The Southern States Latta Service in Dillon, SC won the 2014 Precision Impact Award and was recognized at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Conference and Expo as one of the industry’s leaders in precision ag technology.

The award — presented by AgProfessional and the ARA — recognizes local retail operations for their excellence in incorporating precision ag into their operations while also being environmentally responsible and promoting good stewardship of the land.
Steven Harrelson, agronomy sales manager for the Southern States Latta Service, accepted the award among nearly 800 people attending the ARA Conference and Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference brings together ag retailers and suppliers to learn more about the ever-evolving ag industry through panel discussions, presentations, networking and trade show exhibitors.
Precision ag is one of those evolutions that burst onto the farming scene in the mid-80s and has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The once novel technology tools are now commonplace, and new technology developments have piqued farmers’ interest.
“The farmers are looking for efficiencies in their operations, and they’re looking for partners to help them achieve that,” said Harrelson.
Harrelson explains that educating growers on the new technology is of utmost importance, so staying abreast with the latest and greatest in precision ag offerings has been instrumental in Southern States’ success.
“We’ve done a good job in making sure that our growers are aware of the new products that are out there that can make them a better grower,” he added.
The Latta team has been able to introduce growers to a wide-range of precision ag offerings, including Veris EC mapping, zone soil sampling, aerial and satellite imagery and yield mapping systems.
“We’re extremely proud of the Latta team’s leadership and commitment to their growers in helping them improve their operations’ profitability,” said Dave Swain, manager of precision ag technology for Southern States.
In the past year, Southern States has created an entire department dedicated to agronomy technology.
“We are looking to the future with agronomy technology,” said Swain. “We believe that we can use agronomy and technology to help growers make cost effective, agronomically sound, and environmentally sustainable decisions on the farm.”
Southern States Cooperative has grown to become one of the nation’s largest farm supply companies. With over 1,200 retail outlets spread across 23 states, they provide a wide range of farm and home supplies, including livestock feed, fertilizer, seed, animal health supplies and petroleum products. Farmer-owned since 1923, the Virginia-based cooperative has more than 200,000 farmer-members. For more information, visit www.southernstates.com.