3 Takeaways From the InfoAg Conference

Ag tech is a lot like sports: Even with the fanciest equipment, if you don’t nail the fundamentals, you’ll never truly perform. This was no more apparent to me than at the InfoAg Conference, held recently in St. Louis, which showcased products and services from more than 100 ag technology companies. Here are my main takeaways from the show.
 

1. Proven data trumps bold claims.

When visiting the various booths at the conference, I was struck by all the ag tech companies showcasing new tools accompanied by bold claims. At WinField United, we believe the best way to help farmers be more efficient and economical is to supply them with the best quality and most useful data possible. Because without the backing of proven data, fancy tools are nothing more than fancy toys.  
 
We demonstrated this at InfoAg through two of our ag technology tools: the R7^® Tool and the R7 Field Forecasting Tool. With the R7 Tool, we showcased the data and research capabilities of our Answer Plot^® program and the capability of the CHT Tool to access characterization data for corn hybrids plus soybean and wheat varieties, as well as to see rankings of CROPLAN^® seed and competitor brands. This helps farmers control and capitalize on field variability. We also showed how the R7 Field Forecasting Tool simulates daily crop growth and development and helps farmers predictively determine optimal timing and rates for in-season nutrient and water applications.
 

2. Quality of tools trumps quantity of tools.

Having shiny new ag tech tools can be great, but make sure that they are, in fact, saving you time, increasing your efficiency and preserving your budget. Adding technology for technology’s sake just gives you more tools to manage, adding time to your day. Many farmers still have a hard time trusting technology completely and, as a result, it was beneficial for WinField United to demonstrate what we can do to help farmers get in-season applications right.
 
Tools like the Answer Tech Data Silo^®, a cloud-based data-management system, can be used to connect your various tech tools, making your data work harder and saving you time. Because at the end of the day, you didn’t get into farming to spend time manually entering data.
 

3. Agronomics plus algorithms.  

With so much emphasis on new technology at the conference, it sometimes felt like farming and agronomy were an afterthought. Whether it’s modeling for nutrient applications or taking daily images of the field, WinField United’s focus is to both leverage technology and go deeper with agronomy — and ensure adequate agronomic personnel to support those efforts. We understand that technology doesn’t just mean using a laptop, tablet or smartphone in the field; it means working to enhance the skills of our agronomy professionals and leading with that benefit to help you be successful.
 
At the end of the day, everything we do at WinField United is designed to help farmers optimize their ROI and yield potential in an economical, sustainable manner. Technology is a big part of that, but agronomy is right up there along with it. Talk with your trusted advisor today about how WinField^® United ag tech tools can help you get what you should out of your technology investment.  
 
 
All photos are either the property of WinField United or used with permission.
 
© 2019 WinField United. Important: Before use always read and follow label instructions. Crop performance is dependent on several factors many of which are beyond the control of WinField United, including without limitation, soil type, pest pressures, agronomic practices, and weather conditions. Growers are encouraged to consider data from multiple locations, over multiple years, and be mindful of how such agronomic conditions could impact results. Answer Plot^®, Answer Tech Data Silo^®, CROPLAN^®, R7^® and WinField^® are trademarks of WinField United.