Drones: Not Just in Star Wars Anymore

Amazon was recently put under the microscope for their new plan to use unmanned

drones for a delivery program called Prime Air. An alien concept to many, this announcement was met with a variety of reactions, mostly because people do not know that the use of drones is actually very common.

Drones can be used for many things, but what is most surprising is the rising use of these

devices in the agriculture industry. Take a look at the chart below:

By 2015, agriculture is expected to be the largest domestic market for drone purchases, generating around $2 billion in revenue. In fact, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts the commercial market for drones will eventually reach 80 percent for agricultural uses. Why is this?  

There are many facts that suggest that drones are the next big thing in farming, many which have caught the attention of farmers all over the country.

The main selling point in support of using drones in agricultural production is the

extensive amount of data that drones can collect in a small amount of time. Drones can provide three different views for farmers who would otherwise be unable to collect data from these angles.

o   Aerial angles that can inspect crop patterns and discover irrigation issues, soil variation, pest and fungal infestations. This view can also be used to track cattle and other livestock herds to search for missing animals or analyze behavior to identify illness or aggression within a herd.

o   Multispectral infrared or visual views, which can indicate differences between healthy and distressed plants; data that would be unobtainable without this kind of technology.

o   Continual checks hourly, daily or weekly based on farmers’ needs. These are important because they can monitor changes and reveal trouble spots throughout the day at a much more efficient rate than any human.

Not only do drones save valuable time for farmers, they are also an investment that can

help farmers save money in the long run. Drones can be purchased at a cost as low as $1,000 per drone, compared to the $1,000/hour that crop imaging with a manned aircraft could cost. By purchasing a low-cost drone, farmers could see a return on investment in as little as a year, which could be huge for the agriculture and food

production industry.

Need another selling point? As the drone production market expands, so do American jobs. With more than 50 companies and organizations working to develop new drone models, the industry could create more than 100,000 jobs and nearly half a billion in tax revenue by 2025.

As the demand for agricultural resources increases, it will become increasingly important to make farming more efficient to produce higher crop yields in a lower amount of time. It will be interesting to see the percentage of farmers who jump on the drone bandwagon to stay on top of this demand. Do you believe national usage rates will reach the predicted level?

Want to know what farmers are saying? Check out this NPR exclusive interview with a farmer who has already integrated drones into his production process.

Photos courtesy of precisiondrone.com and farmingdrones.com

For farmers, there’s an app for that

Some readers may recall the craze throughout the country surrounding FarmVille, the social media game developed by Zynga in 2009. FarmVille quicky became the hottest game played on Facebook, the popular social networking site. But just as kids and adults of all ages can pretend to farm, real farmers throughout Ohio and the nation are using today’s technology for more than just casual fun – it has become an integral part of their business.

Farmers have been utilizing smartphone technology at a quicker pace than the overall population. A Successful Farming study showed that 55 percent of farmers own a cell phone capable of running applications or “apps.” Contrast that with a Pew study in which 35 percent of the population has a smartphone.

In fact, another Successful Farming survey found that more than 70 percent of respondents access agriculture-related information and services from their cell phone.

The benefits of smartphone apps available to farmers vary from conveniently storing important crop data to projecting yields and providing the latest ag news.

For example, Optimizer 2.0 uses a farm’s location, variety of seed, soil type and other variables to project corn yield and indicate the most limiting factor on the farm.

The Growing Degree Days app helps farmers predict when their crops will mature. The app reviews current and historic data based on the location of the farm.

CropNAtion is a farmers’ social network to share information and crop photos as well as explore regional trends.

If you wish to explore the range of apps available, consider CropLife’s list of the 10 best apps for 2012 and 2013.

In addition, the December 2012 edition of Farm Futures includes an article about more than a dozen smartphone apps.

How has smartphone technology impacted your farm?

Photo from dailycaller.com

New technologies advance the agriculture industry

Today’s technology advancements are changing corn, wheat and soybean production.

As more food is needed for the growing world population and there is less land on which to grow it, new advancements in technology are especially important.

A recent article in Farm Industry News describes new agriculture technologies for farmers and how technologies can benefit the agriculture industry.

