Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
frustrated because I'd like to be able to look at the data . . . and say, with
my expertise, “If we change this part of it, this will really make it much
better. . . .” But I can't do that—I don't have the technical expertise for
that. So I'm basically just running the model and seeing what it does, being
able to say, yes or no, it's working well. So I fi nd it frustrating, because, if
I could add more to that, I think I could take it further. But I can't do
that. . . .
And the last thing on this particular example: I think it's the
only
project
I can think of, in my brief time here, where it's not been real smooth
working with all the cooperators. I'd say, with the exception of [the DM]
project,
everyone
else, from farmer [to] fi eld person [to] PCA, they've really
been great in cooperating with us, and I can say nothing but good about
the working relationships in these other projects. This one is rather differ-
ent in that it's not been that smooth. Some of the companies that provide
the hardware and stuff like that—they're trying to sell units. So when we
come out and say we're not sure it's working well, there's some confl ict
there. Because they're saying, “It's working well. And we want to sell 'em
to you, Mr. Grower.” And I come out and they ask me, “Well we hear it's
working well.” And I'll say, “Well, I'm not really sure it is.” And that creates
hard feelings, see. Because we're not supporting what the commercial
people are saying.
CRH:
Well, the Lettuce Board wants to [implement the system] now,
right? That must be frustrating too.
PlantPath:
Yeah, that's frustrating, because the board . . . well, there's a
subcommittee that's pushing for that. So the board as a whole says, “You
subcommittee [members], you meet with [PlantPath] and come up with a
recommendation.” And the subcommittee is very much in favor of pushing
ahead faster than I want to. So, I think I've been pretty good about my
response. I'm encouraging them and saying, “I want to be supportive of
the effort.” I've said, “If you need me, I will still provide some technical
support.” Which they want—they want Extension involvement in it.
Once the plant pathology advisor had collected data from the fi eld
trials, though, his fi ndings could be interpreted in multiple ways. In fact,
representatives of the company that intended to commercially market the
DM weather station service began citing his data to show the potential
benefi ts of the system. In one case, the advisor was out of the country at
