“The more efficient we can make ourselves and our customers the better,” says Ben Huber. “Whether it’s aerial imaging, nutrient stewardship technologies, or other innovative practices, our priorities within the AgValidity and MiField programs are to mitigate risk for our customers. We vet these products and practices and partner with our customers to learn what works and what doesn’t before attempting to scale these things to the whole field or farm level. There is so much new technology in the marketplace it can be hard for farmers to separate what can generate real ROI from what’s just another cost. We can test the best of this technology out on a broad basis and help identify the advantages and challenges. That way farmers aren’t losing a whole season by testing something that may not provide them the best solution.”

Choosing the right hydraulic fluid can pay dividends. But there is a lot to know in making a good decision. Viscosity, wear protection, water handling capabilities, foam suppression and oxidation resistance are among the most important considerations.

The use of self-feeders has been long practiced in the beef industry for a variety of different types of operations and compliment the no roughage programs at Insight FS. They allow producers more schedule flexibly by reducing labor by 4.5 times that of bunk feeding, and can be handmade from wood, metal, or plastic. In addition to reducing labor, they limit feed waste by reducing the amount of feed spoilage.