August 2017 Conference Agenda

Monday, August 28, 2017

7:30 am

Registration Open

8:00 – 8:30 am

Breakfast

8:30 – 8:45 am

Welcome and Overview

Paul Schrimpf – Executive Editor, PrecisionAg® Professional

8:45 – 9:30 am

Conference Kickoff: Precision Agriculture and the Struggle For Value

Jeremy W. Wilson – Technology Specialist, Crop IMS LLC

As a farmer, long-time crop consultant, and fierce advocate of technology-driven best practices, Wilson has had a front-row seat for many of agriculture’s grandest victories, most colossal failures, and everything in between. In this session, Wilson shares his experiences with trying to create value through precision, his perspective on what growers require, and what we the industry must do to advance the cause.

9:30 – 10:00 am

Retail Technology Use and the State of Precision

Bruce J. Erickson, PhD, CPAg – Agronomy Education Distance & Outreach Dir., Purdue University

Fresh off the completion of the biennial Purdue University/CropLife® Magazine Precision Technology Adoption Survey, the longest continuously running research project of its kind in North America, Purdue’s Dr. Erickson shares insights into the challenges and opportunities retailers and service providers are experiencing as they look to build, expand and create value in their precision agronomy offerings.

10:00 – 10:30 am

Break

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Pillars of a Successful Precision Program

Nicholas Uilk – Ag Systems Technology Instructor, South Dakota State University, Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering Dept.

Nick Uilk, professor at South Dakota State University, home of the country’s first four-year degree in precision agriculture, leads a presentation and panel discussion focused on the essential elements of a profitable and value-driven precision agronomy program. Utilization of data is one of the main pillars, featuring specific examples of how data has been used to prove ROI to growers and help cooperatives and dealerships show farmers value in the equipment they own and the programs they pay for.

Panelists:
Clint Sires – InSiteCDM lead Product Manager, Ag Partners, Albert City, IA
Jason Leary – Precision Agriculture Specialist, Crystal Valley Madelia, MN
Brent Wiesenburger – Precision Ag Manager, Wheat Growers, Aberdeen, SD
Daniel L. Lucas – Precision Agronomy Specialist, AgriVision Equipment Group, Hamburg, IA

12:00 – 1:15 pm

Lunch

1:15 – 2:00 pm

New Technology Lightning Round

Leading companies will provide brisk, five minute updates on their companies and key technologies for service providers.

Featured companies include EFC Systems, MZB Technologies, SoilOptix Inc., SST Software

Panelists:
Jordan Tackett – Regional Sales Manager, FieldReveal
Colt Silvers – Sirrus Product Manager, SST Software
Devron VonGunden – Senior Product Manager, EFC Systems, Inc.
Paul Raymer – Founder & CEO, SoilOptix Inc.

2:00 – 3:45 pm

Pillars of Value: Maximizing Your Precision Offerings

Dr. John Fulton – Associate Professor, The Ohio State University

Dr. Fulton and his team at Ohio State are digging deep into practices that go above and beyond simply writing up seed and fertilizer recommendations. Fulton’s presentation will cover current and emerging value-centric practices include university work on fertilizer placement, and more robust seeding recommendations. Dr. Fulton will also cover “smart scouting,” a more informed approach to field scouting that incorporates crop evaluation and soil status.

The post-presentation panel discussion will address the needs and struggles of retailers and service providers in delivering value to growers via a precision program, including the following:

Developing a farm digital strategy
Using data for field-level profit evaluation
Benchmarking – both agronomic and business
Availability of “Decision-Ready” data including visualization of data in a timely manner
Sustainability and environmental reporting; marketing purposes, nutrient management, etc.

Panelists:
Amy Winstead – Chief Technology Officer, Agri-AFC LLC
Jim Hedges – Dir. Insights & Partnerships Ag Technology Group, Winfield United
David Scheiderer – Owner & President, CCA, Integrated Ag Services
Glen Franzluebbers – Director Professional Ag Services, Central Valley Ag Cooperative
Dan Frieberg – CEO, Premier Crop Systems LLC

3:45 – 4:00 pm

Break

4:00 – 5:00 pm

Creating Value From Imagery

Lisa Prassack – Owner, Prassack Advisors

It’s no secret that service providers are largely frustrated in their efforts to incorporate imagery into their precision agronomy value program. For years, the promise of a locked-in decision-making tool has fallen short for a variety of reasons. In this session, consultant Lisa Prassack shares background she and her team have been developing over the past several months on what imagery is available, what it can do, and just as importantly, what are its limitations. Some of the day’s panelists, along with conference attendees, will have a chance to weigh in on what they need and expect from imagery, and help identify a path forward.