5 Barriers to Success with Precision Agriculture Technology — That Actually Are Not Barriers
As trusted advisors, we can help growers break through their existing preconceived ideas about ag technology by listening and starting small, while keeping the big picture in mind.
Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”
When it comes to precision agriculture and technology, I think it is safe to say we all work with plenty of growers in the “can’t” camp, writes Erin Hightower at CropLife. Those who think they cannot find ways to integrate technology into their operation, unfortunately, are right. Their mindset creates challenges, mental barriers that are difficult to overcome.
As precision agriculture has advanced, I have witnessed these mental barriers stop good farms from becoming great farms because growers feel the technology will let them down or will not fit in their current farm view.
These are five of the most common reasons I see growers not step up to the next level of precision agriculture adoption and my advice to “auto” steer them (ha, see what I did there?) in the right direction.
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“Barrier” #1: My Equipment Is Too Old
With many newer machines, precision agriculture technology is often integrated into the machine so it is easy to understand why this makes growers believe that older machines are not eligible for technology updates.
While some machines may be tougher to work with than others, most can be outfitted with the latest technology. This does not mean they may not need some creative managing and an add-on or two. But having the knowledge on what is possible to retrofit and what is not can go a long way to building a stronger fleet, without the grower feeling any pressure to upgrade to a newer machine.
I recommend one-on-one time showing how brackets, harnesses, and simple updates can be added to older machinery. I have even gone so far as to share extreme examples to highlight the untapped potential of older equipment – like that time our team successfully put a form of GPS device on a ‘68 potato truck for anti-theft purposes.
Beyond the age of the tractors, sprayers, or combines, some growers think the technology those machines already have is outdated. Similar to upgrading older machines, older technology can still work well and bring a ton of value to a grower. It may only require an extra step or two and is a great way to bring the efficiency of precision farming to late adopters.
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