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3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology
3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology
By Margy Eckelkamp

“We are really in a second phase of ag tech,” says Ryan Raguse, co-founder of Bushel. “We aren’t in an overly mature state—we’re still somewhere in the middle ground."

Don’t Miss These Popular Smart Farming Week Stories
Don’t Miss These Popular Smart Farming Week Stories

As we near the finish line (but not the end of our journey) we revist five of your favorite Smart Farming Week stories.

Technical Debt: Self Scout to Avoid Tech Pitfalls
Technical Debt: Self Scout to Avoid Tech Pitfalls

Take a reasoned, purposeful, and proactive approach to adding new technology.

Smart Seed Selection Tool Pledges to Close Yield Gap
Smart Seed Selection Tool Pledges to Close Yield Gap

Yield Optimizer is a digital tool that uses independent seed trial data to help farmers make seed selections with guaranteed yield performance. CEO Billy Rose tells how it gives farmers peace of mind.

‘Green Book’ Proposals Could Mean Substantial Tax Increases
‘Green Book’ Proposals Could Mean Substantial Tax Increases

Paul Neiffer, The Farm CPA, details some of the Biden administration's 2025 budget plans and how they could affect farmers if approved. Of the provisions, only one would potentially help farmers, he says.

4 Ways to  Focus a Tech  Audit
4 Ways to Focus a Tech Audit

When deciding what technology serves your goals, and to get the most bang for your buck, determine if you need to grow business revenue, increase productivity, reduce costs and/or stabilize daily operation.

Choose Wisely: Smart Strategies to Select the Right Corrections Service
Choose Wisely: Smart Strategies to Select the Right Corrections Service

There has been a recent wave of connectivity and guidance products released for farm machinery. Here are a handful of considerations to keep in mind before buying into a system for your fleet.

Space Weather: Start Planning Today for Tomorrow’s GPS Outage
Space Weather: Start Planning Today for Tomorrow’s GPS Outage

Minor space weather events have temporarily knocked out corrections signals over Canada and The Dakotas in the past. Would your farm be ready for a more severe outage?

Next-Gen Spotlight: Technology Is This Illinois Farmer's Forte
Next-Gen Spotlight: Technology Is This Illinois Farmer's Forte

As someone who enjoys technology, Kaden Sweeney says he's geared toward numbers. New this year, the family operation plans to control the grain cart from the combine for ease and efficiency.  

Here's How to Bridge the Data Gap With Your Ag Retailer
Here's How to Bridge the Data Gap With Your Ag Retailer

Being in control of your data means having full access. Do you receive a digital file of all field activity by a third party? Now’s the time to have a conversion with your ag retailer about data delivery back to you.

8 Field Activity Data Types You Need to Collect Now
8 Field Activity Data Types You Need to Collect Now

Data — a word that packs a punch but can be hard to define. From planting to irrigation, it's necessary to have a digital record of these field activities to participate in sustainability and crop traceability programs.

Gripp Garners Top Honor at Top Producer Summit 2024
Gripp Garners Top Honor at Top Producer Summit 2024

The 2024 AgLaunch startups bravely pitched straight to the farmer masses at the event. While truly an impressive class, only one would be chosen for the coveted top honor.

6 Tech Tools and Trends To Watch In 2024
6 Tech Tools and Trends To Watch In 2024

There’s a bumper crop of agronomic, machinery and business advancements to help elevate your efficiencies and profitability in 2024. Here are a half dozen examples of the trends coming to your farm gate.

Caitlin Clark Just Broke the All-Time Scoring Record, But This Female Athlete May Be the Greatest of All Time
Caitlin Clark Just Broke the All-Time Scoring Record, But This Female Athlete May Be the Greatest of All Time

Babe Didrikson was talented in the game of basketball as well as baseball, track and field and golf. It's been nearly a century since she passed away, but her accomplishments still astound Texas visitors today.

Feeling Economic Pressure? Technology Can Help Lessen the Blow
Feeling Economic Pressure? Technology Can Help Lessen the Blow

“It’s in these challenging markets farmers need to think about driving more efficiency using technology,” says Darryl Matthews, a recently retired tech executive. Certain technologies can provide a short-term ROI.

Soil Genomics Company Catalogs More Than 24 Million Microorganisms
Soil Genomics Company Catalogs More Than 24 Million Microorganisms

Biome Makers said it pairs artificial intelligence with its soil database to decode soil biology and provide growers with more actionable information.

