Snake Oil & Other Services Companies' Futures

[Klause]

So companies like ATP and whoever makes the new snake oil growth regulator… and the hundreds of others making seed primers magical coatings, etc…. What does everyone think will happen to them with a drop in grain prices?


Their products won't get used any more….


What about companies like AgriTrend? Saik is a man I'd like to punch some days… recent article in the producer basically says if you don't use variable rate you'll go broke. (I.E. if you don't use our services you'll go broke).

VR works out to using the same amount of fert per quarter just not at the same level everywhere.

Is the writing on the wall for some of these businesses?

[ado089]

I don't know. Farmers have a tendency to double down when times are tough. Regardless I think that with $8 canola and $4.50 wheat and 50-70 cent nitrogen, soil sampling is very important. I should disclose that I sample for western Ag though.

[checking]

Variable rate in SE SK. has been neutered by weather. Depressions can't be seeded, so all products are available for the upper land at a boosted constant rate.

[samhill]

VR requires satellite which sends all data to the universe. When you trade your combine, JD et al sell data on it to people of interest.
There are lots of reasons to promote it.

[farmaholic]

samhill, I'm sure those who bought the "technology" "signed off". To me it would be an invasion of privacy. Why is our information so important to the Industry but everyone else's is a ****ing "TOP SECRET FILE"??? Information is power.

[greybeard]

A very smart guy once told me that a bare seed coat was a highly refine way to get water into the seed to start germination.
Everything else just forms a barrier.

[Hopalong]

Would not discount variable rate technology entirely.
Still a lot of work and research to be done but think it's day will come.

[ado089]

Vr is awsome but very few people know how to do it properly, certainly not the big players.

[farmaholic]

I don't think BTOs want to take the time to split hairs,it takes time. Allot of data collection. Keeping the tech working.

Not sahing none don't though

[ado089]

Give me a topo and e.c. Map and I'll make you a prescription that will fit like a glove and you don't need to keep any data if you don't want.

[bgmb]

Vr might work if you do it yourself but if you hire a kid to do it for you it probably wont work.

[bgmb]

Good post Klause, Always lots of slime balls trying to separate you from your money, always will be.

Shuffle them aside and forge ahead.

[Hopperbin]

For once I agree with klause. This year my yield monitor shows 50 in the drownd out slough and near 0 on the hilltop where all the crop is. Imagine making sense of a yield map around here. I dont agree with nitrogen leaching away around here either. My experience is if the crop did not use it its most likely still there. Shitty roots mean shitty crop. I actually had some of the best years on land that never produced. I mean was not farmed to potential before me. Well I usually say too much and klause will want clobber me.

[Hopperbin]

Perhaps the yield map will compensate for delay. I am really not there. One thing for sure is some day we will need to replenish more and more nutrients as we take them out. P n s etc are not the only nutrients being used.

[farmaholic]

I've sarcastically said that variable rating is for people who have everything else already...... ;-)