In a recent discussion, a person shared with me that they thought farmers had it easy, all they have to do is put the seed in the ground, come back in the fall and harvest it, piece of cake.
Well… if you work in agriculture, you know that science rules and farmers rapidly adopt technological advances that have an economical return. Agriculture has long been a leader in adoption of technology.
Science is used in tillage systems, the amounts of macro-fertilizers and micronutrients applied, timing and placement of fertilizers. There are weeds to deal with. A few of the more obnoxious weeds are very prolific seed producers. The seeds can germinate over a wide period of time, making control difficult. In addition, these terrors of the field have the ability to develop resistance to herbicides used to control them.
There is constant research and evaluation of weed control methods. Weeds must be sprayed when they are relatively small for good control and to maximize crop yields. When corn is six inches tall it can recognize weed competition. If the plant has weed competition, it can reduce yields. Timing of many farm operations is critical and weather can cause delays. Then there is the constant monitoring for rodent, bird, insect, and disease problems that can beset a crop.
Agriculture equipment utilizes very sophisticated technology, including GPS systems, that now reduce overlap of fertilizer and chemical applications, allow for variable application rates across the field. Fields are mapped and the mappings are used to vary applications. Sprayers can shut off nozzles to prevent spraying areas sown down in grass waterways. Most fields are grid- or zone-soil tested.
This data is combined
with yield data and used to vary fertilizer and seeding rates. At harvest, monitors record the weight of the grain harvested, as the combines move across the fields, and this yield data across a field can be mapped.
There are new biological chemicals under evaluation. Seeds can have stacked genes that help with disease and insect resistance, as well as herbicide resistance. Genetically engineered seeds can reduce the chemicals needed and damage done to the crop by pests. Proper machine settings are needed to reduce grain damage and loss on the ground. At harvest, grain moistures are monitored. The grain has to be sufficiently dry at harvest to be sold directly or it needs to be dried down either as it goes into the grain bins or by pulling air through the grain in the bins. Bins require daily monitoring. Air is circulated throughout storage, as changes in temperature can cause moisture accumulation in the grain, leading to mold and insect problems.
Marketing of the crop is another challenge farmers face. There are several methods to lock in a price on a portion of a crop before harvest. Farmers have to know their costs of production and evaluate the market and prices. Markets are subject to price changes, due to production losses or surpluses.
Price fluctuations can occur as a result of the weather, export policies and demand, crop yields in other countries, and a whole host of other factors. Deciding how and when to sell is a challenge. It is difficult to time a market high.
In summary, row crop farmers make decisions about equipment, including tillage, harvest, crop inputs and the technology they want to use. They make decisions on employees, equipment purchases, when to plant, what and when to spray, fertilizer amounts -including placement and timing, what seed and herbicide system they will use, when to harvest, and how to market. They contract with landowners to lease their ground and work to keep them informed. Farming is complex, constantly evolving, and far from simple.
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December 23, 2020 at 01:15PM
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Farming far more sophisticated than some think: from various sciences to mechanics, technology, marketing - The Herald Ledger
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