SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Scientific Cal Ag has released results of its first Farmer Research Study. The study was conducted at World Ag Expo® held February 12-14, 2019 in Tulare, CA. “With over 100,000 attendees at the Expo, this is the largest such event in the world,” states Anthony Hall, President and CEO of Scientific Cal Ag.
While exhibiting at World Ag Expo®, the company offered a two-night stay with dinner and free wine, including wine tasting, at the exclusive Allegretto Resort in beautiful Paso Robles, CA. Kaveh Nemati, the company’s data scientist, notes, “the incentive to participate in the study helped yield a statistically sound representation for sampling.” Nearly 60% identified themselves as growers or farm owners, while agronomist/crop scientist, agriculture research and development, consultants, operations and sales comprised smaller portions. Among the notable results:
- 50% of responders grew fruit (including wine grapes) and nuts, which affords the greatest opportunity for Scientific Cal Ag’s drone driving technology. Smaller farmers (less than 440 acres) represented 63% of the survey, which is lower than the 89% reported for all U.S. small farms, according to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture.
- The survey found that 16 out of 100 farmers refrain from hiring a specialist during the growing season, preferring to handle the ground truthing themselves. Of those that hire a specialist, 31% are to detect disease and pests, with 22% for soil inspection, 17% for irrigation advisement and 14% for fertilization.
- Depending on the number of acres farmed, smaller producers spend up to $60,000 annually for the services of crop scientist/PCA’s and other specialists. Nearly 41% of farmers spend between $60,000 and $120,000+ annually for these services.
During World AgExpo®, news of the new drone technology spread like wild fire, with local news agencies lining up to interview the team. “We had interviews from KBAK, FOX58, CBS47, KSEE24, 23ABC and FOX26, which were all aired during the Expo”, states Jacob Lindberg, Product Design Engineer. “Attendees were approaching us mentioning how they had seen our drone on the news.”
The survey further assessed the likelihood of adopting this new drone technology, indicating:
- 51% acknowledged that they use precision agricultural technology to make decisions in the field.
- 97% stated they consider agricultural technology/services worth the cost.
- Farmers responded positively to Scientific Cal Ag drone technology, with two-thirds stating they would definitely use their services, if available.
While adoption rates for farmers transitioning to agricultural technology remains below 10%, the general consensus is that innovators of agricultural technology do not fully understand the requirements of farmers. “We tend to be bombarded with all of this new technology, but so far I just don’t see any savings”, was a common theme from visitors at the Scientific Cal Ag booth. During the survey company officials asked farmers, “what are your main concerns within farming?” 31% responded water/drought, 24% crop yields, 23% disease/pests, 10% picking decisions, 5% maturity and 7% other.
–Scientific Cal Ag
International Agri-Center
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