By Scout Nelson
Data on precision agriculture (PA) practices will be included for the first time in the 2022 Agricultural Census. The USDA defines PA as utilizing technology to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency. Examples of this technology include drones, GPS, and variable-rate applications.
Farms in South Dakota (SD) employ PA techniques at a rate of 23.6%, which is almost twice as high as the 11.9% national average. The results of the 2022 Census show notable geographical variations, with eastern SD exhibiting higher PA consumption due to superior soil and precipitation conditions.
PA technologies fall into categories like georeferencing, diagnostic, and variable-rate technologies. Georeferencing ensures accurate positioning to avoid errors, diagnostic technologies gather data through sensors and drones, and variable-rate technologies adjust inputs based on gathered data.
Additional insights come from the 2021 Farmer Survey covering Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The survey shows higher PA adoption rates than the Census, likely due to the selection of major crop-growing regions and larger farms.
Auto-steering, yield monitoring, and automatic section control are the most adopted technologies, with auto-steering leading at 76%. These technologies are mostly used for over five years. In contrast, variable-rate technologies like prescription-based VR are increasing in use, with 52% of producers using VR fertilizer and 46% using VR seeding.
The survey data highlights a growing trend in PA adoption, with more farmers incorporating advanced technologies to improve crop production efficiency.
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: South Dakota, Crops, Government & Policy