This is the show for people who leverage the latest in technology to solve agronomic problems. If you’re interested in on-farm application of precision ag technology, you’ve come to the right place. Get ready as we unpack the insights and experiences of the agronomic minds leading our industry forward.
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23 recent
March 4, 202525 min
SWAT 022: Catching Up On Precision Ag With Chris Hawkins
In this episode of the SWAT Agronomy podcast we feature Chris Hawkins. Chris is the sales director at Croptimistic Technology based in Saskatchewan. In that role he serves both farmers directly as well as the partners that Croptimistic works with. He’s also responsible for the partner services side of the business, so one of his key objectives is to help their partners grow their businesses. Chris tells host Tim Hammerich talk about his path from the family farm to farm machinery to now ag tech. They also talk more about his experiences working with SWAT MAPS customers, why they don’t have a big sales team, and the path forward for precision agriculture.“ When we can build a zone map for our farmers that is built on those stable properties, and they can count on that map being accurate year after year after year. Then they realized that they can manage those zones better than they could ever do in the past.” - Chris HawkinsFollow Chris on X: @SWATMAPSHawkKey Moments: 00:00 Introduction to SWAT Agronomy 00:48 Guest Introduction: Chris Hawkins02:10 Chris Hawkins' Career Journey03:43 Understanding Precision Agriculture08:44 Challenges and Solutions in Agronomy13:52 Partner Services and Growth21:48 Future of Agriculture Technology24:21 Conclusion and FarewellLearn more at SWATMAPS.com.
October 1, 202413 min
SWAT 021: Farmer-Led Science With Brett McArtor
Brett McArtor joins the show to talk about how he using SWAT MAPS in his role as senior research associate at Corteva Agriscience. Since graduating from Iowa State, Brett has remained focused on working directly with farmers to perform trials and research projects on their operations. His work has always involved farmer-led science to determine how new products fit into management systems and how they affect the bottom line. “What does variability within a field mean? I mean, every field has variability, but to what degree is that variability? And is it yield limiting? Is it something that we need to make a decision on? And that's where that boots on the ground part comes in, where we're, we use that SWAT data to go back out, identify what's actually going on in that field.” - Brett McArtorBrett dives into why and how a company like Corteva Agriscience is using precision ag technology, and why SWAT MAPS in particular. 00:00 How Brett thinks about field variability00:32 Assessing the degree and relevance of variables in a field00:36 Impact on yield and decision making00:40 Field analysis with SWAT dataLearn more at SWATMAPS.com
September 19, 202424 min
SWAT 020: Population Trials with Paul Sullivan of P.T. Sullivan Agro
Paul Sullivan (Twitter/X) joins the show to talk about the challenges he and his farmers are dealing with in his area of Eastern Ontario. We discuss some really interesting population trials that he’s doing, fertility issues coming off years of high fertilizer prices, and what difference SWAT MAPS has made for him and his farmer customers. “When we look at yield, yield is a component of kernel number times kernel weight, and that gives us basically yield per acre. So with the definition of the SWAT MAPS we feel those yield components, we can kind of connect the genetics with the water supplying capacity in addition to the management of the farm.” - Paul SullivanPaul is a certified crop consultant and agronomist in Eastern Ontario. He has operated his agronomy services firm, PT Sullivan Agro, since 1997, and started using SWAT MAPS in recent years. His area of the province, which is just outside of Ottawa, is mostly corn, soybeans and wheat. Paul’s work focuses on developing crop plans around nutrient management, pH, pesticides, and some genetic recommendations as well. Before starting the business, Paul spent eight years as a soil and crop advisor with the ministry of agriculture and food covering three counties with the provincial extension group there. So he has a long history of working directly with farmers to solve agronomic problems. 00:00 Welcome to SWAT Agronomy Podcast00:26 Introduction to Today's Episode00:55 Meet Paul Sullivan02:23 Paul's Agronomy Journey02:49 Early Challenges and Solutions04:48 Soil and Fertility Issues06:18 Managing Crop Residue08:28 Adopting SWAT MAPS14:47 Population Trials and Hybrid Management21:03 Impact of SWAT Maps on Business23:20 Conclusion and FarewellLearn more at SWATMAPS.com
August 12, 202430 min
SWAT 019: Developing and Scaling Precision Agriculture Tools with Derek Rude
In this episode of the SWAT Agronomy podcast, Derek Rude, VP of Research and Development at Croptimistic Technology, discusses the evolution of precision ag technologies like SWAT MAPS and SWAT CAM. The conversation touches upon the development of precision agriculture tools, advancements in soil mapping, challenges in scaling SWAT MAPS, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning models, and the introduction of SWAT CAM for crop and weed imaging. Derek highlights the importance of data integration, higher resolution soil sampling, and future improvements using AI and autonomous technologies to enhance efficiency and agronomic decision-making.“The real value is tying that data back to the SWAT zones. Because we know all of these critical properties: the soil properties, the water properties of these SWAT zones. So now we can really better explain what the SWAT CAM data is telling us, because we have that foundation, that SWAT foundation. So we can go take some pictures of some fields and show some variability. That's cool. But until we tie it back to the SWAT foundation, it doesn't have that big value that it does now.” - Derek Rude00:00 Welcome to the SWAT Agronomy podcast00:33 Introduction to Today's Episode01:49 Meet Derek Rude: Background and Experience02:37 Challenges and Innovations in SWAT Technology03:24 The Evolution of SWAT BOX04:21 SWAT BOX Features and Advancements07:24 Integrating AI and Machine Learning10:48 SWAT CAM: Crop and Weed Imaging12:07 Future Directions and Challenges18:12 Adoption and Feedback on SWAT CAM22:19 Autonomous Soil Sampling and Ground Truthing28:56 Final Thoughts and Contact InformationLearn more at SWATMAPS.com
