In my other life here at Farm Progress, I cover ag technology and try to keep up on everything from artificial intelligence to robotics. There’s some pretty cutting-edge advancement going on out there, and Western universities are taking part.

But what does all that tech mean for your business? And what opportunity does it bring for the future?

For those of you who have captured yield data since you slapped your first GPS antenna on a combine, you have a lot of information. Matching that yield data with soil maps, seed planting information and weather can start to paint an interesting picture of how your farm could boost productivity.

This is not a task for the faint of heart, and a savvy agronomist can help you pull that information together. But there’s a bigger question: Do you keep investing in the latest tech?

Take the combine, for example. The newest models from all the big harvester makers include tech that auto-adjusts the system to get a clean grain sample and make sure you’re not dropping valuable product out the rear end of the machine. This is another example of taking new sensor information and computer smarts to turn that combine into a self-adjusting tool.

How good is this stuff? One combine maker put its system up against experienced custom harvesters who know how to ride the controls to keep a machine in top shape. They found that the onboard, computer-driven adjustment system was just as good, if not better. That system works no matter what experience level operator you put in the cab.

Another combine maker has an auto-calibration system, which solves one of the most vexing problems in capturing yield maps — making sure the combine is adjusted right for the crop you’re harvesting. All great, but then there’s the dilemma of a soft market and falling farm income.

Investing in business
We’re not advocating spending for spending’s sake. The equipment you have is working for you, but lately equipment sales have been on the rise, and I think part of that may be driven by the latest equipment offering productivity improvements many farmers can’t be without.

From remote display access so you can check on equipment in the field, to telemetry so you can schedule jobs around the farm, there’s a lot of new tech out there that’s aimed at helping you make more money. And some of the latest tools do offer improvements for your business in the way they capture information for you to put to work in managing the operation.

Those combine tech advancements I mentioned earlier may be forcing some producers to bite the bullet and move up. With the changing farm labor market, having tools that make it easier for anyone to run a machine may make sense for your operation, too.

As the farm year winds down, harvest is a great time to assess equipment. What’s working? What isn’t? What could boost your productivity for next season? And of course, what can your wallet stand?

And some of the new tech moving to the field isn’t in a big machine, it’s a set of sensors that share weather, soil and fertility information. How you deploy those in the future could make a difference as well.

Technology is a moving target, but as advancements hit the market, farmers will find playing a waiting game could put them at a competitive disadvantage. It’s not an easy choice, but an honest evaluation of your tools and equipment for potential upgrades may make sense.

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