November 26, 2025 • 35 mins
We sit down with Preston Sundean to trace a path from farm kid to precision ag educator and entrepreneur. We dig into teaching ADMS, turning data into fast prescriptions, and why critical thinking matters more than button sequences.
In this episode we discuss...
• Preston's North Dakota farm roots and agribusiness training
• Career moves from ag retail to precision ag education
• COVID pivot into entrepreneurship and insurance
• Running a classroom like a workplace
• The ADMS learning curve and teaching methods
• Turning soil tests into fertilizer prescriptions fast
• Wireless data transfer and mobile office workflows
• Creative ADMS uses for claims and small jobs
• Lawn care mapping, NAIP imagery, and bidding
• GPS limits, lightbars, foam markers, and as‑applied maps
• The case for critical thinking across tools
Stick around next week for part two of our conversation with Preston Sundeen.
At GK Technology, we have a map and an app for that!
https://gktechinc.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah (00:00):
And now it's time for a geek speak with GK Technology's,
Sarah and Jodi.
Theme Music (00:10):
In the fields again.
I just can't wait to get in thefield again.
The life I love is red for myfriend.
And I can't wait to get in thefields again.
Oh, I can't wait to get in thefield again.
Sarah (00:31):
Welcome to A g Geek Speak.
And today we have a greatepisode planned out with us.
Today we've got a specialguest, Mr.
Preston Sundean.
He's got a lot of experienceactually using uh GK
Technologies ADMS software andactually having the opportunity
to teach this to students whowill be uh going out into the
(00:55):
precision agriculture world.
So we're really excited tovisit with Preston today and
thank you so much for beinghere.
Preston Sundeen (01:02):
Well, thanks, Sarah, and thanks, Jodi, for
allowing me to participate inthe podcast.
I love the podcast.
Um, I'm a podcast fan and umlooking forward to having a
great conversation.
Sarah (01:12):
That's awesome.
Well, just to get thingsstarted, Preston, I think it's
it's really good um foreverybody to get kind of a frame
of reference, like who you areand where are you from, and you
know, what brought you uh intodoing even precision
agriculture.
So let's just start.
Where are you from?
Preston Sundeen (01:29):
Uh from Lakota, North Dakota, and uh grew up on
a family farm, um, went to highschool in Lakota and then uh
graduated from University ofMinnesota, Crookston, with a
four-year degree in eggbusiness.
After uh Crookston, I startedin ag retail and did that for a
number of years and led me to aposition at Lake Reg at Lake
(01:49):
Region State College in thePrecision Ag Program.
Sarah (01:52):
Awesome.
Okay, and so what are you doinglike now in agriculture?
Well, what's your career looklike today?
Preston Sundeen (01:59):
So I was director of the Precision Ag
program for about eight years,and uh during COVID or the
middle of COVID, I decided tostep back from being director
and I started uh some of my ownbusinesses up and going.
And so I uh have uh aninsurance aspect of what I do
every day.
Uh I write PC, so property,home and auto on farms and
(02:22):
residential and business.
And then I also am a part-timeinstructor still here at Lake
Regia State College.
I do uh precision Agg servicesas well for a number of people,
uh prescription writing and datamanagement with the with John
Deere Operations Center.
So I kind of just uh started myown company and uh contract out
(02:44):
or find find things I'm good atand uh offer those services out
to growers and and non-growers,I guess, on the insurance side.
Jodi (02:52):
What inspired you to get into the insurance side?
I mean, did you uh have someexperience in the area or what
led you there?
Preston Sundeen (03:00):
Well, I was in education and COVID happened.
And just a story abouteducation and COVID.
We we have precision A program,and so we have a shop and we
have students working, and andum we have a four-row planter.
The start of COVID, we we cameup to spring break, and we had
that planter all tore apart, hadpieces everywhere, and the
(03:23):
students left for spring break,and we never returned that year.
We did everything online.
And I will uh just kind of saywhat as far as COVID came and uh
you're working in education,we're a very hands-on program.
We're used to working with thestudents in the shop, uh putting
things together, uh workingwith GK technologies in the
(03:45):
classroom, just a very hands-onprogram.
And then you uh turn it into ina blink of an eye to have to
learn how to work remotely andoperate a class full of uh farm
kids or agricultural kids, allremotely through at that time
and still is is Teams.
Uh Teams was brand new.
We got we got to learn Teams,which I'm a big Teams person.
(04:07):
I actually, after learning allthis stuff, uh remote uh
classroom, there's a lot of goodthings that uh that can be done
with it.
But within that time, just kindof could see that there were
opportunities.
Uh just how COVID hit at a timewhere there was a lot of
retirement going on, and I couldsee outside of a education that
(04:31):
there was a lot of businessesthat were being owned and
operated by a generation thatwas about to retire.
I could also see that therewere businesses that uh were
being owned and operated bypeople five years away from
retirement that I thought uh tofor a certain degree, and I'm
not saying this was aninsurance, I'm just saying um uh
(04:51):
as far as opportunities, uh,that uh people were in their
retirement mode.
And I could see for a Iconsider myself self-motivated
and uh kind of a workaholic, andI could see there were some
opportunities there.
And then the last thing thatkind of tied it all together was
COVID kind of just opened myeyes to the advantages of uh
(05:14):
being your own boss, runningyour own business uh for
multiple reasons.
Um, and another aspect of itbeing in agriculture, a farm a
farmer goes uh goes to work andincreases their farm operation
and and they are able to putsomething together to leave a
legacy or to pass on to anothergeneration.
(05:36):
And somehow that just kind ofhit me during COVID too, that I
was uh very addicted to my work,but I knew that when my
retirement came, it you know, Ididn't do anything for my kids.
And so uh part of what I'mbuilding now, there's
opportunity if my kids want totake part of it.
There's there's a place forthem in all of this, and we'll
just see how the how the timegoes there.
(05:57):
So kind of a long-windedanswer, but there was a lot, a
lot that went into the change.
But when I decided to make thechange, I did it in a blink of
eye.
I didn't I maybe slept on itone night.
I found what I thought uh myskill set would be good at, and
I just dove in.
Jodi (06:17):
No, that's that's awesome.
And I I I think I'll ask someof these questions that are in
my head right now in the secondpart of our conversation when we
talk more about, you know, whatare some methods that you think
are successful or are great forteaching students?
Because, you know, before weeven started talking, you talked
about how your kids have a lawncare business, right?
So you're you're instillingthat entrepreneurial spirit, not
(06:38):
only spirit by by living it,but also you know, motivating
your kids to do the same.
And I'm I'm sure too thestudents at Lake Region see that
and uh feel that that urge tobe self-motivated and create
things and do things on theirown too.
But I'll I'll bring that upagain in a little bit.
That's I think that's such ahuge part for you being such a a
(07:02):
great teacher, is that youryour ability to do that and and
act as a model for other peopleand for your your students to to
do too.
That's that's just cool.
Preston Sundeen (07:12):
And we and we can get into it too uh on the in
the second half, but that iskind of how I ran the classroom
and and would build good rapportwith the students.
I ran the classroom um maybenot as a traditional classroom,
but as a entrepreneurship typebusiness.
You know, I expected when thestudents showed up that they
were coming to work, and Itreated the classroom as a work
(07:34):
environment, that professionalsetting, that setting where we
could still enjoy the time andhave fun, but it was serious.
And uh as far as uh homeworkand tasks that were done or that
were due, I would treat it likea job that uh that these were
the responsibilities and whatneeded to be accomplished.
Sarah (07:53):
So this might transition a little bit, but out of
curiosity, how long have youbeen using our software?
And what how did you getstarted using our software?
Maybe that's even a betterquestion.
Preston Sundeen (08:07):
So when I I had uh Gary Wagner uh teach a class
at Crookston, and uh with that,I I don't believe we were using
GK technologies, but hecertainly was, and that was
maybe the introduction into it.
