6 minute read
Planting Seeds for the Future
Photo and story by Andrea Haines
Driving down a country road, a typical motorist may gaze upon a field of corn, neatly planted, sprouting green leaves out of their respective rows. Unpredicted to them, there is quite a bit of science and technology behind each little seed that drops into the ground. Traditional agriculture has always moved in a direction toward feeding not just the farm itself, but the rest of the world, too.
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For Matt Light and his father, John, that came to realization when they had ongoing issues with their planter. They were looking over new products at the York Farm Show in Pennsylvania, and were stopped in their tracks when they overheard a representative at his booth talking about fixing an issue they had been trying to manage for quite some time. “What Chris [Creek] said that day stopped us in our tracks,” explains John. “I was wasting so much money and time on gear box/cables that the mention of a fix was enough to get my attention.” The solution to their problem ended up being the beginning of their use of precision agriculture technology.
The multi-generational farming father-son pair from Clearbrook, Virginia, work well together. There is a work-family balance that can be seen when observing them together. Matt implementing the technology and John forthcoming with past experience, a definite succession pairing that is enchantingly working.
Matt obtained a degree in agriculture technology from Virginia Tech in 2012 and has been moving forward with implementing more efficient agricultural practices ever since. John agrees with the update in practices and sees it as a necessary tool to improve yields and get the most out of machinery; he’s been a forward-thinking businessman for most of his life and expressed that it is nice to see this trait in his own son.
“Precision agriculture has really changed how we farm,” shares Matt. “It’s like we pulled back ‘the curtain’ and are now able to see the full extent of what we can do to improve our fields.” Multiple platforms are used in everyday work, like GreenStar, Precision Planting, and Trimble to name a few. “We use some Kuhn and New Holland equipment, but most of our machinery is John Deere,” states Matt. Corn, soybeans, wheat, and a large amount of hay is produced on the farm. “We have one other employee, Ryan, to help with work,” Matt explains. “The land is spread across multiple locations, some is owned and some is rented.”
Matt explains that while the technology they use has cut back on the need for more labor, there is a level of common sense that still needs to be upheld to work around equipment. He shares, “I am able to collaborate with our team through the app on my phone. There is a ‘live stream’ option that is very useful. We also communicate over the phone while inside the machinery.” In fact, Matt was communicating with teammates over his earpiece while conducting this interview, a feat that makes it better for time management. “The only thing I would honestly like to improve is cellphone signal and something to better detect rocks,” he says, smiling.
Speaking of learning, John has been amazed at how much knowledge there is to acquire, but takes each new bit of information and analyzes it to perfection. “Everything we do can be recorded on the iPad,” he shares. “For our operation, we can look at singulation, pressure, pH levels, spacing when planting, fertilization levels when seeding, and more. We are able to focus on growing the ‘perfect plant’ versus a faster plant.”
The family was able to have “land mapping” done to use in conjunction with the technology. “The mapping shows us a layout of the fields,” explains John. “The determination of high and low sections, and the type of soil, really allows us to determine what we need to do to prepare fields. We didn’t really know the potential of what these fields could do beforehand.” The Lights have even been getting more viable product from land that has been low on rain.
“As we’ve been able to really focus on balancing certain fields, each year has reaped a better yield,” states John. “Even the amount of growth we typically would get from a field edge, which is usually pretty low, has elevated to the same as what we would see in the middle of the field. The edges make up about 15 percent of the field, which is pretty important if you have a lot of fields.”
The impression of agricultural bearing on the environment has been in the forefront of the consumer mind lately. Precision agriculture and technologies are a great addition to the environmental cause that agriculturalists already take seriously. “We’ve been able to adjust our chemical loads and use organic matter in our fields,” shares John. Matt adds, “By eliminating waste upon application, we have made the land more sustainable for future yields.” The data collected in fields like theirs have allowed science and technology an edge over plants prone to drought, pests, and more, ultimately producing a more environmentally-friendly product.
Of course, the question of cost comes into play approaching anything new and ag-related. “For us, we had been losing money on fixing issues, which ultimately led us to give this a try,” shares Matt. John adds, “Looking at the gains we have made over this period of time, I wouldn’t go back to the original way. I honestly don’t know how others are affording to making it without these tools.”
“The Light family has been great to work with and they are respected in the community,” shares Jessica Harris, Farm Credit loan officer. “They are always looking to the future and implementing measures that increase production and profitability for their operation.” Farm Credit has been working with John and his family for more than 30 years. Matt followed in this tradition 10 years ago when he purchased his first truck. “John has worked with us through the years for various financing with the cash grain and cattle operation. Since Matt has been back from school, he’s taken over more responsibility on the farm. In the past few years, his interest in precision agriculture has really peaked,” adds Jessica.
Jessica shares that Matt hopes to be able to expand his knowledge and use of this technology to assist their operation and other farmers in the region to better use technology in managing crop land. “We hope to continue to work alongside Matt to maintain the business plans,” Jessica explains.
Matt expresses that since Farm Credit has been involved within the family for multiple generations, the relationship is well established. “They just understand how farming works,” he shares. “The market changes, and the updates in technology - they follow all of the markets and changes with us.”
Respectful and hopeful to see how farming progresses for Matt, John gives his son ‘the nod’ of approval and will continue to support his endeavors right alongside him. Similar to the development of a field, it takes teamwork, some outside support, and a goal to stand back and look over the finished fields.
