Case Study

Softwares

Granular - A Farm management software that helps farmer monitor activities and conditions such as yield, moisture and soil quality through their sensors and self-driving tractors

John Deere Machine Sync - Uses GPS data to create maps based on aerial or satellite photos that can be utilised

JDLink - Enables machineries to upload data to make sure that farmers are updated on activites of machines, maintenance tracking and other functions

Softwares

FieldScripts - A software developed by Monsanto that takes into account variables such as the amount of sunlight and shade and variations in soil nitrogen and phosphorus content. This information will be relayed to the seed dealer, and in time will recieve recommendations on the optimal course of action

Machineries

Tractors and Combines equipped with GPS Navigation System are used which operates autonomously with consistent monitoring from the farmers

Machineries

Tractors and Combines with GPS system can be given specific scripts and instructions to add to their routine, they recieve the information through satellite. It also allows farmer to know their location and monitor them remotely.

Precision Agriculture

Precision agriculture is defined as the practice of information technology in various type of farming activities. Computerized precision provided will enable farmers to be less wasteful, efficiently using their resources. Farmers will act as the observer that monitors all the machineries from their tablet or phone and make sure production is up to expectation, which can be done through their tractor cabs.

Precision Agriculture

Despite its usefulness, precision agriculture is a considerable investment that may only be available to larger farms. smaller farms cannot afford automated tractors and combines as well as

Prescription Planting

To further improve production, farmers are now more reliant on seed dealers and agriculture companies. Farmers tend to supply information about their field conditions to the companies, in return they will acquire the know-how and suggestions about the optimal changes in decision making that will likely to benefit them.

Monsanto for example, is one of the companies that provide this service through their FieldScript software

Prescription Planting

According to experts prescription planting could raise the average corn harvest to more than 200 bushels an acre from the current 160 bushel.

However not many farms feel that their information given to the companies are safe, they fear that it can be exploited by their competitors. Instead farmers may choose to aggregate planting data on their own.

Net Production Increase

As the efficiency and effectiveness of operation increases, farmers will be able to harvest even more crops and bushels with the same amount of resources.

According to Monsanto, prescriptive planting system is able to increase worldwide crop production by about $20 billion a year. A farm of 5,000 acres would increase revenue between $100,000 and $200,000.

Less waste and resources

With the help of both precision agriculture and prescriptive planting, farmers will need less loads of fertilizers to produce the same quantity of yield.

Minimise human error

Self-driving tractors and other automated machines are less prone to making error that would otherwise be likely if done manually by farmers. This is due to the precision of using scripts and automated commands which result in machine routine to be exactly the same and exactly how the farmers would want it to be.

Managing use of resources

Prescriptive planting may give information about the field and how it can be benefitted by the farmer if they make the correct decision. The know how can be obtained once the company recieves information regarding sunlight, soil, genetic property of seedsand other kins of information.

For example they can advice farmers on which field is in the most favourable condition and to instruct them to decrease the amount of seed from one field to another. This can also include the exact type of seed that can produce highest yield.

Managing use of resources

For example recommendation might tell a farmer to decrease the number of seed in a certain area and increase the number in another

It can also be the areas that a tractor and combine operates

Climate Prediction

Monsanto can charge an extra $15 an acre for its local climate prediction service. This could provide farmer with important knowledge about favourable planting condition or a poor climate and make decisions around it.

Purchase of new technology

In some cases prescriptive also requires farms to use more modern tractors or retrofit its existing planting equipment to be utilised. This is necessary so that the agricultural companies can provide scripts or specific instruction to the tractor.

Less operators required

Farmers who operate individually can have the luxury of requiring less field operators due to autonomous piece of equipments inluding tractors, combines, planting and spraying machine, and others.

Worldwide crop production

By 2050, the population of the world is expected to rise by 34 per cent to about 9.2 billion and global food production must increase by 70 per cent. Precision agriculture helps increase the production of crops to cope with this growth with the addition of using less waste and become more environment friendly.

Sustainability

With the help of information technology to farming activities, continuity of the agricultural industry is better off. Being able to keep up with current economic condition and continue producing at an progressively increasing rate ensuring that the farmers business is kept in line and able to face economic challenges.