What comes to mind when you think about innovations in agriculture? Most people’s thoughts tend to focus on the shiny new products agriculture companies roll out each year, like new hybrids inputs and precision-ag applications.
While technology plays a major role in moving the industry forward, innovation also emerges quietly and consistently on the farm, from farmers who embrace newer ideas and drive change.
Here are three farmers breaking the mold to help advance the soybean industry, leading by example through implementing change on their farms.
Water wise
Annie Dee, from Aliceville, Alabama, has been an early adopter of numerous farm innovations, from broadcasting cover crops over live corn to installing a repeater tower for improved internet connectivity. She’s focused recent innovation efforts on using water wisely.
“We put in a 125-acre reservoir to collect water in the winter and redistribute it in the growing season, and that’s made a huge difference. We have 18 pivots, which we can control from our phones or computers.”
All in on high oleic
While many farmers are dipping their toes in the high oleic soybean market, Al Osterlund, from Albion, Indiana, has fully embraced the new product by converting 100 percent of his commodity soybeans to high oleic varieties.
“As growers, we need to look at all the opportunities we can to maximize our profits, and this is one that we don’t have to buy special equipment for anything else. To me, it was really a no-brainer.”
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