Uh and then I went on,graduated from Crookston, and
then got my first uh egg retailjob.
It was uh at a location thatreally never had an agronomist
(08:31):
before.
I was kind of the firstquote-unquote agronomist, and so
started building uh kind of aseed seed business out of there.
Um, we we started uh selling alot more chemical than was in
the past, just started kind ofgetting into consulting and
looking at fields through thatelevator.
And then I had a neighboringlocation that had a conversation
(08:54):
with me, and I ended up kind ofuh uh switching employers and
in in that uh business, SNS agroservice, I uh got more into the
scouting, more into chemicals,more into the precision
precision side, started using GKtechnologies to write
prescriptions, and thensomewhere within all of that, uh
(09:14):
the family farm got intoprecision.
Um we undertook a big planterproject and we put precision
planting components on a at thattime, not maybe not too many
people will know that uhflexicoil used to make a
planter, and uh I got intoprecision planting and I seen
that you could take a planterand and retrofit it to be
(09:36):
completely precision planting.
And so flexicoil made a planterout of Kinsey 2000 row units,
and then they pulled a a uhflexi coil air cart, and that's
what's what was the CCS.
So it's kind of one of thefirst CCS planters.
The corn seed was in the theair cart behind the planter, and
then delivered it to the in ourcase it was a 16-row flexi coil
(09:59):
planter, and then there was dryfertilizer in it, and so we
were banding dry fertilizer anduh you know watching our
singulation on a Gen 2 uhprecision planting monitor, kind
of before I knew that there wasa lot of them around.
I I'm sure there were otherpeople that were in the same
boat, but I kind of felt like wewere the first ones in our area
(10:22):
anyway to to be incorporatingthat.
So um between you know doingthings on the farm like that and
uh GK technologies kind of justkind of sparked my precision
egg aspect of what I enjoydoing, but uh long-winded
answer.
I think somewhere you know inthe mid-2000s started using GK
technologies.
Sarah (10:41):
Wow.
So you're that's that's likepioneer staging then for as far
as it goes for users for forADMS.
I mean, I think we wereincorporated in about 2006, so
that's you must have been one ofthe kind of the first ones out
there.
Preston Sundeen (10:56):
Yeah, I remember um I guess I went, I
didn't know I would been in thatfirst couple years of the
cohort use it utilizing it, butI remember going to the
trainings and uh and being blownaway, and then you just go back
to the office and you startkind of learning something every
day, and you just startapplying it.
And uh I I tell the students uhin the program, I tell them
(11:19):
that's a you for the first halfof the semester when we're in
our GK ADMS class, you are goingto hate using ADMS, and then
the second set in the secondhalf of the semester, you will
have ADMS open and ready to gobefore I'm ready to go.
It it just that uh switch flipsand and it becomes that uh
(11:43):
complicated program to veryfunctional, and you you start uh
enjoying the complicationsbehind it because you you
realize how much power there iswith it.
Jodi (11:57):
I feel like, okay, so we've we've talked about your
entrepreneurial spirit and alsokind of that uh getting started
with ADMS is kind of like anopen, it's kind of it's it's
open, right?
Like you've got to learn somethings, but there's not really
like a direct, like, I want todo this, what are the button
presses I do that?
You kind of have to learn howto think through and think about
(12:18):
the the process.
And I feel like that's verysimilar to starting a business,
right?
Like there's no owner's manual,user's manual to start your own
insurance company, your ownshop, your own farm, etc.
What are some things that youthat you think would help people
like giving people theconfidence to in students the
(12:40):
confidence to use ADMSsuccessfully?
And success, what I mean bythat is just like having an idea
in their head and being able toexecute it.
And then how do you get folks,students, folks that are looking
to start their own businessesand be successful in that?
Help just get them confident togo through that messy beginning
part.
Because I feel like that'simportant for teaching.
(13:03):
I mean, Sarah and I do that foronboarding folks into ADMS, but
there's so many things in lifetoo that are similar where you
got to go through that messypart first, um, go through the
ups and downs of it, and thencome through the other end.
Like, how did you deal withthat as an instructor?
Preston Sundeen (13:19):
Well, um, I'll just kind of ask answer it uh a
little broad and then maybe diveinto each specific case.
But I think uh precision egg orto get started into these
things, entrepreneurship, aproduct like uh GK is you you
you have to want to be able toto grind away and go to work and
(13:41):
um look for that uh that rewardof success of when things uh go
real well and they click.
Uh the other thing that came tomind as you're asking the
question was one of my favoritethings to do right away in GK is
once we build something, uh,get a boundary done, uh, we
spend some time on something,I'll say, okay, now go hit the
(14:05):
big red X, and now we startover.
You know, uh I'll do the samething in Excel.
I'll we, you know, for most ofprescription writing or a lot of
it is learning GK technologiesor ADMS, but the other aspect of
it is learning the fertilizercalculation.
So we do extensive Excel workand fertilizer calculations, and
that's another thing now I'lldo.
(14:25):
We'll build a build aprescription or I'll I'll build
them some sort of uh fertilizercalculator.
Maybe it's with liquidfertilizer, it'll be pretty
extensive.
It'll may take us 30, 40minutes to build, and then I'll
and then they don't even see itcoming.
I say, okay, now highlighteverything and now hit delete,
and they'll they'll do it.
And then you see there, I'mlike, Yep.
(14:46):
That Excel is like life.
You open up that blank Excelsheet, and it's just it could be
intimidating, staring at you,just empty white cells, or you
can be like, That's my canvas,I'm going to work.
I can't wait to see where thisExcel sheet takes me today.
So I don't know.
That's kind of my answer.
I I think of life as uh as anExcel sheet.
Sarah (15:09):
Hey Jody, aren't you glad to know that there's bigger
geeks out there in this worldthan just us?
I mean, calling an Excelspreadsheet a canvas, that's
awesome.
Preston Sundeen (15:20):
I've a few friends that uh are with me in
Excel and we we kid each otherabout Excel all the time.
We are definitely Excel Excelgeeks, yes.
Jodi (15:29):
Are they uh accountants mighty?
Preston Sundeen (15:31):
He is an accountant, and we and every
time we text back and forth,there is always an Excel uh
somewhat uh uh uh aspect to ourconversation, yeah.
Excel hidden meetings withinthe text, anyway.
Sarah (15:47):
That's awesome.
Oh, that's funny.
So out of curiosity, you know,in your private business, even
today, when you're working anddoing precision agriculture,
what are some of your favoritethings that you do in precision
agriculture?
Or what are maybe maybe there'smore questions in there, but
like what are your most frequentproducts that you produce?
(16:09):
What type of agriculture areyou dealing with?
How is this actually gettingimplemented in the real world
from your from your privatebusiness?
Preston Sundeen (16:19):
Uh I I enjoy office work.
So with the prescriptionwriting, it's uh going through
with growers and um gettingtheir fertility.
You know, I I do the soilsampling or I have growers that
uh have someone else soilsample.
I get through the results anduh go work with them, put
together the Excel spreadsheetson the blends.
I enjoy it so much when thegrower calls and says, Oh, I'm
(16:42):
so sorry, but we're gonna switchfrom urea to anhydras.
Can you can you change thisprescription?
I'm so sorry.
I'm so and and we kind of needit in the next hour.
Again, I'm sorry.
I take that as I'll have it toyou in 26 minutes.
And and I carry my computerwith me, uh, no matter where I
am.
I uh my vehicle is almost uhthe same mobile office as every
(17:06):
office I sit in, and I can putthings together.
Uh one of the requirements I dohave pretty much for my folks I
write prescriptions for is thatthey all have wireless data
transfer, and I can write thatprescription um and send it to
them.
And I always commit to a oddtime, like I'll have it to you
in 13 and a half minutes, andthen I challenge myself to have
(17:28):
it sent in 13 and a halfminutes.
Sarah (17:33):
That's funny.
That's that's awesome.
