Jan 17, 2011
Precision agriculture is not a new idea

With all of the technology available today, sometimes older ideas get lost in the mix. Precision agriculture is not a new idea, but the reason many growers are looking into precision agriculture practices today is to increase production and increase revenues; good ideas when times are tough. At the core of precision agriculture practices is optimal growing placement, and that is where a planter comes into play.

Precision planters are not a new idea. They have been around for decades. Using a precision planter allows for optimal plant growth, while greatly reducing thinning and reducing seed and fuel costs.

The Milton Precision Planter, for instance, is capable of precise seed placement, according to Starco Manufacturing, the maker of the Milton.

Grower Bob Sakata of Brighton, Colo., has been using precision farming tactics for more than 60 years. He was one of the first to use a Milton and thinks it’s a major factor in his success.

“An important thing is accurate planting,” Sakata said. “The Milton planter is as accurate as an air planter. They’re pretty popular around here.”

Sakata plants broccoli, cabbage and onions on his 3,000-acre farm northeast of Denver.

That’s not to say that new innovations aren’t helpful. GPS technology has had a serious impact in agriculture. For example, the John Deere SeedStar XP system is a GPS-compatable monitoring system for precise seed placement and tracking. The system is supported by a series of row-unit sensor nodes and downforce sensors configured to the specific model of planter. It gives the grower control of each seed placement and allows for GPS-enabled steering control.

Chris Savener, project manager, planters, for John Deere Seeding, says the SeedStar XP system is designed with the latest customer needs in mind.

“Everything that customers said they wanted in a fully integrated monitoring system for planting operations went into the SeedStar XP system,” he said. “Ultimately, the SeedStar XP monitoring system helps ensure that every seed is planted to the correct depth and spacing within the seed furrow across the entire field. Tests show that the system helps producers save planting time and seed while maximizing yields.”

Whether you’re a traditional grower looking for ways to increase production and lower costs, or a grower looking for the latest in technology to meet the same goal, precision planting is a step toward increasing revenue on your farm. While there are lots of new ways to do it, being precise is definitely not a new idea.

Derrek Sigler




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