Ag Tech Day expands broadband use on farm

Will farmers one day operate machinery from their offices?
Some already do, and the day is soon coming for farmers in Rock County.
That was the message shared Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Grand Prairie Events for Ag Tech Day that was designed to show how Rock County’s high-speed broadband can create opportunities for precision ag,
Rural Jasper native Nic Uilk shared information about utilizing high-speed internet to improve productivity on the farm.
“Precision agriculture will drive us to feeding the world in 2050,” he said, showing the progression of technology from early machine automation in the 1920s to 1954 when tractors outnumbered horses.
In 1997 John Deere introduced the first prototype autonomous tractors that are now being purchased for farm use.
Uilk, a 2003 Luverne High School graduate, is a precision ag instructor at South Dakota State University, Brookings, in the new Ag and Biosystems Engineering Department.
He said using all the data available on modern farm machinery enables farmers to apply only the amount of nitrogen and other inputs that are needed, which means less will run off into ground water.
Mapping software can collect yield data, create variable maps, track NPK, read sensors in soil, and on machines direct auto steer, create imagery and more.
All of it, Uilk said, has the potential to lower labor and input costs and increase production and revenues, provided farmers properly record and apply the data.
“The biggest challenge is assimilating all the data and interpreting it,” said Rock County farmer Dean Tofteland who attended Wednesday’s event. “The data’s not doing any good unless you’re able to apply it.”
He said he’s not afraid to seek guidance from other ag professionals like implement dealers, the Land Management Office, FSA and others.
“It takes a team,” Tofteland said. “These kids coming out of school today are sharp, and they can help.”
While he may not be as techno-savvy as he’d like to be, he has managed to incorporate data-driven practices into his operation, which uses field mapping to identify weak or strong spots as well as pest infestations and fungus.
“It’s a lot of information,” he said. “And you have to know how to use it.”
Tofteland was among roughly 50 people at the event seeking information. Many of them were farmers in their mid- to late 60s.
“Nobody wants to admit their 520s and 40s are worthless now,” said Don Arends, 66, who is incorporating new technology into his farming operation in northwestern Rock County.
“If you’re not getting into precision technology you’re going to get left behind. … But I’m at a point where I may never buy another planter because I’m not going to farm another 20 years.”
He said investments in technology do pay over time, especially for larger operations.
“If you’re farming 10,000 acres, it’s a no-brainer, but if you’re farming only a half section, you’re a hobby farmer,” Arends said.
“The problem is with $3 corn, it’s pretty hard to update technology. … You have to be able to pay for it.”
He said he’s learning to adapt his older equipment to new technology. For example, his 24-row 22-inch corn planter with individual seed boxes is equipped with precision monitors to adjust for variations in his fields.
“The hard part is learning how to run the stuff, especially when you use it only four or five days a year,” Arends said.
“You have to input all the information, and nobody taught me how to do that, and you have to save it in the computer, which nobody told me to do.”
Like Tofteland and other farmers, he’s reached out for help from his implement dealers and others. “I’m learning,” he said. “You’ve gotta keep learning. Once you’re done learning you’re ready to retire.”
Chip Flory, market analyst and the host of Farm Journal’s daily AgriTalk radio shows was the afternoon keynote speaker, and Scott Heibult of Luverne’s Computer Clinic talked about technology and surveillance options to protect farm assets.
The program was funded by a grant through the Blandin Foundation.