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helping the farmer save thousands of dollars in fuel
expenses, but (it) has the carbon reduction benefits of
taking nearly 200,000 cars off the road.”
Nick Tindall, AEM Senior Director of Regulatory
Affairs and Ag Policy opined that the same applies
to the use of fertilizer, herbicides, water use and crop
protection: “If you’re just spraying the places that need
to be sprayed, that’s good for the environment and the
farmer’s net income. Fewer pounds on the ground (are)
a good thing all the way around.”
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
While the results shown from the AME’s study are a
great start, there are even more potentially impressive
gains to be found via a more widespread adoption of
precision agriculture technologies.
Although current adoption rates in the United States
vary widely, from below 10 percent up to 60 percent, it
is expected that a 90 percent adoption rate of precision
agriculture technologies will provide greater benefits:
•
6 percent increase in crop production
•
14 percent reduction in fertilizer use
•
15 percent reduction in herbicide required
•
16 percent reduction in fossil fuel spent
•
21 percent reduction in water needed
At the current level, precision agriculture technologies
have resulted in approximately 30 million pounds
(13.6 million kilograms) of herbicide applied—but with
the broader adoption, another 48 million pounds
(28.8 million kilograms) could be saved.
“Precision agriculture has been talked about for many
years,” said Blades. “Any kind of technology adoption
must have a compelling reason for the person adopting
it. Precision agriculture began making serious
inroads when machine guidance and auto-steer came
along. Those were technologies that made it easier for
farmers to see the benefits.”
Blades noted that the adoption rate of technology
has seen a steady increase over the past 20 years.
“Precision agriculture has become almost ubiquitous
for anyone trying to derive income from their land.
Most quipment today has some sort of this technology.
That in and of itself leads to broader adoption.”
Tindall concurred, “Seeing the gains that are inherent
with more widespread adoption isn’t just a matter of
convincing more farmers to adopt P.A. technology.
It is also about the continued refinement of these
technologies. For instance, auto-steer has been around
since the 1990s, but it is far better today than it was
back then.”
Of course, the biggest obstacle to wider adoption of
these new technologies Tindall noted, is that farmers
must have the money to invest. As well, to utilize such
tech as GPS, infrastructure in rural America must be
improved.
THE TECH ADVANTAGE
While the immediate benefits of utilizing precision
agriculture technology are noticeable and gratifying,
Blades and Tindall agreed that it is also about evolving
the U.S. agricultural industry to become even more
productive, sustainable and competitive.
“It is a global market now,” Tindall said. “If today’s
American farmer wants to continue thriving, it’s
important to become more efficient. Technology plays
directly into that. Precision agriculture technology
that delivers both an environmental and economic
benefit helps a farmer become more competitive in the
international market. Plus, with a strong sustainability
message, it helps a farmer maintain access to certain
markets.
“Being able to leverage these technologies to
sustainably and affordably provide people with quality
food is a win for everybody.”
“THAT ISN’T JUST REAL MONEY
HELPING THE FARMER SAVE
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN FUEL
EXPENSES, BUT (IT) HAS THE CARBON
REDUCTION BENEFITS OF TAKING
NEARLY 200,000 CARS OFF THE ROAD.”