Farm Focus

Precision Agriculture Technology Enables Farmers and Farm Mutuals to Increase Efficiency

By Matt Keating

The precision agriculture technology industry is constantly changing, meaning that both farmers and farm mutual insurance companies need to keep up with the times to stay successful. Farmers must reduce costs and increase both efficiency and profitability to survive.

Barry Nelson, manager of public relations for John Deere Ag Management Solutions (AMS), said geographic positioning satellites (GPS) are quickly becoming a necessity. John Deere’s AMS is an advanced technology group that focuses on products and solutions that advance excellence in agriculture.

“GPS systems really help the farmer when he is going through the fields,” Nelson said. “It makes things a lot more efficient. The farmers don’t have to make constant adjustments. They need to be on top of all the changes in technology.”

Nelson added that precision technology also enables farm mutual companies to get more accurate information on claims that occur in a field or on farm property.

“Our GreenStar (GPS) System is designed to help customers make better management decisions, increase productivity, and provide value throughout the entire farming operation,” Nelson said. “Agriculture and precision agriculture technology is ever changing, and AMS works hard to provide customers with the most innovative and highest quality products. To help customers in this dynamic market of agricultural technology, John Deere AMS continues to work with current and potential customers to introduce new products and enhance existing products to increase customer satisfaction. In this industry, information and the management of that information play an increasingly important role.”

Randy Sabers, manager, McCook Farm Mutual Insurance Co. of South Dakota, Salem, S.D., agrees.

“The GPS systems help us get more accurate details, and help the adjusters get a better idea of how much damage is done to an area. And new tractor technology has been highly beneficial with claims,” Sabers said. “Technology has made doing business in our company so much easier.

“It helps us get more accurate details, and helps the adjusters get a better idea of how much damage is done to an area. It also helps determine the number of acres that are damaged by hail, rain or any other natural disaster. We do a lot of appraisals, and it helps us determine the level of damage to a particular area, and the amount of vegetation that has been ruined.”

Nelson stressed that the GreenStar GPS System provides customers with the ability to collect data from planting to harvesting and every operation that is performed before, during and after this time period.

“This information can then be interpreted, distributed, and applied to provide improved financial returns, better agronomic management, increased accuracy of operations, and more efficient use of equipment,” Nelson said. “Other benefits of the system include the ability to move the common components from machine to machine, increasing the value of the system in every operation.”

The GreenStar System’s documentation program offers a “farm mutual record of yields,” which enables insurance companies to find out if there really was a loss.

The system’s yield maps show farmers where additional drainage on a farm may be necessary. “There are also tile maps which show where additional drainage may be necessary,” Nelson said. “When it comes time to plant, knowing the location of your most productive ground in your field comes from experience, soil tests and yield maps. Electronic documentation of this information is becoming more popular every day.”

John Deere’s “field doc program” acts as an electronic pocket notebook that can be used in planting and seeding operations to document depth, fertilizer and insecticide application, field conditions and weather.

Mike Lawson, advertising/marketing manager, Reynolds Farm Equipment, Inc., Fishers, Ind., said “the GPS systems have provided invaluable input.

“When farmers are spraying, pesticide documentation becomes a must in many areas,” Lawson said. “Farmers need to document the necessary information they need for tank mixes, spray rates, weather and machines.”

Lawson added that yield monitoring and yield mapping are GPS products that allow farmers to view their results at the end of the season.

“Yield mapping offers the ability to print maps and reports detailing how your management practices performed,” Lawson said. “Using GPS also enables farmers to do parallel tracking, the most popular application used with tillage tools.”

April Compton, CPCU, secretary/manager, Mid-State Farmers Mutual, New Haven, Ind., said, “It is really hard to stay on top of all the cutting edge technology as a small farm mutual. We don’t have an IT staff or the budget to stay up with all the advances. Mid-State has really benefited from digital cameras, high-speed internet, and wireless computer technology. Anything that allows agents and adjusters to perform their work out in the field is a big benefit. E-mail and scanners have also helped increase our efficiency.”

Posted: Monday, October 17, 2005 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Monday, October 17, 2005 3:12:04 PM.

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