I'm Chad Mack for Microsoft.
And this is Work Rework,
the show that uncovers
the often unexpected ways technology
is changing how people work.
Today, we're headed to the heartland to see
how forward thinking farmers
are utilizing digital tech
to help take the guesswork out of farming.
First stop,
the Land O'Lakes headquarters in Arden Hills, Minnesota,
where Joe Wipperfurth leads a team developing
the latest digital tools that keep farmers one step ahead.
Tell us about what you do, what's your job?
>> So I work in Ag Technology at Land O'Lakes,
and we try to bring things like satellite imagery
through the cloud and down to the farmer
so that they can view how things are doing on their farm.
>> Yep.
The company you probably associate with butter
is a leading technology company helping farmers every day.
>> We're helping them quantify the environment,
we're helping them bring insights together
and moving that information
to their fingertips so that they can be anywhere
and be able to access information about their farm,
whether that's what the latest rainfall was on their farm
or the most recent need
for some fertilizer on a particular field.
>> So what's at stake for
the farmer every year, year over year?
>> You know a farmer could put 80 percent
of their farm on the line
just to finance the upcoming season.
So, it's a big decision
to try to change things around the operation
and that's where this is art of science
and math all come together to build a better farm.
>> It's all about using these digital tools
from Land O'Lakes to make the most
out of what farmers call inputs,
things like seeds and fertilizer
to grow more food at the lowest cost.
But do these solutions really pay off?
My colleague Lajiah
has skipped out on her day job at the Microsoft store
in Manhattan to travel to a farm
in Illinois to get some answers.
>> I'm like a natural already you know so,
tell me a little bit about what you guys do here.
>> So this is our farm,
Aaron and I farm together.
We do grow crops.
So, our focus is on corn and soybeans,
and what we're trying to do is get as much yield
out of these corn fields that you see around
with as little input as we possibly can put on it.
That's all about profitability, right?
Yeah, we farm but it's a business.
>> How does technology fit into a place like this?
>> It encompasses almost every aspect,
every operation we do here on the farm,
anywhere from mapping corn yields per acre,
down to planning the right amount of seeds per acre.
Our whole job is to keep that plant healthy.
The healthier we keep the plant,
the longer it's growing.
The more grain it makes,
the better off we are financially.
>> The biggest investment I have in my life is my land.
So I want to make sure
that I'm doing the best thing for it
and technology really helps us do that I think.
It gets me jacked up.
I mean, really jacked up because like it's exciting
because I see so much opportunity
to maximize that output and input.
It's an awesome set of tools.
>> Well there you have it,
farming isn't what it used to be.
Jim and Aaron are more than farmers,
they're tech power users.
To learn how these ideas became tech solutions,
I traveled to Joel's family farm in Wisconsin.
This is where he learned to be a farmer.
And now it's the place where he puts
his latest ideas to the test.
So this is where you grew up?
>> Yes.
So, it might not look like a dairy farm
but the dairy farm is actually right behind us.
This is where we use some of the new technologies
that are coming out
and we help build plans for
each of the fields, each of the crops.
This is where we really test out
a lot of technology at Land O'Lakes.
So this is where we milk.
Easy.
Not really excited about that.
>> Oh, this goes here?
>> All the way to the flank.
There you go.
Rotate back.
>> Ouch.
Done.
Nice Job.
>> Thank you.
>> And we just have 349 more to do.
>> Oh, God.
So your background obviously
in this environment on this type of farm,
that gives you such good inside information
and a perspective that's invaluable
when you work with your customers.
>> Yeah, absolutely.
It gives me a lot of insight
into how our customers think about things.
And this is just an easy place
that they'll accept some of my trials
or some of my little test projects.
>> Well, it's like your secret laboratory, right?
I mean even you know Batman had the bat cave.
[XBOX SOUND] So what's going on over here?
>> This is where we store all the manure.
>> Oh, no, no, no.
I can't -