Benefits of Precision Farming
Information To Act On
Precision farming makes information and diagnosis part of your whole farm system. In
the short term, yield monitoring and other site-specific information give you an improved
ability to diagnose crop production problems. Yield restrictions caused by drainage, soil
type, crop inputs, diseases, weeds, etc. can be quickly identified and corrected -
providing you with immediate returns.
In the long term, data can be collected and analyzed over time, providing you with the
opportunity to evaluate the effects of various management practices on yield. You can also
compare ongoing yield variations for site-specific locations or entire fields, to
determine problems such as inherent soil differences or micro-climate differences.
Precision farming technology is also useful in evaluating crop inputs, new products,
new methods, etc. It can generate production comparisons for a particular field or farm,
so that you can make informed management decisions on use of inputs, products, and/or
methods. Evaluating these comparisons without precision farming technology is time
consuming and often inaccurate.
Tools like yield maps will track trends and identify problems that can help you make
changes in crop rotation, variety choices, and other important decisions. For example,
resistant wild oat patches can be singled out (GIS referenced) and then isolated - which
will restrict their spread, giving you time to look at new strategies, rotations, and
herbicides.
Efficient Use of Equipment
Information on soil characteristics and weather can be used to plan and improve
scheduling of operations, which can increase machinery utilization rates and lower
per-acre costs.
As well, GPS-based guidance systems can allow operators to achieve greater field
efficiency under difficult conditions. They can reduce overlap and missed applications of
inputs (e.g. spraying), helping fatigued operators maintain higher field efficiency.
Risk Reduction
At the field level, precision farming provides site-specific management that can point
out problems with growing conditions, thereby reducing variability in net returns. At the
farm level, precision farming information can be used to improve variety choice, crop
rotation, and other agronomic practices that reduce risk. As well, information no crop
growth during the season can help you make more informed market decisions.
Management of Differentiated Products
In the future, precision technology may help farmers differentiate their production
within a particular field. For example, you might segregate higher protein wheat for
marketing in more rewarding channels.
In addition, precision farming technology will allow the additional control that is
required when you are managing the production of differentiated products, as opposed to
the production of regular bulk crops. It will allow documentation of crops conditions and
control of inputs to meet the very specific requirements of these crops.
Environmental Stewardship
Precise application of chemical and fertilizer will better match crop requirements, and
will prevent over-application - which can be non-beneficial to the environment. The
management practices generated by precision farming technologies will promote good land
stewardship.
Is It Profitable?
In order for precision farming to be profitable, the technology needs to be used in
ways that fit local farming conditions. For production of bulk commodities on the Canadian
prairies, profitability will depend on making the best of low-cost information. There is
no doubt, however, that site-specific data bases will help improve management skills and
profitability.
The most profitable uses of precision farming technology are likely to be found in
information system applications, diagnosis of crop problems, equipment use efficiency,
risk management, crop differentiation, and process control. |
