What Farmers Want From You

What Farmers Want from You: Solid Relationships, ROI & Ongoing Training

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Innovative farmers share candid insights on technology usage & building better partnerships with dealers.

Technician Turnover Can Create Gap in Timely Support

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 23:00:00 -0500

Jack Boyer has an engineering background, so he’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and attack equipment problems that come his way.

From Chess to Checkers: Elevate Your Customer's Operation with Precision Technology

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:55:32 -0500

It has been said that winning in chess is all a matter of understanding how to leverage each piece and timing their moves just right. To move each piece of the 4R’s in the right way at the right time, you don’t need to be a chess master -- but mastering your technology is always a winning strategy.

New Study Reveals Farmers' Viewpoints on Precision Technology & Profitability

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In a new study, a South Dakota State University research team investigated farmers' viewpoints on the most influential factor behind adopting new technologies and practices: profitability.

Future Farming Success Hinges on Customer Relationships

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

With principal involvement in three busy agricultural enterprises, Jason Mauck, 40, has to be constantly thinking, planning and doing to keep all the balls in the air as he juggles traditional family farm management, off-farm agronomic innovation, and the headaches and highs of innovating a new direct-marketing meat business.

Why Your Customers Should Invest in New Sprayer Technologies

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

"During a recent field technology day with Pacific Northwest growers we focused on helping growers to manage their minimum till operation as it changes throughout the growing season," says RDO agronomist Erin Hightower. "Growers asked us questions like: What tool can help me to manage pesticide application and input costs as the needs of my crop change?"

Data & Technology Drive Decision Making Process

Thu, 18 May 2023 00:01:00 -0400

"I can watch my crop roots grow on my cell phone. Not literally, but I can tell you exactly what depth crops have rooted to in fields where we have installed weather stations with moisture probes," says Saskatchewan farmer Jake Leguee.

Use Precision Technology to Make Data-Informed Decisions

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Keith Wendte manages data and analysis for his family’s 7,000-acre operation from an office more than 200 miles away in the Chicago area. He was an early adopter of precision farming technology nearly 30 years ago.

What Winning Teams Can Teach Us About Precision Agriculture

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Farm data captured by farm management software systems is like playing “Money Ball” with your operation. With it, you could have a 2002 Oakland A’s baseball team’s storybook season instead of the 2013 Houston Astros team’s season with the longest losing streak in the baseball team’s history.

Applying Small Sample Trials to Big Picture Precision Planning

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 23:01:00 -0500

Megan and Eric Wallendal are breaking new ground on their farm — technological ground, that is.

Cash Flow, ROI are Key Drivers in the Future of Farming

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:17:00 -0500

Managing taxes, understanding the value of technology, smart equipment investments, and a proactive marketing plan all drive decision-making for Minnesota farmer Zach Johnson.

Prioritizing Soil Health to Protect Profitability for Generations to Come

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 13:01:00 -0500

Since the founding of the multigenerational Crave Brothers Farm in Waterloo, Wis., in 1980, they’ve adopted sustainable farming practices, added a cheese factory to increase the value of their milk, and operate a manure digester that generates enough electricity to power their operation and 300 neighboring homes, making them a carbon-negative company.

Technological Advancements Can Help Farmers Better Understand Their Land

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 12:51:00 -0500

While he doesn’t consider himself an early adopter of technological advancements, Hill does believe new developments in ag tech will influence the ways in which farming changes over the course of the next 10 years.

Leveraging Data to Control Costs, Improve Outputs

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 13:26:00 -0400

Mitchell Hora says increasing reliance on bottom line profitability and data driven decisions will be the key that helps him survive and thrive in the future.

Redefining the Dollars & Sense Approach to Farm Business Management of the Future

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0500

When it comes to the evolution of farming, it’s been said that the pace of change has never been so fast and change will never be this slow again.

Technology Adoption On the Rise for Strip-Tillers

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0500

Results of the 7th Annual Strip-Till Operational Practices Benchmark study, evaluating 2019 cropping practices, saw some subtle and more significant shifts in strip-till practices.

