What are Your Best Bets for Precision Priorities in 2018?

As many of us scramble to meet those rapidly approaching end of the year deadlines — both personal and professional — we are also preparing for the new year.

For me, this includes some final details for our 3rd Precision Farming Dealer Summit coming up on Jan. 8-9, in Louisville. But I’m also checking in with dealers, and their customers on what they have on their precision radars for 2018.

Looking at preliminary results of our latest ongoing online poll, agronomic and precision services are leading the way as dealers’ best bet to increase precision revenue in the coming year, followed by planting technology.

These aren’t surprising targets given the promise that both hold in terms of profit potential. Visiting with an independent precision dealer in Iowa recently, he added Harvest International planter row units to its product line, to complement and enhance sales of electric drives and hydraulic down force systems.

“We didn’t plan on being iron dealers, but the market shifted and it’s an opportunity for us now,” he says. “We just sold 24 row units with electric drives and I see this as a growing part of our overall business.”

On the agronomic side, dealers are eyeing up opportunities to capitalize on “precision partnerships” on an acre-by-acre basis. For one precision manager at a Midwest retailer, this includes annually reinforcing their approach to delivering precision services.

“We approach everything from an agronomy-first standpoint,” he says. “The goal is to come up with solutions that not only pay for themselves, but pay for us to talk about the next thing. And not spend all our time on cold-calls and finding new customers.”

Share your top precision priorities with me at jzemlicka@lessitermedia.com or take part in our latest online poll.