Technologies Changing Agriculture

• Telematics: This technology allows navigation, prescription application, location and other data to be transferred easily to and from farm machinery to help farmers improve efficiencies on expensive equipment.

• Drought-resistance traits: The next round of drought hybrids will include genetically modified traits. Scientists are currently using biotechnology to alter one of the many different factors involved in a plant’s growth during water-restricted and high-heat conditions.
  

• Soil and crop sensors: More farm equipment is being outfitted with smart sensors that can read everything from plant health and water needs in the crop to nitrogen levels in the soil. The sensors then enable on-the-go application of inputs based on real-time field conditions.

• Pervasive automation: A product feature that reduces operator workload, this new automation allows operators to do more jobs with less strain and more accuracy because human error is eliminated. Features include: GPS steering, conventional headlands programmable automation, automatic balers, automation of operator control of combines and forage harvesters and automation of tractor operator functions like intelligent power management.

• Hyper precision: With real-time kinematic (RTK) navigation available, precise seeding and fertilizer applications have become a reality. Manufacturers are introducing controllers, drives and shutoff systems with ever-finer resolution and the ability to apply multiple products at variable rates.

• Biologicals: More biological pest control and growth enhancements are expected as farmers look for more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient crop inputs. Advanced technologies like high-throughput screening are helping companies to quickly multiply beneficial organisms, thus driving development of new biologicals.

These advances are key components to a farmer's ability to continue to produce a sustainable supply of food, feed, fuel and fiber for domestic and international customers.

According to the Center for Food Integrity, in the next 40 years the world will need 100 percent more food than is produced today and 80 percent of future production growth must come from increased yields using the advancement of new innovation and technology.

For more technologies changing the agriculture industry or for more detailed information about the technologies mentioned above, visit www.farmindustrynews.com.

What do you think about the new technologies that are changing the agriculture industry? Do you know any farmers who are utilizing these technologies? What types of technologies do you think are needed for the future?

Photo obtained from: farmindustrynews.com

Biological research advances American agriculture

Industries large and small utilize research and technology to develop and provide goods and services to society. Now, the U.S. agriculture sector can reap more technological benefits resulting from biological research under the direction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Agriculture research has produced disease testing for livestock, specialty-crop varieties and GPS technology for farm equipment to name a few.

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), sponsored by USDA and created within the 2008 Farm Bill, established a competitive grant program to provide funding for fundamental and applied research, extension and education in food and agricultural sciences with a focus in six development areas. Grants that emphasize sustainable agriculture are preferred.

Priority Issues for Grant Applications

1. Plant health and production and plant products
2. Animal health and production and animal products
3. Food safety, nutrition and health
4. Renewable energy, natural resources and environment
5. Agriculture systems and technology
6. Agriculture economics and rural communities

"By focusing our resources on achievable and measurable outcomes, USDA's investment in science will help address some of America's – and the world's – intractable problems," said USDA chief scientist and director of USDA's Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Robert Beachy.

"Today's announcement demonstrates USDA's commitment to supporting research, education and extension to bring about true change in areas like climate change, obesity and bioenergy."

In addition to the six priority issues for grant funding, the 2008 Farm Bill added conventional (classical) plant breeding, conventional (classical) animal breeding, renewable energy, domestic-marketing strategies and rural entrepreneurship as grant focal points.

There are also five designated primary challenge areas around which AFRI is structuring the grant program.

Challenge Areas

1. Keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger
2. Improve nutrition and end child obesity
3. Improve food safety for all Americans
4. Secure America’s energy future
5. Mitigate and adapt to climate change

Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack allotted $262 million to this effort. State agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, university-research foundations, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, national laboratories, private organizations or corporations and individuals are eligible to apply for grants. Grants are awarded on a 10-year basis and some grants are eligible for renewal upon conclusion of the term.

The benefits of research and technology to society cannot be quantified. The USDA has stepped to the plate to motivate the sustainability, efficiency, profitability and development of one of the nation’s most economically providing sectors.

Do you agree that the selected issues and challenge areas should be addressed, or are there other issues? Should more or less money be awarded for research grants? Do you think the research will result in significant technological gains?

