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What does 'precision farming' mean?

Auto guided agricultural vehicles, field mapping, parallel driving - you have undoubtedly encountered these terms before. Do you know what the key meaning of these innovations is?

Farm productivity is the result of the following combinations: soil condition, weather conditions, grain quality, precise dosing of fertilisers and plant protection products,  combined with the skillful management of time, machines and work. At least a quarter of the above-mentioned elements are unpredictable factors, which pose a certain risk. An accumulation of two or three such factors (e.g. narrow weather window + lack of labour forces) during the harvest season seriously threatens not only profits, but also the existence of the farm itself. Why this description? Precision farming's main goal is to reduce the impact of factors that have so far reduced harvesting efficiency.  The production process aims to simplify and speed up, and thus increase efficiency. That is what precision farming is all about.

Step one: don't make estimates, collect data instead

The up-to-date, precisely harvested data set is the foundation of smart farming, i.e. precision farming or agriculture 4.0.

The benefits of relying on a database can be seen in  the field mapping process, in particular -  mapping is a division of agricultural land into monitored sections. Mapping utilises GPS technology and the data obtained from a set of sensors installed in agricultural machines are stored in the "cloud". A consistent information base allows you to forecast yields or the plant's need for fertiliser with maximum precision. The more data, the more accurate the forecast. The forecast includes fuel requirements, crop yields and many other.

Step two: measure precisely, simplify repetitive work

You must have come across the function of Real-Time Kinematic - RTK.  Parallel means the use of GPS technology for optimal paths of agricultural machines. RTK easily eliminates the problem of overlays and bypasses.  RTK correction enables precise, real-time field measurements. The latest technologies allow obtaining measurements with an accuracy of up to 1-2 cm.

How does this translate into real benefits for a farm?

Satellite navigation combined with computerised and automatic machine control systems significantly simplify everyday farm work. A machine operator's effort is kept to a minimum. The machine's fleet can work at night or in severe weather conditions. It is not difficult to imagine a situation where the harvest time is limited by a narrow weather window. Auto-steering maximises work efficiency and makes it possible to generate the effect not be possible under normal conditions.

Step three: save your resources and skilfully manage them

A farm productivity is not only about increasing yields, but also reducing operating costs.

Auto-steering, field mapping, RTK correction, precise dosing of funds - each of these functions is a part of GLOBTRAK agricultural portfolio. The techniqes use results in

• saving fertilisers, fuel, energy, working time, grains,
• maximum precision in dosage of plant protection products,
• minimising the negative impact on the environment by reducing the fuel, herbicides consumption and smaller carbon footprint,
• maximum use of working time,
• sustainable agriculture - care of the soil condition, prevention pf overdrying and erosion,
• sustainable water management.

The precision farming model can extensively help in farming process. After reading this article, you surely have questions -  we invite you to visit our company's expo stand at the upcoming AGROTECH expo. Find out how much you can actually save thanks to our GLOBTRAK PRECISION FARMING technology!