Does Investing in Custom Technology Pay Off for Small Farming Operations?

By AGDAILY

All farmers feel a connection to their land and a desire to be good stewards of the resources available, writes Jeanae DuBois at AGDAILY. A part of being responsible with what you have is making sure you’re getting the most out of what nature provides. Adding technology to the mix can help make sure your way of life can continue to be profitable and plentiful.

Small farm operations often back away from technology adoption because they’ve been successful for years, or decades, with the methods and practices that are in play today. The idea of paying for something new to optimize that, to them, often seems unnecessary. But, the idea of technology adoption goes beyond the stigma of paying for something you’ve had for free and acknowledges that the world is changing. With climate change, natural disasters, and dwindling amount of available land, the ability to optimize your business can only be done with technology. Yes, you’re running a successful business now, but what if you suddenly increased profits and the only change you made was adopting technology that works for your individual needs?

If you’re operating a small or medium-sized farm (less than 1,000 acres), you may think technology, like custom software, precision farming tools, or data analytics are out of your reach. These technologies may seem like an expense that only the largest farms can afford or see value from, but that’s not the case. Instead, smaller farm operations should look to the success that larger farm operations have had as a successful use case. According to a study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, nearly 95 percent of farmers using precision agriculture and data management technology said their investment was worth it. Most (70%) even said their profits increased because of their investments, so the opportunity to do more with what you have is there if you’re open to looking at your land a little differently.

Continue reading at AGDAILY.