On The Road to Precision Agriculture
Are You Ready for the Jump to Precision Farming?

With all the interest in precision farming these days, it is too easy to lose sight of the fact that not all agricultural producers are ready include precision farming technologies and practices in their farming practices. Neil Miller of Agri-Business Consultants recently proposed the following self-evaluation. The concept is that if you are now doing these, the jump to precision farming is only a step-up in the intensity of the information that you are using. If you are not doing many of these, you may not be ready to make the jump.

Circle one

no < ----- > yes

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you keep complete records of crop inputs in an accessible form?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you calibrate planter equipment before each season?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you calibrate sprayer equipment before each season?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you test your soils at least every 3 years?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you vary fertilizers on a field to field basis (rate and/or analysis)?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you vary planting rate on a field by field basis (for example by soil type or seed variety)?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you vary rates of pre-emergence herbicides by soil characteristics?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you scout fields regularly for pest outbreaks?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you record crop yields accurately, by field, in an accessible form?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you have a written marketing plan?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5   Do you use an enterprise accounting system?