HAVING a successful farming operation in South Africa means setting long-term goals that foster resilience.
Resorting to short-term solutions may seem like the best decision today, but a farming operation will be ill-equipped to handle the challenges of tomorrow.
Technology is the underpinning factor that will provide your farming operations with the resilience it needs for a sustainable future. The decision to use technology applies to all aspects of a farming operation, especially when deciding on the correct mechanisation equipment to purchase for your farm.
Relying on equipment alone to ensure a successful operation, may overlook the opportunities that come with technological innovation.
To ensure the prosperity of the farm, the approach needs to be less equipment-orientated and more solution-driven.
Gone are the days when a tractor was just a tractor, or a harvester was just a harvester; your equipment has now become the means to a long-term, sustainable goal.
Solutions-driven technology can be applied to every level of mechanisation; for example, by using an efficient planter that optimises seed and fertiliser placement, yield percentages can be drastically increased.
As a farm increases in size and capacity, efficient data collection and management becomes essential. By introducing technology, data can be handled seamlessly. Data can be tracked and converted into appropriate and workable inputs for each step of the farming and cultivation process. Effective data management provides farmers with the insights they need to prepare for fluctuations in demand.
Whether it is soil preparation, planting, spraying or harvesting, technology will reduce fuel consumption while maximising profitability.
A sustainable, resilient farming operation is possible with the latest technology provided by John Deere that collects essential data and is processed by the John Deere Operations Center and JDLink™, farming operations can be at the peak of efficiency.
Technology is available to farmers at all levels and these innovations range from bolstered propulsion systems to driver comfort optimisations. With greater visibility and better lighting, you can keep your tractor going for longer:
Decision-making around future investments is crucial to ensure long-term success. One aspect of this is the resale value of equipment when it is no longer needed or needs to be replaced. Ensuring investment in equipment that, although it has a higher initial purchase price, often results in savings over its lifetime due to the latest technology. An almost assured high resale value offers an excellent long-term investment on the road to farming success.
The sustainability and success of any business is only as strong as its ongoing support structure, even more so in the farming environment. John Deere has one of the best dealer support networks in the world and by communicating service alerts in advance, directly from equipment to a John Deere dealer, ensures minimum downtime of machinery and tools, especially during critical times.
