COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ALMUNA IS FIRST WOMAN TO WIN PRECISION IMPACT AWARD

By: Olivia Jaco, graduate assistant in the Darr College of Agriculture

Missouri State University Darr College of Agriculture alumna, Tayler McLane, from Broseley, Missouri,
became the first woman to receive the Precision Impact Award at the 2016 Agricultural Retailers
Association (ARA) meeting in Orlando, Florida, after being nominated by the Missouri home office, MFA
Inc. at Columbia.
Raised on a nearly 5,000 acre row crop farm in the Missouri bootheel, McLane wasnt sure what her
agricultural path would entail, but her love for the industry led her to Missouri State and an agronomy
degree. McLane credits Dr. Michael Burton, professor in agronomy and ecology at Missouri State, and
with Dr. Ben Fuqua, faculty emeritus in plant science, along with all of her other agriculture professors
for her success and knowledge.
Im super happy to hear of Taylers success and that her efforts were rewarded. Im not surprised by
her success, though. She was always one to look for the practical application to what she was learning,
said Burton when he heard she had received this award.
After working for a year at the Fisher Delta Research Center in Portageville, Missouri, as an assistant
weed scientist, McLane accepted a position as the precision agronomist for MFA agriservices in Bernie,
Missouri.
As the precision agronomist, McLane takes soil samples and makes fertilizer recommendations based
upon those samples. MFA agriservices in Bernie believes variable rate application (VRA) fertilization is
the most efficient way to optimize farm productivity. VRA fertilization allows farmers to allocate certain
amounts of fertilizer to meet the yield potential of specific areas within fields, improve low yielding
zones, and replenish high yielding spots.
McLane noted Bernie MFA agriservices and herself were nominated due to the number of acres she uses
precision soil sampling on, and the amount of acres the company spreads fertilizer on. McLane received
the Precision Impact Award after working three years with Bernie MFA agriservices. She commended
her entire team and their customers for their hard work and dedication to precision agriculture.
It takes a whole store to accomplish something like this, so when I got to thinking I thought, no wonder
we won, McLane said.
When McLane discovered she was the first woman to win this award she was honored and hopeful.
Its an even greater honor not only to win the award, but hopefully to start the path for other women
to also win in the upcoming years, McLane said.
According AGPRO, the Precision Impact Award is awarded annually at the ARA meeting to, local retailer
operations and local management individuals for excellence in incorporating precision ag into their retail
operations and their farmer customers operations. This award allows the public to see how agriculture
retailers are using this technology to promote good stewardship and sustainable practices. One winner
was chosen from each of the three regions; Plains-West, North, and South. To find out more about the
award visit, http://www.agprofessional.com/events-and-contests/precision-impact-award/2016precision-impact-awards.