Preston Sundeen (17:36):
I was I was a little late today, nobody knows
except for Jody and Sarah.
That was a little late today.
And in my text, I was gonnasend it was going to be I am
going to be seven and a halfminutes late, but I laughed to
myself and went, well, theywon't get that, so I put five to
ten.
Sarah (17:53):
Now we know if we ever podcast again, now we know.
Theme Music (17:57):
Yep.
Preston Sundeen (17:59):
So have you ever done um some kind of
project in ADMS that's reallyunique or crazy or oh, I won't
say that I'm uh there'sdefinitely uh more talented
people that do a lot more uniquethings.
Um, I I write a lot ofdifferent uh fertilizer
prescriptions.
I'm getting uh going on some uhchemical prescriptions uh as
(18:22):
far as pre-emergent.
Uh I use uh well on theinsurance side, I had a uh
producer that uh that had a uhpesticide spill happen on his
property.
So I use ADMS to do a mappingof uh damaged acres.
Um I mean I just I don't know.
It seems like even on on myinsurance end or conversation
(18:46):
with people and uh something GISor where you need that visual
comes up.
I'm like, whoa, I got it.
I'll open ADMS.
We can make this work, I canmap that out, I can do this, I
can so maybe the non-traditionalways.
I just it doesn't it's not itcould be way past prescription
season.
ADMS gets opened every morning,first thing, it's there, ready
(19:08):
to go.
Sarah (19:10):
It is funny the things you can come up with that it's
you know, all these weird ideasand ways that it's not
necessarily writingprescriptions, but it's a
different way of taking a lookat the field, or it's a
different way of working withthat agriculture data set that
you've got, or it's a questionand you need to find data and
and really work with that dataand massage it onto it.
Preston Sundeen (19:32):
All my kids' lawn care uh business customers,
all their lawns in ADMS.
Uh when they do if if the jobhas uh has uh sidewalk uh
edging, all the sidewalk edgesedges are measured in ADMS.
I mean that's yeah.
Like I say, every morning ADMSgets opened up that in Excel,
(19:55):
and then they see where the daygoes.
Sarah (19:58):
So did your kids map those out or did you do it for
them?
Preston Sundeen (20:03):
No, no, you know I mean you can't let you
know.
Sarah (20:06):
I got them.
Preston Sundeen (20:07):
They're they're pretty busy within the lawn
care business, and then and thenthey're all involved in this
thing called sports, and uh Ikind of let them do that.
Uh I haven't pushed, I mean,they they do the the mowing end
of it.
I haven't pushed the behind thescenes end of it yet.
Let them still be somewhat kidsfor a little while, but that
(20:28):
day's coming.
So I'll have a rude awakening.
Jodi (20:32):
There's time.
Is I have a weird nape questionrelated to the lawn care side,
right?
So like we look for differentnape imagery for, and that's
what I assume is your backgroundimage for these measurements,
right?
Um so like we look fordifferent things if we're doing
a background map for like avariable rate or like a zone map
creation or like a watershedmanagement creation.
(20:52):
Is there a certain type of liketime of year that you like for
your lawn measurements and yournapes?
Like, do you do it when all theleaves are gone so you get
better images of like thesidewalks and stuff?
Like what what napes do youlook for for that?
Preston Sundeen (21:04):
Well, I go and and do it just like I would do
uh do a field.
I go and do my borders and thenI go in and I got the
consultants package.
So just for the lawn carebusiness, because I gotta have
the consultants package so I canjust quickly download years and
years of nape, and then I makesure I toggle through them.
I mean, each each uh uh mostpeople wouldn't spend any time
(21:25):
on this.
They they go and run a lawncare business and they just go
mow lawn.
And here I am combing through10 years of nape to find the
best one because some years,like you say, um, you know,
maybe a 2000 and uh and 15 napekind of hit hit it just right.
Oh, but they had that shed theybuilt in 2017, so I guess we'll
(21:46):
have to use something, youknow.
So there's that give and takeuh too to it.
So I I have to have them all.
I can't just go pick one andthen decide, toggle on and off.
Jodi (21:59):
It's so funny though, because like even on that small
scale, like though you're you'rethinking through the same
things of like picking out napesfor for zone management, right?
Like, does this have the thedrainage that they implemented
or like they does it have thesurface uh drainage that they
did back in 2019?
Like, is that showing up in theimagery that we're picking for
looking at 2025?
(22:19):
That's so funny.
Sarah (22:20):
Okay, so here's my question, and maybe you said
this already, but help help helpexpand on this a little bit.
So when you've got these lawnin your ADMS and and you've got
them all measured out.
Preston Sundeen (22:33):
And they're in the operations center too.
Sarah (22:35):
And they're in the John Your Operations Center.
So and then do you have like doyou do you have more than
boundaries in there?
I mean, you said you've gotnapes.
What are you using the whatwhat are you using the data for
the lawns for?
How how does it get used?
Preston Sundeen (22:52):
Well, I've struggled a little bit.
So I I use the I use ADMS to dothe bidding because I can get
square feet and I just bidthings out uh per per square
foot um or linear feet if it'sedging and different things.
And then uh so I run greenlawnmowers, so I wanted to be
able to get things into the opcenter.
(23:13):
So they first gave me it was aBluetooth that goes on your
phone.
Um, you plug it into thelawnmowers electronics and
Bluetooth on your phone, but itit doesn't really go into the
operation center, so I wouldhave to actually put an MTG on
it.
And I've looked at doing someof that, and and I, you know, I
I think I'm a cool guy and I docool things, but I did draw the
(23:34):
line, so I'm not I'm notstreaming in in that way.
Uh but I did this year, uh, sothe kids do all the mowing, but
then with that, everybody wantedspraying, and uh the we bid
they bid the cemetery and theschool, and that comes with
spraying.
So I do use um on my phone, Ijust did this year, and it is
(23:54):
tractor GPS, and that doesn't asapplied map, but they don't
have it, so I can export it outyet.
So it's just like the entry,the lawn care is like where
farming was 15 years ago.
There's all these cool things,but none of them really come
together.
So you have to have 15different entities or operations
(24:16):
or programs to be able to kindof do what you want to do.
I envision in the next 15 yearsthe lawn care precision will
somewhat uh get a little bitmore singleized and and uh
hopefully there's some somebetter applications.
Sarah (24:31):
That's funny.
You know, I I really we mightbe transgressing into some other
stuff here, but it's a funconversation, right?
Because it's still precisionagriculture.
So I built this house last yearand you know, I I had this lot,
and one of the things that ofcourse I wanted to make sure
were taken care of is thedrainage.
(24:52):
So brought in the lidar becausethe lidar wasn't that old.
I knew when the lot was changedand all this stuff, and I knew
it was gonna work.
And I took this to my builderand I'm like, and here's the
lidar.
And they kind of giggled at mea little bit.
They they were like, Oh, isn'tthis cute?
Here's this woman with her cutelittle elevation data.
And I'm like, Well, what do youguys think you're actually
(25:14):
using for your elevation dataanyway?
This is the stuff that comesout of you know the Department
of Water Resources um at NorthDakota.
It it is the elevation data, soyeah, I just I mean, there's so
many different things that evenon a lawn care basis, I think
we can be using precisionagriculture.
But I honestly haven't reallythought of that.
Preston Sundeen (25:33):
Well, to tie it together with education, so so
I Snapchat all the differentthings I'm doing and whatnot,
and then I got one graduatedstudent.
So I was uh downloaded thattrack, I can't remember what
it's called, tractor GPS, Ithink.
And so it makes it an asapplied map.
So then all of a sudden he wasshowing me his ATV rig, and he
(25:54):
went out and sprayed the golfcourse, and he had the same app,
and so he had to send me his asapplied map, and then uh
another graduated student, allof a sudden he sent me a
Snapchat of a working outbackGPS light bar system on his
lawnmower.
