NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — Precision agriculture technology is not consistently improving farm profitability, with most tools delivering limited measurable efficiency gains.
Research from Purdue University agricultural economist Chad Fiechter shows that across seventeen technology combinations, only automated guidance and the combination of yield monitors with grid soil sampling produced meaningful efficiency improvements. Most other technologies added costs without generating enough additional revenue to offset them.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Technology returns depend on management, not just adoption.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
The results highlight a key challenge for producers. Automated guidance provides immediate benefits with minimal learning, while data-driven tools require time and management skill to turn information into better decisions. Without that, financial returns are difficult to capture.
Farm-level impacts vary significantly. Less efficient operations saw the greatest improvement, suggesting technology can help close management gaps. However, highly efficient farms showed little additional benefit from adoption.
The findings reinforce that technology alone does not guarantee better performance, with management and cost control remaining critical drivers of profitability.
At the Port of Brownsville, shrimpers are facing rising operating costs and increased competition, but many shrimp producers and local lawmakers remain optimistic about the industry’s future.
March 19, 2026 01:22 PM
·
Higher prices are bringing relief to markets, but rising input costs are putting pressure on the producers.
March 19, 2026 12:59 PM
·
Lower hop stocks may support prices in the near term.
March 19, 2026 06:00 AM
·
Biofuel policy decisions may influence planting economics. Today, March 18, is also National Biodiesel Day.
March 18, 2026 05:14 PM
·
Bryan Combs with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service breaks down new farmland data from the TOTAL survey, highlights key findings, and potential impacts for the ag sector. ASFMRA’s David Klein also shares how those trends are reflected in the current farmland market, especially in the Midwest.
March 18, 2026 04:55 PM
·
Geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz disrupt fertilizer shipments, raising costs and creating uncertainty for U.S. farmers ahead of planting season.
March 18, 2026 03:21 PM
·
