Chris Creek, northeast U.S. Region Manager for Precision Planting, was the guest speaker for the PSC Ag Club on Thursday night at the Davis Conference Center.
The future of farming has evolved from the antiquated practices of planting and harvesting by the cycles of the moon or by consulting the Farmer’s Almanac. To be competitive in a modern agriculture marketplace, farmers will need to embrace changes, as generations did before them, in order to thrive.
That was the underlying theme from guest speaker Chris Creek, the Northeast Region Manager for Precision Planting, at a lecture presentation Thursday evening hosted by the WVU Potomac State College Agriculture Club.
During a two-and-a-half-hour program at the Davis Conference Center, Creek presented the nearly thirty-five people in the room – the majority of whom were local representatives of the farming community – with a picture of the future in which modern technology and even artificial intelligence will be utilized in the industry.
“I actually made some projections back in 2023, and those projections I made three years ago are now headed toward becoming a reality,” Creek said. “Look, we only have so many resources to feed a planet where the population so far is still growing. Believe it or not, there are still some people in this world who are not eating enough, and there are people in this world who need more, and we owe it to them to try and do what we can and raise what we can.”
While he has been employed by Precision Planting for 15 years, since 2014, Creek has been a requested speaker on the lecture circuit on the subjects of technology, corn planting, seed genetics, and agriculture. At his lecture at PSC, he covered topics like proper seeding, nutrients, water and hydration, consistent depth, optimal soil content, temperature, oxygen, and sunlight. On the subject of proper sunlight exposure, Creek posed a question to those in attendance.
“How many of you here tonight consider yourselves solar farmers?” he asked and then paused for the response before answering the question. “Unless you are all out farming in the dark or have big UV lamps you turn on at night, you all are. You all rely on solar power – the power of the sun- to get the most out of your fields. So, you are all solar farmers.”
Creek said that is how farmers need to look at the future. The tools that are coming represent a tradition of change that has been passed down from generation to generation. He compared modern technology to manual farming with plow horses done years before, adding that ever-expanding technology is something to embrace and not to fear.
“How many of you guys in the room have a farming operation that is too large for you to walk entirely at least once a month?” he asked. “And so wouldn’t it be nice if you could keep an eye on those areas that are trouble spots and focus on what those areas?”
Creek said modern advances like drones, cameras, and even computer software that can be uploaded onto smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other devices to assist the agricultural community.
“Drones, for instance, are becoming more and more important,” he said. “You can capture an image with a drone and keep better track of what is called ‘Symphony Vision’ and ‘Weed Density.’ This allows farmers to monitor areas. When you have acres and acres of land that need monitored, this type of technology only makes sense.”
He said one of the fastest-growing technological advances in farming has been seed genetics.
“Has anybody noticed that the seeds we are using today are a little more resilient to drought? You will notice that even if you are doing things the way you did it for the last ten years, just from seed genetics alone, you probably noticed significant increases in advancement.”
Seed genetics is the study and application of inherited hereditary characteristics within plant seeds, determining traits like yield potential, disease resistance, and environmental adaptability. It involves manipulating the DNA of seeds to create robust, high-performing crop varieties that help farmers maximize productivity, withstand pests, and adapt to climate change.
“You have to realize we have been doing this for as long as human beings have been raising food. Right after the hunter-gatherer phase of human development, somebody said, ‘You know what?” I really like what that plant looks like. And this one doesn’t look quite so good, but it tastes better, so let’s see what happens if we plant them all together and see where that goes.’ We have been selectively breeding plants for a good long time. So, the idea behind all of this technology isn’t new. What is new is the technology itself and how we go about doing it. And like the rest of the country, West Virginia is going to have to keep up.”
Chris Creek spoke to a crowd of local farmer and agricultural enthusiasts. Here, he shows Burlington farmers Rick Woodworth and Will Woodworth a prototype of a new piece of equipment his company has in development.