Early Precision Practices Set the Stage for Advanced Adoption

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 00:01:00 -0400

Trent Profit builds on years of conservation practices to take his family farm to the next level.

Using New Tools to Obtain Field Level Profitability

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 11:16:00 -0400

Stephen Lacey, Wendell, Minnesota, had a history of frustration with the accuracy and dependability of the monitors they had been using, so the family decided it was best to go with one brand, and in 2017, the family rolled their fleet to all John Deere equipment. Find out how that change led to increased profitability in this article from Precision Ag Reviews.

Stretching the RTK Signal to Capitalize on Custom Jobs

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0400

J-Ace Farms, located near Blue Earth, Minn., uses precision farming practices in its strip-till and no-till farming operation. Matt Alford, and his father-in-law, Jim Erdahl, typically build strips in the fall for corn the following year using a 16-row Environmental Tillage Systems Soil Warrior strip-till unit, applying prescription-rate phosphorous (P) and potassium (K).

Putting the Precision Puzzle Together Takes Patience, Persistence

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 12:02:00 -0400

Bethany, Ill., farmer Clint Robinson says he hasn’t had much trouble with adopting precision farming equipment since adding their first auto-guide system that used an Ag Leader OnTrac steering system in 2002. But that’s not to say he hasn’t encountered challenges.

Mixing Mechanical Innovation with Precision Expectations

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 11:16:00 -0500

The Applegates are no strangers to incorporating technology into their farming operation. Doug, who farms with his wife, Kathy, and two sons, Brent and Luke, have always looked for ways to leverage electronics and information in their farming operation.

Aggressive Precision Evolution Not Without its Setbacks

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 11:04:00 -0500

Greg Deim, who farms with his father, Craig, and brother, Justin, has been using precision farming equipment almost since its inception. “Dad always was an early adopter,” says Greg.

Making Data Collection, Application ‘Fisher-Price Easy’

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 11:19:00 -0400

Rick DeGroote, and his father, Duane, farm 23,000 acres in 5 counties in northeast and north central Iowa. Growing corn and soybeans that are either no-tilled and conventionally tilled, depending on the field, the farm team relies primarily on John Deere equipment for all tillage, spraying, planting and harvesting.

Precision Application Payoff Hinges on Continuity of Training, Service

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0400

With a commitment to precision fertilization practices comes an expectation of financial savings and stellar tech support for Kansas operation Kramer Seed Farms.

Seeking an Economic Solution to the Costly Combination of Data Collection Tools

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 11:01:00 -0400

Roric Paulman grows a wide variety of crops on 10,000 acres in the Sutherland, Neb., area. About 85% of the cropland is irrigated and he and his son, Zach, practice no-till or strip-till across all crops.

Preparation Should be a Priority to Avoid Precision Chaos

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0400

As a farmer first and a precision equipment dealer and supporter second, Seth Wenzel finds unplanned breakdowns most annoying.

Get Good Crop Data First, Then Invest in Technology

Wed, 09 May 2018 00:00:00 -0400

The path some farmers take in their strip-tillage journey is to quickly adopt — and heavily invest in — RTK farm-by- the-inch technology. But for Tom Cotter at Cotter Farms near Austin, Minn., he would rather first get research need vs. want and properly develop prescriptions before going too deep, too fast.

Lessening the Learning Curve with Cloud-Based Data Collection

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 11:44:00 -0400

Rapp Farms, operated by James and his sons Nick, and Ben, farm 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans in the Princeton, Ill., area. They are going into their fifth year of strip-tilling both crops on fairly flat and rather consistent soil types in the north-central part of the state.

Seeking Streamlined Software to Simplify Yield Mapping

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:12:00 -0500

Brian Newcombe, who farms with his brother Craig, near Port Williams, Nova Scotia, has been incorporating precision farming techniques into their operation since 1998.

Signaling for Help with RTK Upgrade Overload

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 11:44:00 -0500

Joe Breker is a believer in precision farming equipment, but he takes a more holistic approach to managing his 2,500 acre operation in Havana, N.D.