AG TECH NO LOG IE S
S P RI N G 2015
PRECISION AG U PDATE Agriculture Today: More Than Just Plows and Cows Earlier this year, using Census data, coupled with an employer survey analysis by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), USA Today compiled a list of college majors that will likely lead to the highest earnings for 2015 grads. Coming in just behind engineering, computer science, math and sciences, and business, agriculture nabbed the spot of the fifth highest paying college degree for 2015 with a projected average starting salary of $51,220 and average lifetime earnings of $2.6 million—around $800,000 more than the typical college grad. For the past few years, colleges have seen a higher demand for agriculture degrees. Ag-related college majors appeal to both the heart and mind of a student, university officials say, as a booming agriculture industry and practical skills taught at the colleges can help develop a career that addresses issues such as global hunger and obesity in the U.S. Not only is agriculture ranked as one of the highest paying degrees of 2015, it is also the single largest employer in the world, providing jobs for 22 million people in the U.S. alone. Enrollment is booming at many colleges of agriculture, as students flock to study subjects they feel offer a clear path to a job on graduation.
“We know these young people are the future of not only farming, but also of the entire agriculture industry.”
Even so, U.S. agriculture and food companies are struggling to attract enough workers, a problem the industry concedes is getting worse as innovation and growing demand for their products leads to the creation of thousands of new jobs. Demand for skilled workers in the industry shows no signs of letting up, in part because some predict agriculture productivity will have to increase 70% by 2050 to feed the world's growing population. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded a study released by Purdue University in 2010 that showed just how big of a problem the employment situation might be for the industry. The research found that, between 2010 and 2015, an estimated 54,400 jobs would be created annually in agricultural, food and renewable natural resources. To help fill the void, approximately 29,300 students are expected to earn degrees in traditional agriculture and life science-related fields each year. An additional 24,200 students are seen coming from disciplines such as biological sciences or businesses where graduates could choose to go into agriculture or another field. Jobs in agriculture today go far beyond just the farmer in the field, even though that role is a critical one. Agriculture degrees open up a variety of career options, ranging from sales and marketing with big agribusinesses to management with commercial nurseries. Recent agriculture graduates can choose from jobs in areas such as business, government, food science, conservation, horticulture, and education. Ag Technologies realizes the importance of preparing the next generation of agriculture professionals, actively supporting the Georgia FFA, the nation’s third largest chapter, by sponsoring an Emerging Ag Technology Proficiency Scholarship annually. In addition, Ag Technologies supports the work of the Georgia Young Farmers Association through the donation of live auction items, such as the use of a guidance system for one year. “It is so important for us to support these young people,” said Josh Pitts, Executive Vice President of Retail Operations. “We know that they are the future not only of farming, but also of the entire agriculture industry.”
TEAM MEMBER
PRODUCTS TO
Cody Tabb
TrueGuide Implement Steering Guidance With TrueGuide, your implement's
SPOTLIGHT Regional Service Manager South Georgia, North Florida, Southeast Alabama EXPERIENCE
I have been with Ag Technologies for four years.
FAMILY
My wife, Lauren, and I have two children, Bristol, age 4, and Avery, age 6.
SPARE TIME
I enjoy outdoor activities like golf, camping, and fishing.
BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB Assisting customers to keep their operations running efficiently with technology.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE AGRICULTURE FOR A CAREER?
I chose agriculture because I grew up in agriculture, and it’s all I know. Agriculture keeps my community alive.
IMPROVE YOUR OPERATIONS position is dependent on your tractor. When your implement drifts,TrueGuide signals your tractor's Autopilot system to pull the implement on line—so you can operate with ease no matter the guidance path.
Tru Count Clutches Eliminate seed and fertilizer overlap in your headlands and point rows with Tru Count air clutches.
MonTag Fertilizer System Ag Technologies is pleased to now offer some of the
most technologically advanced dry fertilizer agriculture equipment on the market. Montag units are recognized as being not only the most accurate in row to row applications, but also the most efficient in terms of horsepower required to operate the system.
Guidance Display Choose either the FmX® integrated display (video), CFX-750™
display for spraying operations, or the new TMX-2050 depending on your farm’s needs. The Trimble® TMX-2050™ display lets you work smarter, not harder. Take control of your entire operation with a system that gives you the clarity, certainty, and connectivity you need.
Irrigate IQ With the Irrigate-IQ™ precision irrigation solution, you can precisely apply the right amount of water, fertigation, chemigation, or effluent in the right place—while minimizing nutrient and chemical runoff. Use the Irrigate-IQ solution to control pivot irrigators, plan irrigation plans, perform variable rate irrigation, and receive reports. By enhancing your irrigation operation, you can ensure you’re doing what’s best for your crop and your farm. VisionWorks Cameras Farm tested and proven in the field, VisionWorks cameras
provide the highest resolution in the industry (700 TVL). With night vision, strong magnets for portability and weatherproof connections, cameras are an affordable way to monitor blind spots on your equipment.
