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June 1998

On The Road to Precision Agriculture

    Site-specific management concepts and applications are bringing a new dimension of the information age to the American countryside. Application of the information age to managing farms, forests and the rural landscape will significantly alter methods of crop production and improve agricultural production efficiency.

To achieve success in this new information age, managers need site-specific information describing variability of important factors such as soil physical properties, fertility levels, pest infestations, water availability, crop yield and crop quality. The information gathered is coupled with cultural practices to generate site-specific management and application recommendations. Advanced technologies for variable rate application and machine guidance can then be used to apply the specific recommendations.

Innovative (early adopters) agricultural producers are beginning to apply site-specific management equipment and principles. Equipment manufacturers are providing machines that can vary the application of seeds, water, fertilizers, and pesticides in response to site-specific management plans. Combine-installed grain yield monitors have been commercially available for several years while yield monitors for crops like potatoes, sugar beets, vegetables, cotton and forages are being developed or are available on a limited basis.

Sensor systems to measure other agronomic factors by location within a field are also beginning to appear. High resolution satellite images will become available in the near future. In many areas, input suppliers and crop consultants are providing precision agriculture services, including site-specific soil sampling and directed crop scouting. Geographic information systems (GIS) software are available to map, analyze and manipulate data gathered.

This page was last updated on 10/08/01.