01/29/07 The Techology Behind Farming

The Technology Behind Farming. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. I used to think that there was nothing as "low" tech as farming and in fact it began that way. Digging a shallow furrow in the ground with a stick and dropping in a few seeds, a little water and perhaps some of what the horse left over or a fish head and then the wait. Add a little free time and voila&that was farming. Of course you are chuckling right now since we all wish it was that easy. The basic idea though is still the same but how we get to the end result is a far cry from a simple stick. The technology has entered and with it, almost fanciful means of growing bigger and better crops. One company, the Foundation for Agronomic Research or FAR is helping to bring these technologies together with the InfoAg Northwest Conference. Harold Reetz is president of FAR. REETZ: It's a conference that brings together various aspects a electronic and computer and satellite technology that are used in agriculture. GIS, GPS, auto guidance systems, precision farming, remote sensing and various kinds of communication systems and record keeping. According to Reetz, FAR has been doing this type of conference for some time but this one is a first. REETZ: We've been doing these since 1994 in the Midwest and we've started branching out to do some regional conferences and this will be the third one we've held out in other parts of the country. It's the first one in the Northwest area. Reetz says using technology is like using another tool to get things done better and easier. REETZ: Looking at all these different kinds of technologies to help improve the efficiency of the materials we apply for crop inputs, monitor what the output is and be more economically and environmentally  environmental stewardship is really a goal of this too to help protect our water supplies and hopefully we're using technologies to do all these things better. The InfoAg Conference will feature 25 to 30 different companies showing a wide range of technologies and Reetz says there will also be information seminars. REETZ: We have three tracts of speakers that will be talking about in-field experience that they've had. We'll be having farmers as well as university people and industry people to help show what's doing on and what their experience in the field is with it, what some of their concerns are and what some of their dreams are. The InfoAg Northwest Conference is slated for February 20 & 21 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Washington. Visit their website at www.infoag.org for more information and registration. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.