A view from Jeremy Ostrander, CEO of AgriVision Equipment & PrairieLand Partners
Thankfulness and The Future
Sometimes it can be tough to be thankful for the little things, especially in hard times. But there is a funny thing about thankfulness. Once we begin counting our blessings, we often discover that we have plenty. It’s simply the change in perspective that takes us from dwelling on what we lack, to focusing on what we have. I recently heard a sermon on Thankfulness that made me step back and ponder this topic. As the grain markets take a tumble and the general economy wobbles, and as we battle a severe drought in many parts of Kansas, one can start to become pessimistic and lose hope in what the future has to offer.
Whether you are a believer or not, I ask you to take a little journey with me. In Matthew 26:26 it reads, “Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples…” Now, I have heard this verse spoken at communion many many times in my life. But it only recently hit me, that He took time to be thankful, even as He looked ahead to the cross at the Last Supper. Now let that soak in for a bit. Even when he knew that pain, suffering, and death were hours away, he gave thanks. When we take time to offer thanks for a meal, we are not just following a cultural tradition. We are following His example. We are blessed to be able to supply the world with food and fiber. I pray that you can step back and find thankfulness in hard times.
Shifting gears a little, I wanted to take a peak around the corner into the future. As I reflect back to the last down cycle in agriculture, I was reminded that even in a time of tight margins, technology enabled us to be more efficient. ExactEmerge planters came out in about 2016, and despite the poor grain markets for a few years, most customers adopted this new technology rather quickly. Why was that? It allowed us to increase production, reduce seed costs, and get jobs done more timely in our challenging spring weather windows.
As we shift back to more normal times in the commodity and livestock markets, coming off these multi-year highs, we are going to need to manage expenses. We have had the opportunity to see several products that will be introduced in the coming years from both Deere and other suppliers. Many of these will enable us to more precisely feed and nurture plants on an as needed basis and many will start to manage plants one by one in the not too distant future. On the livestock side, there are multiple products coming to the market that can help us know when a cow or a sow is not feeling well, or when they are coming in heat. You will see an article a few pages back on See & Spray Ultimate. We gained experience last year with this product and now have 9 units running in 2023. This system uses cameras to see weeds in a fallow field or a growing crop, and only spray the needed areas. It does this while traveling at up to 12MPH and separately spraying a pre-emerge application at the same time. This will truly be a game changer and has the potential to help producers reduce their herbicide expenses in a more challenging market.
You may have also seen products like ExactRate and FurrowVision. ExactRate will “dose” fertilizer or other seed trench applied products on or off the seed, whichever you choose, at planting. Early indications are that we will reduce fertilizer or insecticide costs by 50%+ with this product. We also have several FurrowVision systems running this spring, and these systems are helping us understand what is going on in the seed trench as we are planting. This system uses cameras and other sensors to measure seed depth and track seed trench movement. In coming years, we will likely see other additions to this that help us know how we are closing the trench as well.
We have also been looking at several other technologies that will surely help us reduce expenses and increase production at the same time. I will share more on these in the coming months. In closing, it is always a challenge to know what to invest in and when, but as in past cycles, we see several opportunities coming that will provide real value and help you manage your bottom line. Please be safe out there as we wrap up planting and head into hay and wheat harvest, and take some time to share your thanks for the blessings that we have in and around our communities.