Kelly Robertson Farms

Agwired has a bit on the Precision Ag Conference going on in Denver.  I also have a buddy who is out there.  I read with interest the post on AgWired and I could almost guess what my buddy’s comments were going to be word for word.

You see, the problem with Precision Ag right now is that there is nothing fresh.  Most of the academic types have fallen by the wayside, more because they just didn’t grasp the concepts of PA outside the bounds of the university system, than anything else.  Even with that there are still some of the same people trying to push the same research and principles, that might work in small plot or research, but don’t translate to the field.  When I say field I mean the farmers from one side of a state to the other.  Precision Ag is still talked about in the theory stage or “in a year or two when we develop the tools”.

It seems like it is always next year……..at least for those of us who have been out on the bleeding edge…..doesn’t it?

Precision Ag has to be site specific or it fails.  I think Dr Kholsa says it right when he says in the AgWired blog ” precision agriculture is putting the right inputs in the right place, at the right time, and in the right manner.”

But what Dr Kholsa says and what many sell and preach is two different things.  Big Iron and many of the smaller “toy” companies are still pushing things out into the field that are not necessarily what we need or want.  Yet they know better than we do, after all they spent lots of money to make it……..even when it doesn’t work right.  And all the consolidation that is taking place is also limiting our choices and ability to get what we need in the field vs. what they think we need or what to sell.

I hope there are more people like Dr Kholsa at the conference.  But I predicted my buddy’s comment on the conference to a T. “The same old group of people selling the same old group of ideas for 20 years now.  Nothing new at all.” 

Sad.  I was hoping for one fresh idea at least……..