What will farming look like ten years from now? Ten years does not seem like a lot of time for significant change to take place but, just think about where we were with computers in 1987 and compare that to where we are today. The 286 chip computer was just coming on the scene, the web was something that collected in the corners of your walls and communications were still done primarily by telephone. Today there are a few indicators involving computer technology that may give us an indication of things to come in the next ten years. One of those indicators is the growing interest in precision farming techniques.
Precision farming involves the use of GPS equipment to geo-reference soil and crop information. Based on this information, the manager develops a plan to manage soil and capital resources more efficiently. Really what all this fancy technology does is collect more and better information about our farms, our soils and crop production. The unique thing about this new technology is the way it allows us to manipulate this information and ultimately how it will help us to make better production decisions.
Because we have technology advancing in leaps and bounds, the equipment to acquire farm production information is leading the decisions as to what to do with the information received. We can now develop yield maps for our fields as we harvest. These maps will help us more accurately determine which parts of our fields produce more than others and will also help us develop strategies for analyzing the soil in these areas. We will soon be able to make crop management decisions for areas within fields rather than the broad based field scale assumptions that are common in farm management today. What is still needed, however, is the research to help agrologists come up with recommendations for how to treat these areas within fields to optimize crop production.
How important is this change in farming? In 1997 it is estimated there will be 8000 combines in North America equipped with GPS receiving equipment and yield monitors. By 2000 eight out of ten combines sold will be equipped this way. Suffice it to say, the space age has come to farming and it is here to stay.
So where does that leave the average farmer? And what does this have to do with the SSCA? We see the techniques involved with precision farming as having a good fit with soil conservation practices. Precision farming techniques, when they are refined, will allow farmers to apply nutrients and pesticides where they are most needed and where they will provide the most impact. The potential for over-application or residual pollutants moving into non-targeted areas will be drastically reduced. This will address the increasing concerns of urbanites and environmental groups who view intensive agriculture methods as potentially harmful to the environment. Also the shift to precision agriculture will give the average farmer more tools and ideas when making decisions regarding crop rotations, inputs and field operations.
The SSCA will be involved in the precision farming game. Our staff are attending workshops and training sessions on precision farming techniques and the geo-processing of information created from GPS and GIS technologies. We will be part of a team involving Sask Ag and Food agrologists, the U of S and industry experts in developing extension programs to pass on the latest information in precision farming to our members. We will also work with researchers to develop programs aimed at answering the questions farmers will have when they look for ways to interpret the information coming from their new technology. For producers this means they will have a place to turn to sort out this new and exciting information when they look for assistance to develop strategies that will put this space age technology to work out in the field. Stay tuned to the SSCA for developments down the road in precision farming. We aim to stay abreast of this technology as it's value to Saskatchewan's innovative farmers becomes more clear.