Precision agriculture is the future of farming but it has been a part of the ag world for over a decade. It’s common for people to wonder how sustainability and precision ag are related. At its core, precision ag uses information technology to read and implement data in farming to ensure that crops and soil achieve optimal health and productivity. This means using resources in a more responsible manner and yielding better results.
There are many costs that go into farming- fuel, seed, chemicals, and labor. By utilizing precision ag tools in the John Deere Operations Center™, a better cycle of sustainability within your operation can be created.
Sustainable Energy Use:
Monitoring all machines and their operators can make a difference in your overall energy inputs. Using the John Deere Operations Center™, you can monitor the performance of your operators. Measure efficiency and make better machine decisions using the data streamed into the John Deere Operations Center™ using JDLink™. You can see who is covering the most ground, fuel consumption, and time of tasks. Measuring the data and implementing management decisions could lead to an increase in your bottom line.
Aside from operator data, you can look into the effectiveness of your machines using Efficiency Manager™. By setting up Efficiency Manager™, you can reduce fuel consumption, driving your energy input costs down. C & B has had customers enable Efficiency Manager™ and reach cost savings so substantial they can now afford another machine operator meaning more hands to help get your work done.
Product Sustainability Advancements:
When it comes to managing inputs, there are a few technologies from John Deere that can help increase product sustainability.
ExactApply™
By controlling your spray, you can help manage your costs. Some of the newest, advanced technology can upgrade the sprayer you already own. ExactApply™ features precise droplet sizing, creating consistent application management. The features include pulsing frequencies that beat out competitors’ systems and maintain your target application rate and pressure over a wider range of speeds.
Sustainability comes into play by reducing over-application, crop burn, and off-target drift. The measured savings are 2-5% on herbicides and pesticides.
See & Spray™ Ultimate
John Deere recently announced that starting in 2023, See & Spray™ Ultimate will be factory available. This new technology, using computer vision and artificial intelligence, will accurately be able to target weeds in season in corn, soybean, and cotton as you apply as well as use more advanced tank mixes thanks to its dual-tank configuration.
Previously released, See & Spray™ Select came out for use in fallow ground while See & Spray™ Ultimate can take your operation to the next level of sustainability. It’s expected that See & Spray™ Ultimate can reduce non-residual herbicide use by more than two-thirds by target spraying weeds. This targeted approach is better for the crops, land, and your bottom line.
Time is Resource:
Using the data in the John Deere Operations Center™, measure efficiencies to help determine where you can make improvements- in operators or machines, to gain time savings.
With the announcement of autonomous tractors coming to the John Deere lineup, farmers will be able to leverage the self-driving technology to tackle other tasks and spend time outside of the fields. Driverless tractors will help farmers leverage precision ag technology to make more data-driven decisions and make adjustments to increase yield, profit margins, and sustainability.
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C & B is committed to creating a more sustainable future for the world around us. Two of the fundamental principles of the Real Tractors Are Green mission are to keep the land sustainable and to recognize the green economic benefit of utilizing precision ag technology. The Real Tractors Are Green concept acknowledges that truly, Nothing Runs Like a Deere™, and making more sustainable decisions in the world of agriculture helps move the whole world forward.