May 13, 202439 min
SWAT 018: Prairie Legend Les Henry
We have a really special episode for you as we sit down with Les Henry. Retired in 1996, Les is a professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, a private consultant, and farmer. He is a renowned soils expert and in 2010 he released a lighthearted book about his passion for soils titled “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water”. He has taught and mentored many farmers, agronomists and ag professionals over the years, and his impact on the industry cannot be overstated. In today’s episode, Les reflects on his career milestones including conducting soil surveys, helping farmers solve problems like soil salinity, teaching and research he has done both in Canada and abroad, his 48 years of writing, his views on farmer-led research and extension and much much more. “At the end of the meeting, a farmer got up and said, 'you told us what we already knew in language we couldn't understand and took all day to do it. And he was right! So on the way home, I said to my department head, we have to do something different here. That was something I'll remember forever.” - Les Henry1:56 Henry’s background and how he started his career3:06 Working on soil surveys and getting started in teaching4:12 The importance of listening to farmers6:30 Henry’s work on salinity12:24 The five years Les spent on soil surveys13:44 Work in soil fertility15:44 What’s different from what he used to teach about soils?19:36: Writing “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water”23:15 The top takeaway from Les’ writing25:18 Research needs to start with a real problem26:00 Recent writing on cover crops28:00 Variable rate and SWAT MAPS34:03 Government interference35:36 What Les is most proud of37:50 Doing things “My Way”Purchase a copy of “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water” Learn more at SWATMAPS.com.
February 26, 202424 min
SWAT 017: Adapting Technology And Agronomy To Local Conditions With Tyler Kessler
Tyler Kessler joins us to discuss his independent agronomy consulting business in Southern Saskatchewan. The company provides a range of agronomic and precision agriculture services for farmers who want to optimize yield, improve soil health, and reduce environmental impacts. They are also a service provider of SWAT MAPS. Before incorporating Kessler Ag Ventures in 2015, Tyler worked in ag retail for eight years and spent a couple of years with an ag chemical manufacturer. He says in those days he wasn’t seeing a lot in precision ag that convinced him it was really adding a lot of value to farmers. That was of course until he discovered SWAT MAPS. Tyler shares his pursuit in helping farmers with agronomy and technology, using SWAT MAPS, on-farm trials, and a whole lot more. “We're doing a lot of research and development on our own, so seeding rate, fertility responses, herbicide. We're breaking new ground and our network of consultants and the network that Croptimistic has continues to share their information and knowledge….We've got a great map now. We've gotta match the agronomy on the best map there is.” - Tyler Kessler2:17 - Meet Tyler Kessler who discusses his independent agronomy consulting business and how he got involved with SWAT MAPS3:50 - Discover how clients encouraged Tyler to investigate and eventually incorporate SWAT MAPS into his offerings 4:59 - Understand the vetting process Tyler did to insure SWAT MAPS would be a good fit for both his business and clients5:59 - Hear how Tyler not only has added SWAT MAPS to his business but also uses it on his own operation6:37 - Explore the geographic variability Tyler finds on each field for each client and the insight SWAT MAPS provides him to accommodate for that8:04 - Understand the barriers of ag tech adoption for some producers and how Tyler works around and with them8:56 - Explore the protocol Tyler uses for incorporating SWAT MAPS into his services with a grower10:03 - Discover how Tyler continues to expand his agronomy consultant business and client list in his region11:10 - Learn how Tyler’s job has changed with ever emerging technology over the last ten years12:47 - Explore what other ag tech Tyler has incorporated into his client offerings and what he sees being developed to help his growers13:47 - Learn about various ag tech products that were not a good fit for Tyler’s business and clients and how he identified them15:09 - Understand the new technologies Tyler is exploring and the network he has developed with Croptimistic to get his producers the best combination of products and technology16:42 - Discover the relationship that has to be forged between producers and agronomist to optimize success on the farm17:55 - Explore the variables Tyler has found that make a big impact for producers and the methods he’s using to maximize production19:46 - Understand the ROI Tyler has experienced for his business after adding SWAT MAPS to his services20:52 - Learn about what issues are top of mind for Tyler’s producers in 202421:53 - Discover what direction Tyler anticipates new technology is headed in and how he plans to use them going forwardLearn more at SWATMAPS.com.
