“Podcasts are mobile-friendly ways to listen from the tractor cab or wherever people may want to tune in. This program, which we first kicked off mid-2020, is one that we will be offering for the long-haul,” Sorbe said.
Curt Blades, senior vice president of Agriculture Services and Forestry with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), participated as the special guest in the “Sustainability with Precision Agriculture” episode. Blades spoke to the recent AEM study looking at the environmental benefits of precision agriculture. “There is a lot of research out there about the economic benefits of precision agriculture, most of it on an individual farmer level,” Blades said. That data had been used to help speed technology adoption, but what had not been done in a meaningful way until the study was conducted was on “societal benefits and then aggregating it in a way that makes a difference to lawmakers,” he said.
Rob Sharkey, a farmer from Illinois and host of the multi-media program Shark Farmer, was a guest in season two discussing his experiences with establishing a wind farm. Lesley Kelly of High Heels and Canola Fields addressed the importance of mental health for the farmer in season three. The new season’s first episode is “Connectivity is Required,” with guest Julie Bushell, president of Paige Wireless, discussing the critical need of rural connectivity for precision agriculture.
Listeners can subscribe to the Topcon Talks Agriculture series through their preferred podcast streaming app. Additionally, the podcasts are available at topconpositioning.com/na/podcasts-ag. All Topcon podcasts, including those for the construction industry, are available at topconpositioning.com/podcasts.
