Have you ever been watching a football game, totally into it, when the conversation of the play-by-play and color guy takes a turn that completely distracts you from what’s actually happening on the field of play? It usually goes something like this:
“This is a big play for the Cougar defense, Mark.”
“It sure is, Greg. This season, they’ve come up with a stop on 58 percent of third-and-fours in the last two minutes of the third quarter.”
What? By the time you’ve tried processing what Mark just said, you’ve missed the ensuing play.
Or maybe it’s a basketball game, and they spit out something like this:
“[Insert name of fringe NBA All-Star on a .500 team] is one of only four players ever to average 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and half a block a game for a full season.”
Why would anyone take the time to wade through those stats, much less feel like they’re relevant enough to share, usually with a fancy graphic?
There’s no denying that we live in the age of information. Data is constantly being collected by every gadget and machine we use, and that’s as true on America’s farms as it is anywhere. A grower has available at his fingertips just about every piece of information he could ever hope to have about his land and his crops—and very often, more information than he needs or wants.
Sifting through the Data
In January, a Frenchman named Nicholas Baldeck set up a booth CES—one of the premier consumer technology trade shows on the planet—to hawk his newest “product,” named the NeuraSpud. It consisted of a chunky antenna plugged into an actual russet potato and synced via Bluetooth to a smartphone. Thus tapping into the potato’s artificial intelligence, Baldeck showed off how consumers could ask their tuberous friend any question and get an answer—like an edible Magic 8-Ball. (Trust us; we’re not making this up. Forbes published a wonderful article about it.)
Of course, the NeuraSpud is a ridiculous invention, and Baldeck knew it. His reason for creating it and infiltrating CES was to make a point that every new piece of technology isn’t worth having, no matter how ingenious it may appear. If it’s not practical, Baldeck argued, it shouldn’t be lauded as innovative.
“There is tons of data out there,” says Chad Scebold, director of business development for Ceres Imaging, “but it’s not always good data. Producers have to sift through all that and ask, ‘Is this real? Is this accurate? Does this even matter?’ As an entire agriculture industry, it’s important to filter all that data into something producers can actually use to improve their operations.”
Established in 2013, Ceres Imaging collects mountains of data for producers via scientific-grade aerial imagery and other sources. Through that data, they can measure chlorophyll and water stress in different microclimates in a field—down to the specific plant, sometimes—and thereby identify stresses caused by insect pests, water shortage, disease, nutrient deficiencies and other issues. While their imagery and analyses are unquestionably impressive, the folks at Ceres are most focused on ensuring the data they collect and present to growers is actionable. The company has its own team of experienced agronomists who work closely with growers and local agronomists to determine what data needs collecting, and how to turn that into a plan for the grower.
Skone & Connors Produce is a multi-generational operation in Washington’s Colubia Basin that grows nearly 10,000 acres of fruit, vegetables and row crops, including 4,000 acres of potatoes. Like any farm, any number of factor can affect the health of Skone & Connors’ crop, but farm manager Aaron Lutz considers water use the one over which he can exercise the most control. But with a large operation with fields across multiple counties, soil types and even weather patterns, Lutz says even that control is sometimes only theoretical.
“We always knew there were some bottlenecks in the irrigation systems, and clogged nozzles,” Lutz says, “but we didn’t have a way to detect that efficiently and on a large scale.”
Lutz flirted with satellite imagery on his operation, but consistently felt that the data he got back, though impressive, simply wasn’t all that helpful. So he sought out Ceres Imaging, scheduled flights during key stages of the potato growing season, and has been pleased with the results.
“We’re better able to prepare for heat and other changes throughout the season,” he says, “and that brings incredible peace of mind.”
“It’s fairly easy to take an image, deliver it to the grower, and promise that it will improve his return on investment,” says Scebold. “But it’s important to look at it from the producer’s point of view to understand what the data is and how he can use it. Having a team of in-house agronomists is expensive for us, but it’s very powerful.”
Bridging the Gap
Many Ceres employees are producers themselves or come from a production agriculture background. With that basic understanding of what it is that farmers truly need to succeed, the company has been able to develop a relationship of trust and honest conversation with its clientele. With an ever-increasing focus on traceability and sustainability in the potato industry, that bridge connecting the traditional culture of farming with practical, business-building technology of the future will only grow more important in coming years.
Scebold believes it’s the responsibility of everyone in the agriculture world to embrace that technology while sifting out the superfluous fluff.
“A lot of growers have a misconception about ag data and ag imagery,” he says. “Everyone in the industry—producers, manufacturers, salesmen, ag media—feels the frustration out there. But there are companies like Ceres Imaging who are doing their part to make their imagery and data more useable.
“The technology is there, and it’s undeniably cool if we apply it the right way.”
To learn more about the services provided by Ceres imaging, call (888) 704-9398 or visit www.ceresimaging.net.