Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Paula Barbour Varel Bailey and son, Scot, of Anita, Iowa, have put a lot of miles on the frame of a retired auger wagon. They dropped the frame then modified it for carrying fencing tools and materials. “The post caddies are like giant baby beds without mattresses,” Varel says. The floor is wire mesh […]

By: Lisa Foust Prater Finding quality, nearby healthcare is a real challenge for rural Americans. According to the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, only 9% of all physicians, 10% of psychologists and psychiatrists, and 12% of all pharmacists practice in rural communities. There are only half as many specialists and dentists per […]

By: Todd Janzen I recently replaced the CD player on my 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser with a modern Apple CarPlay equipped stereo. My old SUV now displays the latest iPhone apps when I drive on the stereo’s LCD screen. CarPlay works great. If you have driven a car with Apple CarPlay, you know that it […]

By: Jodi Henke Precision ag technology helps producers document the economics of crop production and conservation. Efficiencies in fuel, seed, chemical use, yield monitoring, and pest management are just a few of the goals that can be tracked by data recorded in the tractor cab. Those statistics provide a priceless report to the producer at […]

By: Mark Moore Dairy cow monitoring is serious business at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The 6,250 milking cows at one of the two farms are outfitted with a monitoring collar as soon as they reach the farm and carry that monitor throughout their time on the farm. These monitors collect data 24 hours […]

By: Jodi Henke No matter the size of your operation, having a GPS system when planting, spraying, and other field operations gives you better accuracy and efficiency. You can choose between several levels of accuracy, depending on what your needs are. Morgen Dietrich is the market manager for embedded technology at John Deere. He says […]

By: Lisa Foust Prater A new online marketplace, Land dot Lease, allows landowners to sell permission to hunt on their property. The company says its site offers additional income to landowners with an abundance of deer while preventing the property damage that can be caused by an unmanaged deer population. It also offers leases for […]

By: Jodi Henke olving problems with your farming operation and noting where you can make improvements is a whole lot easier when you can retrieve data from a precision ag product. You want a system that ensures every pass across the field is documented and integrated into the equipment. You don’t have to think about […]

By: Alex Gray Have you ever wanted to try your hand at livestock production? Or see what it’s like to grow olives in the Mediterranean? “Farming Simulator,” a long-running video game series, gives you the opportunity to build the farm of your dreams in a realistic simulator. “Farming Simulator” is a family-friendly video game series […]

By: Todd Janzen My car recently did an over-the-air update of its operating system, directly downloading new software from the manufacturer’s cloud-based mothership. This is great for me, as the car’s owner, since the manufacturer can address bugs remotely without me having to take the car to the dealer. Interestingly, while reading about advancements in […]