GrainsWest Fall 2019

Tech 2019 grainswest.com 19 FORWARD THINKING Can technology be simultaneously personal and precise? According to Greg Andrukow the answer is a resounding “yes.” The founder of Camrose-based Point Forward Solutions (PFS) began his precision agriculture business to provide all the tools a farmer could ask for in promoting soil productivity as well as interpreting and applying data sets. He has found it challenging to maintain the company’s growth while relating to the farmer viewpoint. There is skepticism that precision farming and variable rate (VR) technology is anything more than clever marketing. Attitudes like this excite Andrukow rather than discourage him. He sees doubt as an opportunity to converse with farmers. “When you try and scale up, you lose that personal contact,” he said. “As soon as you lose that connectivity with the farmer, they don’t feel comfortable. You have to be there on a regular basis and be with them.” As Andrukow sees it, precision farming is also a tool the farmer can use to talk about sustainable farming methods and build public trust. When the public wants answers about agricultural practices, farmers will be ready. “It’s all about sustainable farming and making sure the consumer clearly understands we have a protocol to grow safe food,” he said. “Our focus is profit per acre for our customers through VR technology, soil mapping and field prescriptions along with benchmark inputs.” Beyond that, farmers are experiencing 3:1 gains with PFS, according to Andrukow. He said PFS can only be as good as the information it’s given, just like when a doctor isn’t given enough information, they cannot help a patient. If the metaphor holds true, Brian Hellekson is in robust health. “There’s no reason not to try it,” said Hellekson of the technology. “If you have the equipment to do it, there’s no reason not to try it on at least a quarter [-section].” A longtime PFS customer, most of his 2,250 acres near Holden are under its management. With an initial investment of $11.50 per acre to map and soil test his land in year one, he saw the potential return and has been pleased with the results. “In the end, it saved me about $20,000 … [in] fertilizer costs,” he said of his first year with PFS. “Our averages have been climbing to about 10 bushels per acre more from what we had before.” Hellekson suggests his operation has become more efficient. He adds that, as with any technology, return is commensurate with the level of investment. Andrukow said farmers like Hellekson are the reason he continues to believe that more and more will tip their hat to precision ag. He believes 20 per cent of Alberta farmers utilize precision ag, but he really wants to sit down and have a coffee with the remaining 80 per cent. “It’s got to be a longer play … it takes time to see it happen,” he said. “You can’t change your soil properties overnight. We’re trying to customize the plans to the farmer’s operation, it’s not just a broad brush.” DECISIVE MEASUREMENTS Remi Schmaltz is nothing if not persistent. The Alberta-born entrepreneur is the man behind Decisive Farming, a precision agriculture outfit based in Irricana. When he began marketing precision ag at trade shows, the conversations were repeat loops explaining what variable rate is. Sales were a smaller part of that equation. However, much like farming, precision agriculture and new technological advances are long plays. Much has changed since those early days. “It’s more about working with farmers to help them navigate through all the offerings and noise in the market and what is the best fit for their farm in the context of what problems they are trying to solve,” said Schmaltz. He believes this is normal in the tech world and, despite the plodding nature of 21st century technology, he hasn’t been pessimistic. “All technology is starting to open up,” he said. “People are realizing you cannot just have another data silo. You need to share data and make it more efficient for everyone.” Schmaltz is seeing the tide turn. He has watched hundreds of farmers decide that gut feelings and the SALY—same as last year—methodology of farming only takes a person so far. In addition to variable rate technology, Decisive also offers integrated online management of its production data to improve traceability, production, marketing and people A tractor operator drags a Veris machine tomap pH, organic matter, elevation and electrical conductivity. The scene is typical of work done when a farmer works with Point Forward Solutions.