October 26, 202336 min
SWAT 016: Targeted Herbicide Applications With Trav Hair of Crop Opti Services
Trav Hair is based in Horsham, Victoria and has worked in ag for 20 years. He’s part of the agronomy team at Crop Opti Services and works closely with research and development companies at their trial site bringing new products to market. As well as looking after his own agronomy clients, Trav also works with machinery companies to help growers utilize their machinery purchases to enable them to achieve better results through the technology these machines provide. Trav shares the value they’re finding in both SWAT MAPS and the SWAT CAM, and the big strides they are making with variable rate herbicide applications. “Any person that's stepping into precision ag, if you're doing it to save money, I think you're doing it for the wrong reason. I think stepping into precision ag is a really good platform to get a better return on investment and actually make more money at the end of the day.” - Trav Hair2:49 - Meet Trav Hair and discover where he is from and his journey into his current role at Crop Opti Services5:43 - Explore how Australia’s agriculture practices have stayed at the forefront of precision ag practices in development and use7:39 - Discover the origins of mapping in the area and the pitfalls in execution and understanding prior to the use of SWAT MAPS9:24 - Learn about the practicality of installing and using SWAT MAPS technology and the many data sets produced by them10:37 - Explore the process from acquiring data from the SWAT MAPS to making practice changes on each individual field and operation12:17 - Understand the economics involved in employing spot spraying technology and the amount of financial benefit some producers are achieving15:52 - Discover the barrier to adoption for different options for “See and Spray” technology including machines, technology and chemical variety18:45 - Learn about the catalysts that best encourage producers into exploring this technology and discovering its benefits22:10 - Explore how variable rate fertilizers may be the best way to initiate variable rate technology onto an operation that hasn’t previously used it before. Variable rate herbicides and seeding rates are likely to follow.26:03 - Discover the advantages SWAT CAM have provided Crop Opti Services and the producers they support29:45 - Learn about where Trav feels precision ag will go in the future and how it has and will influence the industry going forwardAs always you can learn more at SWATMAPS.com
August 29, 202331 min
SWAT 015: Corn Population Economics with Trent Mastny and Justin Mastny of JTM Ag
Nebraska farmers, brothers, and co-owners of JTM Ag, Trent and Justin Mastny join us to talk about their search for a system that would serve their farm better. They also discuss how JTM Ag now helps other farmers in the area take their variable rate technology to the next level through SWAT MAPS. They now combine the precision of SWAT Maps with soil and tissue sampling through Agronomy 365 and BW Fusion and have had some remarkable results. They go on to share about research they’ve been doing on population economics, experiments they’re conducting on their own farm, and their early impressions of the SWAT CAM technology. “So what we're trying to do is we're not necessarily trying to save people's seed, we're just trying to put those dollars in areas of the field where it's gonna return their money better. So in our wetter areas, our zones seven, eight, nines and tens, we are trying to push those populations. And then as Justin said, in those lighter areas, 25, 26,000 to still get that average of 29 to 30,000. That's really what we're after… We're just trying to relocate those dollars to make you more money in those areas.” - Trent and Justin Mastny 2:12 - Meet Trent and Justin Mastney and their search for a system to better serve their farm and find out how they landed on SWAT maps.2:26 - Discover what led to the formation of JTM Ag and what precision ag options including SWAT maps they are able to offer their clients4:14 - Explore their personal farming operation and how they have incorporated new technologies and practices into its management5:19 - Learn about the impact of pursuing efficiency with dry fertilizer on their operation and the benefits they have observed6:21 - Discover how the benefits and results of SWAT maps quickly overcame their initial skepticism in using the SWAT suite of tools and how they help other producers come to the same conclusions with trials of the technology11:14 - Explore the financial ramifications in the use of precision technology and the revenue it can generate for the producer14:14 - Learn the many different conditions and land variability the SWAT map can account for and allow the producer to adjust his practices to best support15:28 - Discover how JTM Ag introduces SWAT maps to an operation and the fees associated with it16:36 - Explore what Trent and Justin feel are still challenges they are facing on their operation and how they are mitigating those issues19:28 - Explore the ongoing research, trials and experiments Trent and Justin are conducting on their land to evaluate future technologies22:30 - Discover what SWAT Cams are and how they can be used to benefit operations25:53 - Hear the advice Trent and Jim share with other producers exploring practices in precision agricultureFollow Trent Mastny @TrentMastny and Justin Mastny @JMastny27. As always you can learn more at SWATMaps.com