And then I had anothergraduated student that uh is
(26:14):
employed uh with John Deere, anduh he then gave me the complete
breakout of what I would needto do to get those lawnmowers
into the op center.
Told me I could go find a hadthe specific a I think it was a
4500 controller, 4600 controllerthat it was a unique one, or
(26:35):
there's a unique model out therethat doesn't have all the
unlocks, so it goes on auctionsales for sometimes you can pick
them up for a little less thantwo grand, he says, and then you
get Egg Express to get you thewiring harnesses, and that'll be
this, and this is what you needto ask for, and this and this
and this and this, and thenyou'll be able to have all this
in the op center.
And I went, This sounds great,and one day I'll be there, but
(26:56):
the kids run three lawn mowers,and and I'm not about to have a
twelve, fifteen thousand dollarexpense lawn on GPS in the lawn
care business.
Sarah (27:06):
Yeah, I was gonna say how much is the total by the time
you get done.
Preston Sundeen (27:10):
I do have graduated students um that can
that can lay it all out for meand and help me out and put it
all together.
Sarah (27:17):
So that's caught me thinking.
Hmm.
I wonder if I should have that.
You know, then you could Isuppose that essentially you'd
have auto steer on your couldyou actually get it to an auto
steer point?
Preston Sundeen (27:29):
Uh there are I can't remember what uh if it's
Kubota.
There is one brand out therethat that you can buy um from
the factory with auto steer, butall all the ones that uh the
kids run are zero turn, so Ihaven't I haven't figured that
out.
Sarah (27:42):
And if it had a steering wheel, I wonder if a guy could
you put like an easy steer onthere or something like that?
Preston Sundeen (27:47):
I would I would assume so great.
You know, and then but thereagain you would have to so just
like that tractor GPS app, itjust uses your cell phone GPS.
And so the sprayer I got forthe lawnmower is 12 foot
sprayer, and I have uh have uhfoam markers on it, and so now I
have my as applied map.
(28:08):
Oh yeah, yeah.
That's cool, yeah.
Quite the sprayer.
I I have sprayed, I justtallied up and I've sprayed over
45 acres with a sprayer.
Sarah (28:17):
So for the that's impressive.
Preston Sundeen (28:19):
Yeah, yep.
And uh so the tractor GPS, I dohave an as applied map, but
when you look at the map, itlooks like there's a few skips
here and there just because theGPS isn't quite that accurate,
but my phone marker is spot on.
I know there's there ain't agod bless the phone, but the as
applied map.
So when I when I it that thatapp you can't export it out, so
(28:40):
I have to screenshot theapplication as applied map off
my phone, and then I email it tomyself, and then I print it
out, and then I put it in withthe invoices.
And it kind of irks me that itlooks like there's a couple of
skips out there, so I have to inthe invoice.
Don't don't go by the asapplied map, there are no skips.
I'll make sure nobody'sthinking I'm just kind of
willy-nilling.
Jodi (29:03):
Oh, that's funny.
Sarah (29:05):
Do either of you watch Clarkson Farms by any chance?
I don't think I do the firstepisode, and I know I gotta go
back in there and watch thatbecause it's hilarious.
Jodi (29:14):
The only the only reason I bring it up is because the most
recent season, it's like theirfourth year of farming, and
Jeremy Clarkson's just like, ohmy gosh, you guys, look what I
invented.
And he's dropping paint overhis tires so that the tires will
paint his line and he can justgo back and forth.
And then his like farm handcomes over, he's just like, Hey,
uh Jeremy, you do know thatthey've invented foam markers,
(29:34):
right?
And he's just like, oh, justpress on that somebody's already
beat him to this invention.
And it and it's also funnybecause like in he buys a new
tractor shortly after this, andlike it comes with GPS and they
can't figure it out how to work.
It's just it's so good.
It's as we talk about liketractor precision agriculture or
precision agriculture over inthe UK with somebody that's new
(29:57):
dealing with it, like it's allthe same problems.
Sarah (30:00):
It's it's all everybody that works in it has the same
relatable, you know, I do thinkthat we went from I I don't
know, I suppose I should becareful with this, but
nonetheless, I do think it'sreally funny that we went from
talking about mowing lawns inthe United States to European
agriculture in the sameconversation.
But I'm just gonna say, like,there it is.
Jodi (30:21):
You know, it's it's so funny though, because like
precision agriculture, becauseit's so young, right?
And like we're we're bothlimited, but also not like it's
just kind of an open book whereif you want to make something
work, you have to have the ideain your head and kind of like a
guideline of how to go there,whether that be putting in the
map and the software or wiringtogether like hardware to to
(30:45):
record what you want.
Like it's so open and also likeso young that I don't know,
it's we're all trying to figureit out as we go, and we we all
have the same problems becausewe're all just trying to figure
it out as we go.
Preston Sundeen (31:03):
And we all have the same somewhat background,
and we all know well, there's away, there's a way I can find
okay.
So let's see here.
I ran foam markers on uh on uh8103 Terrogator.
I wonder how I can figure thatout on a lawnmower sprayer, and
then you look it up and like, ohyeah, people make this.
Oh, you just order it up.
I don't put the red dye in.
I used to put the red dye in onthe floater, but uh in the
(31:25):
lawns I just drop plain oldwhite foam, no red dye.
Every now and then I think Ishould get red dye just like the
old days and have pink foam,but yeah, you don't want to have
I mean that sounds likeinteresting laundry.
Yep.
That was in the bachelor days,every every pair of jeans I had
was stained red dye from the uhfoam markers, foam markers.
Jodi (31:46):
Is it seed treatment or is it foam marker dye?
Sarah (31:51):
But I think this is a really great conversation,
actually, because you know, herewe are, we're talking about you
know the basics of precisionagriculture and how you can
adapt that to new concepts indifferent places.
Okay, here we're transtranscribing it, if you will,
over into mowing lawn.
But that's really fun.
And you know, what'sinteresting is um agriculture
(32:15):
has always had that culture oftenacity to figure things out,
and just like Preston said, usethat as a foundation for
creating something and askingquestions about how we can do
this.
There's there's a way, but yougot to have that foundation
there of knowledge.
And to me, it seems like thatwas what you really provided the
(32:36):
students when you were teachingthat basic knowledge about how
precision agriculture conceptswork.
And I'm sure, you know,considering the culture also of
not really having bigbackgrounds in computers, that
you know, let's face it, most ofthe time when we grow up on a
farm, you you learn how to use a9/16th wrench before you learn
how to use, you know, MicrosoftWindows.
(32:58):
And so, you know, trying to getum that that culture so you end
up with those basics of how youdo stuff in computers to apply
GIS and to uh precisionagriculture is complicated.
Preston Sundeen (33:12):
Critical thinking, I think, is what is
the is the big thing to employthat.
Um, just because what you said,there may not be that
accustomed to computers, so ifyou're using ADMS, you have to
okay, you and I'll do this a lottoo.
A student will ask a question,and I'll be like I'm not gonna
tell you that answer.
Let's you tell me the answer.
(33:33):
Just think it through.
Why why did you ask thatquestion so soon?
What did you did you process itfor a moment?
That you know, let's let'sthink about that.
And I think that's the biggestthing when it comes to you know
agriculture in general,precision egg, is that critical
thinking.
Uh, and you mentioned that thekids grow up, you know, with a
9/16 wrench, and they do, butI'll even argue to a point that
(33:55):
a lot of these uh high schoolkids are I they're 100% on the
farm, they are farm kids, butthey are operating tractors,
they and tractors that work, notlike in my day, old 875
versatiles that you had to fix,or you're putting down in hydris
and you had to uh you'd havethe hose plug up all the time.
(34:16):
That you know, things are moreor less operational, and so it's
it's installing the criticalthinking to every component, the
computer side, the the hardwareside, the tractor side.
