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Save ENERGY, Save MONEY
Conservation Practices that Save: Precision Agriculture
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Louisiana farmer (center)
discusses variable rate in a no-till cotton rotation system, which
includes cotton, peanuts, wheat, corn, and grain sorghum. The operation
uses several precision agriculture practices, such as yield monitors and
infrared imaging to determine variable-rate application, as well as trials
of Global Positioning System technology. |
American producers can save significant quantities of energy by implementing
precision agriculture practices on their land. For example, if guidance systems
were used on 10 percent of the planted acres in the U.S., fuel use would be cut
by 16 million gallons, herbicide use by 2 million quarts, and insecticide use by
4 million pounds per year. Less fuel, natural gas, herbicide, and insecticide
used on the farm results in financial savings for the producer.
Using a guidance system on a 1,000-acre farm with a continuous corn crop would
reduce overlap from 24 inches to 2 inches, and result in savings valued at
approximately $13,000 per year. Producers find that a guidance system can pay
for itself in just two to three years.
Precision agriculture, also known as “site-specific crop management,” is an
information- and technology-based agricultural management system used to
identify, analyze, and manage variability within fields for optimum
profitability, sustainability, and environmental protection. Fields often vary
in soil types, elevations, soil chemistry, fertility, and productivity. By
applying precision agriculture practices, producers are able to specify the farm
input needs (including nutrient and pesticide application, tillage, and
irrigation) throughout an individual field.
Free public access to the Federal Global Position System (GPS) has made it
economically possible for producers to use new precision tools, techniques, and
services to enhance their efforts to save energy and reduce costs. These include
yield monitoring, grid soil sampling, variable-rate application of nutrients,
remote-sensing applications, soil electrical conductivity (EC) monitoring, and
zone soil sampling.
In addition to cutting production costs and saving energy, precision agriculture
reduces environmental pollution and improves water quality by reducing nutrient
runoff. Other benefits include:
• Improved crop yield;
• Reduced compaction by limiting traffic to specified travel lanes;
• Increased opportunity to operate equipment after dark;
• Labor savings through reduced implement overlap; and
• More accurate farming records.
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Conservation
Practices that Save: Precision Agriculture
NRCS supports conservation practices that save producers money and improve the
environmental health of the Nation. For more information on energy-saving
conservation practices, visit the NRCS “Save ENERGY, Save MONEY” Web site at
www.nrcs.usda.gov.
Helping People Help the Land
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