By Edward Entsminger
What began as a wildlife conservation idea has grown into a business solution for farmers across Mississippi and the United States.
Developed through the Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University, the Precision Conservation Tool, or PCT, is a decision-making software that identifies exact locations where conservation practices will be the most economically beneficial to farmers on specific areas of their land. In other words, this tool helps farmers make more profit by farming fewer acres. Though it may sound strange, results show that balancing agriculture with conservation benefits both the land and the farmers’ bottom line.
The concept is simple: Not all acres can produce equally. Sandy ridges, soggy lowlands and other marginal areas often cost more to farm than they return. While tradition keeps farmers working every acre, yield data reveals that these areas drain time, money and resources. They can also worsen environmental issues such as erosion, fertilizer and pesticide runoff, soil health and habitat loss for wildlife and pollinators. The solution is precision conservation, an approach that simply identifies underperforming acres and offers profitable alternatives to traditional farming.