By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH

Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Bringing producers together with new technologies designed to improve farm operations is behind the creation of the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network’s (WHIN) Agricultural Alliance.

The Ag Alliance began earlier this year with 20 farmers in 10 counties in north-central Indiana. WHIN eventually hopes to have more than 1,000 producers involved, said Greg Ottinger, vice president of strategic partnerships. Grain farmers in Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Pulaski, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties are eligible to join the organization.

Alliance members have agreed to use internet-enabled technologies to monitor activities such as planting and harvesting, he said. The data will be shared anonymously with Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College for research and educational purposes.

The sensors used to gather the data will not interfere with any technology farmers currently have on their equipment, Ottinger added. WHIN officials are also working to establish a network of manufacturers willing to share their technology with farmers.

“WHIN is trying to serve both the agricultural side in the 10-county region and the manufacturing side in the 10-county region,” he explained. “The sensors pull data from farms and factories. The data is analyzed and researched to help employ new technologies to allow farmers and manufacturers to run their businesses more efficiently.”

Out of 22-23 farmers contacted to become founding members of the Ag Alliance, 20 said yes, Ottinger said. The size of an operation isn’t a factor in determining eligibility.

“We want farmers who are willing to employ this new technology and have the information sent to Purdue,” he noted. “We’re looking for progressive-type farmers who are willing to say yes to that request. Most of our 20 farmers are an open book. They’re willing to share what works for them; that’s what we’re looking for.”

The first manufacturer to participate is Solinftec, a Brazil-based company that announced last year it would locate its U.S. headquarters in West Lafayette. Solinftec’s sensors attach to tractors and combines to monitor such things as equipment idle time, seed populations, and the amount of chemicals used.

The company offers real-time information to farmers, Ottinger pointed out, allowing them to make immediate decisions if, for example, planting or harvesting conditions change.

“We’re a vetting agency,” he explained. “We look at the new commercializable technologies we believe can help farmers today. As we vet and develop relationships with the companies, we’ll offer the technologies to our members.

“Our members know that if we put something on the table, at least they have the comfort level knowing we’ve done the research and that it’s worth their time.”

Sensors can also monitor soil health, Ottinger said. “Farmers are interested in soil health. In the past, they really weren’t as interested in the longevity of their soils; today, there’s a sense all around that we need to be very concerned about soil because that’s what is going to help them produce the best crops.”

As soil sensor technology improves, farmers may be able to use it to adjust the amount of seeds or chemicals they put in the ground, he noted.

Future technologies may also help producers wanting to farm organically, Ottinger said. “There’s a movement in the direction of organics. This requires traceability in grain storage. You have to be able to prove the grain is farmed that way.

“Companies are working on traceability. Consumers are more interested in knowing what’s going in their bodies. Soil health and traceability are natural byproducts of a consumer-driven market.”