Problem solving is often the linchpin of a dealership’s precision farming business. The last couple of years have tested the abilities of precision teams to overcome ongoing economic — and more recently — social challenges to maintain, if not grow revenue.

The results of the eighth annual Precision Farming Dealer benchmark study — with contributions from dozens of farm equipment dealers, input retailers and independent precision companies — trend toward a conservative reality and a cautious outlook for the majority of respondents.

Strip-till farmers have typically been among the most progressive adopters of precision technology, embracing tools including variable-rate seeding, implement guidance and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Trial by fire. Thrown to the wolves. Learn by doing. All phrases that are used when describing how new precision farming hires often start their career at dealerships.

Scaling pre-season spring planting projects is as much an art as it is a science for Lance Larsen, precision service coordinator with Agtegra, a 5,000-plus farmer cooperative based in Aberdeen, S.D., and 2014 Most Valuable Dealership.

Spring planting poses enough daily challenges for precision farming specialists without having to wonder when, how and if they will be able to access needed hardware or call on experienced back-up to tag-team complicated service calls to get farm customers in the field. Fortunately, the 18-member precision farming team at Stotz Equipment is ably navigating through the added seasonal uncertainties, without sacrificing quality or communication.