Analysis of our just released 2017 Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark Study, reveal renewed emphasis and investment by retailers in agronomic services. How these analytical tools are being delivered by dealerships continues to be diverse, but there was a substantial increase in use of in-house agronomists.

Emphasis on agronomic and data management services contribute to a majority of dealers forecasting measurable precision growth in 2017.

Talking with a few precision dealers about their transition into agronomic services, one of them noted that this is actually where their business began. Almost 2 decades ago, the independent precision retailer opened his doors on the promise that the company could deliver mapping, soil sampling and field analysis services.

We’ve all probably been in the situation where casually committing to an obligation is a short-term way to delay dealing with it. I can recall at least a few occasions where procrastination seemed like a good idea at the time.

The roundtable topic of adding agronomic services drew a large crowd. To kick the conversation off, moderator John Marshall, integrated solutions manager for Wade Inc., took a quick poll to get a feel for how many in the room currently offered agronomy services. Of the 30 or so who sat in on this roundtable, roughly 20% had hired an agronomist.