Precision farming has been around since fields were used to grow crops. As producers, we use our best parcels of land for annual crop production and save our less productive land (steep eroded slopes, rocky plateau's) for pasture and the like. Producers have applied manure to eroded knolls, have applied extra fertilizer to various parts of the field, and have spot sprayed. These are all methods to manage field variability, improve (hopefully) crop production and in the end increase farm profitability.
Today with the help of new technology, farmers have an opportunity to manage field variability as never before. However, the use of precision farming techniques should not be thought of as anything more than additional management tools which a progressive farm manager can use to implement farm decisions. These new technologies allow us to gather information (yield, weed patches) more accurately and direct equipment movements more precisely (fertilizer and chemical applications) within a given field. Despite these advances, the agronomic information associated with these technologies has lagged behind. The District 35 Precision Farming Project was initiated to study this very aspect, the agronomics of precision farming.
The District 35 Precision Farming Project was initiated in 1996 by the District 35 A.D.D. Board. The project is located in northwest Saskatchewan, 1 mile west of Waseca (on highway #16) and 1 1/4 mile north. Research on the 40 acre parcel is being conducted at farm scale using primarily full size implements (ie: Case IH 2188 combine). Only the 12 foot Conserva Pak seeder is plot-sized. This implement allows us to use individual fertilizer products in the seeding operation such as 11-51-0, 19-3-0-22, 0-0-60, and 82-0-0. Rates of either seed or a single nutrient can be quickly changed. We make two passes with the plot seeder to make a 24 foot wide plot. This year the plots are approximately 800 feet long. Treatments in 1997 include various rates on N, P, K, S, Cu, and a treatment of no fertilizer and variable seeding rates. The two crops under study this year are barley (Harrington) and CPS wheat (Karma).
In these trials, we are looking at landscape parameters to help explain yield and seed quality (protein, grade, weight) throughout the landscape. Some of these parameters include aerial photography, detailed topographic maps, soil characterization, fertility, salinity, and the nutrient supply power of the soil. Although we are making use of GPS (global positioning system) and yield monitors, this study is not just about space age technology. It is an attempt to add to the agronomic database of precision farming.
The infancy of the project was evident in 1996 as we learned by trial and error how to use the new technology. First, the yield monitors can be accurate to within several percent but only if they are calibrated often and properly. This requires having a weigh wagon in the field or making several trips to the local elevator to have loads weighed. Yield sensors typically have a time delay of fifteen to twenty seconds between when the crop enters the combine until it measured by the yield sensor. This lag time can vary with operating conditions and operator error. Pushing the combine to operating capacity can increase the amount of grain cycled through returns, which adds to the time delay in reaching the yield sensor. If the combine plugs or there is an irregular swathing operation, yield spikes may appear. These must be edited. Finally weed patches and/or poor seedling emergence can cause yield differences which must be accounted for in the data analysis.
Precision farming tries to determine the underlying causes of yield reductions and peaks within each field. Our problem is trying to understand the variables and how they influence yield and crop quality. This will require more management of seeding, field scouting , the harvest operation, and finally our analysis of the year's data to make decisions for next year. It is an intense management package, but over time it may prove extremely beneficial to our final net return.
The District 35 Precision Farming Project will continue to update its research saga.