Dear Santa – A farmer’s holiday wish list

Dear Santa,

I worked hard all year growing crops and caring for my land, so I hope I’m on your “nice” list this year. There are only two things I want this holiday season, but they are pretty technical, so you’ll need you’re most tech-savvy elves to do the job. I promise it’ll be worth it, though, because these two things will help me farm more sustainably and safely next year!

A Bird’s Eye View

We already use drones on our farm keep an eye on our fields when the plants get too tall to walk through, but the newer drones have higher quality cameras. Being able to see more detail would help me spot stressors like bugs, weeds or disease in our crops earlier than I can now. Spotting these things early means I can use less invasive measures to solve the problem before it becomes a bigger issue.

More Precision

Also, I’d like a new planter – but not just any planter, a multi-hybrid planter. You see, we have great soil here in Illinois, but it still varies, even across a single field. A multi-hybrid planter would help us plant not only the right amount of seeds in a section of the field, but also to plant specific varieties in the area of a field where they will grow best based on information we get from soil tests. Just like Mrs. Claus probably has her favorite varieties of apples or tomatoes, certain varieties of corn and soybeans grow better under different conditions, and we’re really good at growing corn and soybeans here in Illinois.

Thanks for taking the time to read my letter. I’ll leave some grain and water outside at my farm so the reindeer can get a bite to eat before you fly off to other farms and cities. And, of course, some milk and cookies will be by the Christmas tree for you!