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.
Researchers out of the United Kingdom are using gene editing technology to help make High-Path Avian Flu less of a threat to poultry.
October 12, 2023 12:38 PM
·
The failure of a grain elevator can cause large problems for farmers and for the local community it serves. A farmer who knows their rights and where they stand if an elevator fails can be in a better position than those farmers who aren’t as well informed. That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV Legal Contributor Roger A. McEowen.
October 04, 2023 02:46 PM
·
A recent news story involving a group of farmers in Mississippi reveals the potential downside of selling grain under a deferred payment contract. The risk of deferred payment ag commodity sales and what can be done for protection—that is the topic of today’s blog post.
October 02, 2023 03:12 PM
·
Is a handshake as good as your word? That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV farm legal expert Roger A. McEowen — the ability to enforce oral contracts for the sale of goods.
October 02, 2023 01:58 PM
·
Seven out of the eight major fertilizers saw recent price decreases. However, one key type of fertilizer bucked the overall trend with an 11-percent rise.
September 21, 2023 11:02 AM
·
The USDA’s latest crop forecast for corn and soybean production will impact U.S. producers as well as make an impact on global trade.
September 20, 2023 12:25 PM
·
