Not all crops are created equal, and precision agriculture technology allows farmers to treat them specifically, saving money in the process.
Precision ag is an evolving approach to farming which incorporates soil sampling, GPS, sensor technology and guidance systems to gauge how certain conditions varyingly affect crop growth in a field.
Auburn biosystems engineering associate professor and precision ag specialist John Fulton said the technology helps farmers be more site-specific in the field.
"Not only do we try to understand variability, but then we use new technologies to then apply products on a site-specific basis," Fulton said.
The sensor technology obtains information about an object without directly contacting it.
In agriculture, information about crops and soil is gathered from plane-based, satelitte-based or equipment-based sensing devices.
This information gives farmers a better sense of the potential productivity or limitations of their crops, allowing them to make better decisions and maximize crop yields, Fulton said.
Fulton said the technology has allowed for less overlap in applying fertilizer and pesticides, saving approximately $10 million in 2009.
Amy Winstead, regional extension agent, said the technology allows farmers to apply products at different rates, instead of a blanket coating, which is also more environmentally sustainable.
"The sector control technology turns the systems on and off, decreasing the amount of input from farmers," Winstead said. "For example, if they've already sprayed in a particular section of the field, then if they come back across that area the system will shut off so it's not over-applying."
Winstead said precision ag also uses GPS to guide tractors and auto-steer, which also provides farmers the ability to work at night.
"Basically a farmer can make a row in the field and then from that point on when they turn around the system will guide them up from where they are supposed to be," Winstead said. "That keeps (farmers) from wasting time and saves them money because they aren't overlapping any input."
Fulton said approximately 60 percent of row farmers across the state have adopted some level of precision ag technology and the number nationally was probably in the 50 percent range.
The technology has reduced the amount of pesticides and nutrients applied by an average of 10 percent. Fulton said a reduction was also seen in trips across the field, which lowers the risk of erosion and chemical runoff into surface water.
"I think by being more efficient and reducing overlap, I think the big thing we're seeing is the ability to be better stewards of the land," Fulton said. "We only apply what we need, and I think that's sometimes hard to put a tangible benefit on."
Fulton said the estimated savings were calculated by Auburn scientists, and were based on the number of farmers they consult, the number of farmers enrolled in National Resources Conservation Service precision ag programs and the average savings for various technologies, which was determined through research.
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