Equipment:Technology
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Adopting new technology is critical for improving efficiency, logistics, daily operations, data logging/bookkeeping and allows for managing large acres in the same manner that small acres are often managed.
The Personal Computer (PC) was one of the most signficant innovations for the business world, including the farm business world. We rely heavily on desktops, laptops, Smartphones and the internet to accomplish the various tasks required.
From a management standpoint, our goals have been to expand acres while managing each field closer. What this means is that with farm expansion (unlike traditional farming practices where one piece of ground might be in the same family for years) new ground is coming in (and sometimes out) of our operation on an annual basis. We can't simply "blanket" farm every field or sub-field area as each field has it's own soils layout, climate, history and other conditions that make it different from a neighboring field. Our goal is to farm each individual acre on it's own. Each acre of a field will have it's own unique fertilizer recommendations, planting population and any other special attribute needed to address that specific acres needs. With modern technology this is not feasible but is actually quite practical and provides an efficient way of farming.
It is Dietrich's opinion that the "MOST" important tool we have on the whole farm is the spreadsheet. Our whole farm runs on a spreadsheet and almost every decision made involves using a spreadsheet to provide the necessary analyses. With purchases such as land or equipment, we can use a spreadsheet to get at exactly the bid we can tender to lock in a 12% ROA or in the case of a new piece of equipment we can determine what the total cost per hour will be. From data logging to advanced statistical analysis, the spreadsheet is the key to making the best decisions at the farm business level.
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