The Top Five Technologies in Precision Agriculture

The Top Five Technologies in Precision Agriculture Agriculture has come a long way since the days of farming with hoes and other rudimentary tools, but it’s not going to stop evolving any time soon. Precision agriculture uses technology to increase crop yields, produce high-quality food and protect the land that grows it all by making better use of the limited resources we have available to us—and that includes both land and money. Here are five precision agriculture technologies you can start using on your own farm today!

Soil Sensing

Precision agriculture is the application of information and communication technologies to monitor, collect, and analyze data about the soil. Soil sensing is one of the top five technologies used for precision agriculture.
The level at which these signals transmit depends on the type of sensor being used. For example, some will go down 10-40 inches below where they’re planted while others are only able to be buried about 4 inches deep. In order to access information from sensors that are deeper into the ground, there needs to be a wire that extends underground. There’s a special machine called an electrical resistivity meter which has wires around a series of electrodes; this machine measures how much resistance there is when an electric current flows through each electrode set. It can map out any changes in moisture or salt levels up to 80 meters away from it!

Weather Tracking

Farmers today are able to make better decisions about their crops and livestock by using weather tracking technology. It can give them updates about temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind speed to help them decide whether or not it is time for harvest or when to start bringing animals inside from the cold. The data from these devices can also be used for longer-term forecasts on things like drought risk, extreme weather events, as well as other geophysical information.
1) Sensors – Sensors are a relatively new technology that has been instrumental in the development of precision agriculture. They measure things like soil moisture, soil temperature and soil nitrate levels. Some sensors have multiple functions such as measuring both water content and heat emissions at different depths. These devices are attached to crop rows with small metal stakes called tape measures. Data collected by these sensors provides farmers with crucial insights into what’s happening underground which helps them make better irrigation decisions.
2) GPS/GIS – A GPS (global positioning system) provides farmers with location coordinates so they know exactly where they’re farming. GIS (geographic information systems) uses geographic data and displays it on a map which includes everything from elevation, latitude and longitude, land ownership, etcetera.

Drones

Unmanned aerial systems, commonly referred to as drones, have been used for many years in precision agriculture. Drones are a relatively new technology that has not been integrated into precision agriculture, but is quickly gaining popularity. In the past few years, drones have been used with success and many farmers are exploring their use on their own farms. Drone technology is something to consider when thinking about the future of agricultural technology.

Satellite Imagery

Satellite images are particularly useful for detecting geographically specific changes like sudden shifts in rainfall or unusual weather patterns. images are also much quicker than ground surveys because they don’t require time-consuming travel to collect data; instead, they offer an instant overview of a large area’s vegetation and soil quality.

Data Management

Data storage is important too, because otherwise the information collected would not be accessible when needed. There are many options for storing data, including cloud-based servers and off-site backups. One type of backup solution is a media server that records the system’s status at regular intervals so that if there are any problems, they can be fixed without losing any data.

Conclusion

5. Drones – this is a big one! With drones, farmers can view their fields from the sky and spot trouble spots that would otherwise go undetected. This technology also allows for a faster assessment of crop health, nutrient levels, and water status. 4. GIS (Geographical Information Systems) – these systems use mapping and spatial analytics to help farmers know where they need to produce crops according to what the world needs. 3. Sensors – the two types of sensors used are soil sensors and plant sensors. The soil sensor measures soil moisture levels, pH levels, temperature, etc., so farmers can understand how much water is needed for the plants to grow optimally.