Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Laurie Bedord A major theme at the 2017 Agritechnica is automation. Companies not only present technology that can be put to use today but also offer future possibilities. Following are five companies that have developed innovations that streamline processes across a farmer’s entire operation. Read More

By: Laurie Bedord As we look ahead to 2018, Ivan Tolchinsky, CEO of Atlas Dynamics, a young aerospace company providing autonomous and semiautonomous professional drone solutions, gives his predictions on where he believes the drone industry is headed. 1. Regulation will increase. This will be driven by concerns over safety, privacy, and the illicit use […]

By: Laurie Bedord As customers of Indiana-based Spensa Technologies, Inc. work with farmers to scout fields, they can now subscribe to receive up-to-date aerial imagery of all of their fields, as well as synthetic maps and analysis throughout the growing season, using TerrAvion’s image delivery platform OverView. “We have learned that our customers are thinking […]

By: Mark Moore When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, it paved the way to the explosion in smartphone technology that has integrated the devices into everyday life. A driving force behind this technological revolution is the sensor. In many cases, these sensors are part of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), which allows for data […]

By: Laurie Bedord Until ag overcomes the three main obstacles below, fully autonomous tech won’t go prime time. 1. Technology isn’t quite ready. “Auto steer relies only on RTK GPS technology,” says Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, IDTechEx Ltd. Fully autonomous tractors require a number of different and often overlapping sensors to navigate properly if GPS is not […]

By: Gene Johnston To understand where the beef industry is going, take a look at where the dairy industry has been. That’s what the Beef Improvement Federation, a group that advances the science of beef genetics, did when it invited Tom Lawlor, a genomics expert for Holstein USA, to share his industry’s experience with DNA […]

By: Farm Futures The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) and Fathom Information Design have launched Finding Farmland, a new website that offers educational tools to help young farmers access land and capital. Features include a first-of-its kind land affordability calculator that makes it easy for farmers to learn about options for financing farmland and tools, […]

By: Darren Frye An aspect of your farm business that you need to be thinking about all year round – but in particular, at this time of year – are your landlord relationships. Many of us know and understand that rental ground can be fragile. There’s quite a bit less control when it comes to […]

By: Darren Frye Before harvest began this, our ag finance advisors were having meetings with farmer clients to start projections for the 2018 crop year. Those meetings will continue as soon as harvest is complete. These are forward-looking, accrual projections – and they’re somewhat of a ‘rough draft’ that continues to evolve as more information […]

By: Mike Wilson When people think about how to tackle major food challenges, whether it’s feeding a growing population or sustainability, the average person thinks differently from those who work in agriculture. Jayson Lusk, Purdue ag economist and winner of the recent Borlaug CAST Communication award, has done extensive research on better ways to talk […]