Precision Agriculture Colleen Clare Curtin, Colleen Courtney Curtin, MaryClaire Chappetto Biotechnology Periods 2-3

What Is Precision Ag & What Equipment Is Used?-MC A set of technologies that has helped agriculture advance based off digital information throughout the world. Helps farmers and ranchers. Contains great control over the management of production and harvesting. PROFITABLE!! Higher profit; lower costs Because of their production and discount usage.

Availability & Utilization Colleen Courtney As available as gps, satellite dish, precision ag gps application or ipad or alternative device All commercially used Apple and android compatible Products like John Deere, CNH Global and AGCO Manufacturing includes these technology in their equipment.

Statistics and Impact on the Future 70% of farmers in a survey conducted by the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln said that they had experienced an increase in profits due to the application of Precision Agriculture on their farm. On average, farmers who used Precision Ag. made $66 more per acre than farmers who did not use Precision Ag. Precision Ag. is a practice that we can apply to our land lab because we can make more accurate measurements/predictions about the quality of soil to improve the quality of our crops. The school would need to invest in emerging agricultural technologies such as a GPS system to make better use of the land we possess.

Terminology Variable rate technology (VRT) – VRT refers to any technology that enables the variable application of inputs and allows farmers to control the amount of inputs they apply in a specific location (Courtney) Remote sensing technology – Developed in the 1960s, RST has been monitoring and managing land, water, and other resources. It can help determine factors like crop stress and estimating the amount of moisture in the soil. This aids farmers in decision making and record keeping. (Courtney) Database – a collection of different pieces of georeferenced information (yield, soil type, fertility) that can be manipulated (layered) in a GIS model. Site-Specific Crop Management (SSCM) – the use of yield maps, grid sampling and other precision tools to manage the variability of soil and crop parameters and aid decisions on production inputs.

Bibliography “Agriculture.” GPS.gov: Agricultural Applications, NOAA, 12 Oct. 2016, www.gps.gov/applications/agriculture/. Email, B. J. (2016, April 04). Precision Agriculture: Higher Profit, Lower Cost. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from http://www.precisionag.com/institute/precision-agriculture-higher-profit-lower-cost/ Schmaltz, Remi. “What Is Precision Agriculture and How Is Technology Enabling It?”AgFunderNews, 25 Apr. 2017, agfundernews.com/what-is-precision-agriculture.html. University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Web Developer Network. (n.d.). Precision Agriculture Adoption and Profitability. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://agecon.unl.edu/cornhusker-economics/2017/precision-agriculture-adoption-profitability