Lessons Learned from Technology Adoption: Moving into the Digital Age of Farming

In this presentation Dr. Bruce Erickson of Purdue University reviews lessons learned from digital technology adoption. The CropLife magazine-Purdue University precision agriculture dealership survey is the longest running, continuous measure of precision farming adoption anywhere. There are dozens of practices associated with precision agriculture, and the reasons for their use vary among crops, regions, types of operations, and numerous other characteristics. Digital tools such as GNSS guidance and section controllers that are automated have generally been more rapidly adopted, as their use is simpler and the results more apparent to the user. Data-intensive tools where sensing is combined with a management response such as variable rate technology have comparatively lagged in adoption, as implementation can be more complicated and the results harder to measure. Advancements in sensors and data management are helping retailers and their farmer customers move to a more data-driven future.

This work was presented remotely at the Mid-Year AgGateway Meeting on July 8, 2020.