Plant-Level Farming Is Closer Than You Think, TerraClear Tells Big Iron Crowd
TerraClear Director of Sales, Shane Williams joined an Agweek panel on precision agriculture at Big Iron in West Fargo, N.D., on Sept. 15, 2026. Rob Proulx of NDSU Extension, Matt Faul of Red E, and Agweek publisher Korrie Wenzel were also on the panel. They talked about the technology already paying off on farms and what’s coming next.
Williams explained how TerraClear uses high-resolution imagery to map stones and weeds across a field. That gives farmers maps they can act on. His main point was that the area farmers manage keeps getting smaller.
“So things are advancing very, very quickly,” Williams said. “You may have heard stories around the internet of managing at the plant level. It’s not that far away. It’s actually in practice right now.”
When the panel was asked about the next big thing, Williams said plant-level management is already moving from specialty crops into row crops.
“You’re going to see us continue to dial down to the plant level and literally managing at the plant level,” he said. “It’s happening today in the fruits and vegetable markets. Much higher margin product; they can afford to spend a little bit more detail at the plant level. That is evolving into our commercial corn, soybeans, wheat, and canola acres.”