Company examines technology

The general manger for Precision Planting is excited to work with farmers and help them understand what they are doing on their farms.

Justin Kauffman considers the company’s PTI Farm at Pontiac an exciting new opportunity covering over 200 acres with plenty of valuable information.

“There is a lot of new technology coming out and a lot of new opportunities for farmers to take advantage of, but it is very difficult to understand the full impact of that and what makes sense for your operation,” Kauffman said.

The PTI Farm is designed to be a place where farmers can learn for a day in a smaller group setting. Visitors can also climb in a tractor cab to try out the latest planting equipment.

“That’s something that we just recognize we haven’t really had the opportunity to do,” Kauffman added.

Farmers from all over the world have visited the farm, which just announced a long-term agreement with the City of Pontiac and plans for a permanent facility.

Kauffman and others from Precision Planting were at the recent Farm Progress Show in Decatur showing the latest technology which gives farmers more control of the key inputs surrounding the planter pass.

Growers are heading into harvest during what has been a challenging season so far with plenty of crop variability across the U.S. Kauffman believes this can serve as a learning opportunity.

“Sometimes, these are the years when we can learn the most,” he said. “When we have the great bumper crops, we don’t see the variability and stress.”

Kauffman feels it will be important to have a reliable yield monitor in the combine cab this fall to find out what is and is not working with your current practices.

Precision Planting has a network of dealers across the nation to help bring the latest innovations to farmers. A dealer locater can be found on the company’s website at www.precisionplanting.com.