Agriculture remains a cornerstone of the food industry and faces a unique set of challenges in the near future. Changing climates, water shortages, and new invasive species all pose a threat to crops around the world.
One of the best ways farmers can be more efficient with their resources is by embracing precision agriculture. Taking advantage of the accuracy that modern technology offers lets farmers use less water, nutrients, and pesticides to accomplish the same goals as before. This enables them to raise more bountiful crop yields in the same space and save money in the long run.
What is Precision Agriculture?
When one pictures a modern farm, one probably imagines massive tractors, sprinklers dispensing hundreds of gallons of water across miles-wide fields, and other large-scale efforts. Precision agriculture, also called precision farming or site-specific crop management, is the use of modern technology driven by data to use a farm's resources more efficiently on a smaller and more targeted scale. This technology has already proven its usefulness in the medical and industrial sectors and is now being explored for the farming industry as well.
Internet of Things (IoT) sensors strategically placed throughout a field can report on factors such as temperature, moisture, and nutrients and alert farmers if these factors become unsustainable for crops. By feeding this information to a farmer's rugged mini PC, rather than following an automated routine for its sprinkler system, a farm can directly target sections of the field that need water the most.
Tools Used in Precision Agriculture
Implementing precision agriculture requires both old and new tools and methods, such as:
- IoT Sensors: These sensors must be durable enough to handle the outdoors and changing weather conditions but accurate enough to report on critical factors that can affect the health of crops.
- GPS Devices: Global positioning systems (GPS) are critical for locating exactly where crops in the field need attention. They also help farmers navigate the massive fields they must manage.
- Industrial-grade computers: Durable, powerful, and energy-efficient, a rugged industrial tablet or PC is necessary for collecting, interpreting, and managing data from IoT sensors.
- Farming Equipment: Precision agriculture still uses all the usual tools that farmers rely on, like fertilizers, tractors, sprayers, and more. However, it makes them far more accurate and efficient. More modern tools, such as aerial drones that can dispense water and nutrients, also fall under this category.
Benefits of Precision Farming
By implementing precision agriculture techniques, farmers can reap a wide range of benefits. First and foremost, farmers can save money on things like water, fertilizer, and fuel by using these resources in a more efficient manner.
This greater efficiency also leads to increased profits, as more efficient crop yields can be generated from the same fields as before, with less crop loss due to lack of water or nutrients. This is especially critical for farmers, who can often face tight profit margins from year to year.
Another critical area of concern that precision farming improves is environmental sustainability: by using pesticides in a more targeted manner, farms can reduce the likelihood of runoff spreading to the soil and waterways.
Enable Precision Agriculture with Cybernet Computers
By taking advantage of new computer and sensor technology, farmers can be more accurate while raising crops and more responsible in how they use their resources. However, to do so requires industrial-grade computers that are both reliable enough to handle a farm's working conditions and powerful enough to handle the data load from multiple sensors.
If you're looking for rugged industrial tablets and computers to implement precision farming, contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing. We'd be happy to explain how our products can be adapted for agricultural roles and enable more precise farm management practices.
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