|
Technology is an important part of corn production now and in the futureBy Jennifer Bremer Higher input costs, consolidation, higher selling prices are all reasons for farmers to become better risk managers and better businessmen. Eastern Iowa farmer Bob Bowman said technology can be a key factor in improvements on the farm. Bowman runs a true family farm in Clinton County which, started by his father, has been an innovator in technology. He also farmed with his brother and now with his son, Chris. Bowman believes in farming efficiently and effectively to continue the family tradition. “As consolidation sees us lose more mid-sized farms, it is important to be better managers in order to make the mid-sized farms more efficient and profitable,” he said. Technology on the farm Technology has been an important part of the Bowman operation ever since the purchase of their first computer in the 1980s prior to DOS programming. “I wrote programs for our farm before you could buy them. I made them customized for what we needed,” he said. As technology evolved, Bowman continued to follow. They used a lightbar guidance system in the early 1990s and have since added yield monitors, GPS systems and, most recently, a real time kinematic autosteer system. Through the years, they have also moved from reduced tillage to conservation tillage to no-till to strip-till with fertilizer. Bowman said it is important to get the best bang for your buck and, by planting on a nutrient tillage band, they can get better accuracy and less wastage. “The new precision equipment is expensive, so we define what the job is that needs to be done first and then go look for the equipment to fulfill the job,” he said. Last year they strip-tilled about 50 percent of their crop ground, but because of the 10 to 25 bushel per acre yield increase they had in those fields, they converted all of their ground to strip-till this year. When new technology replaces the old on the Bowman farm, they try to convert the old equipment to be used in a different area of the farm. “When we got the RTK in the sprayer, we then moved the equipment that was in the sprayer to an older tractor,” he explained. “We hope to eventually have a very uniform set of technology and equipment.” Referring to technology, Bowman said he would “rather be on the leading edge than the bleeding edge.” Meaning he wants the technology on his farm to work and not have to change it several times. Because the most current technology is expensive and continually changing, Bowman likes to know what he is buying is the best fit for his farm. “When it comes to technology, you either have to die with it or keep it current,” he said. “Use it and upgrade it in order to make it cost effective. “Machinery and equipment isn’t an asset; it’s a liability; so, we need to be sure to use it properly,” he added. Organizational involvement Growing up on the farm, Bob was always involved with organizations such as 4-H and FFA. His parents were 4-H leaders and instilled in him the knowledge of knowing leadership roles in organizations can be very helpful on the farm, as well. After college, he became involved in the local Farm Bureau and then started attending meetings for the local corn growers group. His local involvement led to involvement at the state level and, in the 1980s, he was elected to three three-year terms on the Iowa Corn Promotions Board. “I’ve always enjoyed the quality of the people I worked with during all my volunteer work. Those are people who were concerned about things way beyond the hood of their tractor,” he said. “They realized it is a bigger world than just what was happening on their own farm and, if they didn’t fight for what the farmer needed, then farmers would deal with problems in the future.” His committee work with the corn group also led to working with the U.S. Meat Export Federation and serving on that board as well as the U.S. Grains Council. “If you look at the big picture, you realize that everyone in agriculture needs to work together,” he said. “Livestock still consume half the grain we raise today; so without the livestock producers across this country, we would have to find another use of our grain.” While his children were growing up, Bowman took a break from volunteer activities to spend time with them. Now that they are grown, he will complete his last year of his third term on the Iowa Corn Growers Association Board of Directors. In 2007, Bowman served as president of ICGA and described it as a “wild experience.” “You don’t realize how credible our organization is until we are dealing with issues such as rising costs and ethanol,” he said. “We have to make the public understand our business and not blame our business for things like rising fuel prices.” Bowman said it’s a lot about public perception when you are in the agriculture industry. “We have to create our own destiny,” he said. Trade becomes such a large part of the agriculture industry when trying to help farmers stay profitable. “Organizations have to join forces to gain market access, develop research and education, and when facilitating between trade and export,” he said. “No matter what country we are in, American agriculture still affects the real people of the countries,” said Bowman. “It is important that we show up for those people and continue to have a good reputation for an excellent product.” While it is the American farmer who is producing the product, Bowman said it is also important for the farmer to know the politicians are still the flag bearers when it comes to policy which will affect those farmers. Grassroots organizations, such as the corn growers, use funding from the local farmer to lobby for state and national policies to allow farmers to do their job effectively. “It’s always good to get ideas from local farmers at round table discussions. Those ideas can then move on to state policy and maybe even national policy,” he said. “Then you can come back to that farmer and tell him it was his idea that worked.” Bowman said it is all about having the right people at the right time in the right place with the right message. “We have to stand up for what we believe is right for ourselves or others will come in and knock down our industry. Those are the same people who don’t realize how dependent they are on agriculture,” he said. Watching the market Bowman said that while times seem to be good for grain farmers, this is the time to be very good risk managers. “It’s all in a cycle, whether it’s the corn cycle, the hog cycle or the cattle cycle. All farmers need to know what is going on in all the other areas of agriculture,” he said. Watching the prices and trends is a daily practice for Bowman. He gets current price notifications on his cell phone which allows him to make financial decisions. “You can’t always wait for a peak in the market and who knows when that will happen anyway,” he said. “Instead, selling grain for a profit to be able to continue to operate on as much of a profit as possible is the key.” Bowman admits he sold corn before the peak, but he realizes that is the level he needed it to be at in order to get a good profit and look into the future for what inputs may cost him down the road. “The unfortunate thing about markets like we have experienced in the past year is the volatility,” he said. “Volatility will lead to more consolidation in our industry. The smaller farms will still be around, but it will be the mid-sized farms which will be taken in by the large farms. “Agriculture margins continue to be razor-thin because of competition. We just need to make sure agriculture is the one winning in the end,” he concluded. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. 9/8/08 Date: 9/4/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
