-Farm News photo by Lori Berglund
Randy Tincher is all smiles as the sun shines down on this Case IH Steiger at Manson Red Power in Manson.

MANSON — Few industries have seen faster growth in the application of sophisticated technology than agriculture.

In the span of a generation, farmers have adapted to the use of software, temperature and moisture sensors, GPS, guidance, auto steer, even robotic systems — all designed to allow those in the business of agriculture to do their jobs just a little bit better.

“Technology is in everything we do,” said Dave Plahn, general manager of Manson Red Power. “It is here to stay.”

Questions about new technology may not be as common as talk about the weather, but it’s a common point of interest.

“Farmers are interested in a host of things,” he said. “Guidance for their tractors, sprayers or combines,” are things that have become very important.

As farmers head to the field for planting season, variable rate population is one of the most popular features on today’s planters.

“Varying the population can be very helpful if you have some parts of your farm that aren’t quite as productive as the rest,” he explained.

Based on good soil sample statistics, decreasing the plant population will take the stress off of lesser quality soil, while bumping the population in more productive areas will help drive higher yields.

At the other end of the season, yield monitors have become even more hi-tech on today’s combines.

“You can really fine tune the data,” that’s available on today’s yield monitors, Plahn noted.

In large part, the technology available throughout the season is designed to help farmers do more with the information they already have from their own years of experience.

“I think farmers know their farms pretty well,” Plahn said. “They know a spot that doesn’t produce very well and a spot that does. They all know that, and they know their ground very well. But with technology, it gives you an advantage to do more with that information.”

This spring, with the rising cost of fertilizer, technology can also be employed to vary the rate of application so that farmers are not spending money they don’t want to spend on areas that don’t need the same amount of fertilizer to be productive.

An Ogden native, Plahn has been with Red Power for 29 years now. He’s seen plenty of changes, and still enjoys working with farmers to help them succeed on their own operation.

“The younger guys grasp onto technology right away because they grew up with it,” he said. “People my age and older, we adapt to it. It’s probably more of an uphill climb for us, but the farmers do it. We’ve got some guys my age and older who are very savvy with it. It’s best to find your own comfort level and embrace it.”