Amanda Jones Team 2B Topic Two: Precision Agriculture Precision ...
Amanda Jones Team 2B Topic Two: Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture (PA) has been today’s leading source of farming. The first applications of PA started in the 1990’s yet the adoption started in the late 1990s.1 Precision agriculture works by collecting real time data on weather, soil and air quality, crop maturity and even labor costs and availability, predictive analytics to make effective decisions regarding agriculture. 2 Precision agriculture has also been one of the more effective technologies when it comes to alternative usages of drones and other equipment that is similar to those in the military. Precision agriculture also uses lots of data management that primitive farming does not use. Precision agriculture relies on data like say many companies rely on support for accurate data to yield changes. According to Spyro Fountas, the advantages in Information and Communication have allowed farmers to acquire set specific data for their field, yet there are still many obstacles many farmers face in order to collect data. There are other factors in terms of hardware, software usability and time consumption which makes it difficult for them to collect data. PA is intrinsically information sensitive and it makes it difficult for farmers to efficiently manage their results.3 Yield monitoring has become one of the most popular components of precision agriculture being reported on 45% of acreage since 2006. It is most popular due to its increased retail availability and increasing ease of use.4 Interviews With the projection of PA becoming easier to use overtime as well as becoming the increased use for agriculture the best way to understand this technology is by interviewing sources from different regions. The two states that were used in these interviews were Minnesota and New Jersey. In Minnesota, Linda Halley, an organic farmer gave her opinions on precision agriculture and how the data is collected on her farm. Below is the interview with Linda Halley:
1
Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2. "Precision Agriculture." IBM Research: Precision Agriculture., accessed November 9, 2014 3 Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2. 4 Schimmelpfennig, David. "On the Doorstep of the Information Age." Economic Information Bulletin, (2011), 80. 2
How are precision farming techniques used on your farm? Overall Precision Agriculture Techniques weren’t used on her farm in terms of technology yet they do collect information in terms of dates, amounts harvest records, yields. They don’t have much technology but they use an older technology no GPS or drones but they do have a computer in which they implement data and keep them in a cloud-based format.
Specifically, what information are you collecting? “They collect planting dates, application dates: fertilizer, pre and post transplanting (most of our crops are transplanted). Certain pesticides are allowed on organic farms; so when those pesticides are applied.”
In what ways do data collected from farming techniques improve your yield, in terms of quality or quantity? “They also said it would be great if we had more precise ways of collecting data, then you don’t have to spray the whole field with herbicide if only part of the farm has weeds. We have about 5 or 6 major soil types on our farm and we take soil tests annually. The tests we’re able to take tell us about NPK [major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium] and micronutrients. We’re just taking the test to see which parts need which nutrients. We already know the type of soil based on soil type mapping that was done a long time ago, that is really accurate. You can go to a soil website to see which kind of soil type you have. Sandy loam, clay loam, muck soil… specific names that have specific characteristics. For example, I already know that I have sandy loam on the south side of the farm, but now I need to know, what micronutrient and major nutrient needs that area has.” Would that be feasible for you to go in on this with area farms, to buy or rent this equipment? “If we don’t address the nutrient needs of our plants, then we have stressed plants, and stressed plants attract pests. What we’re really doing is trying to build healthier, more vibrant soil.Small scale farming – even though we have 100 acres, this is still considered small scale – is very capital-intensive. The farming technology that they’re coming up with, which increases our yields, is really expensive. The newest variety of crops are really expensive, as are the chemicals that they’re designed to work with. The initial investment is not within the reach of a small farm. In a larger farmer coop, on the scale of 5,000 acres, they can justify the expense. They can hire a tractor with GPS.”