Creek briefed the attendees on advances in infrared technology, attaching a camera to an already existing watering system, allowing farmers to keep an eye on their production remotely without having to manually traverse acres and acres of land.
“If I have an idea where my crops are struggling, now I know where to look, and I can focus on those trouble spots,” he said. “A new technology now also exists to maintain and control volume and pressure on a spray bar. By using technological advances, our crops can be better maintained, and problems in the field and with crops spotted and prevented.”
Modern technology in farming, he said, can determine moisture, temperature, depth, and the quality of soil. It can also read and report back through imagery and data on the uniformity of growth and production.
“So, to suffice it to say, we have technologies that are looking at the field, evaluating what’s going on in the field, and making real-time and in-the-field decisions, and can make changes in the field and take advantage of what it is using,” Creek said.
Creek said the buzzword of the day is “AI” and its value in society as a whole. When it comes to farming and agriculture, he said not only is artificial intelligence opening up new career opportunities in the industry, but it is also saving time and energy.
“Imagine having a camera that is capturing images and reporting back those images to you,” he said. “Imagine a hundred mini tractors with cameras and devices that can work the field and send messages and reports to your phone or tablet. And imagine if they could all communicate and connect with each other. And imagine if, at the end of the day, those mini tractors made their way back to charging stations. You don’t have to imagine that. That technology is already here. They are actually called agricultural robot swarms. And within two years, I predict there will be more widespread use of it.”
Creek said trial programs for new emerging “Smart” equipment are already being evaluated in states like Iowa. He said even the company he works for – Precision Planting – has invented a patented device which ensures a seed will reach its maximum depth with the embryo of the seed in the perfect position for growth.
He said randomly spreading corn seeds like generations before were apt to do resulted in just a 10 to 20 percent success rate. Modern technology can increase that to 75 and 80 percent, he said.
“That technology does exist now, and it’s being used, and it’s helping farmers become more selective in monitoring their production and paying attention to what needs more attention.”
While he talked about new advances in technology, Creek’s presentation also touched on basic principles of farming practices that have been time-honored procedures for generations. He stressed the need for profitability and efficiency in the field.
“Some guys are farming now the same way they were farming five and ten years ago, but how efficient is that?” he said. “How is that helpful to the guy who is trying to turn a profit and make a living with the equipment Granddad used? The truth is, we all have to get better at what we are doing and how we are learning.”
As technology advances and becomes more sophisticated, and more farms begin to embrace change – even if some farms come kicking and screaming into a new age- the element of personal judgment will never not be needed. The love, care, and passion of the farming industry will always come from humans, not computers or software.
“We still need human management decisions in this industry,” Creek said. “Technology and software will never take the place of the actual human farmer. You still need the farmer to increase, decrease, and monitor his needs when it comes to production.”
Like every industry, Creek said today’s farmers and agriculturalists will need to stay educated not only about physical farming but in continuing changes in technology that can be helpful in production.
“We have the ability to learn more about the future of our industry using technology than at any other time in modern history,” he said. “Some of the things being developed are pretty amazing. Technology is changing. The future of farming is happening, and it’s exciting, and it’s a big deal. I have had to learn an awful lot in the last couple of years, and I have an awful lot I still have to learn. We all do. Just keep learning and keep staying informed.”
Student Levi Ferster presented Creek with a bottle of Potomac State made maple syrup and an empty glass milk carton, a souvenir of a time when PSC was known for its advances in the dairy community.
Creek was invited to speak on campus by special invitation of the PSC Ag club president, student Levi Ferster.
“There are so many things to be grateful for, from physical labor to expanding technologies,” Ferster said. “I think he covered everything pretty well. Hopefully, everybody learned something, and we changed some mindsets.”
March is designated as National Agriculture Month in the United States, dedicated to recognizing the vital role farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses play in producing food, fiber, fuel, and their agricultural contributions to the economy and daily life. In its 125th anniversary year, WVU Potomac State College celebrates its rich history of educating leaders in the agriculture industry.