The precision agriculture benchmark: are we there yet?

The precision agriculture approach was introduced many years ago. Today, as it becomes even more widely used, it is important to measure the adoption of this method of farming supported by technology and assist producers in strategising and defining new goals. Stehan Cloete writes.

- Stehan Cloete

Just as we know that no two pieces of land are the same, so too do we know that every person is unique and, therefore, not all producers have the type of personality that goes hand in hand with precision farming practices. Luckily, this does not mean that only perfectionists can be precision farmers, or that you cannot be successful if you lack this trait.

You either are, or you know of, the farmer I am about to describe. He or she has years of experience and can simply go into a field, touch the ground and look at the sky, and know exactly when the conditions will be perfect for planting.

Today, a world exists in which every farmer can be this farmer, and where all machine operators can be as good as or even better than the most experienced operator out there.

AN OPTIMISATION MINDSET

Technology is there to support your precision farming practices, so years of experience can be circumvented to an extent. What I often hear is that farmers are anxiously asking what they need to do to future-proof their farms.

I am a staunch believer in precision agriculture and the technology that supports these practices. And yes, I once included the phrase ‘adopt or die’ in a presentation, which I am not proud of. I also know that when it rains just enough and your grain happens to be in high demand, you will have record earnings that season. However, when the opposite occurs, well, there isn’t much you can do about it, and precision agriculture practices cannot make it rain or change the grain price. What it can do, however, is ease the pain during the lows and increase the rewards you reap during the highs.