Jay Holder of Holder Ag Consulting in Ashburn, Ga., says the cost of fertilizer has certainly spurred interest in precision ag and, more specifically, variable rate application.
"In the last five years, I have seen more interest in sampling by zone and even from producers who have their own trucks for variable rate applications," he says. "We are getting to where we can variable-rate nearly everything. I even know a producer who plans to use variable rate to plant his seed this year."
Holder says he also knows some producers who are planning to buy boom control technology for variable spray applications.
"I don't know the cost of the equipment, but if you run across enough acres, then it will eventually save you money," he says.
Use What You've Got
AutoSteer technology has been readily adopted in his area for planting and digging peanuts. However, Holder says, if that's all they are doing, then the producer is missing out.
"We are learning that AutoSteer will do a lot more than just help you dig peanuts," he says. "You can keep records on it for whatever you are doing in the field."
Amy Winstead, Regional Extension Agent for Precision Agriculture from the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Madison, Ala., says producers in her area are quickly adopting the systems.
"The guidance systems, even the ones on the low end of the spectrum or the entry-level guidance systems, are being used by producers for many applications on their farms," she says.
"In cotton, they can use it to put out defoliants. In pastures, it reduces overlapping. Even producers who thought it wasn't for them are using it."
article source : cottonfarming
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