Revolutionizing Ag Tech Adoption

The VISION Conference panel on ag tech adoption was moderated by Vonnie Estes, International Fresh Produce Association, and included panelists Chad Hertz, Hertz Farm Management; Tim Bucher, Agtonomy; and Ben Voss, Raven Industries.

The VISION Conference panel on ag tech adoption was moderated by Vonnie Estes, International Fresh Produce Association, and featured panelists Chad Hertz, Hertz Farm Management; Tim Bucher, Agtonomy; and Ben Voss, Raven Industries.

Increasing adoption of new technology was a recurring theme at The VISION Conference last week in Glendale, AZ. The first panel at the event delved into some of the strategies and success stories on proving ROI to farmers in ways that encourage ag tech adoption.

Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Innovation for the International Fresh Produce Association, moderated the panel which included Chad Hertz, Hertz Farm Management; Tim Bucher, Agtonomy; and Ben Voss, Raven Industries.

A specialty crop farmer in Northern California as well as an ag tech entrepreneur, Bucher says labor is a big concern for most farmers and important when determining ROI for ag tech. “When you think about automation and robotics, there’s still supervisors needed,” said Bucher. “So if you can scale from one operator to many pieces of equipment that are automated, that’s where ROI is a no-brainer.”

Bucher’s company Agtonomy, just recently partnered with Bobcat to do that very thing. “We call it multi-vehicle,” he said. “If you can take this new Bobcat tractor and you can have one operator managing ten of them, now you’re talking about serious ROI impact.”