Smart Farms

 Manure isn’t popular with farmers. It does provide valuable nutrients at an affordable price, but until now it’s been pretty hard to handle. As a result, many farmers have opted to use man-made chemicals instead.

Most farmers have overlooked the use of manure because the equipment hasn't been there to make it part of a high-speed, high-acreage operation. That may change with a liquid-manure applicator under development at Purdue University. This technology can be incorporated into a precision farming setup that uses computer-directed equipment and satellite-oriented GPS technology. The hi-tech manure applicator is the first of its kind in the nation and, according to experts, works very efficiently. And  that ain’t a load of you-know-what.

 Another way of supplementing farm soil with high accuracy is with UAV’s, or unmanned aerial vehicles. Taking high resolution photos of fields and analyzing them with computers enables farmers to pinpoint soil needs according to Robert Blair of Pine Creek Precision.

 “I do farm 1500 acres and doing variable rate nitrogen on my farm, based upon yield maps, breaking it down into 3 zones, I was able to save about $25/acre this year. So not only the cost savings but the environmental benefits of not over applying in areas or applying exactly what’s needed are great. Then you take the secondary effect of getting the exact amount of nitrogen needed, you’re gaining in quality and yield.”

 Blair says we have to modernize to maximize profit.