Web-based tool for precision ag strategies

EL PASO, Ill. — A new digital platform designed to assist farmers implement precision farming strategies was rolled out this year.

Scott Beck, Beck’s president, introduced FARMserver to growers during the Central Illinois Becknology Day.

FARMserver is a web-based suite of tools designed to assist farmers in implementing precision farming strategies on their operations.

With easy-to-use and secure tools, farmers can precisely monitor cropping variables, collected and analyze data concerning those variables and then use the resulting information to increase farm productivity.

FARMserver is backed by a support team to ensure success. Subscriptions are free to all Beck’s corn and soybean customers and are compatible with all makes and models of monitors.

As part of helping farmers succeed, Beck’s is also offering a free one-year trial for Premium FARMserver access for all users.

The platform’s features include:

• Customized work orders for all farm sizes.

• Rain, wind and hail text alerts.

• Improved profit potential with actionable, in-season agronomic notifications.

• Enables the farmer to create their own management zones with FARMserver’s easy, step-by-step process.

• Provides the ability for the farmer to view their own return-on-investment on a farm, field and whole operation level with an ROI calculator tool.

• Utilizes growth model recommendations to implement various crop management diagnostics to set the stage for a healthy harvest.

• FARMservice can be accessed anywhere.

• Evaluates where improvements are needed in a field with comprehensive reports.

• Easily matches seed to individual fields, taking the guesswork out of product selection.

“Our purpose is to help farmers. One of the ways we do that, in addition to having diverse products with genetics access, is having trusted and respected dealers and the exceptional brand experience. That comes down to both personal and digital,” Beck said. “In this world we live in today, we’re all impacted by digital, but we want to keep things personal.”

Another tool within the FARMserver account is Ready2Plant. Launched this spring, Ready2Plant is a decision-making tool in FARMserver designed to assist farmers looking to make the best possible decisions to ensure a great start to the growing season.

The notifications are given when the data forecasts one or more of the fields will be in a recommended state to start or stop planting.

Some of the data utilizes includes air temperature, rainfall, field accessibility and a proprietary mix of other factors. The notifications are available between March 15 and June 15.

Generational

During the Becknology Day president’s message, Beck and his son, Corey, business and supplier strategist, representing the fourth and fifth generation in the company, gave updates on the business.

“We had a theme this year, ‘Unstoppable Together.’ I love this theme because I think it speaks so much of who we’ve been in our past,” the president said.

He noted the family-owned company has seen five decades of growth in corn, soybeans and wheat in terms of acres.

“Just this year, Illinois has become our No. 1 state. There are more acres of Beck’s corn and soybeans grown in Illinois than in any other state. We have more facilities in Illinois than we do in Indiana. So, Illinois is a very important part of our future,” he said.

“I think the ‘Unstoppable Together’ theme also speaks of our momentum as days like today where we’re inviting farmers to come to Becknology Day and take a look at some of the things that we’re doing that can help you take that next step, whatever that is on your farm.

“Every time I go to a convention or someplace where there’s learning and opportunities to meet with others, and if I can leave that event with one idea that I can put into action, I consider that successful. We hope there will be one actionable insight or idea from today that you can use in your operation to bring your farming operation to the next level.

“The ‘Unstoppable Together’ theme is really something that goes beyond just our company and on your individual farm. It’s really more of an industry-wide purpose. When we think about the resilience of farmers and the challenges that you face every day to continue to work to feed your own family and to feed the world, it requires a lot and it requires us to dream big.

“There’s over 6.5 billion people in the world to feed. Part of our purpose is helping to sustain our individual farms so that we continue to provide food, feed and fuel to billions of people.

“What I’ve discovered in my life, and I think it’s true for all of us, is that we can get so focused on the day-to-day operations and tasks that we have to do, that we really need to step back and look outside of that day-to-day operations to start to think bigger.

“Start to meet other people to get other ideas on how to solve problems in our farming operation. One of the things that we provide as a company is an opportunity to do that.”

Regulatory Issues

Corey Beck noted the uncertainties going forward regarding regulatory issues, ranging from dicamba to Roundup, and answering a frequent question he hears about what he foresees in the next five or 10 years.

“I think the way that we’re able as an industry to navigate this challenging regulatory environment is a challenge and opportunity, and I would submit to you that’s it’s really become a responsibility, how we’re all able to speak about these issues and represent our industry and just being able to say growers need choices,” he said.

Coach’s Lesson

After spending four seasons as an undergraduate assistant coach at Purdue University, where his primary role was assisting the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, he joined the Duke coaching staff in 2017 as a graduate assistant coach, working with the offensive unit. He then joined the family business.

“I had the opportunity to work with head coach David Cutcliffe. I was able to learn quite a bit on the football field from Coach Cutcliffe, but I also learned quite a bit from him off the field,” Corey Beck said.

“One of the things he used to say was, ‘Every meaningful action is preceded by conviction.’ I think about that representing where we’re at today as an ag community.

“I’ve never been more convicted or convinced that we really need to start speaking about these issues. I was recently made aware of an opportunity to do that.”

He referred to the regulations that have evolved over the decades after the Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 and also the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act passed the previous year.

“When we go back 50 years ago, the scope of those acts were really supposed to be very narrow. It was supposed to prevent burdensome or unreasonable activity from happening. Fast-forward to today and the scope and the extent of those acts have been multiplied and extended way beyond the original intent,” he said.

“The Environmental Protection Agency is going through a draft strategy about how we’re going to start complying even further with the Endangered Species Act. We need to be thinking about how does that impact our businesses and our farms.

“Some of the comments we’ve shared in the draft strategy is growers need choice. We don’t need to be moving into a monopolistic type of environment where there are fewer choices available for growers. What we need to have are more choices.

“The other comment we made is the original scope or intent of these laws 50 years ago was very narrow. We’ve gone way beyond that original intent.”

Future Impacts

Draft strategy comments also questioned what the future could look like in terms of the number of farms.

“We’ve experienced farm consolidation, and I would say what I’ve read in the EPA’s draft strategy of how it complies with pesticides related to the Endangered Species Act is we’re moving further down a path with consolidation,” Corey Beck said.

“Perhaps the larger catalyst for consolidation over the next 10 years will be what farmers will be required to do just to comply.

“They’re talking about if you do certain farming activities and you get negative points for those and you have to offset those with positive points — growers are going to have to start hiring compliance officers just to keep up with what’s being mandated legally.

“I personally know a lot of growers that are not going to be interested in doing that. So, if you think about farm consolidation, that is a real threat.”