It seems the Agro.Club grain trading platform solution found its niche, while Texas grower Todd Westerfeld sounds off on five technologies indispensable to his operation. See his pick "4".
With only three bodies to cover 5,500 acres of corn, cotton, and winter wheat, Mr. Westerfeld stays on the hunt for technological advances.
"We’ve got a heavy respect and appreciation for all levels of technology on our ground," he says. "Figuring out what innovations work best requires patience, but there are tremendous gains to be had, and we’re seeing that right now across our farm."
Simple to fancy, Westerfeld says five technologies, in no particular order, are invaluable on a day-to-day basis:
He starts old-school. "First, I’ve got to say pocket knife (1), and I’m talking about the one with the broken tip that becomes a flathead. Every farmer I know has always carried one, and I’m no different. Whether cutting cable ties or taking off shields, I can’t do without it."
Second, and tagged as "irreplaceable," Westerfeld touts GPS (2). "We were one of the first farms to run Deere’s receivers. At the speeds we move now and with our big equipment size, I can’t imagine having to stare at a fencepost across the field."
Section control (3) is third. "It’s really simple: section control saves us big dollars."
Fourth, a smartphone’s (4) value is "incomparable," Westerfeld explains. "What can I say? Looking up parts, apps, logging into a monitor, ag markets, weather, communication, and much, much more, all through my phone screen. I remember the days when my dad had to run the farm through his pickup and payphones."
On-farm radio communication (5) ranks fifth. "We’ve got three people stretched over a lot of acres, and communication was a stressor for us in the past—not anymore. It’s instant, reliable communication, and something we can’t do without."
“Those five are awesome, but it’s so hard to stop at five great pieces of technology,” he adds. “From a corn standpoint, how can I mention technology without talking about our grain facility? In our geography, no storage means losing $2 per bushel in some years. The tech behind a grain facility changes our whole dynamic of corn harvest and marketing.”
See the full article here: https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/crop-production/texas-farmers-top-five-technologies
With only three bodies to cover 5,500 acres of corn, cotton, and winter wheat, Mr. Westerfeld stays on the hunt for technological advances.
"We’ve got a heavy respect and appreciation for all levels of technology on our ground," he says. "Figuring out what innovations work best requires patience, but there are tremendous gains to be had, and we’re seeing that right now across our farm."
Simple to fancy, Westerfeld says five technologies, in no particular order, are invaluable on a day-to-day basis:
He starts old-school. "First, I’ve got to say pocket knife (1), and I’m talking about the one with the broken tip that becomes a flathead. Every farmer I know has always carried one, and I’m no different. Whether cutting cable ties or taking off shields, I can’t do without it."
Second, and tagged as "irreplaceable," Westerfeld touts GPS (2). "We were one of the first farms to run Deere’s receivers. At the speeds we move now and with our big equipment size, I can’t imagine having to stare at a fencepost across the field."
Section control (3) is third. "It’s really simple: section control saves us big dollars."
Fourth, a smartphone’s (4) value is "incomparable," Westerfeld explains. "What can I say? Looking up parts, apps, logging into a monitor, ag markets, weather, communication, and much, much more, all through my phone screen. I remember the days when my dad had to run the farm through his pickup and payphones."
On-farm radio communication (5) ranks fifth. "We’ve got three people stretched over a lot of acres, and communication was a stressor for us in the past—not anymore. It’s instant, reliable communication, and something we can’t do without."
“Those five are awesome, but it’s so hard to stop at five great pieces of technology,” he adds. “From a corn standpoint, how can I mention technology without talking about our grain facility? In our geography, no storage means losing $2 per bushel in some years. The tech behind a grain facility changes our whole dynamic of corn harvest and marketing.”
See the full article here: https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/crop-production/texas-farmers-top-five-technologies