June 12, 202330 min
SWAT 014: A More Detailed Approach with Anita Renwick of A1 Agronomy
A1 Agronomy owner and operator Anita Renwick joins us to discuss her independent agronomy business in Manitoba. A1 provides soil sampling programs and in-season agronomy services in the southwest corner of the province as well as parts of southeast Saskatchewan. Born and raised on a mixed cattle and grain farm in Southwest Manitoba, Anita studied agronomy at the University of Saskatchewan. She ultimately decided to start A1 Agronomy for growers interested in maximizing the yields and looking for unbiased advice. She shares the need she saw for independent agronomy in the area, how she is helping some farmers adopt precision agriculture for the first time, and what a difference this more detailed approach is making in yields and profitability. “That's just an example of being able to add complexity to the decision making and just really bring in the detail on those specific fields, because it's not every single field that's going into this crop that's getting this treatment. It's just the fields where this is relevant and this is a potential issue and we're trying to ensure that we do everything that we can to get the yield that we think is possible out there. So yeah, just a more detailed approach.” - Anita Renwick2:12 - Meet Anita Renweck and explore the background she had which led her to founding A1 Agronomy4:22 - Explore the unique benefits in hiring an independent agronomist and how the SWAT Maps program can augment their offerings5:32 - Learn about the crops Anita primarily works with and what determines which crop is best suited for the area6:29 - Explore the introduction of precision agriculture to producers in the area who might not be using it yet and what makes it appealing to their operations10:50 - Understand the journey to incorporating precision agriculture in an operation and how Anita navigates that with her clients through data11:39 - Learn about the biggest challenges Anita faces along side her clients including salinity and how precision agriculture has affected its management16:45 - Discover the success Anita has found with precision agriculture in her business18:44 - Explore what the future holds for A1 Agronomy and the challenges Anita expects to face20:20 - Understand the growth of A1 Agronomy overtime and the team Anita has cultivated23:09 - Look to the future with Anita and where she expects technology and producer needs to goCheck out what Anita is up to at a1agronomy.ca or on twitter @a1agronomy
April 20, 202326 min
SWAT 013: Agronomy Advantage with Deb Campbell
Agronomist Deb Campbell of Agronomy Advantage joins us to talk about her work in Ontario, Canada. Deb has a great perspective as a Certified Crop Advisor who has worked directly with farmers for many years. As you’ll hear, she not only runs a thriving business, but also has been very involved on the Certified Crop Advisor Board of Directors, the Provincial Soil Action Group, AgScape, and many other entities. Deb talks about some of these responsibilities, and of course her thoughts and experiences with precision ag tools. “We're running very quickly into a deficit of people in this industry, in this channel, from start to finish and thinking that we're gonna do that all with robotics and computers, I think is a fallacy. So trying to cultivate that next generation to spark some interest in pursuing agriculture from the perspective of CCAs, just I'm very passionate about that and trying to open doors for young people to get them started.” - Deb Campbell1:50 - Meet Deb Campbell and learn about the Agronomy Advantage clientele and how she has integrated SWAT maps into their offerings for clients3:56 - Get to know what technological opportunities producers in her area have available and how she helps clients choose which products will work best for them5:43 - Explore her journey into precision agriculture and how she came to find and use SWAT Maps. 8:41 - Understand the pitfalls with yield data and the difficulties producers face with trusting their results10:46 - Discover Deb’s journey from employee agronomist to independent business owner managing her team14:48 - Deb shares her involvement in the Certified Crop Advisor of Ontario Organization and the mentoring program she helped to implement there18:26 - Explore the Ontario Agriculture’s Soil Health and Conversation Strategy, who was involved in its development, the goals it is pursuing and the actions it supports going forward24:45 - Discover how soil zones can also give insight into pest management
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