Success in agriculture commodity production demands the continual improvement in productivity and efficiency. The most upto date proven technologies are used to cut costs, save time and ensure the entire enterprise is more efficient and accountable.

Global Positioning, wireless, and information technologies are ensuring that the best technologies available in world wide industry are available in today’s highly productive farm. We can now manage every aspect of our agricultural operations to improve overall productivity and efficiency—from planting to harvesting, and literally work the land by the square foot instead of the square mile.

John Deere 8030 Series Tractor
outfitted with AutoTrac iTEC
Pro can automatically turn at the headlands.



What Technologies Are Available ?

• GPS farming systems provide precise guidance for field operations, or collection of map data on tillage, applications, planting, weeds, insect and disease infestations, cultivation and irrigation, and much more.
• Machine Control systems (auto steering / tracking) automate farm equipment to save time and costs associated with day to day operations.
• Laser-based tools provide productivity enhancements such as land leveling and subsurface drainage maximizing various resources as well as inputs.

How Can These Technologies be Implemented ?

Current field data can be downloaded to office computers to analyze management practices and determine optimal strategies for planning, planting and harvesting. For example, a detailed computerized map might include layers on field topography, soil types, surface drainage, subsurface drainage, soil testing results, rainfall, irrigation, chemical application rates, and crop yield. Once this information is gathered, it can then be analyze it to understand relationships between the different elements that affect crop production in a specific location.

New Farming Practices

No-till Direct Drill farming is defined as: The soil is left undisturbed from harvest to planting. Planting or drilling is accomplished in a narrow seedbed or slot created by disk openers. Coulters, residue managers, seed firmers, and modified closing wheels are used on the drill or planter to ensure adequate seed to soil contact. In a properly designed no-till system, pest (weeds, disease, and insect) control is accomplished primarily with the following cultural practices: rotation, sanitation, and competition. Herbicides may be used to provide the crop with a competitive advantage over the weeds.

The No Till Process

Producing crops in the conventional method usually involves regular tilling that agitates the soil in various ways, usually with tractor-drawn implements (plough). Tilling is used to remove weeds, mix in soil amendments like fertilizers, shape the soil into rows for crop plants and furrows for irrigation, and prepare the surface for seeding. This can lead to unfavorable effects, like soil compaction; loss of organic matter; degradation of soil aggregates; death or disruption of soil microbes, arthropods, and earthworms; and soil erosion where topsoil is blown or washed away.  No-till farming thus avoids these unfavorable effects by reducing or excluding the use of conventional tillage. 

Monsanto for example uses its scientific capabilities in a number of arenas to develop new products. These capabilities form a toolkit used throughout their product pipeline, as each tool can be used on its own or in combination to help study, test and refine new traits, germplasm and other characteristics in their products.

Genomics
Genomics involves the mapping of the genes of plants to understand their structure and the role they play in how a plant functions.