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Be a good producer first,
and then introduce technology
W
hile the adoption of precision farming technology can
increase yields and improve the quality of an opera-
tion’s output, it can also impede operations if it isn’t
part of an integrated plan.
“Too often, technology is implemented in a haphazard way, either
costing more than the benefits it should have provided amount
to or actually getting in the way of normal operations,” says
Mr Nico Groenewald, head: Agribusiness at Standard Bank.
“Some of our clients have applied technology so astutely that they
can forecast their yield per millimetre of water needed. They have
taken precision farming to its logical conclusion by implementing
a range of appropriate technologies across the full spectrum of
their operations in such a way that what they do in one area of the
farm benefits and supports everything else they do.
“However, they’ve achieved this only because they are accomplish-
ed producers already. They were successful before they introduced
new technologies. They have simply used the technologies to do
what they have always done well, but in more efficient, more cost
effective ways.
“One therefore needs to understand that technology won’t make
you a better producer. Like a tractor or even a pitchfork, it is a tool.
It needs to support rather than dominate a farm.”
On large farms, technology can often reduce the time and effort
needed to do certain tasks. On smaller farms, the same technology
can become a financial burden. It is therefore important to do
proper market research and choose technology that is best aligned
with your business.
“The point is not to be blinded by the bells and whistles of tech-
nology. Weigh the pros and cons carefully and in the context of
your overall planning. In a long-term business such as farming,
technology isn’t a short cut to success: It is a partner that makes the
long haul easier.”
The need for a planned and holistic approach to the use of tech-
nology is reinforced by the fact that technology today is not limited
to equipment and computer software and hardware. It also incor-
porates biological technology in the form of seed and fertilisers,
genetics and new methods of breeding for specific attributes in
livestock, the production and use of energy – specifically renewable
energy and soil science, to name just a few.
“Many producers fear that they need to become specialists in a
very broad range of disciplines in order to produce just a few out-
puts,” says Groenewald. “In fact, the only significant change that
technology calls for is a whole farm approach that optimises the
producer’s efficiency, including use of water, waste, soil, energy, and
most importantly, time.
“Our recommendation is therefore that, instead of opting on an
ad hoc basis for a piece of technology that seems to address an
immediate need, to rather take the time to understand the ripple
effect of the choice you are about to make.
“Get to grips with both the operating and fixed costs of the
technologies you want. Ensure that you have the right technology
for your specific situation and that the cost of that technology will
not exceed the advantages it holds.
“Precision farming is a comprehensive concept that needs to be
fully understood. You have to understand how individual pieces of
technology will impact the whole – or, indeed also, how not applying
the full range of technologies will impact the whole. Precision irriga-
tion, for instance, calls for the precise application of specific types
of fertilisers and particular rhythms of planting of particular crops.
“A useful depiction to carry with you into the era of agricultural
technology is that of a piece of cloth lying flat on a surface. No
matter where you pick it up – in the middle, at a corner, along a
side – the whole cloth will move. In the same way, no matter where
you touch your farm with technology, it will affect your whole farm.
Make strategic rather than just tactical choices.”
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RELEVANT
THEMBA MSIMANGO,
on behalf of Standard Bank
– technology must support your overall strategy
Successful producers have simply used the technologies to do what
they have always done well, but in more efficient, more cost effective
ways.