*Photo obtained from http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/anderson_john.jpg

The Internet’s Influence on Agriculture

Technology improves and heavily influences most industries, including the once simplistic agricultural industry. Farmers today are utilizing the Internet to obtain information about weather forecasts, market reports, industry news and trends and to communicate with other agriculturalists among other uses.

“Broadband Internet access is becoming essential for both businesses and households; many compare its evolution to other technologies now considered common necessities such as cars, electricity, televisions, microwave ovens and cell phones,” said Rural Broadband At A Glance authors Peter Stenberg and Sarah Low.

According to Sternberg and Low, 13 percent of farmers were using the Internet for farm business in 1997 and use increased to 55 percent in 2007.

However, a geographic discrepancy still exists among Internet users. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cites a 9.3-percent gap between urban and rural Internet usage because of high costs and limited availability. Many rural Internet users resort to accessing the Internet at public places where broadband is available, limiting their ability to quickly and conveniently obtain information.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) developed a plan to extend Internet access to rural- American communities as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The act provided $2.5 billion to the USDA for loans and grants to increase broadband provision in primarily rural areas by Feb. 17, 2010.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) supports the FCC in its efforts to extend broadband access to the rural populace, which, consequently, will significantly help rural farmers. AFBF Executive Director of Public Policy Mark Maslyn stated, “Many farmers and ranchers conduct their business operations from their homes and need access to government resources and market information available on the Internet. Therefore, affordable home-broadband access is especially important to keep American agriculture competitive in a world marketplace.”

AFBF compiled a list of recommendations for ARRA developers:
• The FCC should consider location when determining broadband availability.
• The FCC should consider price or marketplace competition in determining access to broadband services.
• Broadband should be designated a “supported service” eligible to receive support directly from the Universal Service Fund (USF), an extension of the FCC, which administers programs for high-cost companies serving rural areas, low-income consumers, rural health-care providers and schools and libraries. The USF should be used to help with long-term deployment of broadband in rural areas.
• Broadband access in rural areas should be increased using any technology including wireless.

To ensure an affordable, accessible Internet resource, Maslyn urges the FCC to consider AFBF’s suggestions while devising a national broadband strategy.

“America’s farmers and ranchers need viable rural communities for the goods and services required for their agricultural operations,” Maslyn said. The plan “…will have long-lasting impact on the lives of America’s farm and ranch families, their rural neighbors and future generations of rural Americans.”

What else should the FCC consider while developing this plan? How can other industry groups become involved to voice opinions about the plan? Will equal access to the Internet change market statistics?

Technology in Agriculture

Long gone are the days of the horse-drawn plow and scythe. Farmers today are utilizing an array of modern technologies that have advanced the agricultural industry to an unanticipated state.

In 1830, 300 hours of manual labor were required to produce just five acres of wheat. Today, the same yield is produced in less than two hours (AgClassroom.org).

Agricultural progress is the direct result of the innovation of the farming industry as well as federal research and the implementation of federal policies.

Chemically enhanced fertilizers, genetically altered seed and disease-and-weather resistant crops are a few of the principal technologies that advanced the industry. Now, the focus is about equipment and comes in the form of satellite-information technologies that have revolutionized farming accuracy and precision.

Gossip-worthy gadgets:
• Autonomous tractors: Though still a concept for the future, more engineering companies are developing driverless tractors that will farm using computers and cameras. “Autonomous tractors — ones that operate without a human in the loop — are definitely what we’re all trying to do. It’s the next great frontier for the ag equipment market,” said Aaron Senneff, manager of hardware and systems engineering for John Deere. Selling points include saved time and opportunities for farmers with disabilities.
• Auto steering: A precursor to autonomous tractors, auto steering is the hands-free navigation of farm equipment using satellite technology, although a farmer is still needed in the hot seat to initially start the process. Auto steering greatly reduces overlapping. Other advantages can be viewed in this YouTube video.
• Fleet-management technology: Instead of using cell phones to call farm partners for status updates and whereabouts, more and more farmers are using software similar to what is used in the trucking industry to do their busywork. Not only do systems provide vehicle locations, but they can also monitor vehicle speeds and machinery information such as engine temperature and fluid levels. Some systems boast “immediate service response” capability similar to GM’s On Star.
• Internet in the cab: USB, WiFi adapters in tractor and combine cabs allow farmers to send e-mails, order parts and access market news and weather updates while simultaneously prepping, planting or harvesting. The cab literally becomes “an office on wheels.”
• On-the-go sensing: GPS sensors log information such as soil condition, depth of tillage, number of seeds planted and product application levels for heightened efficiency which, “greatly increases the capacity for measuring the variability that is inherent in all agricultural fields,” said Bruce Erikson, Purdue ag economist.
• Vision-based side dressing: A sensor-equipped computer evaluates crop growth and assesses fertilizer needs based on conclusions – removing the guessing game for producers.

