Planning

There’s no bad time to explore the benefits of precision agriculture, but some times of the year are better than others. Arguably the “best” time is between harvest and planting when you’re working on the cropping plan for the year ahead.

The benefit of adopting precision is measured by data, so your initial work should involve setting an accurate and consistent baseline for data collection and management. This means geo-referencing your field by setting down a field boundary using a geographic information system (GIS) mapping program and a global positioning system (GPS).

The next step depends on what you are planning to accomplish through precision practices. For example, if you are planning to do electronic variable rate application (VRA), then you will need to begin a soil sampling regimen to establish a baseline of basic information, such as nutrient availability and pH. You will also want to determine soil type in your field. This information is available from the US Geological Survey online and in map form. This data can be overlaid with the fertility data for use in developing a cropping plan for each field.