During the halftime of his son’s football game, Farmer Brown asks his smartphone for a real-time cost-effectiveness analysis of three alternative treatments to suppress weeds in two acres over the Missouri River, where remote imagery technology identified weed pressure trending up and nearing 90% of the acre- and corn-stage-specific weed threshold. The device calculates real-time partial budget analyses using acre-specific weather forecasts, soil conditions, labor and machinery costs, corn growth stage and projected yields, weed species, and cutting-edge technology to respond with information about the cost-effectiveness of reducing weed pressure to 75%, 80%, and 85% of the threshold as well as leaving it at 90% or letting increase to the threshold before treatment. Mr. Brown activates his remote office via voice recognition and submits a request for the automated system to implement the most cost-effective option. After receiving immediate confirmation that his selection will be implemented within 24 hours, he is ready to continue rooting for his son’s team.
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This article is published as Plastina, A., K. Leibold, and M. Stockton. 2019. "The Farm Management Extension Audience of 2030." Choices. Quarter 2. Available online: http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/the-future-of-farm-management-extension/the-farm-management-extension-audience-of-2030. Posted with permission.