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Precision Agriculture
Today and Tomorrow
Higher Technology for higher profits
Where are you?
Startup... Intermediate... Advanced?
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As Precision Agriculture moves from an innovative
specialty idea of a few years ago to a mainstream farming practice today
growers are finding themselves in one of three major groups:
Startup.
Intermediate.
Advanced.
You're the only person who can assign your place on the
growing adoption curve. You know exactly where you are today when it comes
to using the tools of Precision Agriculture - which ones you've already
adopted and which ones you'd like to use - all to boost profit margins and
increase the value of your farming operation.
If you're like other farmers, you also have a good idea
of where you want this new science of agriculture to take you.
That's the major purpose of this issue of the "FIELDSTAR
Field Report" - to help you get to your desired level of skill in Precision
Agriculture (PA) so you can harvest more of the rewards and benefits this
management approach has to offer.
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With more than 10 years
experience using Precision Agriculture tools, North Dakota grower Pete
Carson is also studying advanced areas like his own on-farm weather
station.
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Eye on the big picture.
When you think about it, Precision Agriculture is not
really new. Your grandfather practiced it long ago when he found certain
fields produced better yields on certain crops than others, and decided
where to place the permanent pasture. Then, he planted crops that yielded
higher on more fertile land.
Through the years this process of continuous improvement
has been the hallmark of Agriculture - hybrids, fertilizers, crop protection
tools, equipment advances and more.
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What is new today, though, is the scientific advancements
that have been made to literally put space-age technology in your hands ...
concepts that your grandfather probably never even dreamed about (or if he
did, he kept them to himself).
Also, what's important today is that whatever stage
you're at in applying Precision Agriculture to your operation, it'll pay you
to step back and look at the big picture. Study, review and understand the
tools that are available for your farming operation. Then set your goals and
take off. |
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Tools of Precision
Agriculture.
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Yield monitor tied to DGPS
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Variable rate
equipment for fertilizer, pesticides, seed (VRT)
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Satellite
images, high and low resolution
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Soil
conductivity analysis and mapping
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Digital soil
maps
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Topographic maps
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Yield maps
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Computer
software
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GPS navigation -
lightbar guidance for parallel swathing
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Farmer's own
knowledge of the field
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