Ag Leader had a great 2013 and 2014 is shaping up to be even better. I caught up with Mike Olson, Ag Leader North America Sales Manager, who gave me an overview of what 2014 will bring as well as spoke to me about their sponsorship of the 2014 Iowa Power Farming Show.

Olson said they have been an event sponsor for the past five plus years and the event in is their backyard (they are located in Ames, Iowa) so Iowa Power Farming is a good show for them to sponsor. He also noted that it’s become the third largest farm show in the country, is very well run and has been very successful.

“We’re really proud to be a part of it,” said Olson. “We have a lot of our customers who come in and share their experiences and learn about new technologies, and it just a good way to meet our customers and spend time with them.”

During the show Ag Leader held some educational seminars including one focused on “AgFiniti– Ag Leader Technology’s Cloud-Based Platform,” presented by Luke James; “Designing a Tile Drainage System Using Your Precision Ag Data,” presented by Aaron Friedlein; and “Put Your Mind at Ease and Your Seed at Proper Depth with Hydraulic Down Force,” presented by Brett Buehler.

Precision agriculture has really grown over the past few years but Olson said that an estimated 50 percent of farm operations don’t use any precision ag technology. He said because of this there are a lot of great opportunities for people to get started and the technology has gotten a lot easier to use. He said the technology is also less expensive and some of the equipment like tractors and planters are easier to interface with. “So people who aren’t in it yet shouldn’t be scared to get into it,” said Olson.

He noted that another big trend in the industry is the value of data and more operations are beginning to see the value in collecting and analyzing data. In addition, for those farmers who have been using precision technologies, Ag Leader continues to innovate and has launched some great new products including AgFiniti and Ag Leader Hydraulic Down Force.

Listen to my full interview with Mike Olson. [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/agleader/iowapower-olson-14.mp3″ text=”Ag Leader Proud to Sponsor Iowa Power Farming Show”]

Click here to view the 2014 Iowa Power Farming Show photo album.