We’ve seen it time and time again. When a technological innovation comes along, early adopters jump to the front of the line, while others wait to see how it performs. The farmer’s ability to absorb risk and an open mind often makes the difference.
Korey and Wendy Fauque manage Ben Taylor Inc., an agricultural retail at Sunburst, Montana. Randy Fauque, Korey’s father, manages the family farm. “Not everybody is a fast adopter of new technology,†says Korey Fauque. “I’d say about 30 percent of our customers are early adopters. They’re always ready to try something new. About 60 to 70 percent of our customers are wait-and-see.’â€
Fauque says that the early adopters have a better ability to deal with risk. “They often have the financial resources to absorb risk, but they’re also eager to learn about ways to improve,†he says. “They like to do their homework to improve their technical knowledge, which makes them more open to change. It also helps to have a few good experiences with new technology under your belt.â€
When conservation tillage was first introduced on the Johnson farm in Arneguard, North Dakota, more than 12 years ago, Wayne Johnson says that at first it met with a lot of negative reaction “‘It can’t be done’ was a typical reaction,†says Johnson. “But we’ve gone from 50/50 summer fallow to 100 percent no-till now. We raise more wheat on the land than ever before and that makes everybody in the family realize that the risk we took in adopting no-till paid off and continues to pay off. And the land is much healthier.â€
Johnson says the family taught themselves the ins and outs of no-till production and got some early advice from the chemical reps they worked with. “We started no-till on a small scale so we could see the benefits and the downsides to overcome. Adopting a whole new system takes time, but we slowly built the system and our knowledge of how to work with it.â€
Fauque says a lot of producers will wait to try a new product because they want to see if research that was done somewhere else applies to their area. “Just because a product works in North Dakota or Washington, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work in our soil conditions and rainfall situation.â€
The Fauques’ farm also gives them the opportunity to showcase new technology. Korey Fauque says seeing is believing for many reluctant adopters. “You can explain a product, but a lot of farmers want to see it in action in the field.â€
In 2007 the Fauques tried Pre-Pareâ„¢ herbicide, a new Arysta LifeScience technology, on their own farm. They made a burndown application on their wheat acres at the 0.3 oz/A rate. “We sprayed with Pre-Pare and glyphosate and got great results. You can go in and spray early. The problem with spraying in the crop is that the oats are already there and tend to have done their damage. You may get the oats, but the area is already pretty thin. If you can pre-spray you don’t run into that problem.â€
Johnson says he decided five years ago to give Everest®, a relatively new product at the time a try to control green foxtail and wild oats in wheat. “At first we used it on a small scale in field tests to see how it would work,†he says, “Now we use Everest in rotation when we come off peas and lentils. This year we got fantastic results. Everest lets us get out and seed early into a clean field. The carryover keeps the field clean and controls the weeds before they have a chance to grow.â€
Because early adopters tap into early experience, they are able to offer feedback on results to other farmers. “The farmers who use a product first are often the go-to people for other farmers,†Fauque points out. “They can share their experience and insight into where the new technology is going, which builds the confidence of other producers to go ahead and try it.â€
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We’ve seen it time and time again. When a technological innovation comes along, early adopters jump to the front of the line, while others wait to see how it performs. The farmer’s ability to absorb risk and an open mind often makes the difference.
Korey and Wendy Fauque manage Ben Taylor Inc., an agricultural retail at Sunburst, Montana. Randy Fauque, Korey’s father, manages the family farm. “Not everybody is a fast adopter of new technology,†says Korey Fauque. “I’d say about 30 percent of our customers are early adopters. They’re always ready to try something new. About 60 to 70 percent of our customers are wait-and-see.’â€
Fauque says that the early adopters have a better ability to deal with risk. “They often have the financial resources to absorb risk, but they’re also eager to learn about ways to improve,†he says. “They like to do their homework to improve their technical knowledge, which makes them more open to change. It also helps to have a few good experiences with new technology under your belt.â€
When conservation tillage was first introduced on the Johnson farm in Arneguard, North Dakota, more than 12 years ago, Wayne Johnson says that at first it met with a lot of negative reaction “‘It can’t be done’ was a typical reaction,†says Johnson. “But we’ve gone from 50/50 summer fallow to 100 percent no-till now. We raise more wheat on the land than ever before and that makes everybody in the family realize that the risk we took in adopting no-till paid off and continues to pay off. And the land is much healthier.â€
Johnson says the family taught themselves the ins and outs of no-till production and got some early advice from the chemical reps they worked with. “We started no-till on a small scale so we could see the benefits and the downsides to overcome. Adopting a whole new system takes time, but we slowly built the system and our knowledge of how to work with it.â€
Fauque says a lot of producers will wait to try a new product because they want to see if research that was done somewhere else applies to their area. “Just because a product works in North Dakota or Washington, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work in our soil conditions and rainfall situation.â€
The Fauques’ farm also gives them the opportunity to showcase new technology. Korey Fauque says seeing is believing for many reluctant adopters. “You can explain a product, but a lot of farmers want to see it in action in the field.â€
In 2007 the Fauques tried Pre-Pareâ„¢ herbicide, a new Arysta LifeScience technology, on their own farm. They made a burndown application on their wheat acres at the 0.3 oz/A rate. “We sprayed with Pre-Pare and glyphosate and got great results. You can go in and spray early. The problem with spraying in the crop is that the oats are already there and tend to have done their damage. You may get the oats, but the area is already pretty thin. If you can pre-spray you don’t run into that problem.â€
Johnson says he decided five years ago to give Everest®, a relatively new product at the time a try to control green foxtail and wild oats in wheat. “At first we used it on a small scale in field tests to see how it would work,†he says, “Now we use Everest in rotation when we come off peas and lentils. This year we got fantastic results. Everest lets us get out and seed early into a clean field. The carryover keeps the field clean and controls the weeds before they have a chance to grow.â€
Because early adopters tap into early experience, they are able to offer feedback on results to other farmers. “The farmers who use a product first are often the go-to people for other farmers,†Fauque points out. “They can share their experience and insight into where the new technology is going, which builds the confidence of other producers to go ahead and try it.â€
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