The use of precision agriculture tools and methods continues to play a growing role in the sustainability and productivity of U.S. farm operations.  Recognizing this fact, the American Soybean Association (ASA) joins the PrecisionAg Institute, an organization focused on advancing precision agriculture technology and its efficiency, stewardship and profitability for farmers.

ASA represents the first farmer-led organization to join the PrecisionAg Institute and will hold a seat on the Institute’s advisory council, which sets the policy for the organization’s activities and facilitates communication among industry partners and individuals. As a new partner in the Institute, ASA will also play an integral role in a big data workshop this summer at Iowa State University, as well as future precision agriculture educational efforts, advocacy, research activities and award programs that recognize farmers and other industry leaders for their effective use of this technology. 

“Many customers of U.S. soy now want to know that we are using sustainable production practices to grow our soybeans, and precision agriculture technology plays a key part in making this possible,” said ASA President Ray Gaesser.  “We’re excited to join the PrecisionAg Institute and work with its partners on a variety of efforts to help improve this technology and farmers’ understanding of how to use these important tools that can benefit our operations and improve our sustainability.”

“We welcome ASA’s support of the PrecisionAg Institute. As the first farmer organization to join the Institute, we look forward to the insights they will provide on our policies and activities in the future,” said PrecisionAg Institute Business Director Daniel Ulrich. “With the support of our partners, the PrecisionAg Institute is delivering a message about smart farming and sustainability that is changing the face of agriculture around the globe.”

Ray Gaesser will also represent ASA in a special workshop organized by the PrecisionAg Institute this summer titled, Big Data: Managing Your Farm’s Most Elusive Asset. This event will be held on Aug. 25, 2014, the day before Farm Progress Show, at the Iowa State University Scheman Center.

“I encourage farmers to attend the Big Data workshop in August,” said Gaesser. “It’s important that we learn more about the data collected on our farms and the potential this information holds in terms of improving our productivity, and also how we can protect this valuable data.”

Additional benefits related to the workshop are available to ASA members.  For more information, please contact Michelle Hummel or Kathie Mullen in the ASA office at (314) 576-1770 or kmullen@soy.org.

The PrecisionAg Institute’s corporate partners include AGCO, AgWorks, John Deere, Midwest Laboratories, Raven, Simplot SmartFarm, SST, The Climate Corporation, Topcon and WinField. ASA looks forward to strengthening a collaborative relationship with all of these innovative companies in the precision agriculture industry. For more information, visit www.precisionag.com.