Here's Another Take
  on Precision Farming

As combines hit the field this fall, more and more of them will be equipped with yield monitors, computers, and global positioning systems (GPS). Throughout the Midwest and beyond farm fields are being intensively soil sampled and mapped in a way that computer software can generate detailed information graphics of each field.

All this stuff and much more usually falls under the umbrella of "Precision Farming". Farm magazines are full of articles about it, conferences are held dealing with it, public research institutions are researching it, and private companies are continuing to develop it. Of course the big question is, "Is it worth it?". Unlike your favorite seed company cap, they don't give most of these gadgets and gizmos away for free.

I've been to several conferences and heard a number of producers, researchers, and company folks talk about precision or "site specific" agriculture. The multi-colored, computer generated yield maps are impressive. So are the multi-colored, computer generated soil test maps. Sometimes the crop yields correspond to the soil mapping units. Sometimes they don't. Eventually the discussion gets into a hypothetical farm or field situation where management changes made as a result of investment in this new technology results in a big payback. Many times I've heard "early adopter" producers talk about their frustrations in calibrating yield monitors, generating useful maps, and getting technical support from the manufacturer.

All of this technology cannot be disregarded nor can it be implemented without some careful thought. Precision farming technology is currently on the steep side of the learning curve for both the producer and those people who are developing, researching, or marketing the products. As with most new innovations, improvements will be made and costs will come down with each passing year.

One of my biggest concerns with the current state of site specific farming is that often it is marketed and sold based on the fact that it WILL make you money. This simply is not the case. In some situations, there may be an economic return ---- perhaps a big return. However, what precision farming technology does offer to everyone who uses it will be more detailed information about the cropping enterprise. With this information, management decisions are made with a much higher degree of reliability.

There's nothing wrong with investing in information. We do it all the time when buying magazines, newspapers, satellite information systems, televisions, or attending meetings and conferences. Information gives today's crop producer the ability to make the right decisions, which in some cases may be not to change current farming practices. To be sure, the more information you have, the better decisions you will make, and the better position you put yourself into to be more profitable. I think this is what precision farming offers its users more than anything else.

There is no question that diving "whole hog" into site specific farming (i.e. yield monitor, GPS system, computer software, soil grid sampling, etc.) is costly. For this reason, the payback on the technology is size-sensitive. It's the old story of spreading costs over more acres. Again, I'm sure costs will come down with time and there are options for the average size crop producer to initially capitalize on the technology.

I feel the best place to start is with crop yield records on, at the very least, a field by field basis with some attention paid to yield variability within a field. This is accomplished with a yield monitor. Several years of yield data are needed before it can be determined whether yield variability, if any, is real AND if there is a practical solution. A yield monitor won't give you advice, but it will help to point you in the right direction for answers.

Like many technologies, precision farming is here to stay. Currently, not everyone will realize an economic return on investment, however, it clearly does offer the user a means of obtaining information to make more informed management decisions. This is where the power of the precision farming lies.