GROWING GAINS | Tech protects bay, boosts production for Maryland farmers

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“We’re true stewards of the land,” Rose said Wednesday.

But in an industry with razor-thin profit margins, this 21st-century farmer says technology is key.

“We’re able to put product where it's needed and when it's needed and we’re not applying any extra,” said Rose.

Modern-day technology, according to Rose, is helping farmers read the soil and crops to understand how to manage the distribution of seed, fertilizer, or pesticides.

Across what is often hundreds of acres of farmland – he indicates the formula for happy and healthy farmland can vary greatly.

It is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach.

And this farming technology is a major investment.

“For the base machine, it would be somewhere around $500,000-$600,000,” said Mike Asche, Ag Sales Manager for Atlantic Tractor.

Asche tells FOX45 News additional high-tech equipment can cost farmers another few hundred thousand dollars.

“All of our equipment has tremendous technology embedded in it so as farmers try to improve the job that they do farming -- more technology helps them do that,” said Asche.

The high cost, however, does come with advantages.

These farmers may be closer to Pennsylvania than the heart of the Bay, but this technology is beneficial for both their bottom line and what ends up in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

It leads to less waste of the pricey products for treating crops, as well as fewer pesticides draining into nearby waterways.

“We are documenting that we are reducing the impact on the water in that neighborhood --obviously the streams,” said Ben Hushon, a Partner at The Mill. “And our entire footprint, every farm field, ultimately the water can reach the Chesapeake Bay.”

The Mill supports, supplies, and services farms nearby.

Hushon sees modern farming technology as a positive for everyone.

“[Marylanders] have better water, farmers have better crops,” said Hushon. “It’s a real win-win.”
Source: https://foxbaltimore.com

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