Russ Worsley
The farm is evolving. For generations, growers have used the same farming practices year after year. The United Nations projects the world’s population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050- about 2.4 billion more mouths to feed than there are today. Estimates show global agricultural output will have to increase by as much as 70% in the next 35 years. Farmers everywhere will have fewer resources. They will have less land, as farmland is lost to development each year. Also, as the residential and industrial demand for water increases, farmers will have to make do with less. How can farmers produce the amount of crops needed to meet the demand? Enter the Precision Ag world…
Below is a look at where John Deere started with Precision Ag Technologies.
As early as the 1990s, John Deere was helping farmers collect yield data from combines. A major breakthrough in Precision Ag technology was with guidance systems in the early 2000s. As the precision level of GPS systems improved, this laid the foundation for not only automation in guidance, but also the ability to document field information at a high level of accuracy.
Starting in the mid 2000s, advances in technology allowed for the use of more sensors and controls to be added to machinery. These sensors and controls made it possible, for example to have better control of various sections of planters and sprayers- automating when the sections turn on/off since it no longer requires an operator to manual change a rate. This improvement in the precision of execution can lead to significant reduction of overlap for some customers. Additional sensors and controls also allowed for higher levels of precision in how data was documented; creating better quality field maps and setting up the opportunity for more insights to be generated when the data was analyzed.
In the last 3 or 4 years, there has been continuously growing interest in using the data that has been collected during field operations to make better farm management decisions. Due to the foundation built over the last 15-20 years, along with better available technologies, there has been no better time to invest in data collection on the farm. The new systems now available can help you unlock the insights that can be gained from this data.
At SunSouth, we are focused on the role we play to contribute to the success of the grower – to win the game! We have the capability to sell the right machines and technologies to do the job, but then we can ensure the job is done better than the season before. Dealer services allow us to provide unique solutions to improve productivity through inspections, maintenance programs, machine start-up, technology calibrations, and remote support. Technologies might play a part in enabling better agronomic decisions, but it’s SunSouth that is uniquely positioned to be on the execution of those decisions when there’s changes to farming practices to get more yield.
In the precision ag world, there are thousands of products available for farmers. Not all farmers are ready for every piece of technology available. We take pride in personal relationships and getting to know our customers. I have discussed many issues with farmers and what they are trying to accomplish. Sometimes, we have to deter farmers from certain technologies because they are not ready for that huge leap yet. Precision agriculture is a building block and we have to make sure customers are getting the product that fits them. SunSouth encourages growers to look into precision agriculture and how we can make your good farm, great. It is our job to help growers achieve their goals and to provide for the world. The farm is evolving, and this is just the beginning!
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