High-Tech on the Farm

The Illinois Farm Families took us to four farms this year. All four farms grow corn and soybean crops to either feed their livestock, sell as a commodity, or both. We learned about the different forms of technology they use and the ways in which it helps them to be more productive and efficient.

A field in spring 2014, farm buildings and grain bins beyond

It may come as no surprise that large farms in the U.S. rely heavily on computer technology. Farmers have always made informed decisions, but today’s technology gives them access to more data and analysis than ever before. Technology is being used to solve problems as well as conserve energy and resources.

Showing Field Moms how technology 

is applied on the Jeschke Farm

Of course, the computer updates come at a price, but most farmers find the benefits worth the cost. As you’d expect, the larger the farm, the fewer years it takes for the technology to pay for itself. It may take a large farm just two or three years to make up the cost of the investment.

There are several different forms of tech and gadgets that we learned about. The first is GPS guidance, which is used for steering control guidance, as well as field mapping. The second is hardware and software that is used for data collection, specifically harvest/yield data and soil data. A third is equipment that is designed with variable-rate technology, which enables very precise applications of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as unbelievably precise planting - with spacings measured in tenths of an inch! 

They also use desktop and laptop computers, in-tractor monitors, tablets, and smart-phones equipped with programs or apps linked to their data. They monitor and evaluate weather data using this hardware and real-time weather apps, as well. They are also starting to use drones, or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), to monitor the crops during the growing season.

Matt Boucher demonstrating how a UAV

is used for crop monitoring

The GPS system enables farmers to create a map of their field, collect data referenced to the map, and then put that data to work to save energy and resources and be as productive as possible. 

GPS unit atop a tractor cab

One feature of the GPS guidance is that, with the flip of a switch, the tractor operator can let the tractor drive itself. This is particularly useful, when driving thousands of acres, to keep rows nearly perfectly straight and allow the farmer to turn around to monitor equipment, like a planter, for example.  As I rode in the combine, during corn harvest, we were riding on auto-pilot guided by GPS for most of the row.

Field, mapped by GPS, gridded for soil test

Every two or three years, a testing agency tests the farm soils. A grid is over-laid on the field map and samples are taken in the field from each quadrant of the grid. 

Field map showing soil organic matter levels

The report comes back to the farmer with colorful maps detailing each of the nutrients and recommendations based on what crop will be grown thereafter. The report informs the farmer on the questions of soil health and fertilization needs. It may also influence the questions of planting - what, where, why, and how.

Image of in-cab sprayer monitor 

showing pesticide application

The most surprising aspect of all the technology we saw was the variable-rate technology that is used with the sprayers and planters. As the name implies, it has allowed them to get away from blanketing fields with fertilizer or pesticide and they can, instead, control the flow rates with amazing precision. 

Sprayer on the Jeschke Farm

The hardware is sophisticated so that each nozzle is independently controlled by the computer technology. The farmer only puts fertilizer or pesticide where it is needed, saving costs. It also contributes to sustainability efforts which include using fewer resources and lessening pollution of our waterways.

The planter on the Jeschke Farm

On the Jeschke Farm, a particular corn spacing was 6.1 inches. Planting is very precise and that is important for reasons that were explained to us.

Along with soil data, farmers collect yield data. The combines have on-board computers that collect real-time harvest yield data and immediately upload it to the cloud.

 Real-Time Yield Data (corn harvest 2014)

The photo above is actually a tablet in the farmer’s hand as we sat in his pick-up truck near the field. He was using an app to pull the real-time harvest data from the cloud so that we could look at what the combine, in the field, was doing in real-time. It was fun to watch. This same exact screen image is also in the cabs of the combine and auger tractor where the operators watch the data as it is collected.

Combine & Auger Trailer on Martz Family Farm

In October, I rode along with Chris Gould in his combine as he was harvesting corn. Watching the corn stalks get sucked into the combine is a little repetitive after not too much time, so I was pondering what it would be like to do this all day, and I asked him, “when you’re up here in the cab, is there anything in particular you are looking for as you drive through the field?” He said that most commonly they look for pest damage, often root worm, and explained what that might look like. Just a few minutes later, we came to a rather large swath that was knocked over, just as he described. He pointed out on the computer monitor how big of an effect that swath had on his yield. The swath went from green to yellow on the screen and the bushel count dropped significantly. To a farmer who is always trying to make each field as productive as possible, that is a let down. It’s wasted time and resources with little or no return on investment.

Corn Harvest 2014 on Martz Family Farm

After they’ve collected the yield data and put it together with the soil data, they use the technology to evaluate what seeds are working where, what soils may be lacking nutrients, what areas are problems – maybe with insect pests or weeds, what worked and what didn’t, and then the cycle starts once again as they plan for the next planting season and create their prescription maps for fertilizing, planting, and crop-protection.