I sat in an agronomy meeting a few years back and the speaker was talking about setting realistic goals. I don’t remember the name of the speaker, or even where the meeting was at, but I do remember the main point of his presentation. If we want to successfully manage our finances, our employees, or our production, we have to set measurable goals and budgets that we could review and make decisions from. There are many factors out of our control. We can’t control the weather, the markets, or the actions of other people. But there are many things we can control. We can control what we invest, how much we invest, and when to invest it. When we apply this concept to agriculture, we can really change how we look at our operation.
There are around 80 to 90 million acres of corn planted in the US. Most farms have at least 10% of their acres where the yields are lower than the quantity needed to cover our cost of production. If even 5% of these acres that are predicted to be farmed at a loss in 2017 were taken out of corn production, we could reduce the forecasted surplus by almost 50%, which theoretically would increase the market price of corn. We can’t control demand for our crop but we can definitely have an impact on supply. By not taking a loss on that lowest 5% on our farm we have already helped our profitability even if we don’t see an effect on the US
market.
Management decisions that involve knowing which acres are profitable or not on our farm can only be done using technology: at minimum we need a GPS globe and a monitor. The problem with technology has been a lack of support, and having so many different systems available that it’s difficult to know what system to choose. Additionally, each system functions differently so when you have learned one system it’s easy to forget how to operate the next system.
Ag Leader Technology started with the industry’s first yield monitor 25 years ago. Most brands of combines still come from the factory with components designed or made by Ag Leader. The monitors and systems designed and offered by Ag Leader are some of the most reliable and easy to use precision ag systems on the market. We choose to partner primarily with Ag Leader for our technology needs because we can run almost all colors and types of equipment with the same monitor and controls. When combined with our MyWay RTK network we offer our customers a hassle free, accurate, and reliable system to help them measure their inputs and their yields so they can better manage their
operation.
We build whole farm precision ag solutions for our customers and help them through the whole process of collecting their data and learning how to use that data. With each of our precision ag offerings we can give you numbers to show the average payback from the technology. For example, a hydraulic down force system on a 16 row planter pays for itself after 461 acres at $3.00 corn. This system gives customers an average $33 per acre advantage.
Call us and let us show you how our precision ag systems and services can increase your profits on your farm.
-Andrew Tucker