Many agricultural groups have realized a significant cost benefit from implementing some of these new technologies.

Technology has shaped the direction of American farming development. Conventional machinery and methods are being replaced with computers, sensors and GPS tools to till, spray, plant and plow. Farmers and consumers alike can be grateful for innovations that are more cost effective and have potential to produce greater, more dependable yields with less crop damage and manual labor.

But, not everyone thinks modern agriculture is ideal. It comes with a price tag, causing financial problems for some smaller farming operations that struggle to compete in a burgeoning industry. Critics assert that devices are replacing people and ousting the nostalgic family farm tradition. Others bring up environmental concerns in regards to overproduction and misuse of land because of technology’s ability for mass returns.

What are your thoughts about technology’s impact on American agriculture? What technologies have you witnessed being utilized in your farm community? What would the ultimate farming technology be?

High-tech Tools Transform Farms

From tractors that drive themselves to “remote” cow herding, technology is quickly changing the way farmers operate in the U.S. and around the globe.

Though humans have been growing crops and raising animals for centuries, the techniques for producing food has changed so drastically only recently. Touching almost every aspect of the family farm, new technology is keeping food safe, environmentally friendly, abundant and profitable.

Starting with the seeds they plant, farmers are using technology each and every day. Intensive breeding research is now being conducted to increase yields and to improve stress tolerance, drought and heat protection and increase seed size. According to an article in the Western Farm Press on July 8, technology-led innovations have increased U.S. corn yields by 60 to 70 percent since 1996.

“Not only do farmers have to adapt to new technology to stay profitable, they also must embrace it in order to feed a growing global population,” said Tamara Kass, director for agricultural products for DTN, an electronic information service. “It’s apparent how successful technology is in farming today, as we are producing more every year.”

Farming machinery has also seen many new improvements in the past decade. Fuel efficiency and precision are vital to keep costs low and productivity high. Global positioning systems (GPS) help farmers plot their fields to the inch, control distribution of seed and fertilizers and eliminate waste from crooked rows and overlaps. Durable computers, text-message market alerts and up-to-the-minute weather tracking are also making life easier for savvy farmers.

“All the technology has changed so much just over the past 10 years,” said Greg Place, a Wisconsin farmer who attended a recent “Farm Technology Days” event in his hometown. “I never thought I’d see this in my day.”

Crops and machinery are not the only areas of agriculture riding the technology wave. Those who raise livestock are finding new inventions useful as well. A manufacturer in the Netherlands recently introduced a rotating milking parlor, perfect for increasing profits for U.S. dairies that need to milk more cows per hour.

For ranchers, U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher Dan Anderson unveiled the “Ear-A-Round,” a device that can corral cattle remotely by funneling sounds directly to the animals. Eliminating the need for fences and allowing for better use of grazing land, this device could change the age-old role of the American cowboy.

According to an Aug. 10 Associated Press article, ranchers and cowhands will no longer have to spend time building and repairing fences. Instead, “they’ll devote more time to leading animals to areas for better nutrition while protecting natural resources.”

Anderson said that this device, which works by using sound to create a “virtual paddock” through GPS technology, could take the mundane physical labor inherent in herding cattle and help farmers and ranchers focus more on management.

“It’s looking for the best management with the best skills that technology can provide,” he said.

There is no question that technology positively impacts the American farmer, but do you think that there is a flip side to these advancements? Let me know your thoughts. Please comment below.