MBJ_Feb08_2019

Page 1

McLAUGHLIN COLUMN: Break the echo chamber — Page 13

40

NEWSMAKERS

YEARS

1979

www.msbusiness.com

2019

February 8, 2019 • Vo. 41 No. 6 • 24 pages

TECHNOLOGY/AGRICULTURE

PriorityOne Bank announces promotion of Winford — Section begins page 4

MBJ FOCUS

Education & Workforce Training {Section begins P9} » Library provides free classes to help people with technology skills » School safety bill advances in Mississippi House » Bill proposes $1,000 increase in Mississippi teacher pay

{The List P12}

Courtesy of C Spire/Special to the MBJ

C Spire President Stephen Bye (right) and Nick King, CEO of Precision King, discuss an automated irrigation system controller that uses wireless technology to manage water usage at a soybean field near Tchula, Miss.

C Spire, Mississippi Delta farmers ready to expand smart agriculture solutions » Successful Tech Movement trial

» MBA programs

uses precision farming to boost crop yields, reduce water use

» TODD SMITH: NFL commercial is a winner, even though Super Bowl game was a snoozer!

Buoyed by a highly successful Tech Movement pilot program that uses new automated irrigation techniques to boost row crop yields while conserving water, C Spire is ready to expand its partnership with farmers and smart equipment firms to provide network and in-

{P23}

formation technology support for precision agriculture applications. Precision King and JF Phillips Farm teamed up with C Spire, a Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology firm, last year to test the approach on row crops in Tchula and Louise to determine if the new automated furrow-style irrigation techniques could increase selected row crop yields, conserve precious groundwater resources and increase per-acre net revenue for farmers.

The proof-of-concept trial is part of the C Spire Tech Movement initiative, launched in 2017 and designed leverage the company’s technology leadership and investments to help transform its service areas. Precision agriculture, smart farming and the agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) are key elements of its focus on technology innovation to move the state forward. The final test results on over 130 acres of crops using the first fully automated furrow-style irrigation solution See SOLUTIONS, Page 2

http://msbusiness.com/mississippis-top-tech-awards/


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