Prioritize Technology That Works For You So You Can Farm Smarter
Prioritize Technology That Works For You So You Can Farm Smarter

“Smart farming means making your life more efficient, so you don’t have to focus on the mundane but instead on making the best product possible,” says Nebraska farmer Lukas Fricke. “We only have so many hours in a day.”

Fallout From Falling Net Farm Income and Stubborn Interest Rates: Ag Economists Reveal What’s Now at Risk in 2024
Fallout From Falling Net Farm Income and Stubborn Interest Rates: Ag Economists Reveal What’s Now at Risk in 2024

The latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor projects a major drop in net farm income this year. Economists are also growing more pessimistic about the potential for interest rate cuts in 2024.

This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa
This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

2024 Commodity Classic: 3 Farmers Talk Technology and Equipment
2024 Commodity Classic: 3 Farmers Talk Technology and Equipment

Four-dollar corn dominated discussions, but farmers remain open to new innovations and machinery as spring planting and the promise of a new production season beckons.

Bayer Announces 2024 Carbon Program, Expanding Opportunities
Bayer Announces 2024 Carbon Program, Expanding Opportunities

“Our mission is to improve and expand our program to create additional opportunities for even more American farmers,” said Leonardo Bastos, Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Services at Bayer Crop Science.

Next-Gen Spotlight: Illinois Siblings Capitalize On Their Location to Expand Their Farm Revenue
Next-Gen Spotlight: Illinois Siblings Capitalize On Their Location to Expand Their Farm Revenue

Wayne Gehrke and Carolyn Brummel share how they diversified beyond corn and soybeans and made the most of what they already had so they both could farm full time.

Are You Covered? How To Reduce Your Operation’s Insurance Risk
Are You Covered? How To Reduce Your Operation’s Insurance Risk

Kevin Charleston, owner of Specialty Risk Insurance, shares a few ways to protect yourself and your operation against a gap in coverage.

How Diversification Can Help Minority Farmers Thrive: Q&A with Ricky Dollison
How Diversification Can Help Minority Farmers Thrive: Q&A with Ricky Dollison

“As a young person, if you’re not going to be proud of what you do, don’t waste your time," he advises. "Be proud of what you do, and everywhere you go, be excited about it and talk about it.”

Tree Rustlers Steal Timber, Damage Graves At Historic Slave Cemetery
Tree Rustlers Steal Timber, Damage Graves At Historic Slave Cemetery

Sold: Integrity for the price of 12 cedars and a single oak in farm country.

Indigo Ag Announces Third Carbon Crop
Indigo Ag Announces Third Carbon Crop

The company says its year-over-year growth includes more farmers paid (215% increase in new growers), more fields enrolled (333% more new acres and a 297% increase in new fields) and more credits produced each year. 

Meet 87-Year-Old Joan Kerns, A True Trailblazer Who Helped Carve Out A Niche For Her Family Nearly 60 Years Ago
Meet 87-Year-Old Joan Kerns, A True Trailblazer Who Helped Carve Out A Niche For Her Family Nearly 60 Years Ago

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

Variable Rate At-Plant Inputs: Industry Update
Variable Rate At-Plant Inputs: Industry Update

To date, tens of thousands of acres have been planted with SIMPAS-Applied Solutions (SaS) through the SIMPAS application system.

On-Farm Accounting Delivering Visibility, Not Looking in the Rear View Mirror
On-Farm Accounting Delivering Visibility, Not Looking in the Rear View Mirror

The team at Traction Ag is working to provide via its cloud-based farm accounting application a system that captures all the financial and field information farmers need to record and manage.

Leaders in Ag: Rena Striegel Shares Her Thoughts on Leading With Intention
Leaders in Ag: Rena Striegel Shares Her Thoughts on Leading With Intention

Are leaders made or born? “Some people are more naturally disposed to being leaders, but it doesn’t mean they’re good at it. To be a really good leader, you're made into one through intention and exposure," she says.

FBN Names Diego Casanello As CEO
FBN Names Diego Casanello As CEO

As previously reported, FBN’s board had launched a search for the next CEO for the company.

Your Mental Health Toolbox: How To Recognize The Warning Signs
Your Mental Health Toolbox: How To Recognize The Warning Signs

It’s important the friends, family, and business professionals close to farmers are prepared and able to effectively communicate in a mental health crisis.

5 Trends from the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show
5 Trends from the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show

Farm Journal's machinery and technology editor was on the ground in Louisville last week. Here’s a handful of the trends we saw down in Bourbon Country.

