The 2022 Global Ag Tech Awards of Excellence – North America Recipients Honored at Tech Hub LIVE
The first Global Ag Tech Awards of ExcellenceSM – North America were presented at the second Tech Hub LIVE in Indianapolis on July 21. The awards carry on a 15-year tradition of the PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence with a new name to reflect the more wide ranging impact of ag technology in our industry beyond what is traditionally understood as precision agriculture. The awards are sponsored by the Global Ag Tech AllianceSM – North America, formally known as the PrecisionAg Alliance.
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The 2022 Precision Farmer of the Year award was presented to Greg Odde, L&O Acres, in Aberdeen, SD. The family operation was founded in 1974 by Greg’s father Leonard and is run today along with Greg’s sons Chris and Kirby and grandson Parker. L&O Acres was all no-till in the early 90s and began developing machinery to tackle no-till farming practices. They built their own 60-foot seeder with single disc openers, an idea that was purchased by CNH and is still in use today. L&O was an early adopter of light bar navigation and have been instrumental in assisting manufacturers in fine tuning their products.
“This is quite an honor,” said Odde. “We’ve been involved in precision ag for a number of years. It’s made our farm sustainable and efficient and basically guarantees the future for my sons and grandson.”
There were two winners in the Crop Advisor/Entrepreneur of the Year category this year. Stout Industrial Technology, creator of the Smart Cultivator, is an ag tech startup located in Salinas, CA, developing farm implements that automate labor intensive and expensive tasks like weeding, cultivating, and spraying. More than 25 smart cultivators are working thousands of hours across the U.S. and now they are moving into Europe. CEO Brent Shedd accepted the award for the company.
“I know it’s my picture up there, but I’m just the circus monkey that runs the place,” said Shedd. “This award is really for the team at Stout, the people that actually designed and built the machines, and the AI model behind it.”
Crop Advisor of the Year Jeff Wessels is Acre+ Precision Ag Manager for Frenchman Valley Coop in Grant, NE. Wessels has been a leader in farmer-facing precision agriculture programs for over 20 years and was one of the first individuals to work with growers on grid soil sampling and variable rate fertility, then to have variable yield zones for fertility and then progress to variable rate seeding.
Presenting the award, Meister Media Worldwide Corporate Content Director Richard Jones noted Wessels has been a “leader in helping uncover the potential of ag technology and help others understand the benefits.” Wessels participated in two panels during Tech Hub LIVE, “Speaking the Language of Millennials” and “Scouting Tools.”
Finally, the Legacy in Ag Technology Award was presented to Jim Chambers, Vice President and General Manager, Ag Division, Trimble Agriculture. Chambers has dedicated his career to ag tech, precision ag and water technology at both start ups and major corporations such as Monsanto, Bayer Crop Science, and John Deere. He has worked on farms in 93 different countries and is well known for his work in precision water management and irrigation. His mission is to help the agriculture industry use water more efficiently and effectively.
Accepting the award, Chambers said he has always been involved in agriculture and his goal is to leave his thumbprint on global agriculture. “I still have a lot more to do but I’m very excited about how far we have come and where we have yet to go,” he said.
These awards have now honored a total of 65 individuals over the past 15 years.
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