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Purdue economist: Precision ag costs still outweigh returns for many farmers

An ag economist at Purdue University says many farmers aren’t seeing strong financial returns when adopting precision ag technology.

Chad Fiechter says a recent survey showed the cost often outweighs the benefits.

“There is a learning curve with how to use technology,” he says. “A lot of farmers have had the option to see them or use them on their own farms, but once we incorporate cost, the general benefit goes away.”

But, he tells Brownfield there are some exceptions. 

“Yield monitors and grid soil sampling were the only two that showed some relationship in their ability to generate gross revenue,” he says. “The real value comes with bundling these two technologies together and that’s really where you would see some benefit in farm efficiency.”

Fiechter says farmers see the highest return on their investment when precision ag technology is used quickly and effectively.

AUDIO: Chad Fiechter, Purdue University