With agricultural technology, or "agtech," accelerating and precision agriculture gaining renewed interest across a wide swath of cropping systems, Meister Media Worldwide is pleased to announce an important step in its new companywide AgTech initiative.
PrecisionAg magazine, published since the mid-1990s for the general precision community, in 2017 enhances its position to become PrecisionAg Professional - presented by the editors of CropLife magazine as a media brand expressly for the service providers who in turn serve and most heavily influence growers: ag retailers and cooperatives, consultants, Extension specialists, and equipment dealers.
"In the first phase of precision's evolution, growers and service providers shared a mutual interest in learning about brand-new technologies and products," said Meister Media Worldwide Corporate Content Director James C. Sulecki, who is providing executive leadership of the company's cross-market agtech initiative. "But one message now comes through loud and clear: Growers are busy, and with the continuing deluge of new products and the tumult of changing technologies, they rely heavily on their trusted advisers, who have the agronomic expertise and infrastructure necessary to drive precision adoption forward.
"Through PrecisionAg Professional we hope not only to help improve the offerings and profitability of service providers' precision programs, we also anticipate there will be a beneficial pull-through effect with growers as well as they gain access to a higher level of expertise and service."
PrecisionAg Professional magazine will debut in February 2017, distributed with CropLife magazine to ag retailers and cooperatives and as a stand-alone mailing to other influencers including equipment dealers, totaling about 22,500 readers. Major topical pillars for the magazine's six-time frequency will be Tools & Smart Equipment, Grower Services & Solutions, and Business Management.
"PrecisionAg Professional is structured to address persistent pain points among service providers who offer precision services - areas such as how to best address a grower's most challenging agronomic objectives using precision tools, how to properly price and sell and capture value for precision services, and how to staff and generally run an effective and profitable precision business," said Paul Schrimpf, Executive Editor of PrecisionAg Professional and CropLife.
Additionally, PrecisionAg E-News will become PrecisionAg Professional Update, and PrecisionAg.com will be recast as the "Global Hub for AgTech Innovation" with sections targeted to Professionals as well as to Systems Management, Horticulture Technology (in collaboration with Meister Media's horticulture brands), and AgTech Global (in collaboration with sister brand AgriBusiness Global™).
The PrecisionAg Institute has been refocused to help service providers better serve and understand growers' needs so that growers in turn will be more inclined to invest in precision products and services.
"Among the core activities of the Institute is an ongoing farmer and professional adviser panel research project that pinpoints adoption trends and barriers and emerging market needs," said Rick Welder, Associate Publisher of PrecisionAg Professional. "We're pleased this landmark research will continue in 2017." Current partners in the PrecisionAg Institute include the American Soybean Association, The Climate Corporation, Esri, John Deere, Raven, Simplot SmartFarm, SST, Topcon Precision Agriculture, Wilbur-Ellis, and WinField.
The PrecisionAg Innovation Series also continues in 2017, now branded as the PrecisionAg Professional Innovation Series with a lead-off event in St. Louis, MO, on February 22 that is being programmed expressly to help solve service providers' most challenging precision management needs. Plans for other learning and professional development opportunities under the PrecisionAg Professional brand are in the works for 2017 and beyond.
For more information, visit PrecisionAg.com/Professional.