01/15/2003

Go Digital at Farm Technology Update

Writer:

Mauricio Espinoza
espinoza.15@osu.edu
(330)202-3550

Source:

Andy Kleinschmidt
kleinschmidt.5@osu.edu
(419)238-1214

Nathan Watermeier
watermeier.2@osu.edu
(614)688-3442

FINDLAY, Ohio — Does the idea of combining combines and satellites for your future grain harvesting catches your attention? If so, plan to attend the Farm Technology Update Jan. 30 in Van Wert or Feb. 1 in Findlay, Ohio.

Sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, the one-day session will introduce producers to new farming technologies and their potential for increasing productivity.

“The workshop will provide an overview of present technologies being utilized, as well as those on the horizon,” said Andy Kleinschmidt, Van Wert County Extension agent. “Also, participants will learn how to collect and record data, how to summarize and analyze data, and how to print and ultimately utilize the data to put together profit-making decisions for the farm operation.”

The main speaker will be Nathan Watermeier, Extension technology program leader.

“The workshop will have a business approach,” Watermeier said. “We are going to focus on the technology that ’s more feasible for farm operations and the tools available for taking farming to the next level.”

Those tools include vehicle guidance (auto-pilot) systems, handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and crop-sensor systems, all of which are gaining popularity across Ohio as a way to streamline operations in the face of rising input costs.

"Technology is not changing agriculture,” Watermeier pointed out. “Agriculture itself is changing and the technologies are just a set of tools used to deal with those changes and enhance natural resource and agriculture decision-making. This is beneficial to all who use such technology in the industry."

Both sessions will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The program includes the following topics:

*Cutting-edge technology used on farms today

*New technology for collecting and recording data

*New technology for summarizing, reporting and printing data

*New technology for analyzing and utilizing data to make decisions

*Discussions with successful farmers on their experiences with innovative technologies

*Discussions with area industry representatives about the cost and availability of cutting-edge technology

The Jan. 30 workshop will be held at the Van Wert County Extension Office, 1055 South Washington St., Van Wert. The Feb. 1 session will take place at the Extension Northwest District Office, 1219 West Main Cross St., Suite 202, Findlay.

Registration fee is $25 per person, which covers instructional material and lunch. For additional information and to register, contact the Van Wert County Extension Office at (419) 238-1214 or the Extension Northwest District Office at (419) 422-6106. Each session is limited to 40 participants. Registration deadline is one week prior to the workshop.

The Farm Technology Update is part of the Northwest Ohio Farm Management Education Series. Upcoming workshops also include “Personality, Communication and Leadership of a Farm Family Business,” Feb. 4 in Kalida and Feb. 7 in Findlay; “Strategic Planning and Farm Financial Management,” Feb. 18 in Oak Harbor and Feb. 21 in Findlay; and “Marketing Grain Through Professional Marketing Advisory Services,” March 6 in Van Wert and March 7 in Upper Sandusky.

Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.