AG TECHNOLOGIES RECEIVES AWARDS Here at Ag Technologies , we pride ourselves on providing our customers with the best customer service in the business. It is for this reason we were so honored to receive two special awards in January. At the recent worldwide Trimble® dealer meeting in Denver, Colorado, we were named Top Performer and the 2014 Trimble Reseller of the Year for the eastern United States. In addition, we were honored locally as the Medium Business of the Year by the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce. Our mug shot here includes only a portion of the team that help make our business a success. Thanks goes to each and every Ag Technologies staff member for helping us achieve these recognitions.
NEW FROM TRIMBLE
CONNECTED FARM ADVISOR
New from Trimble, Connected Farm™ Advisor offers a powerful new tool to help consultants and growers work together for the most efficient operation possible by providing a cutting-edge solution for trusted farm advisors, agronomists and crop consultants to streamline the process of creating and sharing variable rate prescription maps with farmers. Connected Farm™ Advisor improves collaboration between farmers and their trusted advisors by providing an environment where critical farm data is instantly and accurately sharable. Farmers can upload their precision farming data and then invite any number of trusted advisors to access the data to make timely recommendations. The information can then be used to create variable rate application (VRA) prescription maps using a wide range of pre-built formulas, upload soil sample data from standard lab formats and link the data to the soil sample location maps, and export completed prescription maps into a shapefile format which is compatible with most field displays. Soil Information System™ (SIS) soil mapping technology uses advanced sensors and intelligent targeting and geo-processing algorithms to produce high resolution, accurate soil and topographic information in order to assess detailed soil properties for each field such as soil texture, compaction, root zone depth, moisture retention and availability, and soil fertility, as well as to view soil analysis for the top 48 inches and target precise sampling locations based on soil variability. “Connected Farm™ Advisor is the first truly universal cloud-based Geographical Information System (GIS) program for growers, consultants, and suppliers,” said Robbie Tabb, Ag Tech Territory Manager for South Georgia, Southeast Alabama, and North Florida. “We are excited about the many ways this can be used by consultants to assist their growers and also by growers to provide streamlined communication of data to their consultants.” Connected Farm™ Advisor joins a host of other capabilities included in Connected Farm, which combines industry-leading hardware and software to increase efficiency and enable better decision making.
Contact your local rep to set up your free Connected Farm account and begin managing your data today. Prepare now so that you can access all of your data from planting to harvest for this growing year.
REGIONAL SALES
REPRESENTATIVES Central Georgia ERNEST COOK 855. 601.4477
Territory Manager Southwest Georgia, Southeast Alabama & North Florida ROBBIE TABB 855.602.4477
South Georgia & North Florida MARTY SAYLOR 855.603.4477
East Georgia
JESSE NEIDLINGER 855.604.4477
Central & South Florida KEN LODGE 855.605.4477
South Carolina DARREN ATKINS 803.206.0935
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It is our mission at Ag Technologies to provide progressive-minded customers a complete solution of precision agriculture with superior products and a professional staff to help inspire, educate and provide first class service and support.
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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
Trey Dunaway, Copperhead Road Farms Pulaski & Dooly Counties, Georgia
At Copperhead Road Farms, a 2,000-acre operation in Georgia’s Pulaski and Dooly Counties, Trey Dunaway began farming with his father in 1998, following his graduation from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. A lot has changed since then. “We didn’t have any technology on the farm when I started,” says Dunaway. “About 10 years ago we tried out one of the first Auto Pilots from Ag Technologies and it went from there. Since 2005, our use of technology on the farm has grown exponentially with the amount of data and data gathering that has become available.” Now, Dunaway has gone to multiple systems, using Auto Steer on combines, tractors, and sprayers and yield monitoring on combines and pickers. He added AgView Irrigation control systems last year but says the most valuable technology tool for him so far has been Greenseeker. “With Greenseeker we are able to apply variable rate fertilizer in corn, cotton, and wheat, as well as variable rate fungicides on cotton and wheat. It’s a great tool for evening out crops and addressing places in fields that need more fertilizer.” Dunaway credits an open mind for his willingness to try new technology. “Today you just can’t do it the way it’s always been done. Agriculture changes rapidly, and you have to adapt or be left behind. The economics just call for it. Margins are so narrow that you have to do everything you can to save money and generate higher yields.” Today, with his father semi-retired, Dunaway oversees Copperhead Road Farms, growing cotton, corn, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. He and wife Lauren live on the farm along with their two children, Ryan and Katie. On being a farmer, Dunaway says “If you don’t love it you can’t do it. You sure don’t do it for the money. It’s a demanding 24/7 job, but nothing compares to the satisfaction of working outdoors, surrounded by everything that God has created.”