Value added

Third-generation farmer Mike Giannini is always on the lookout for ways to add value to his 300-acre almond and pistachio operation in Kern County, California. When new regulations come along, he doesn’t settle for the bare minimum of compliance; he aims to excel within the new framework. He recognizes that access to quality agronomic tools enables operational success.

To bolster his farm’s efficiency, Giannini relies on the AgriEdge^® partnership.

“It’s a huge help for me,” he says. “Whether you’re farming 100 acres or 10,000 acres, documentation is key. In California, the nitrogen management form is one of many forms we have to fill out for the state. With AgriEdge, in three or four clicks, I can have my total fertility program right there. Filling out those forms has now gone from taking ten hours to an hour.”

Production in focus

Now that Giannini doesn’t have to spend all day inputting data, he can focus on opportunities to increase production. AgriEdge also helps with those activities. Giannini uses the software offered by AgriEdge to track and analyze data from various perspectives.

“When I’m sitting down with my Pest Control Advisers going over soil samples, I can go in and ask, ’Why did we do this?’” he says. “I can consider, ‘Why is this field up and this field not?’ We can go back and look at precise records. With AgriEdge, we can take it a step further and break it down per field and per crop.”

Giannini pulls from this detailed data as he creates strategies to bolster his operation’s efficiency. The partnership allows him to identify needs and areas of waste.

“When we started really going into this partnership, we reduced our nitrogen input by almost 45 percent, after just a year or two,” he says. “We were getting better crops out of it, and being more efficient.”

Knowledge in action

For Giannini, the appeal of the program goes beyond technology; he’s also a big fan of the knowledgeable, personalized service provided by each AgriEdge specialist.

“The AgriEdge specialists that we’ve worked with have been great,” he says. “They’re a phone call away. There’s an open line at all times, and that’s a huge benefit of this partnership. I’m not on my own, trying to figure something out.”

The specialists’ commitment to communication ensures that Giannini will never be left to deal with a problem on his own. Help from a capable professional who understands the complexities of his particular operation is never far away. Such a combination of unbeatable service and cutting-edge, intuitive technology gives Giannini confidence in the partnership for years to come.