Every year I look forward to spring. Spring is a clean slate, another chance to make the most of our opportunities. As we get ready to head to the field this spring, I am reminded that we only get so many chances in life to put in another crop. Most guys get 40 or so chances to plant and harvest the perfect crop. There are so many variables that go into making that crop, and a lot of them we can control–but some we can’t. As spring draws closer I encourage you to think about the things you can control this season.
Upcoming Events
We are excited that 360 Yield Center put on an intense meeting on February 23 in Lansing. We began selling their products last year and saw phenomenal results from the Y-Drop N application system. I am so excited to apply what we learned last season to this next crop. We added an average of 18 bushel in corn using the Y-Drop across more than 10 cooperating plots we had. They have even more cool stuff for this coming year.
We will be hosting the Ag Leader Road Tour field event in June. We will be showcasing planting technology such as hydraulic downforce and electric drives. We will have corn plots planted with different technology that you can see how some little things can make a big difference in your crop. We will also be running a planter in the field so you can see firsthand how seamless the technology can be.
We will be doing live tiling demos which will surely draw a crowd. Drainage tile is the largest ROI on our farm. We will be showing you how easy it is to put your own tile in on your farm.
Support Plans
We will be offering premium support plans for hardware. There will be several advantages to enroll. Our goal continues to be to offer the highest level of support for the products we sell. With only so many hours in the day, and a sometimes very narrow planting or spraying window, we appreciate the need for no downtime.
Industry Consolidation
This fall we saw John Deere buy Precision Planting. TopCon bought Norac. AgJunction bought Novariant. Countless companies formed alliances. I predict we will see further consolidations in the industry in 2016. While it can sometimes be scary, I see opportunities as new technology becomes more available. Data management, for instance, could become more universal as companies align or merge and combine data standards. The mergers and acquisitions certainly also validate the worth and significance of the technology.
I want to thank you for your business in 2015, and I look forward to working with you in 2016.