TAP INTO TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENTS AND INCREASE YOUR PROFITS
Compiled by Suz Trusty
strategy. Tat includes the enabling software, usually mobile apps on a smartphone, which these tools require to work. Below are some of the examples Grassi’s article used to highlight the connectivity factor.
Te technology incorporated in sod harvesters over the years has been developed specifically for sod producers. Many additional technology-driven products, both those designed for sod producers and those designed for the broader ag market, are driving the shift to “smart farming.” Photo by BE Productions
With the focus of this issue of Turf News “Protecting Your Investments,” we tap into the hot topic of technology, exploring how the adaptation of “smart farming” not only protects your investments but also increases your profitability. While most of the sources shared in this article center on row crop production, their message extends across the entire ag industry.
In a March 8, 2024, article on
agweb.com, “Prioritize Technology Tat Works For You So You Can Farm Smarter,” Matthew J. Grassi featured the three-year path of technology adaptation by a two-brother team of sixth- generation farmers when they took over the family’s 1,200- acre row crop and hog operation. Noting the brothers “adopted a data-first mindset,” he reported that at the end of those three years “smart farming technology is abundant … including fully monitored grain storage, a connected equipment fleet, and the latest in irrigation scheduling technology. Te motivation is simple: farming smarter.”
Grassi included their explanation for the changes, “Smart farming means making your life more efficient, so you don’t have to focus on the mundane but instead on making the best product possible. We only have so many hours in a day.” “With technology, we feel like we’ve got somewhat of a chance [at success],” he adds, noting how thinly spread the brothers’ time becomes. Tat, in a nutshell, is the reality facing all farmers today—including sod farmers.
Connectivity is Crucial Grassi’s article continued, now focused on connectivity. Connected machines, implements, and on-farm storage structures are key components of a complete smart farming
18
Trimble has been releasing connectivity, data telemetry, and machine correction
innovations for farmers for decades. Te companies’
precision ag hardware solutions have a history of being white labeled and integrated into the back end of machines. “[Smart farming] is using technology to digitally sense what’s going on in the field, or to digitally prescribe what you want to have happen in that field, and then applying that in a very precise way,” says Corey Buchs, senior product director, ag software, at Trimble. “It’s about improving decision-making. We’re trying to enable data- based decision-making. Instead of just doing what you’ve always done, look at the data,” he adds.
Tracey Wiedmeyer, co-founder of
Gripp.ag, an AgLaunch class of 2024 startup, has a unique view of smart farming. He grew up on a farm and recently launched a mobile app to help farmers manage machinery performance and maintenance tracking across mixed fleets. Wiedmeyer sees it as a strategy to leverage consumer tech approaches to the farm—and it’s working. “Farming has leaned into the idea that technology needs to be complex—those days are coming to an end,” he says. “Enterprise software firms have been leveraging consumer technology approaches for a few years now. It puts farmers in the driver’s seat with technology that works for them instead of them having to work for the technology. Tat’s smart.”
Smart and Sustainable Grassi’s article then highlights the smart and sustainable coupling, pointing out it extends internationally. Smart farming has always held vast potential, but today it’s heightened by the abundance of extreme, unpredictable weather patterns around the world.
And then there are regions where the weather is consistent—consistently hot and dry, making water scarce.
TPI Turf News May/June 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
