(Brownfield) – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers says there are several roadblocks for farmers and ranchers to adopt new precision ag technology.
Curt Blades, Senior Vice President with AEM, tells Brownfield the lack of rural broadband tops the list. “There’s a ton of attention and dollars paid to rural broadband. There are still a lot of areas in farm country that is not very connected or not as connected as they should be.”
He tells Brownfield the cost of new technology is another concern, but there could be an avenue to address it. “We’re looking forward to this conversation around the 2023 Farm Bill where we will be discussing new environmental practices are being discussed. There are lots of conversations around incentives to help adapt new technology.”
And, Blades says, consumer acceptance of new products impacts demand on the farm. “Lots of discussions about genetic technology and how that technology got a bad rep. We want to make sure that this technology when we talk about precision agriculture, doesn’t have the same challenge when it comes onto the marketplace and gets full commercialization.”
Blades says opportunities like last week’s meeting with EPA Administrator Michael Regan in Kansas help AEM and manufacturers develop technology that helps satisfy needs that have been outlined by policymakers.
(Photo via Adobe Stock images)
