If you are involved in farming you’re aware of how quickly technology is changing. From the seed to the dirt and even the energy we use to maintain our operations,theres an app now for just about anything you need for your business and just about every farmer carries a smart phone and a tablet. These tools allow us to keep an eye on our fields. What would we do without them?

Along with these small but mighty tools the overall way we farm seems to be constantly challanged. Its no secret that the Irrigation Research Foundation is a strong and utilizing proponant of the strip-till program. We base all of our work on this type of farming.

In 2013 the Irrigation Research Foundation added Reinke telementry computerized panels that allows us to control them by our new Ipad mini. Of course we always recommend that you visit your sprinklers often to make sure all is running well.

Post harvest brought a John Deere model 9450 that will be equipped with Precision Planting Yield Sense monitoring system. This will enable us to gather in real time the yield, moisture and weight while we are harvesting the studies.  We’re very anxious to try out this new harvester this coming fall.

This years planting will also show us some new technology, Individual Electric drive units developed by Graham Electric Planters will allow us to change the speed and populations per drive unit.

Which takes us back to our drive for expanding technology in the field of agriculture, that old cliche of “get on board or get left behind” should resinate in all of us; we just can’t afford to keep doing business like its just a little farm.