications is their accessibility because users can look at their information any time they want.
“It really helps get stuff done,” Marshall said.
Tyler Vollmershausen from Northeast Oxford County who is implementing regenerative farming practices, talked about the importance of using soil maps and other soil technologies to get the most out of the soil.
“Every operation needs good help,” he said. “Soil health is the cornerstone of any operation.”
Vollmershausen left the audience with an interesting thought.
“The more I know about soil, the less I treat it like dirt.”
Jason Robinson of Tillsonburg’s Robinson G L Farm Equipment Repairs & Machine spoke of an important piece of equipment farmers need if they want to get into precision agriculture.
“Get a yield monitor,” he said. “You can’t beat the data you have on your farms.”
Mike Wilson, an Advanced Agronomy Solutions Manager with Thompsons, said precision agriculture is an advancement of a common farming practice.
“Precision ag is advanced agronomy,” he said. “It allows us to make better, stronger, more practical and more sustainable recommendations from proven agronomic practices.”
Like Vollmershausen, Wilson left the audience with something to think about when they left.
“We need to think about our farms as profitability per acre, not bushels per acre.”
Join the discussion. Did you attend any of the presentations at the 2015 Precision Agriculture Conference? Which ones and what did you learn? Or maybe there’s something you didn’t see that you’d like to be implemented next year.