Intelinair Now Integrates With CNH Brands
Intelinair Now Integrates With CNH Brands

The announcement means more streamlined use and experience for farmers, which can lead to more data-driven decision making for farmers and ag retailers.

Civil War Sacrifice: Forgotten Farm Boy Was First Soldier Buried At Arlington
Civil War Sacrifice: Forgotten Farm Boy Was First Soldier Buried At Arlington

William Christman, 19, saved his family’s farm and paid with his life.

How Today's Economy is Shaping the Business-Savvy Farmer
How Today's Economy is Shaping the Business-Savvy Farmer

Alan Hoskins, president of American Farm Mortgage, shares his expectations for the economy and how it changes the buying process.

Which State Tops The List For Precision Ag Use?
Which State Tops The List For Precision Ag Use?

It might surprise you, but it's not an "I" state. According to USDA data, the top five states using precision ag technologies account for half of the 2022 cash receipts for corn (52.6%) and soybeans (45.7%).

Step Away From The Notepad! Gripp Launches Digital Equipment Management App
Step Away From The Notepad! Gripp Launches Digital Equipment Management App

Gripp co-founder Tracey Wiedmeyer discusses the startup's equipment tracking and management app and how it can help farmers and farm workers manage mixed fleets.

Next-Gen Spotlight: Lindsay Baneck Is In the Business of Selling Memories
Next-Gen Spotlight: Lindsay Baneck Is In the Business of Selling Memories

In addition to traditional row crops and cattle, Lindsay Baneck operates a direct-to-consumer produce business in Wisconsin. These days, her goals are geared toward success and sustainability.

Your Mental Health Matters
Your Mental Health Matters

Two farmers speak up on the importance of addressing stress.

Antler Madness: Deer Shed Thieves Poach Farmland, Private Property
Antler Madness: Deer Shed Thieves Poach Farmland, Private Property

Lust or greed, trespassers are drawn to farmland by deer sheds. Private property is no barrier to a shed thief.

3 Factors Drive Downturn: Net Farm Income Forecast to Be Down 25%
3 Factors Drive Downturn: Net Farm Income Forecast to Be Down 25%

“It’s hard to put yourself in growth mode when things are getting so expensive,” says Tanner Ehmke with CoBank.

Leaders in Ag: U.S. Grains Council's Ryan LeGrand
Leaders in Ag: U.S. Grains Council's Ryan LeGrand

As president and CEO, Ryan LeGrand's job is to develop relationships and export markets for U.S. grain farmers. His advice for those who are just getting started in their career is a bit unconventional.

CropX, Reinke Team Up on Actual ET Sensors
CropX, Reinke Team Up on Actual ET Sensors

CropX Technologies announced the launch of Reinke Direct ET™ by CropX, a sensor-based innovation that provides Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) measurements on a Reinke center pivot irrigation system.

Have You Heard of Scope 3? It Offers Opportunity for Agriculture
Have You Heard of Scope 3? It Offers Opportunity for Agriculture

Scope 3 is all the buzz lately in the world of sustainability. A company’s emissions are broken down into three scopes. Scope 3 covers indirect emissions from a company’s upstream and downstream supply chain.  

2024 Top Producer Of The Year Christine Hamilton: Driven For Excellence
2024 Top Producer Of The Year Christine Hamilton: Driven For Excellence

At Christiansen Land and Cattle, they’re committed to excellence and continuous improvement, a mindset that started when Christine Hamilton’s family homesteaded in South Dakota in 1891.

2024 Top Producer of the Year Finalist Kelly Garrett: Playing The Infinite Game
2024 Top Producer of the Year Finalist Kelly Garrett: Playing The Infinite Game

A farmer and cattle producer in western Iowa, Kelly Garrett’s operation continues to conquer change.

Watch the 2024 Top Producer Awards Banquet
Watch the 2024 Top Producer Awards Banquet

If you weren't able to attend Top Producer Summit in Kansas City, you can still watch the awards banquet.

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All for the Soil – Jacob Kaderly: Upper Midwest Regional Winner
All for the Soil – Jacob Kaderly: Upper Midwest Regional Winner

Jacob Kaderly’s passion for land stewardship can be credited to his father’s management practices on the family farm and his service on the Wisconsin State Conservation Board during the 1970s.

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Eye on Erosion – Chris Von Holten: Midwest Regional Winner
Eye on Erosion – Chris Von Holten: Midwest Regional Winner

In the early 1980s, teenager Chris Von Holten, watched as heavy rains eroded the soil away on his family’s Illinois farm. Because of that event, Von Holten’s farming management focuses on soil preservation.

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