Sarah (34:28):
So I think that's gonna be a great place where we can
cut this one off uh for thistime and next time when we come
back, we're gonna talk a littlebit more about instilling that
critical thinking um into thestudents and the things that you
did to kind of go through umand help those students really
learn how to get that that thatbasic knowledge that you can
(34:52):
apply that critical thinking outthere.
So, with that, we're gonna saythank you, Preston, for being
here.
Um and we're looking forward toyou talking to you next time on
this.
And with that, at GKTechnology, we have a map and an
app for that.
Theme Music (35:10):
And I can't wait to get in the fields again.
No, I can't wait to get in thefields again.
And now it's time for a geek speak with GK Technology's,
Sarah and Jodi.
Theme Music (00:10):
In the fields again.
I just can't wait to get in thefield again.
The life I love is red for myfriend.
And I can't wait to get in thefields again.
Oh, I can't wait to get in thefield again.
Sarah (00:31):
Welcome to A g Geek Speak.
And today we have a greatepisode planned out with us.
Today we've got a specialguest, Mr.
Preston Sundean.
He's got a lot of experienceactually using uh GK
Technologies ADMS software andactually having the opportunity
to teach this to students whowill be uh going out into the
(00:55):
precision agriculture world.
So we're really excited tovisit with Preston today and
thank you so much for beinghere.
Preston Sundeen (01:02):
Well, thanks, Sarah, and thanks, Jodi, for
allowing me to participate inthe podcast.
I love the podcast.
Um, I'm a podcast fan and umlooking forward to having a
great conversation.
Sarah (01:12):
That's awesome.
Well, just to get thingsstarted, Preston, I think it's
it's really good um foreverybody to get kind of a frame
of reference, like who you areand where are you from, and you
know, what brought you uh intodoing even precision
agriculture.
So let's just start.
Where are you from?
Preston Sundeen (01:29):
Uh from Lakota, North Dakota, and uh grew up on
a family farm, um, went to highschool in Lakota and then uh
graduated from University ofMinnesota, Crookston, with a
four-year degree in eggbusiness.
After uh Crookston, I startedin ag retail and did that for a
number of years and led me to aposition at Lake Reg at Lake
(01:49):
Region State College in thePrecision Ag Program.
Sarah (01:52):
Awesome.
Okay, and so what are you doinglike now in agriculture?
Well, what's your career looklike today?
Preston Sundeen (01:59):
So I was director of the Precision Ag
program for about eight years,and uh during COVID or the
middle of COVID, I decided tostep back from being director
and I started uh some of my ownbusinesses up and going.
And so I uh have uh aninsurance aspect of what I do
every day.
Uh I write PC, so property,home and auto on farms and
(02:22):
residential and business.
And then I also am a part-timeinstructor still here at Lake
Regia State College.
I do uh precision Agg servicesas well for a number of people,
uh prescription writing and datamanagement with the with John
Deere Operations Center.
So I kind of just uh started myown company and uh contract out
(02:44):
or find find things I'm good atand uh offer those services out
to growers and and non-growers,I guess, on the insurance side.
Jodi (02:52):
What inspired you to get into the insurance side?
I mean, did you uh have someexperience in the area or what
led you there?
Preston Sundeen (03:00):
Well, I was in education and COVID happened.
And just a story abouteducation and COVID.
We we have precision A program,and so we have a shop and we
have students working, and andum we have a four-row planter.
The start of COVID, we we cameup to spring break, and we had
that planter all tore apart, hadpieces everywhere, and the
(03:23):
students left for spring break,and we never returned that year.
We did everything online.
And I will uh just kind of saywhat as far as COVID came and uh
you're working in education,we're a very hands-on program.
We're used to working with thestudents in the shop, uh putting
things together, uh workingwith GK technologies in the
(03:45):
classroom, just a very hands-onprogram.
And then you uh turn it into ina blink of an eye to have to
learn how to work remotely andoperate a class full of uh farm
kids or agricultural kids, allremotely through at that time
and still is is Teams.
Uh Teams was brand new.
We got we got to learn Teams,which I'm a big Teams person.
(04:07):
I actually, after learning allthis stuff, uh remote uh
classroom, there's a lot of goodthings that uh that can be done
with it.
But within that time, just kindof could see that there were
opportunities.
Uh just how COVID hit at a timewhere there was a lot of
retirement going on, and I couldsee outside of a education that
(04:31):
there was a lot of businessesthat were being owned and
operated by a generation thatwas about to retire.
I could also see that therewere businesses that uh were
being owned and operated bypeople five years away from
retirement that I thought uh tofor a certain degree, and I'm
not saying this was aninsurance, I'm just saying um uh
(04:51):
as far as opportunities, uh,that uh people were in their
retirement mode.
And I could see for a Iconsider myself self-motivated
and uh kind of a workaholic, andI could see there were some
opportunities there.
And then the last thing thatkind of tied it all together was
COVID kind of just opened myeyes to the advantages of uh
(05:14):
being your own boss, runningyour own business uh for
multiple reasons.
Um, and another aspect of itbeing in agriculture, a farm a
farmer goes uh goes to work andincreases their farm operation
and and they are able to putsomething together to leave a
legacy or to pass on to anothergeneration.
(05:36):
And somehow that just kind ofhit me during COVID too, that I
was uh very addicted to my work,but I knew that when my
retirement came, it you know, Ididn't do anything for my kids.
And so uh part of what I'mbuilding now, there's
opportunity if my kids want totake part of it.
There's there's a place forthem in all of this, and we'll
just see how the how the timegoes there.
(05:57):
So kind of a long-windedanswer, but there was a lot, a
lot that went into the change.
But when I decided to make thechange, I did it in a blink of
eye.
I didn't I maybe slept on itone night.
I found what I thought uh myskill set would be good at, and
I just dove in.
Jodi (06:17):
No, that's that's awesome.
And I I I think I'll ask someof these questions that are in
my head right now in the secondpart of our conversation when we
talk more about, you know, whatare some methods that you think
are successful or are great forteaching students?
Because, you know, before weeven started talking, you talked
about how your kids have a lawncare business, right?
So you're you're instillingthat entrepreneurial spirit, not
(06:38):
only spirit by by living it,but also you know, motivating
your kids to do the same.
And I'm I'm sure too thestudents at Lake Region see that
and uh feel that that urge tobe self-motivated and create
things and do things on theirown too.
But I'll I'll bring that upagain in a little bit.
That's I think that's such ahuge part for you being such a a
(07:02):
great teacher, is that youryour ability to do that and and
act as a model for other peopleand for your your students to to
do too.
That's that's just cool.
Preston Sundeen (07:12):
And we and we can get into it too uh on the in
the second half, but that iskind of how I ran the classroom
and and would build good rapportwith the students.
I ran the classroom um maybenot as a traditional classroom,
but as a entrepreneurship typebusiness.
You know, I expected when thestudents showed up that they
were coming to work, and Itreated the classroom as a work
(07:34):
environment, that professionalsetting, that setting where we
could still enjoy the time andhave fun, but it was serious.
And uh as far as uh homeworkand tasks that were done or that
were due, I would treat it likea job that uh that these were
the responsibilities and whatneeded to be accomplished.
Sarah (07:53):
So this might transition a little bit, but out of
curiosity, how long have youbeen using our software?
And what how did you getstarted using our software?
Maybe that's even a betterquestion.
Preston Sundeen (08:07):
So when I I had uh Gary Wagner uh teach a class
at Crookston, and uh with that,I I don't believe we were using
GK technologies, but hecertainly was, and that was
maybe the introduction into it.
Uh and then I went on,graduated from Crookston, and
then got my first uh egg retailjob.
It was uh at a location thatreally never had an agronomist
(08:31):
before.
I was kind of the firstquote-unquote agronomist, and so
started building uh kind of aseed seed business out of there.
Um, we we started uh selling alot more chemical than was in
the past, just started kind ofgetting into consulting and
looking at fields through thatelevator.
