Published Oct 1
With harvest either underway or on the horizon for most growers in the U. S. , now is a good time to prepare for your soil sampling program. Most universities and the NRCS recommend taking soil samples in the off-season, after the last crop harvest, and before the next cash crop is planted. Mississippi State University Extension advises collecting samples 3-6 months before planting, to allow any lime recommendations to react and change the pH...
Categories: Precision Agriculture, Soil Health
Updated Sep 10
The weed control measures used in soybean production need to be overhauled. The development of resistance in weeds has made current technology and management increasingly expensive and comes accompanied with heavy yield losses. Precision management solutions can reduce chemical use in several ways. Current Weed Management in SoybeansSoybean is important for the global economy as it is used as a source for oil and protein (for people and livestock) and as biodiesel. Soybean is the crop with the largest monoculture in the world and with 90% of it grown in Argentina, Brazil, the United States, China, and India...
Categories: Precision Agriculture, Soybeans
Published Sep 9
What is Subsurface Drip Irrigation?Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) is a way of irrigating crops through plastic tubes placed under the soil surface. The tubes have droplet emitters with even spacings, similar to the drip system located on the soil surface. There are different pipe arrangement variations, but the pipes are usually placed at a distance of 38 to 84 and at a depth of 6 to 10 below the soil surface. In the United States, SDI is widely used to irrigate annual crops; elsewhere, the irrigation system is popularly used for orchards and other perennials. SDI systems require intensive management and come with high initial costs of up to $1,000 /acre...
Categories: Corn, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture
Updated Aug 20
Soilless cultivation is an innovative process that was introduced in recent years for protected crops. This practice has been established for the large-scale production of fresh vegetables and ornamental plants, especially in the countries of Northern Europe, with the main purposes of:- Increasing production- Optimizing acreage - Reducing working times- Reducing the need for water and fertilizers - Optimizing climatic conditionsThe continuous climate changes, the increasing interest in environmental impacts, and the availability of cheap facilities and simple technologies all lead to an increased use of soilless cultivation in commercial applications. When talking about soilless crops, we’re referring to two types of systems:- Real hydroponics, without substrate: the root system of a plant is directly in contact with the water and the nutrient solution (floating system, nutrient film technique, aeroponics)- Hydroponics with substrate: the plant grows on inert, organic materials, or a mixture between them (cultivation bags, slabs, pots or bins)In these systems, fertigation feeds the plants and involves the use of water-soluble fertilizers. In the most sophisticated and technological systems, the nutrient solution is recycled continuously, thus ensuring maximum efficiency of the water resources used (closed cycle). In the simplest systems, however, especially in those based on the use of the substrate, the drained nutrient solution is dispersed (open cycle)...
Categories: Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Vegetables
Updated Aug 9
Artificial Intelligence or AI is perhaps one of the most popular topics in the 21st century. To simply state, AI is the process wherein the computers perform complex tasks instead of humans to save time, energy, and labor. AI has had a profound impact on all walks of life, making everyday life less demanding. Agriculture is one such industry that has been continuously benefited by AI. From planting to harvesting and processing to marketing, AI has tremendously transformed all aspects of crop production...
Categories: Precision Agriculture, Soybeans
Updated Aug 7
The high-value returns from cotton as well as the higher costs of production should be ample incentives for adopting precision farming. The vagaries of climate change and its disruptions to the normal farm schedule only increases the value of this information technology for cotton. Climate Change is Altering Pest Attack PatternsIncreasing drought and extreme weather due to climate change are impacting cotton in unforeseen ways. The unpredictable changes in weather patterns aren’t just disturbing the environmental conditions needed for cotton crops. Experts noticed since 2019 that the feeding and reproductive patterns of pests have changed...
Categories: Cotton, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture
Updated May 12
For growers who are trying to follow the “4Rs” of nutrient stewardship — applying the right fertilizer source at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place, as set forth by The Fertilizer Institute — variable-rate technology (VRT) can help them tackle two of the four, as it can determine the right rate and the right place based on prescription maps. Unfortunately, it doesn’t guarantee those benefits will provide a return on investment. Consider a study conducted in North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota from 2000-2003, where fields were divided so that nitrogen fertilizer was either variable-rated or applied uniformly. As the North Dakota State University (NDSU) article explains, using nitrogen fertilizer recommendations at the time and variable-rate applying it on a zone approach provided no economic advantage over the uniform rate. However, the same article cites a study conducted for more than 10 years on a 40-acre field in North Dakota where variable-rating nitrogen resulted in a $14...
Categories: Precision Agriculture
By Sam Baker
Published Apr 25
Ag-Analytics® (https://analytics. ag/uav) announced the launch of its long-awaited fully remote, on-demand UAV Service – a custom flight service to assist farmers by providing fast, cost-effective UAV flights and machine learning analysis. The cost starts as low as $210 for a 60-acre field or $2. 40/acre for larger fields. Farmers can easily place a no-obligation order in under 5 minutes with the fly-out occurring in 3-5 days...
Categories: Agribusiness, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture
Updated Apr 14
There is no shortage of great apps to help farmers in 2020. As farming gets more digital, tech savvy farmers are craving tools that can help them do their jobs more efficiently and better. This list compiles 10 of the most useful apps in agriculture. My John Deere Operations Center let’s you take complete control of your operation via remote management of your fleet, monitoring of field work and applications, as well as accessing historic agronomic data. With continuing improvements and updates being rolled out regularly, John Deere has developed what is the clear flagship farm management tool...
Categories: Agribusiness, Corn, Precision Agriculture
By Sam Baker
Published Feb 21
Agriculture is one of the most competitive markets in the world, and in competitive markets every decision matters. Every season, farmers are faced with choices that can make or break their harvest, and oftentimes there is not much data available to help in the decision making process. Farm Flight’s goal is to help farmers mitigate risk when making these crucial decisions with the use of machine learning and drone technology. This technology is now making information that was never accessible, available to everyone. One of the many services that Farm Flight can offer to farmers are stand counts...
Categories: Organic Row Crops, Precision Agriculture
