According to our CropLife 100 research data, retailers had precision agriculture sales of more than $140 million in 2010, down 3% from 2009. Despite predictions that there would be a need for more site-specific application of fertilizer and crop protection products, adoption has remained fairly flat for several years.
When asked why precision agriculture growth has tended to lag, retailers indicated a combination of cost and uneven results were to blame. “The time to execute and questionable results have held back our precision ag sales,” says Kyle Baltz, owner/manager at Baltz Feed Co., Pocahontas, AR.
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“We do variable-rate fertilizer and lime and offer grid sampling services, but we have not seen a lot of growth,” says Kevin Meinord, sales and marketing manager at MRM Ag Service, East Prairie, MO. “ If nitrogen, phosphate and potash remain high, that could be a factor in what dictates more growth in precision. But for the last two or three years, it has been relatively flat.”