And then I had a neighboringlocation that had a conversation
(08:54):
with me, and I ended up kind ofuh uh switching employers and
in in that uh business, SNS agroservice, I uh got more into the
scouting, more into chemicals,more into the precision
precision side, started using GKtechnologies to write
prescriptions, and thensomewhere within all of that, uh
(09:14):
the family farm got intoprecision.
Um we undertook a big planterproject and we put precision
planting components on a at thattime, not maybe not too many
people will know that uhflexicoil used to make a
planter, and uh I got intoprecision planting and I seen
that you could take a planterand and retrofit it to be
(09:36):
completely precision planting.
And so flexicoil made a planterout of Kinsey 2000 row units,
and then they pulled a a uhflexi coil air cart, and that's
what's what was the CCS.
So it's kind of one of thefirst CCS planters.
The corn seed was in the theair cart behind the planter, and
then delivered it to the in ourcase it was a 16-row flexi coil
(09:59):
planter, and then there was dryfertilizer in it, and so we
were banding dry fertilizer anduh you know watching our
singulation on a Gen 2 uhprecision planting monitor, kind
of before I knew that there wasa lot of them around.
I I'm sure there were otherpeople that were in the same
boat, but I kind of felt like wewere the first ones in our area
(10:22):
anyway to to be incorporatingthat.
So um between you know doingthings on the farm like that and
uh GK technologies kind of justkind of sparked my precision
egg aspect of what I enjoydoing, but uh long-winded
answer.
I think somewhere you know inthe mid-2000s started using GK
technologies.
Sarah (10:41):
Wow.
So you're that's that's likepioneer staging then for as far
as it goes for users for forADMS.
I mean, I think we wereincorporated in about 2006, so
that's you must have been one ofthe kind of the first ones out
there.
Preston Sundeen (10:56):
Yeah, I remember um I guess I went, I
didn't know I would been in thatfirst couple years of the
cohort use it utilizing it, butI remember going to the
trainings and uh and being blownaway, and then you just go back
to the office and you startkind of learning something every
day, and you just startapplying it.
And uh I I tell the students uhin the program, I tell them
(11:19):
that's a you for the first halfof the semester when we're in
our GK ADMS class, you are goingto hate using ADMS, and then
the second set in the secondhalf of the semester, you will
have ADMS open and ready to gobefore I'm ready to go.
It it just that uh switch flipsand and it becomes that uh
(11:43):
complicated program to veryfunctional, and you you start uh
enjoying the complicationsbehind it because you you
realize how much power there iswith it.
Jodi (11:57):
I feel like, okay, so we've we've talked about your
entrepreneurial spirit and alsokind of that uh getting started
with ADMS is kind of like anopen, it's kind of it's it's
open, right?
Like you've got to learn somethings, but there's not really
like a direct, like, I want todo this, what are the button
presses I do that?
You kind of have to learn howto think through and think about
(12:18):
the the process.
And I feel like that's verysimilar to starting a business,
right?
Like there's no owner's manual,user's manual to start your own
insurance company, your ownshop, your own farm, etc.
What are some things that youthat you think would help people
like giving people theconfidence to in students the
(12:40):
confidence to use ADMSsuccessfully?
And success, what I mean bythat is just like having an idea
in their head and being able toexecute it.
And then how do you get folks,students, folks that are looking
to start their own businessesand be successful in that?
Help just get them confident togo through that messy beginning
part.
Because I feel like that'simportant for teaching.
(13:03):
I mean, Sarah and I do that foronboarding folks into ADMS, but
there's so many things in lifetoo that are similar where you
got to go through that messypart first, um, go through the
ups and downs of it, and thencome through the other end.
Like, how did you deal withthat as an instructor?
Preston Sundeen (13:19):
Well, um, I'll just kind of ask answer it uh a
little broad and then maybe diveinto each specific case.
But I think uh precision egg orto get started into these
things, entrepreneurship, aproduct like uh GK is you you
you have to want to be able toto grind away and go to work and
(13:41):
um look for that uh that rewardof success of when things uh go
real well and they click.
Uh the other thing that came tomind as you're asking the
question was one of my favoritethings to do right away in GK is
once we build something, uh,get a boundary done, uh, we
spend some time on something,I'll say, okay, now go hit the
(14:05):
big red X, and now we startover.
You know, uh I'll do the samething in Excel.
I'll we, you know, for most ofprescription writing or a lot of
it is learning GK technologiesor ADMS, but the other aspect of
it is learning the fertilizercalculation.
So we do extensive Excel workand fertilizer calculations, and
that's another thing now I'lldo.
(14:25):
We'll build a build aprescription or I'll I'll build
them some sort of uh fertilizercalculator.
Maybe it's with liquidfertilizer, it'll be pretty
extensive.
It'll may take us 30, 40minutes to build, and then I'll
and then they don't even see itcoming.
I say, okay, now highlighteverything and now hit delete,
and they'll they'll do it.
And then you see there, I'mlike, Yep.
(14:46):
That Excel is like life.
You open up that blank Excelsheet, and it's just it could be
intimidating, staring at you,just empty white cells, or you
can be like, That's my canvas,I'm going to work.
I can't wait to see where thisExcel sheet takes me today.
So I don't know.
That's kind of my answer.
I I think of life as uh as anExcel sheet.
Sarah (15:09):
Hey Jody, aren't you glad to know that there's bigger
geeks out there in this worldthan just us?
I mean, calling an Excelspreadsheet a canvas, that's
awesome.
Preston Sundeen (15:20):
I've a few friends that uh are with me in
Excel and we we kid each otherabout Excel all the time.
We are definitely Excel Excelgeeks, yes.
Jodi (15:29):
Are they uh accountants mighty?
Preston Sundeen (15:31):
He is an accountant, and we and every
time we text back and forth,there is always an Excel uh
somewhat uh uh uh aspect to ourconversation, yeah.
Excel hidden meetings withinthe text, anyway.
Sarah (15:47):
That's awesome.
Oh, that's funny.
So out of curiosity, you know,in your private business, even
today, when you're working anddoing precision agriculture,
what are some of your favoritethings that you do in precision
agriculture?
Or what are maybe maybe there'smore questions in there, but
like what are your most frequentproducts that you produce?
(16:09):
What type of agriculture areyou dealing with?
How is this actually gettingimplemented in the real world
from your from your privatebusiness?
Preston Sundeen (16:19):
Uh I I enjoy office work.
So with the prescriptionwriting, it's uh going through
with growers and um gettingtheir fertility.
You know, I I do the soilsampling or I have growers that
uh have someone else soilsample.
I get through the results anduh go work with them, put
together the Excel spreadsheetson the blends.
I enjoy it so much when thegrower calls and says, Oh, I'm
(16:42):
so sorry, but we're gonna switchfrom urea to anhydras.
Can you can you change thisprescription?
I'm so sorry.
I'm so and and we kind of needit in the next hour.
Again, I'm sorry.
I take that as I'll have it toyou in 26 minutes.
And and I carry my computerwith me, uh, no matter where I
am.
I uh my vehicle is almost uhthe same mobile office as every
(17:06):
office I sit in, and I can putthings together.
Uh one of the requirements I dohave pretty much for my folks I
write prescriptions for is thatthey all have wireless data
transfer, and I can write thatprescription um and send it to
them.
And I always commit to a oddtime, like I'll have it to you
in 13 and a half minutes, andthen I challenge myself to have
(17:28):
it sent in 13 and a halfminutes.
Sarah (17:33):
That's funny.
That's that's awesome.
Preston Sundeen (17:36):
I was I was a little late today, nobody knows
except for Jody and Sarah.
That was a little late today.
And in my text, I was gonnasend it was going to be I am
going to be seven and a halfminutes late, but I laughed to
myself and went, well, theywon't get that, so I put five to
ten.
Sarah (17:53):
Now we know if we ever podcast again, now we know.
Theme Music (17:57):
Yep.