I know it’s hard to say, but do you think that kind of technology become affordable in ten years? “No, not really. It’s the bigger farm coops that can do that. Is it hard for you to compete with these larger farms, who have access to the precision agriculture techniques? I’m a niche farmer, so I’m not really competing with the big farms. Locally grown, organic produce commands a slightly higher price.” If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of subsidies do you get? “That’s an easy question to answer. We receive ZERO subsidies, because we don’t grow those kinds of crops. We could grow ‘cover crops’ and get a small amount for conservation incentives—like $20/acre. Fresh market produce has no subsidy. Field corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice are the crops that have subsidies. We also really don’t have good crop insurance, either. The new Farm Bill includes subsidized insurance, but insurance is only available for commodity crops.” This farmer in Minnesota does collect data, although it may not be precision agriculture but there is overall data collecting. In New Jersey, Professor Peter Oudemans from Rutgers University studies and researches precision agriculture on blueberries and cranberries. He is one of the leading researchers on this subject in the state of New Jersey. Cranberries are one of New Jersey’s largest producing crops. Below is the interview with Peter Oudemans: What are some of the more common technologies in New Jersey for precision agriculture? “ uses GPS, satellite imagery(identify places where they are problems, also for spray applications and guided through a field), machinery some of technology would be compared to parallel swapping( creating a grid of parallel line and following), remote sensing, flow mapping.”
How are precision farming techniques used on your farm? “Precision ag are being used for fertilizing and detecting plant diseases,
detecting problems, look at patterns in a field see from aerial imagery, why patterns are occurring and whether they are good or bad uses airplanes with fertilization– not allowed to use drones due to FAA regulations are very strict on what you can and can’t do with drones, despite Rutgers University is becoming a Center for Excellence for drone technology .” What is the biggest drawback to using precision ag? “The advantage is that you can understand the crop better, what are causing crop loss, one time you may think it may be one thing but yet it might be another thing and precision agriculture has so much data analysis that you learn more about the crop and understand the biology of the crop. There are no drawbacks or disadvantages of precision agriculture. You are not implementing precision agriculture in everything just in certain spectrums of the crop to understand the crop better.”
What are the highest up-front costs for you in utilizing precision agriculture? “Everything costs money. There are a lot up front costs the satellite imagery, drone technology, GPS equipment all pretty expensive the equipment the GPS receiver you are using it is all expensive. It’s not a static technology so you always have to keep up with the technology, there are always upgrades.”
How do precision agriculture principles apply to resource management? “It applies because it affects irrigation practices in predicting weather like rain that influences whether to irrigate fields.”
Overall, Linda Halley interviewed in Minnesota was less knowledgeable about precision agriculture than Professor Oudemans New Jersey, yet the state of Minnesota is overall progressive when it comes to PA and its adoption.5 5
Meersman, Tom. "Precision Agriculture Becomes Mainstream in Minnesota." StarTribune.com: News, Weather, Sports from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota. May 15, 14. Accessed November 9, 2014.
Conclusion Precision agriculture is a leading technology based on data information, geographic information systems and yield monitoring and predictive analytics to decide the importance of the crop. In Minnesota, is one of the leading states for progressive things happening in terms of precision agriculture. Linda Halley, an organic farmer, doesn’t use precision agriculture but her work is implemented in a cloud based format. On the other hand, New Jersey Professor Peter Oudemans uses precision agriculture but it is not for the crops and all the sections of the farm. It is only intended for certain sections and is not intended for everyday use. Precision agriculture has many positives and with current changes in technology, the use of precision agriculture will only become more efficient in everyday farming practices.
