When Marion Calmer bought his first farm back in the 1980s, a quote attributed to British mathematician Lord Kelvin was top of mind: “We can’t improve on things we don’t measure or research.”

I look forward to someday sitting on my porch drinking a glass of bourbon made from corn and rye grown on my farm and smoking a cigar made entirely from tobacco I produced. To get there, I need to deliver near-perfect grains and leaves in an area that not so long ago was considered unfit for row crops.