When hands-free steering was first introduced to agriculture nearly 10 years ago, farmers were skeptical.
What convinced Tipton, Oklahoma, farmer Mike Gosa? He says there were a variety of factors that eventually swayed his decision to invest in Trimble's Autopilot system: Factors like gaining efficiency, saving money, and having less stress and fatigue.
"It was looked on quite skeptically because the return on investment was uncertain. It was a big capital investment back then. It has taken time for growers to recognize that they can gain a few percentage points, and the return is surprisingly fast," says Trimble's Levi Kettle. "With automatic steering, farmers can do things with their equipment they didn't dream they could do before."
But even the proven product didn't convince Tipton, Oklahoma, farmer Mike Gosa. He and stepson, Jacob Cope, disagreed on whether to adopt the technology on their 2,600-acre operation.
"Jacob was convinced automatic steering was the way to go. I wasn't. I could drive in a straight line and didn't understand why we needed to invest that kind of money," says Mike.
What convinced him? Mike says there were a variety of factors that eventually swayed his decision to invest in Trimble's Autopilot system. Factors like gaining efficiency, saving money, and having less stress and fatigue.
"Today's farmers have to get it right or they're out. For every dollar you invest, you need to get as much of that back in profit as you can," he says.
While his stepson, who by day installs and troubleshoots precision ag equipment for a local ag equipment dealer, had shared the facts and figures with his father about how the system could benefit their operation, Mike wanted to experience it firsthand. He put it to the test discing one of their fields.
"In a 120-acre field, I made nine extra passes running without Autopilot than I did running with it. In 37 minutes, I figured I could have plowed 31 more acres with the system than without," Mike says. "We figured we were 18% more efficient with the system."
Not only was he able to be more efficient and productive in the field but also he felt the benefits outside of the field.
"I'm getting older. Before automatic steering, I would be hurting all over at night and I figured that's just part of farming. With the hands-free system, I'm not tense and stressed from driving," he says. "I couldn't believe how much better I felt at night and how easy it was to operate."
From the pages of: "Successful Farming"
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