Ag tech opens doors for future generation

How to cultivate a new generation of agriculturalists is getting a lot of attention these days, including being chosen as the theme for the upcoming Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture, set for Feb. 18.

Part of achieving that goal might involve tapping into promising technologies in ways that draw young people back to farming.

While tools that allow farmers to farm larger acreages more efficiently might sound like a double-edged sword, consider that the average farmer is roughly 60 years old and has a hard time finding reliable help.

The lack of young workers in rural areas is a serious problem, according to Aaron Frank, a farmer from Kirk.

“We run a 120-foot sprayer on our farm,” he said recently. “You know why? Because I’m spread so thin. I have to make the most of my time.”

Labor shortages are routinely discussed among produce growers and dairy producers, but the topic hasn’t gotten enough attention from crop farmers, Frank said.

Dave Eckhardt, a La Salle farmer who currently serves as president of Colorado Corn, doesn’t think technology alone will bring kids back to rural communities without a vibrant farm economy. In the boom years of the last decade he watched young people return to local farms, only to leave again as economic conditions deteriorated.

He’s more optimistic about how technology will benefit his generation.

“I think the technology piece will allow me to farm into my 80s as opposed to into my 60s,” he said. “I think it will allow existing producers to farm longer.”

Craig Smith, who teaches agricultural economics classes at Fort Hays State University in Western Kansas, acknowledges that lower commodity prices are affecting student attitudes and outlook.

“There’s definitely a smaller percentage of them going back to the farm than there was three years ago, or at least it’s a tougher decision for them,” said Smith, who spoke at the High Plains No Till Conference in Burlington recently on precision agriculture.

Still, he sees a silver lining in the rapid adoption of new technology. “The news isn’t all bad,” he said. “I always encourage my students to do an internship or consider going to work somewhere else for a few years, so they can see things from another perspective.”

For students willing to take that route, the sky really is the limit, he said.

“There’s lots of opportunities in ag technology support and in helping farmers set up the equipment and in helping them understand, interpret and apply data to making management decisions,” he said. “Employers are contacting me on a regular basis, telling me there is a shortage of qualified and interested candidates in that area right now. Starting off working full-time in a job like that might be what it takes for a young person to get back to the farm again.”

Smith grew up on a small hobby farm in South Central Kansas and was drawn to a career in agriculture after working on neighboring farms. He said ag grads today willing to work hard and grow can land jobs making $40,000 a year. Being native to Western Kansas or Eastern Colorado often gives them a leg up with companies that hire in the region.

The idea that agriculture “isn’t just about getting your hands dirty, it’s about being more of a precision ag engineer,” is a point that economic development director Michael Sullivan hopes to make to more kids. As head of Sedgwick County Economic Development in Julesburg, he spent the past two and a half years working to launch a business incubator there.

After he took a road trip across Colorado to tour similar facilities in places like Frisco, Grand Junction and Durango, he reached an important conclusion.

“I need to get the younger generation engaged,” he said. “We want to incorporate a lot of things in our facility that students can use.” One example is a 3-D printing lab. “We’ll let all the kids in the 25 surrounding school districts use it. They can create a project at their school and then come to our facility to produce it,” he said.

He also wants to host an ag innovation day for area schools.

“In my part of the world, it’s all about agriculture,” he said.

Many of the region’s best and brightest do want the opportunity to return, Sullivan added. He could think of several examples, including one former Sedgwick graduate who now works in California’s dairy industry. Another is from Julesburg and is doing his master’s thesis at Washington State University on how to connect farmers and co-ops.

“It all used to be just an outward migration, but now you’re starting to see a reversal of that,” Sullivan said. “The world is shrinking.”

Elaine Daly can testify to that. The Holyoke native is a field application engineer for Trimble. Her clients include large commercial farms spread from Florida to Washington. At the same time, she and her husband, Gene, run 250 cows and raise hay on his family’s farm near Glendo, Wyoming, with their two young sons, Clay and Justin.

Precision agriculture “is a diverse field ranging from guidance and technology to irrigation water management,” she said.

“I can reach in my pocket and tell if a pivot is running a hundred miles from here, or somewhere in eastern Washington for that matter,” she explained. “We are able to go nationwide and even worldwide with what I do. There are many of us who travel abroad but still have the home base of a farm or ranch that allows us to keep our rural roots.”