Teen reaps state FFA award for his work with auto-steer technology

By GORDON D. FIEDLER JR.

Salina Journal

Josh Kejr, like most teenagers, is adept at computers. The 18-year-old was reared on the family farm near Brookville, so it was only a matter of time before the Ell-Saline High School FFA member found a way to merge diesel fuel with the computer chip.

"I've always liked computers," Kejr said. "When I was growing up, I went to a lot of farm shows, and they would have auto-steer technology (on some of the equipment)."

This enables the farmer to be more precise in planting and spraying by automatically controlling the tractor's speed and field coverage.

But the price of these gadgets was more new age than old school.

"We're never going to get one of those," the young Kejr remembered thinking.

Fast-forward to this year.

Kejr received the Kansas FFA Proficiency Award in the area of Emerging Agricultural Technology Placement for his work with auto-steering technology.

He's been tinkering with the technology for the past few years as his FFA project. Exhibiting a level of patience not associated with today's fast-paced teens, Kejr waited until this year to enter his work. He could have submitted what he'd learned three years ago. Some FFA members enter their projects the first year, a decision that may cost them in the long run.

"They don't have all the experience, all the different skills," Kejr said.

His entry contained three years worth of paperwork and documentation on the use of auto-steer technology, primarily its application on the family's sprayer.

With the aid of a global positioning system device on the sprayer cab, Kejr can tell the machine when to turn, how much to overlap and to perform other functions without touching the wheel.

For the first few rounds, he must guide the tractor so the computer knows where to go, but after that, it takes over.

The Kejrs also have installed auto-steer on two of their tractors.

The state award capped a run of first-place earnings at the local and district level. Next up: the FFA nationals.

He's poring over his project and tweaking certain sections.

"I'm making it better for the nationals," he said.

Kejr's future may have him wearing a white lab coat rather than a Carhartt barn coat.

"I want to go to (Kansas State University) and get a degree in computer engineering, to help develop this technology," he said. "I have the exerience and I like the computer aspect of it. It's always possible I'll get back to the farm. I don't know if that's right away or not."

Whatever path he takes, auto-steering technology is destined to grow, he said.

"It will continue to develop even more than it is now," he said. "What we have now will be obsolete."

He forsees a day when farmers won't even have to be in the tractor.

"What's in the future will be beyond our wildest dreams," he said.

nGordon D. Fiedler Jr. can be reached at 822-1407 or by e-mail at gfiedler@salina.com