To justify purchasing a new piece of technology for a farm, its value can’t be based on the “wow factor.” It must solve a problem and improve the overall efficiency of the operation.
With that in mind, are farmers being sold more technology than they need? Should a producer have to pay for the cost of all the bells and whistles on a new unit if they’re only going to use its base features?
The idea that farmers are being sold technology to solve problems they don’t have was an underlying theme during the TechTour panel discussions on the recent TechTour LIVE in Western Canada.
As part of this AgNerds episode, Shaun Haney and Peter Gredig (who joined Shaun and Debra for the entire tour) discuss how technology assessment is becoming an essential skill for farmers and whether more technology providers should offer an “a la carte” method for customizing features, whether it’s on new tractors, software, sensor systems or other tools that are supposed to improve on-farm efficiency.
What do you think? How do you decide whether to purchase new technology for your farm? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Related:
- TechTour Live: What’s the Must-Have Technology That Makes Your Farm Competitive?
- Talking to Farmers: Money, Acres, Oscars and The Jets
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