Adopting Innovations: A Farm Voice Perspective 

The heritage of farming runs deep across the midwestern plains. Josh Svaty, Free State Farms; Sara Shivers, Salt Creek Farm; and Bill Spiegel, Speigel Family Farms, are part of this tapestry. Their perspectives at AdFarm’s Farm Voice event speak to the ongoing pursuit of innovation within agriculture—a sector deeply rooted in tradition while continuously progressing. 

As generational farmers, Svaty, Shivers and Speigel have seen firsthand how farms are evolving while also navigating obstacles. Challenges such as water scarcity, soaring insurance costs, and the dilemma of expanding lands or maximizing existing ones are shared across the industry. Profitability and convenience are central factors in finding innovative solutions. 

“I want something that’s going to take care of itself and that’s going to make my life easier,” Speigel says. “Our hours are limited. We don’t necessarily want to be out in the field when we should be at our kids’ baseball game.” 

Providing farmers with a feasible starting place to introduce new technology is also important. Drone innovation has helped Shivers ease the strain of labor-intensive tasks, starting with a visual drone before considering investing in thermal capabilities.  

Shivers outlines, “I look for innovation that we can test on a small scale. I don’t want to have to deploy something across thousands of acres to see if it’ll work for my operation.” 

Throughout this process, technology can be a tool or a puzzle for farmers. Speigel shares concerns about investing in data without gaining actionable insights to improve the efficiency of operations, reflecting the struggle of many farmers—balancing innovation with practical application. 

Svaty brings forward how agriculture companies and producers can better work together for mutual benefit and, ultimately, further innovation.  

“It may be that some of these agricultural companies need to compensate producers for data,” Svaty suggests. “Give us reason to share data that would not just up your bottom line but up our bottom line too.” 

Farmers are finding the next innovation for their operations from a variety of sources, from reviewing agriculture publications and case studies to partnering with research extension agents and neighbors. Shivers reveals that it’s a broad spectrum of where farmers find inspiration for innovation, highlighting that they don’t rely on just one source. That said, almost all farmers can agree that they place the most trust in their close relationships.  

The path to on-farm innovation isn’t just about adopting cutting-edge technologies; it’s about integrating change in a meaningful way that supports existing farming and ranching operations. We need only look to farmers themselves to help steer this direction.   

Hear more about adopting innovation on the farm from the panelists in this video from AdFarm’s Farm Voice event.