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July 29, 2016 CapitalPress.com 5 Precision ag by way of boot straps Barry Peterson helps bring a game changer to the marketplace Barry Peterson Position: Integrated Solutions manager, Papé Machinery. Age: 52 Family: Wife, Valerie, married 30 years; has two sons and a grandson By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press When Pacific Northwest farmers and ranchers walk into Papé Machinery deal- erships later this month, they’ll be able to peruse John Deere equipment as usual. But they’ll also be able to check out the lat- est precision ag offering: A twin-camera, 5-pound drone they can toss in the back of the pickup and program to fly their fields. Papé has reached an agreement to sell the Ag- Drone, designed and man- ufactured by HoneyComb Corp., of Wilsonville, Ore. For about $21,000, the buyer gets a full package of plane, case, spare parts, training and, most critical, data processing. The arrangement un- derlines Papé’s embrace of advanced agricultural tech- nology. Data from the Ag- Drone can be downloaded seamlessly into John Deere equipment, officials with both companies say, with real-time machine to ma- chine communication prob- ably on the horizon. The man at the center of Papé’s move isn’t your classic computer geek with a university degree. He’s not an electrical engineer or software developer. Nope. Barry Peterson, Pa- pé’s Integrated Solutions man- ager, came out of the compa- ny’s equipment rental division and didn’t go to college. Courtesy of Papé Machinery Barry Peterson rose through the ranks and as integrated solu- tions manager is taking Papé Machinery into the drone age. He worked for an elec- trical sign company before joining Papé 24 years ago. He is primarily self-taught on computers. Recognizing he needed to get up to speed in an equipment industry transformed by “tele-matics,” he sought out information technology specialists for insight. It became clear agri- culture and technology were merging. “Early on, one of the things that kept coming to the surface is the popula- tion is growing, and they’re building where farms used to be,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to feed billions of people with less land. One of the best ave- nues to do that is through precision agriculture.” He’s immersed himself in remote diagnostics, auto- mated controls and the pro- duction and operational data gathered by modern farm machinery, “Connectivity is really the key,” he said. In preparation for sell- ing the AgDrone, Peterson learned how to do mission planning — programming the drone’s flight over fields. Papé sales reps will train buyers how to use the drone system. Background: Born in Eu- gene, Ore., bounced around to other Oregon towns, graduated from McNary High School in Keizer in 1982. Began work for Papé 24 years ago and was named Integrated Solutions manager in 2013. Notable: Not an electrical en- gineer or software developer. Realized early on he needed to be tech savvy and plunged into the world of computers. The job puts him at the con- vergence of agriculture and technology. Outlook: When I was approached to take on the position, I didn’t know where I was going to go but I knew we had to start placing our focus on this.” The takeaway: “I love it. It’s been one of the most challenging, one of the most rewarding jobs ever.” The potential uses ap- pear endless, Peterson said. High-resolution imagery, mapping and the ability to geo-tag problem areas in ields are available to pro- ducers. Growers will have an ad- ditional layer of data to mon- itor crop health, he said, and precise GPS data can be used to pinpoint visual inspection, guide machinery and provide variable rate treatment. “This next step is defi- nitely a game changer,” Pe- terson said. This story irst appeared Jan. 22, 2016. AI.OW16-1/#5
