A local television station out of Huntsville, Alabama has highlighted the changing face of agriculture on its daily newscast. WHNT NewsChannel 19 has recently featured farmers who are learning more about precision technology. WHNT found that farmers are calling traditional farming “a thing of the past.” Plus, they’re calling John Deere equipment “the perfect example” of cutting-edge farming technology.
“When people think of farming, they think of sweating out there,” says Ben Smith.
Smith is an Agricultural Management Specialist for Trigreen Equipment and says the idea most people have of traditional farming is a thing of the past.
The newest model of the John Deere tractor is the perfect example. It’s equipped with RTK, real time kinematic, technology.
It works by GPS satellite, so farmers can plant, spray, and harvest their crops, and the whole time just sit back while it drives itself on routes specifically programmed for the field. The accuracy is less than an inch.
“This is the most accurate you can get,” says Smith.
The tractor can pinpoint locations close enough to hit a golf ball. Smith says technology like this is becoming almost necessary.
“With the rising chemical and fuel costs that we have now and seed costs, we want to get more accurate,” says Smith. “If we can plant in the same place year after year, using the same route systems, then it will make our yields a whole lot better.”
Click here to find out what more farmers think about precision agriculture.