Check out this video from a field robot event at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, courtesy of Epoch Times online. “We can reduce the amount of chemicals we use by the very precise application and by doing so, we will also reduce emissions and residuals of chemicals on food.” Putting theory into practice, students and engineers held a Field Robot … Read More
Precision Farming Advances in Popular Science
Popular Science magazine did a nice job providing readers with a glimpse into the precision agriculture research that is needed to grow twice as much food by 2050. The writer talked about how this challenge is everyone’s problem, but scientists are hard at work fomenting a second green revolution. Here are the research projects that the magazine chose: 1. Sahara … Read More
Add Precision To Irrigation Water Use
The battle for water between agriculture and urban use only continues to gain momentum, yet both sides must focus on further efficiency. In California, a new study by the Pacific Institute points to ways that agriculture can still flourish despite diminishing water supply and uncertain climate change. But, new steps to significantly increase water use efficiency must be taken. The … Read More
Precision Feeding Aims To Reduce Environmental Risks
To help reduce excessive nitrates from manure, Penn State research is focused on reducing manure nitrogen by 30-50% and phosphorus by 40-60% by precision feeding dairy cattle. The Chesapeake Bay Commission has determined that, by far, the most cost-effective way to minimize the environmental impact of the large volumes of manure generated within the estuary’s watershed is by adjusting feed … Read More
Satellites Show Ozone Cutting Soybean Yields
Losses of up to $2 billion per year (10%) in soybean yield is due to rising surface ozone, according to satellite measurements by NASA, as outlined in a recent study. Above a threshold concentration, ozone inhibits photosynthesis and reduces yield in soybeans, one of the more sensitive crops to high surface ozone levels. On the left are plants that have … Read More
Precision Crop Technology Proves Sustainability
While anti-agriculture naysayers continue to blast away at GM crops as the end of the world, it’s our duty to offer sound science to the discussion. To this end, a recent study by the British-based PG Economics offers some statistics on the value of biotech crops…as discussed in a recent Nebraska Corn Kernels blog post. Biotech crops help reduce greenhouse … Read More
Target Pests With Precision Ag Technologies
Maximizing economic return is the payoff sought by growers with any precision farming technology. And a new story in Southeast Farm Press talks about how the Precision Farming team at the University of Georgia is using soil texture to target nematodes. With precision agriculture, we try to refine things in order to achieve the goal of maximizing returns,” says Richard Davis, … Read More
The Future of Automated Crop Production
An autonomous gardener robot that uses sensors and computers to water, fertilize and harvest fruits and vegetables is under development by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students of computer science and artificial intelligence labs (CSAIL). While the long-term goal of this specific research project is to develop such automation for greenhouses, imagine the uses for monitoring fields of grain. … Read More
Precision Technology Improves Sustainability
A new tool to measure sustainability shows how precision technology and practices have helped improve the efficiency of U.S. farmers. The Fieldprint Calculator was introduced last week at the Commodity Classic by Field to Market, The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. “I do have to say that I like this tool for many reasons,” said Doug Goehring, who grows corn, … Read More
Precision Fertility Research For Wheat
It’s great to see more federal research, especially in the often neglected crop of wheat, to help growers understand why yields can vary greatly across 80 acres. As precision farming tools continue to tell us, such in-field yield variation has to do with the soil–its physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Thanks to cooperation between USDA-NRCS and M&M Cooperative in Sterling, … Read More