Research and projections have something daunting in store for the world. If numbers are to be believed, then by 2050 the human race will have to grow 70% more food than we produce today to feed and sustain the rapidly expanding population.
Global hunger is an imminent problem.
And the prospect of producing much more than what is possible today looks like a bleak proposition. Are we capable to fulfill such a tall order?
Without the help of current and future technologies, the answer is “no”.
With current precision ag technologies, it is possible to use a strategic mix of on-ground and on-machine sensors, automated machine controls, aerial imagery, and predictive models to:
Optimize planting, application, and harvesting field operations
Produce more yield at a fraction of the cost of traditional farming
Be sustainable in terms of the resources consumed
This new paradigm of farming is known as Precision Agriculture or site specific farming.
The Essence of Precision Farming:
Precision farming is laser focused. It divides a large plot of land into smaller parcels and involves evaluating crop and soil conditions and in turn uses automated machine functions; like auto-steer, variable rate, and section control, to place the right inputs, at the right amounts, in the right locations.
In short precision farming does exactly what its name implies.
It empowers farmers to diagnose what their crops and soils need, and apply the appropriate solutions in the amounts and locations needed to protect their crops and maintain their yield.
Precision farming does more with a lot less and is a realistic solution for countries around the world.
Two Main Facets of Precision Farming:
1. Collect, analyze, plan, execute. The heart of precision farming is the collection of data. Many different types of data can be collected and spatially analyzed, including soil fertility, planter performance, application rates, crop health, crop yield, and machine performance, just to name a few. Each of these sets of data are like a piece of a puzzle, showing the history and painting a picture of what happens during the cropping season. From these data sets, we can analyze what worked well and what didn’t, and then create a plan and execute that plan during the next season. The process starts over and continues each year, improving what we do, every year.
2. Machine automation. With the many different sensors available, and the use of specialized computers and GPS technology, precision farming can automate many factors of field operations. A few examples of this include auto-steer,planter row clutch control, variable rate application, and sprayer boom height control. All of these examples help to increase operator efficiency, reduce operator fatigue and errors, and reduce excess inputs.
Precision Farming Solutions is your local precision farming experts. We have been helping customers in both facets of precision farming for over 8 years. Please call us at 812-639-4389 for more details.
Support is king. Getting started with precision ag equipment can be a daunting task. Downtime is not only frustrating, it can also be very costly. That's why we provide 24 hour/7 day service for our customers.
" We are Experts in Precision Ag "
Hello, I’m Rick Applegate, CEO of Precision Farming Solutions LLC of Huntingburg, Indiana, one of the state’s top leaders in the field of Precision Ag. If you farm anywhere in southwest Indiana or north central Kentucky, we are your local Precision Ag experts, dedicated to giving you the highest levels of product and personal support to keep you running at peak efficiency.
We provide the very latest in aftermarket Precision Ag products and services to help you become progressively more profitable. Our offerings include soil sampling services, field tile design, tile planning, variable rate planting and fertility recommendations, drones for ag, agcam cameras, auto steer systems, yield monitors, planter controls, tile plows, and comprehensive Data Management. We are passionate about both technology and agriculture and are deeply committed to showing forward-looking farmers exciting new ways of doing things.
We are known for our service and support. Everyone understands that if they purchase anything from Precision Farming Solutions LLC, we will be there to support them, literally day or night, seven days a week, making sure that at all times and in all situations they are completely covered.
That kind of support has led to intense customer loyalty, which has kept us steadily growing and expanding over the ten plus years that we have been in business. For more information, please call me at: (812) 684-9700.
Precision Ag, of course, is a rather broad term that encompasses many different products and activities, but in essence it boils down to one thing: it is a means of precisely measuring and reacting to spatial variations in plants and the soil. In the past crops were managed at the field level; fertilizers, seed, and chemicals were all applied at the same rate all across the field.*
(This is why it has often been said that “Precision Ag” could also be called “Site-Specific Ag”).
In today’s world however, thanks to satellite-based GPS, different areas of any given field can be managed in different ways, sometimes down to the foot or even inch by inch.
Using the techniques and practices of Precision Ag, you can take a very large field and manage it as if it were a group of very small fields. When you manage fields like that, both you and your soils work better, not harder. That is why Precision Ag is so good for your bottom line. And also so good for the environment.