Preston Sundeen (17:59):
So have you ever done um some kind of
project in ADMS that's reallyunique or crazy or oh, I won't
say that I'm uh there'sdefinitely uh more talented
people that do a lot more uniquethings.
Um, I I write a lot ofdifferent uh fertilizer
prescriptions.
I'm getting uh going on some uhchemical prescriptions uh as
(18:22):
far as pre-emergent.
Uh I use uh well on theinsurance side, I had a uh
producer that uh that had a uhpesticide spill happen on his
property.
So I use ADMS to do a mappingof uh damaged acres.
Um I mean I just I don't know.
It seems like even on on myinsurance end or conversation
(18:46):
with people and uh something GISor where you need that visual
comes up.
I'm like, whoa, I got it.
I'll open ADMS.
We can make this work, I canmap that out, I can do this, I
can so maybe the non-traditionalways.
I just it doesn't it's not itcould be way past prescription
season.
ADMS gets opened every morning,first thing, it's there, ready
(19:08):
to go.
Sarah (19:10):
It is funny the things you can come up with that it's
you know, all these weird ideasand ways that it's not
necessarily writingprescriptions, but it's a
different way of taking a lookat the field, or it's a
different way of working withthat agriculture data set that
you've got, or it's a questionand you need to find data and
and really work with that dataand massage it onto it.
Preston Sundeen (19:32):
All my kids' lawn care uh business customers,
all their lawns in ADMS.
Uh when they do if if the jobhas uh has uh sidewalk uh
edging, all the sidewalk edgesedges are measured in ADMS.
I mean that's yeah.
Like I say, every morning ADMSgets opened up that in Excel,
(19:55):
and then they see where the daygoes.
Sarah (19:58):
So did your kids map those out or did you do it for
them?
Preston Sundeen (20:03):
No, no, you know I mean you can't let you
know.
Sarah (20:06):
I got them.
Preston Sundeen (20:07):
They're they're pretty busy within the lawn
care business, and then and thenthey're all involved in this
thing called sports, and uh Ikind of let them do that.
Uh I haven't pushed, I mean,they they do the the mowing end
of it.
I haven't pushed the behind thescenes end of it yet.
Let them still be somewhat kidsfor a little while, but that
(20:28):
day's coming.
So I'll have a rude awakening.
Jodi (20:32):
There's time.
Is I have a weird nape questionrelated to the lawn care side,
right?
So like we look for differentnape imagery for, and that's
what I assume is your backgroundimage for these measurements,
right?
Um so like we look fordifferent things if we're doing
a background map for like avariable rate or like a zone map
creation or like a watershedmanagement creation.
(20:52):
Is there a certain type of liketime of year that you like for
your lawn measurements and yournapes?
Like, do you do it when all theleaves are gone so you get
better images of like thesidewalks and stuff?
Like what what napes do youlook for for that?
Preston Sundeen (21:04):
Well, I go and and do it just like I would do
uh do a field.
I go and do my borders and thenI go in and I got the
consultants package.
So just for the lawn carebusiness, because I gotta have
the consultants package so I canjust quickly download years and
years of nape, and then I makesure I toggle through them.
I mean, each each uh uh mostpeople wouldn't spend any time
(21:25):
on this.
They they go and run a lawncare business and they just go
mow lawn.
And here I am combing through10 years of nape to find the
best one because some years,like you say, um, you know,
maybe a 2000 and uh and 15 napekind of hit hit it just right.
Oh, but they had that shed theybuilt in 2017, so I guess we'll
(21:46):
have to use something, youknow.
So there's that give and takeuh too to it.
So I I have to have them all.
I can't just go pick one andthen decide, toggle on and off.
Jodi (21:59):
It's so funny though, because like even on that small
scale, like though you're you'rethinking through the same
things of like picking out napesfor for zone management, right?
Like, does this have the thedrainage that they implemented
or like they does it have thesurface uh drainage that they
did back in 2019?
Like, is that showing up in theimagery that we're picking for
looking at 2025?
(22:19):
That's so funny.
Sarah (22:20):
Okay, so here's my question, and maybe you said
this already, but help help helpexpand on this a little bit.
So when you've got these lawnin your ADMS and and you've got
them all measured out.
Preston Sundeen (22:33):
And they're in the operations center too.
Sarah (22:35):
And they're in the John Your Operations Center.
So and then do you have like doyou do you have more than
boundaries in there?
I mean, you said you've gotnapes.
What are you using the whatwhat are you using the data for
the lawns for?
How how does it get used?
Preston Sundeen (22:52):
Well, I've struggled a little bit.
So I I use the I use ADMS to dothe bidding because I can get
square feet and I just bidthings out uh per per square
foot um or linear feet if it'sedging and different things.
And then uh so I run greenlawnmowers, so I wanted to be
able to get things into the opcenter.
(23:13):
So they first gave me it was aBluetooth that goes on your
phone.
Um, you plug it into thelawnmowers electronics and
Bluetooth on your phone, but itit doesn't really go into the
operation center, so I wouldhave to actually put an MTG on
it.
And I've looked at doing someof that, and and I, you know, I
I think I'm a cool guy and I docool things, but I did draw the
(23:34):
line, so I'm not I'm notstreaming in in that way.
Uh but I did this year, uh, sothe kids do all the mowing, but
then with that, everybody wantedspraying, and uh the we bid
they bid the cemetery and theschool, and that comes with
spraying.
So I do use um on my phone, Ijust did this year, and it is
(23:54):
tractor GPS, and that doesn't asapplied map, but they don't
have it, so I can export it outyet.
So it's just like the entry,the lawn care is like where
farming was 15 years ago.
There's all these cool things,but none of them really come
together.
So you have to have 15different entities or operations
(24:16):
or programs to be able to kindof do what you want to do.
I envision in the next 15 yearsthe lawn care precision will
somewhat uh get a little bitmore singleized and and uh
hopefully there's some somebetter applications.
Sarah (24:31):
That's funny.
You know, I I really we mightbe transgressing into some other
stuff here, but it's a funconversation, right?
Because it's still precisionagriculture.
So I built this house last yearand you know, I I had this lot,
and one of the things that ofcourse I wanted to make sure
were taken care of is thedrainage.
(24:52):
So brought in the lidar becausethe lidar wasn't that old.
I knew when the lot was changedand all this stuff, and I knew
it was gonna work.
And I took this to my builderand I'm like, and here's the
lidar.
And they kind of giggled at mea little bit.
They they were like, Oh, isn'tthis cute?
Here's this woman with her cutelittle elevation data.
And I'm like, Well, what do youguys think you're actually
(25:14):
using for your elevation dataanyway?
This is the stuff that comesout of you know the Department
of Water Resources um at NorthDakota.
It it is the elevation data, soyeah, I just I mean, there's so
many different things that evenon a lawn care basis, I think
we can be using precisionagriculture.
But I honestly haven't reallythought of that.
Preston Sundeen (25:33):
Well, to tie it together with education, so so
I Snapchat all the differentthings I'm doing and whatnot,
and then I got one graduatedstudent.
So I was uh downloaded thattrack, I can't remember what
it's called, tractor GPS, Ithink.
And so it makes it an asapplied map.
So then all of a sudden he wasshowing me his ATV rig, and he
(25:54):
went out and sprayed the golfcourse, and he had the same app,
and so he had to send me his asapplied map, and then uh
another graduated student, allof a sudden he sent me a
Snapchat of a working outbackGPS light bar system on his
lawnmower.
And then I had anothergraduated student that uh is
(26:14):
employed uh with John Deere, anduh he then gave me the complete
breakout of what I would needto do to get those lawnmowers
into the op center.
Told me I could go find a hadthe specific a I think it was a
4500 controller, 4600 controllerthat it was a unique one, or
(26:35):
there's a unique model out therethat doesn't have all the
unlocks, so it goes on auctionsales for sometimes you can pick
them up for a little less thantwo grand, he says, and then you
get Egg Express to get you thewiring harnesses, and that'll be
this, and this is what you needto ask for, and this and this
and this and this, and thenyou'll be able to have all this
in the op center.
