Precision Agriculture For You

Precision farming has been in Ontario for close to 10 years now. A large number of farmers are using some form of precision farming and a small number are big users of the technology. In the last 5 years the accuracy and ease of use of the equipment has improved. Also, the software to analyze the information is now faster and easier to use. The challenge has been and still remains - how to use the information to determine where to specifically apply inputs in a field. Progress is being made in this area.

Precision farming is not just for large farm operations. Sure, a small operation may not be able to afford all the technology, but can still benefit from the technology. One opportunity to use the technology is to have fields soil sampled. Smart soil sampling of fields can help determine the variability in a field and can help identify specific requirements, especially lime. Another way of utilizing the technology without directly purchasing it is through yield monitoring. If you have someone do your combining and they have a yield monitor there is the opportunity to have yield maps for your fields.

Yield monitor data can provide a lot of useful information. Yield maps can be used to improve crop yields and the bottom line. Yield maps have helped many determine where drainage would pay, how bad the yields are in a poor area and have helped to quantify the benefits of management changes. There is also the potential with protein sensors to separate crops, such as wheat, on the go for different markets.

Regardless of whether precision farming is currently being used, or if it is being considered for use, the cost/ benefit must be analyzed. The costs for the technology and services can be significant. Computers, yield monitors, variable rate applicators, global positioning systems (GPS), grid sampling, data analysis all have a cost. There are also learning costs to working with something new.

On the benefit/returns side, variable rate application of inputs has the potential to reduce input costs. It also may pay some big dividends down the road as environmental concerns continue to move to the forefront. Variable rate equipment has the potential to apply environmentally sensitive inputs, like nitrogen and manure, in the amount needed by the crop in specific areas of the field. It can also provide a record of what input was applied where in the field. Precision farming can also contribute to risk reduction on the farm.

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