Reference Personal interview by author. 10, 2014. Personal interview by author. 11, 2014. Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2-5. Accessed January 1, 2014. http://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/economics/gelb-pedersen-5.pdf. "Precision Agriculture." IBM Research: Precision Agriculture. Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.research.ibm.com/articles/precision_agriculture.shtml. Schimmelpfennig, David. "On the Doorstep of the Information Age." Economic Information Bulletin 80 (2011). Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/81195/eib80_1_.pdf. Meersman, Tom. "Precision Agriculture Becomes Mainstream in Minnesota." StarTribune.com: News, Weather, Sports from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota. May 15, 14. Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.startribune.com/business/25932092
Precision agriculture (PA) has been today’s leading source of farming. The first applications of PA started in the 1990’s yet the adoption started in the late 1990s.1 Precision agriculture works by collecting real time data on weather, soil and air quality, crop maturity and even labor costs and availability, predictive analytics to make effective decisions regarding agriculture. 2 Precision agriculture has also been one of the more effective technologies when it comes to alternative usages of drones and other equipment that is similar to those in the military. Precision agriculture also uses lots of data management that primitive farming does not use. Precision agriculture relies on data like say many companies rely on support for accurate data to yield changes. According to Spyro Fountas, the advantages in Information and Communication have allowed farmers to acquire set specific data for their field, yet there are still many obstacles many farmers face in order to collect data. There are other factors in terms of hardware, software usability and time consumption which makes it difficult for them to collect data. PA is intrinsically information sensitive and it makes it difficult for farmers to efficiently manage their results.3 Yield monitoring has become one of the most popular components of precision agriculture being reported on 45% of acreage since 2006. It is most popular due to its increased retail availability and increasing ease of use.4 Interviews With the projection of PA becoming easier to use overtime as well as becoming the increased use for agriculture the best way to understand this technology is by interviewing sources from different regions. The two states that were used in these interviews were Minnesota and New Jersey. In Minnesota, Linda Halley, an organic farmer gave her opinions on precision agriculture and how the data is collected on her farm. Below is the interview with Linda Halley:
1
Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2. "Precision Agriculture." IBM Research: Precision Agriculture., accessed November 9, 2014 3 Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2. 4 Schimmelpfennig, David. "On the Doorstep of the Information Age." Economic Information Bulletin, (2011), 80. 2
How are precision farming techniques used on your farm? Overall Precision Agriculture Techniques weren’t used on her farm in terms of technology yet they do collect information in terms of dates, amounts harvest records, yields. They don’t have much technology but they use an older technology no GPS or drones but they do have a computer in which they implement data and keep them in a cloud-based format.
Specifically, what information are you collecting? “They collect planting dates, application dates: fertilizer, pre and post transplanting (most of our crops are transplanted). Certain pesticides are allowed on organic farms; so when those pesticides are applied.”
In what ways do data collected from farming techniques improve your yield, in terms of quality or quantity? “They also said it would be great if we had more precise ways of collecting data, then you don’t have to spray the whole field with herbicide if only part of the farm has weeds. We have about 5 or 6 major soil types on our farm and we take soil tests annually. The tests we’re able to take tell us about NPK [major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium] and micronutrients. We’re just taking the test to see which parts need which nutrients. We already know the type of soil based on soil type mapping that was done a long time ago, that is really accurate. You can go to a soil website to see which kind of soil type you have. Sandy loam, clay loam, muck soil… specific names that have specific characteristics. For example, I already know that I have sandy loam on the south side of the farm, but now I need to know, what micronutrient and major nutrient needs that area has.” Would that be feasible for you to go in on this with area farms, to buy or rent this equipment? “If we don’t address the nutrient needs of our plants, then we have stressed plants, and stressed plants attract pests. What we’re really doing is trying to build healthier, more vibrant soil.Small scale farming – even though we have 100 acres, this is still considered small scale – is very capital-intensive. The farming technology that they’re coming up with, which increases our yields, is really expensive. The newest variety of crops are really expensive, as are the chemicals that they’re designed to work with. The initial investment is not within the reach of a small farm. In a larger farmer coop, on the scale of 5,000 acres, they can justify the expense. They can hire a tractor with GPS.”