And I went, This sounds great,and one day I'll be there, but
(26:56):
the kids run three lawn mowers,and and I'm not about to have a
twelve, fifteen thousand dollarexpense lawn on GPS in the lawn
care business.
Sarah (27:06):
Yeah, I was gonna say how much is the total by the time
you get done.
Preston Sundeen (27:10):
I do have graduated students um that can
that can lay it all out for meand and help me out and put it
all together.
Sarah (27:17):
So that's caught me thinking.
Hmm.
I wonder if I should have that.
You know, then you could Isuppose that essentially you'd
have auto steer on your couldyou actually get it to an auto
steer point?
Preston Sundeen (27:29):
Uh there are I can't remember what uh if it's
Kubota.
There is one brand out therethat that you can buy um from
the factory with auto steer, butall all the ones that uh the
kids run are zero turn, so Ihaven't I haven't figured that
out.
Sarah (27:42):
And if it had a steering wheel, I wonder if a guy could
you put like an easy steer onthere or something like that?
Preston Sundeen (27:47):
I would I would assume so great.
You know, and then but thereagain you would have to so just
like that tractor GPS app, itjust uses your cell phone GPS.
And so the sprayer I got forthe lawnmower is 12 foot
sprayer, and I have uh have uhfoam markers on it, and so now I
have my as applied map.
(28:08):
Oh yeah, yeah.
That's cool, yeah.
Quite the sprayer.
I I have sprayed, I justtallied up and I've sprayed over
45 acres with a sprayer.
Sarah (28:17):
So for the that's impressive.
Preston Sundeen (28:19):
Yeah, yep.
And uh so the tractor GPS, I dohave an as applied map, but
when you look at the map, itlooks like there's a few skips
here and there just because theGPS isn't quite that accurate,
but my phone marker is spot on.
I know there's there ain't agod bless the phone, but the as
applied map.
So when I when I it that thatapp you can't export it out, so
(28:40):
I have to screenshot theapplication as applied map off
my phone, and then I email it tomyself, and then I print it
out, and then I put it in withthe invoices.
And it kind of irks me that itlooks like there's a couple of
skips out there, so I have to inthe invoice.
Don't don't go by the asapplied map, there are no skips.
I'll make sure nobody'sthinking I'm just kind of
willy-nilling.
Jodi (29:03):
Oh, that's funny.
Sarah (29:05):
Do either of you watch Clarkson Farms by any chance?
I don't think I do the firstepisode, and I know I gotta go
back in there and watch thatbecause it's hilarious.
Jodi (29:14):
The only the only reason I bring it up is because the most
recent season, it's like theirfourth year of farming, and
Jeremy Clarkson's just like, ohmy gosh, you guys, look what I
invented.
And he's dropping paint overhis tires so that the tires will
paint his line and he can justgo back and forth.
And then his like farm handcomes over, he's just like, Hey,
uh Jeremy, you do know thatthey've invented foam markers,
(29:34):
right?
And he's just like, oh, justpress on that somebody's already
beat him to this invention.
And it and it's also funnybecause like in he buys a new
tractor shortly after this, andlike it comes with GPS and they
can't figure it out how to work.
It's just it's so good.
It's as we talk about liketractor precision agriculture or
precision agriculture over inthe UK with somebody that's new
(29:57):
dealing with it, like it's allthe same problems.
Sarah (30:00):
It's it's all everybody that works in it has the same
relatable, you know, I do thinkthat we went from I I don't
know, I suppose I should becareful with this, but
nonetheless, I do think it'sreally funny that we went from
talking about mowing lawns inthe United States to European
agriculture in the sameconversation.
But I'm just gonna say, like,there it is.
Jodi (30:21):
You know, it's it's so funny though, because like
precision agriculture, becauseit's so young, right?
And like we're we're bothlimited, but also not like it's
just kind of an open book whereif you want to make something
work, you have to have the ideain your head and kind of like a
guideline of how to go there,whether that be putting in the
map and the software or wiringtogether like hardware to to
(30:45):
record what you want.
Like it's so open and also likeso young that I don't know,
it's we're all trying to figureit out as we go, and we we all
have the same problems becausewe're all just trying to figure
it out as we go.
Preston Sundeen (31:03):
And we all have the same somewhat background,
and we all know well, there's away, there's a way I can find
okay.
So let's see here.
I ran foam markers on uh on uh8103 Terrogator.
I wonder how I can figure thatout on a lawnmower sprayer, and
then you look it up and like, ohyeah, people make this.
Oh, you just order it up.
I don't put the red dye in.
I used to put the red dye in onthe floater, but uh in the
(31:25):
lawns I just drop plain oldwhite foam, no red dye.
Every now and then I think Ishould get red dye just like the
old days and have pink foam,but yeah, you don't want to have
I mean that sounds likeinteresting laundry.
Yep.
That was in the bachelor days,every every pair of jeans I had
was stained red dye from the uhfoam markers, foam markers.
Jodi (31:46):
Is it seed treatment or is it foam marker dye?
Sarah (31:51):
But I think this is a really great conversation,
actually, because you know, herewe are, we're talking about you
know the basics of precisionagriculture and how you can
adapt that to new concepts indifferent places.
Okay, here we're transtranscribing it, if you will,
over into mowing lawn.
But that's really fun.
And you know, what'sinteresting is um agriculture
(32:15):
has always had that culture oftenacity to figure things out,
and just like Preston said, usethat as a foundation for
creating something and askingquestions about how we can do
this.
There's there's a way, but yougot to have that foundation
there of knowledge.
And to me, it seems like thatwas what you really provided the
(32:36):
students when you were teachingthat basic knowledge about how
precision agriculture conceptswork.
And I'm sure, you know,considering the culture also of
not really having bigbackgrounds in computers, that
you know, let's face it, most ofthe time when we grow up on a
farm, you you learn how to use a9/16th wrench before you learn
how to use, you know, MicrosoftWindows.
(32:58):
And so, you know, trying to getum that that culture so you end
up with those basics of how youdo stuff in computers to apply
GIS and to uh precisionagriculture is complicated.
Preston Sundeen (33:12):
Critical thinking, I think, is what is
the is the big thing to employthat.
Um, just because what you said,there may not be that
accustomed to computers, so ifyou're using ADMS, you have to
okay, you and I'll do this a lottoo.
A student will ask a question,and I'll be like I'm not gonna
tell you that answer.
Let's you tell me the answer.
(33:33):
Just think it through.
Why why did you ask thatquestion so soon?
What did you did you process itfor a moment?
That you know, let's let'sthink about that.
And I think that's the biggestthing when it comes to you know
agriculture in general,precision egg, is that critical
thinking.
Uh, and you mentioned that thekids grow up, you know, with a
9/16 wrench, and they do, butI'll even argue to a point that
(33:55):
a lot of these uh high schoolkids are I they're 100% on the
farm, they are farm kids, butthey are operating tractors,
they and tractors that work, notlike in my day, old 875
versatiles that you had to fix,or you're putting down in hydris
and you had to uh you'd havethe hose plug up all the time.
(34:16):
That you know, things are moreor less operational, and so it's
it's installing the criticalthinking to every component, the
computer side, the the hardwareside, the tractor side.
Sarah (34:28):
So I think that's gonna be a great place where we can
cut this one off uh for thistime and next time when we come
back, we're gonna talk a littlebit more about instilling that
critical thinking um into thestudents and the things that you
did to kind of go through umand help those students really
learn how to get that that thatbasic knowledge that you can
(34:52):
apply that critical thinking outthere.
So, with that, we're gonna saythank you, Preston, for being
here.
Um and we're looking forward toyou talking to you next time on
this.
And with that, at GKTechnology, we have a map and an
app for that.
Theme Music (35:10):
And I can't wait to get in the fields again.
No, I can't wait to get in thefields again.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.