Every Inch Counts

The use of precision agriculture is on the rise in rural Iowa. As this new technology is growing, farmers are maximizing their resources to their advantage. As farmers in Iowa prepare to get in the fields this spring, precision agriculture is a topic that is on most farmers' minds. 

What is precision agriculture? It is a form of technology that is used today to help farmers in a variety of ways on their farm. It can be used for planting, harvesting, tillage, spraying, and fertilizer application.

There are many benefits to using this technology in farming operations today. The first is that is saves money. By using precision agriculture, input costs are reduced and as a result, a higher return on investment can be attained. Input costs can be reduced in a variety of ways.

First, seed overlap is reduced during planting and seed placement is more accurate to maximize yield. An increased yield is obtained by getting more plants in the right spot during planting and the chemicals are also getting applied directly onto the seeds and plants in the right spot. Fuel costs are reduced by making fewer passes through the field. As you can see, costs savings include chemical application costs, fertilizer costs, and reduced seed costs.

An ergonomic benefit to using this technology is that more hours can be worked in the field with less fatigue.

Another facet of precision ag is yield monitoring. With yield monitoring a farmer can see the areas of high and low yield which can help them to make an informed (hopefully cost effective) management decisions whether it is getting an idea where to place tile or putting down a different rate of fertilizer.

Precision agriculture also helps keep track of farm records. These accurate farm records provide valuable information on yield and sales. It also helps to provide information for future management decisions. 

Lastly, precision agriculture is sustainable. Pollution is reduced through a reduction in the wasted use of chemicals.

We are still trying to adopt precision ag on our family farm. It is a large investment and takes a lot of consideration. However, knowing the benefits compared to the costs, I think that this will be a purchase for us in the near future. 

A great resource with more information about precision agriculture can be found at putyourfarmonthemap.com