I know it’s hard to say, but do you think that kind of technology become affordable in ten years? “No, not really. It’s the bigger farm coops that can do that. Is it hard for you to compete with these larger farms, who have access to the precision agriculture techniques? I’m a niche farmer, so I’m not really competing with the big farms. Locally grown, organic produce commands a slightly higher price.” If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of subsidies do you get? “That’s an easy question to answer. We receive ZERO subsidies, because we don’t grow those kinds of crops. We could grow ‘cover crops’ and get a small amount for conservation incentives—like $20/acre. Fresh market produce has no subsidy. Field corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice are the crops that have subsidies. We also really don’t have good crop insurance, either. The new Farm Bill includes subsidized insurance, but insurance is only available for commodity crops.” This farmer in Minnesota does collect data, although it may not be precision agriculture but there is overall data collecting. In New Jersey, Professor Peter Oudemans from Rutgers University studies and researches precision agriculture on blueberries and cranberries. He is one of the leading researchers on this subject in the state of New Jersey. Cranberries are one of New Jersey’s largest producing crops. Below is the interview with Peter Oudemans: What are some of the more common technologies in New Jersey for precision agriculture? “ uses GPS, satellite imagery(identify places where they are problems, also for spray applications and guided through a field), machinery some of technology would be compared to parallel swapping( creating a grid of parallel line and following), remote sensing, flow mapping.”
How are precision farming techniques used on your farm? “Precision ag are being used for fertilizing and detecting plant diseases,
detecting problems, look at patterns in a field see from aerial imagery, why patterns are occurring and whether they are good or bad uses airplanes with fertilization– not allowed to use drones due to FAA regulations are very strict on what you can and can’t do with drones, despite Rutgers University is becoming a Center for Excellence for drone technology .” What is the biggest drawback to using precision ag? “The advantage is that you can understand the crop better, what are causing crop loss, one time you may think it may be one thing but yet it might be another thing and precision agriculture has so much data analysis that you learn more about the crop and understand the biology of the crop. There are no drawbacks or disadvantages of precision agriculture. You are not implementing precision agriculture in everything just in certain spectrums of the crop to understand the crop better.”
What are the highest up-front costs for you in utilizing precision agriculture? “Everything costs money. There are a lot up front costs the satellite imagery, drone technology, GPS equipment all pretty expensive the equipment the GPS receiver you are using it is all expensive. It’s not a static technology so you always have to keep up with the technology, there are always upgrades.”
How do precision agriculture principles apply to resource management? “It applies because it affects irrigation practices in predicting weather like rain that influences whether to irrigate fields.”
Overall, Linda Halley interviewed in Minnesota was less knowledgeable about precision agriculture than Professor Oudemans New Jersey, yet the state of Minnesota is overall progressive when it comes to PA and its adoption.5 5
Meersman, Tom. "Precision Agriculture Becomes Mainstream in Minnesota." StarTribune.com: News, Weather, Sports from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota. May 15, 14. Accessed November 9, 2014.
Conclusion Precision agriculture is a leading technology based on data information, geographic information systems and yield monitoring and predictive analytics to decide the importance of the crop. In Minnesota, is one of the leading states for progressive things happening in terms of precision agriculture. Linda Halley, an organic farmer, doesn’t use precision agriculture but her work is implemented in a cloud based format. On the other hand, New Jersey Professor Peter Oudemans uses precision agriculture but it is not for the crops and all the sections of the farm. It is only intended for certain sections and is not intended for everyday use. Precision agriculture has many positives and with current changes in technology, the use of precision agriculture will only become more efficient in everyday farming practices.
Reference Personal interview by author. 10, 2014. Personal interview by author. 11, 2014. Fountas, Spyro. "ICT in Precision Agriculture-diffusion of Technology." 2005, 2-5. Accessed January 1, 2014. http://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/economics/gelb-pedersen-5.pdf. "Precision Agriculture." IBM Research: Precision Agriculture. Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.research.ibm.com/articles/precision_agriculture.shtml. Schimmelpfennig, David. "On the Doorstep of the Information Age." Economic Information Bulletin 80 (2011). Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/81195/eib80_1_.pdf. Meersman, Tom. "Precision Agriculture Becomes Mainstream in Minnesota." StarTribune.com: News, Weather, Sports from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota. May 15, 14. Accessed November 9, 2014. http://www.startribune.com/business/25932092
