Successfully selling precision farming services is an annual objective for many farm equipment dealerships. Getting farm customers to pay for software updates, in-field support and hardware installations is a challenge. But what about connecting customers’ ag tech and equipment investments with a long-term business plan for their farm operation?

The big questions for me when looking at whether a “swarm farming” concept has merit is: What problem is the swarm trying to solve? Does the swarm solve the problem?

As farm equipment continues to become more automated, tracking up- and downtime to the hour — especially with leased machinery — can have a significant economic impact. For ag input retailers that offer custom application services and lease fleets of sprayers, spreaders and floaters, the ability to monitor machine hours, fuel costs and labor time allows for an accurate analysis of return on investment.

Universities and colleges have had to rethink and revise the way they educate students and this is particularly true for precision ag undergraduates accustomed to hands-on, in-field learning.