With Precision Ag, the Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

There are many worthy tools and technologies rolling out in precision agriculture these days, writes Emily Carlson at CropLife. As an enthusiast like many, I get excited to see the level of innovation we are in the midst of when it comes to the development and implementation of new precision ag practices. One that I follow with particular interest is the gathering and use of field imagery.

As someone working in the agricultural drone space, field imagery comes up a lot. It’s often the first thing that people think about when they hear the words “drones” and “agriculture” together in a sentence. But I’m interested in imagery for a different reason.

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At Rantizo, we’ve worked with numerous imagery companies. Everyone from Taranis to Pix4D to Aker. Each platform works a little different than the other, but the end goal is the same for the user: gather field imagery, aggregate the data, make decisions. The fascinating part to me is what comes next.

In a recent conversation with a professor of food, agricultural, and biological engineering for a prominent Big 10 school, the discussion unfolded. The program had been using various imagery tools for a number of years within their curriculum and in collaboration with local extension outreach partners. The primary objective to that point had been to find ways to improve precision practices in the field. But they were stuck. They were at a crossroads. “We’ve got the imagery. What do we do next?”

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That’s when it dawned on me.

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Their expressed sentiment was exactly what I’d heard from growers and agribusiness professionals alike. The conclusion? Imagery gathers information which is definitely needed and greatly important within the precision agriculture discussion. However, imagery is only as good as the steps that follow. Action is the part that brings it all together.

Continue reading at CropLife.

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