Precision agriculture is a farming practice that whose goal is to make the farming practice to be more accurate and controlled in regard to the growing of crops and livestock. The key component of the kind of farm management is that it uses IT and other items such as control systems, GPS guidance, robotics, sensors, drones, variable rate technology, autonomous vehicle, automated hardware, soil sampling using GPS, software and telematics.
The first precision agriculture wave
The first precision agriculture wave came after GPS guidance for tractors was introduced during the early 1900s. The technology was adopted and has now become widely used through the world. A controller that is connected with GPS is connected to the tractor of the farmer to steer the equipment depending on the field’s coordinate. This serves to minimize any steering errors that may be caused by the driver and therefore, any overlap that is passed on a field. The benefit of this is that it results in some less wasted fertilizers, seeds, time and fuel.
The precision agronomics
This refers to the combining of the right technology with the methodology. The core of the precision agronomic is to offer farming techniques that are more accurate for the planting as well as growing of crops. The following elements are used in precision agronomics:
- Variable rate technology. The role of VRT is to enable input application and ensure that farmers control the input they use in a certain location. The component of the technology includes software, computer and a controller and a DGPS (differential global positioning system). There are 3 basic ways that are used in VRT. These are sensor-based, map-based and the manual.
- GPS soil sampling. By testing the soil of a field, it is possible to determine the nutrients that are available, pH level and other data that is necessary for making profitable and informed decisions. The goal of soil sampling is to enable the growers to consider differences in productivity within a particular field and also create a plan that consider these differences.
- Computer-based apps. Computer apps are commonly used in the creation of the precise farm plans, yield maps and crop scouting. The goal of this plan is to allow for the application of inputs like herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers and therefore help to minimize expenses while producing yields that are higher. One challenge of the software systems is that they at times deliver a small value that doesn’t make it possible for the use of data in making of the huge farm decisions.
- Remote sensing technology. This has been used in agriculture since the 1960s and can be an invaluable tool in regard to the monitoring the management of water, land and other key resource. Another major concern with most software is that they have poor interface and it is hard to integrate the information with the other sources of data to enrich and give value to the farmer.
The primary goal of precision agriculture technology is profitability, sustainability and efficiency even as it protects the environment. The data that is gathered using the technology can help to achieve this.