Precision Agriculture: Technologies and Strategies in Today’s World

By Richard Price

Phrases like “There’s an app for that!” and “Google it” have become everyday expressions reminding us that technology is influencing common tasks in our daily lives. The story is no different when it comes to Michigan agriculture. Recent advancements in technology have made their way to the field. Whether you like it or not, modern agriculture is now inundated with flashy screens and monitors mounted on all sorts of farm equipment. These tools play a crucial role in improving farm efficiency by providing real-time data that’s collected and cataloged from our machinery. The term precision agriculture is used to encompass the numerous sensors, computers and electronics found in agriculture today. We use the data from these tools to more effectively manage the variations across fields and cropping systems.

Challenges persist in modern agriculture even with the promise that technology is the solution. Farmers are grappling with rising input costs for seeds, fertilizers, land and rent, while increasing market volatility adds uncertainty to the prices they get for their commodities. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is a quote often attributed to W. Edwards Deming, a twentieth century economist. Farmers long managed their operations successfully without direct measurement of every systematic component. However, to achieve greater production efficiency, the measurement and monitoring of these systems enhances our ability to understand and implement practices that encourage greater environmental and economical sustainability.

Precision agriculture is continuously changing from innovation of different technologies. Listed below are things you’ll likely find on a modern farm practicing precision agriculture:

• Global positioning systems (GPS) to log exact positions of equipment in the field
• Monitors/tablet computers showing guidance and machine metrics
• Yield monitors that collect harvest data in combines
• Advanced camera and sensor systems mounted on machinery
• Drones, planes and satellites that collect high-resolution imagery
• Geographic information systems (GIS) software to view and analyze spatial data

Precision agriculture and precision conservation strategies

Precision conservation takes the data from precision agriculture tools and applies the knowledge to strategically place seeds, fertilizers and nutrients, and your planted acreage across the farm to best maximize economic return for profit. Another term often used is digital agriculture, which is the process that integrates these data coming from precision agriculture tools. Think of digital agriculture as the behind-the-scenes magic that assess these data from the various sources to make sense of what is going on in the field.

But why are these new tools and analytics necessary? Humans have been domesticating plants and animals for thousands of years. What advantages do these tools offer today?

Precision conservation in action

Precision agriculture tools can pinpoint the exact location of these areas within each field. Grain yield monitors on combines gather harvest data, which creates maps highlighting areas of high and low production. Through digital agriculture analytics, these data are used to create management zones that farmers can use to apply their seeds and nutrients based on zone-specific prescriptions. By managing inputs at a much finer scale, farmers can increase profitability by reducing wasted inputs.

Recent research at Michigan State University reveals that within Michigan’s farmland, around 24% of each field is consistently low yielding. These stable and low yielding zones within each field don’t benefit from typical business-as-usual applications of seed and fertilizers, as they fail to produce a positive yield response to make a profit. Continuing to treat these areas like the rest of the field results in continual excess application of expensive inputs. This means reduced profits for farmers and negative environmental consequences.

It's important to recognize that farming takes place in naturally complex landscapes, shaped by biotic processes that have evolved over millions of years. Through precision agriculture, technology offers valuable insights into how these systems respond to various stimuli, enhancing our ability to successfully grow food. Farmers are used to wearing a lot of hats, whether it’s fixing tractor hydraulics or knowing the ins and outs of global grain and commodity markets. Being a data scientist isn’t far from their current responsibilities and there’s more to come from MSU Extension that will assist farmers in managing and interpreting their on-farm precision data to make informed decisions.