Farmers make over 140 major decisions each season

Nov 28, 2019

John Deere rep: what can we learn from the past to apply to the future?

“It’s a dynamic time to be in agriculture,” said Jeremy Parkinson, solutions specialist at John Deere Canada ULC, during his presentation at the Farms.com Precision Agriculture Conference and Ag Tech Showcase on Nov. 26.

Parkinson shared John Deere’s vision for the future of precision agriculture.

“Each and every one of you face challenges to produce more with less as demand for food continues to grow,” he said.

It is a dynamic time to work in agriculture because the world is constantly changing, Parkinson said. Farmers face challenges with a shrinking labor force and the relentless pressure to produce more with less.

Fortunately, new technologies continue to make advances which will help farmers rise to these challenges and continue to feed a growing global population, he said.

Traditionally, agriculture focused on farming by the field. As the industry produces more with less, the focus will need to shift to the micro level: the plant. Farmers will need to maximize the potential of every seed that goes in the ground, Parkinson said. Smarter, more automated machines will enable this transition, he said.

“Farmers make over 140 major decisions each season,” Parkinson said.

Better data powers better outcomes for farmers. Producers can use a complete set of data on the farm to understand cause and effect more deeply. Growers can also use this data to help accelerate the learning process about what works and doesn’t work on their farms.

For producers, the power of data is to help them learn from the past, as well as to help them plan, he said. Farmers’ decisions are all about the returns on their investments.

“This applies to decisions about seed, fertility, fungicide, land, … equipment and technology,” said Parkinson.

“Even though every season is different, we know it’s pretty important to understand the past. Even though next week or next season will have some differences, being a good student of history can prepare you to make better decisions in the future.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.