55 Years And Counting From The Tractor Seat By bill whitman Every farmer and rancher that I know is inundated with references to data. Planting data, soil test, harvest yields, birth weights, carcass weights, grading, the list goes on and on. So what are we supposed to do with all of that information? No matter how old you are, learning more about the subject most dear to your heart is important. What I have learned over the years is that understanding “information” is power. I can remember when there was a saying, “farmers plant a lot more acres in the spring than they harvest in the fall”. Today, with the collections of satellite imaging available today, a bit more realism is known by everyone. My suggestion is to use data based on its immediate usefulness to us. Soil tests and how much fertilizer is needed are a priority on our farm. Data. The amount of actual acreage we need to cover is important when ordering inputs. Data. How much production do we need in order to meet our needs. Data. Combining the inputs to the expected yields and the financial profit and loss? Data. This is a basic list that we all should be using. In a way, we’ve been doing this “long form” and not as precisely for the last 80+ years. Now, with the costs involved our survival is dependent on this as a bare minimum. Even the smallest of farms need to use data to help squeeze every bit of profit available. Financially it is literally about survival. We tend to look at data as a foreign language when it’s generally how that data is presented. Lenders, demand that we operate according to their data and interpretation and unless we can translate it to a language we understand and then present our position and justification (in their language) we will become tenant farmers, simply allowing the lenders to make all the major decisions and frankly, more of the profit than they might receive otherwise. The flip side of this issue is overusing data. Collecting and utilizing data has an expense. The question is what the Return on that Investment will be. I still think the K.I.S.S method applies. Keep it simple and utilize only what you can understand and put a real financial value on. I’ve seen way too many salesmen promise a return using some complex formula with so many variables it is impossible to make a “for sure” determination. Most of the data that we need is readily available and fairly easy to understand with a little effort . As with most things in life, “it makes sense”. You young guys need to learn that the world is moving very quickly but agriculture continues to be and will always be based on a personal relationship between us and our land and livestock. Our land and livestock depend on our efforts to survive and thrive and we do the same. Don’t become a victim of technology and the presentation of data that in a way you don’t understand. Make the people presenting the technology and data explain it in a way you can understand. If they can’t, keep your money in your pocket and wait for someone who can. Agriculture has become very unforgiving for big mistakes involving big dollars. IndianaAg@bluemarble.net |
