Precision Ag: Taking It To The Hill
October 21, 2014 While CropLife magazine is considered the “parent brand” in our corner of the media world, for the past 14 years we’ve also been toiling away on our sister brand, PrecisionAg. In the earlier years, what we called the Precision Community was a passionate and tight knit group of professionals, dedicated to finding ways to build and integrate technology into farming practices.
We kept the light on through the good times and the lean years, always believing that precision technology would have a transformative effect on the production of crops. It was hard to see the light at times, but there was simply too much potential, too many possibilities.
Things have changed in a hurry, as over the past five years interest in precision technology and practices, and their positive impact on efficiency, stewardship and profitability, has exploded.
I’m looking back on our experiences with the PrecisionAg brand as I reflect on a day I wasn’t sure would ever come. Last month I had the opportunity to lead a panel discussion focused on the benefits of precision agriculture as part a Precision Agriculture Forum in Washington, DC. There were about 50 people in the room who came to hear from and chat with the panel and representatives of the sponsoring organizations, who provided educational displays and, of course, plenty of appetizers and adult beverages.
Making precision agriculture a central topic of discussion before an audience of Beltway legislators and regulators has been on our bucket list for many years. But nothing happens on The Hill until the time is right, and the right people are all pulling in the same direction. And that’s exactly what happened last month — the first of what we hope will be many more discussions about the good news story of technology in agriculture.
The event was put together by the newly formed Coalition for the Advancement of Precision Agriculture (CAPA), an impressive consortium of ag organizations including AgGateway, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Seed Trade Association, the Agricultural Retailers Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, CropLife America, Field to Market, The Fertilizer Institute and the National Agricultural Aviation Association. As director of the PrecisionAg Institute, also a Coalition member, I was honored to serve as moderator to a 45-minute panel.
There are many things driving interest in ag technology — the anticipated population explosion over the next three decades, the need to develop best practices for input management, maximizing field productivity, creating sustainable cropping practices, opportunities and concerns about big data — all are touched by the use of precision products and practices.
Adoption of precision demonstrates our sincere drive for continuous improvement from manufacturer to farmer. We’re grateful to have played a role in the process, and look forward to many more in the future.
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