Princeton, Kentucky
May 23, 2007
By Laura Skillman
Technology has advanced at a rapid pace on the farm, from
satellites guiding farmers through their fields to equipment
allowing a tractor to steer itself.
“We’re really at an exciting time with this technology,” said
Ben Koostra, an engineer associate with the
University of Kentucky College
of Agriculture. “What we’ve seen is in the past five or six
years, the very early adopters started using this technology,”
he said. “But in just the last few years we’ve seen more and
more people starting to use this stuff.”
Farmers use global positioning satellites to pinpoint field
locations for such activities as soil testing, field mapping and
crop yield monitoring. This technology allows anyone with a GPS
receiver to determine their location based on latitude and
longitude as well as elevation.
The GPS system can also be tied to a light bar with the ultimate
goal to reduce overlaps and skips in fields. A light bar inside
a tractor guides equipment through the field from pass to pass.
If the driver gets off the path, the light bar shows the
necessary adjustments. Light bars have proven to pay for
themselves, Koostra noted during the recent UK wheat field day.
The technology has improved, Koostra remarked, with systems
today able to account for curves and slopes while earlier
versions only allowed for straight line use. Few fields,
especially in Kentucky, are perfectly straight, he noted.
Auto steering is something that is also gaining popularity with
farmers as the technology and quality of the equipment has
improved, he said. Auto steering basically takes the task of
steering the tractor away from the farmer. Instead, GPS
technology guides the tractor through the field.
There are two main types of systems. One is a motor that
attaches to the steering column and the other is an integrated
hydraulic controller which taps into the hydraulics of the
steering system. In both cases the computer automatically steers
the tractor.
“We are seeing entry-level auto steer systems quite a bit with
operations like spraying where you don’t have to be ultra
precise,” he said.
Technology systems have different accuracy levels and costs.
Farmers need to do their research to determine the type of GPS
system they will need to perform specific tasks. Low cost
receivers on the market are accurate within three meters. As the
price increases, so does the accuracy. The highest accuracy
level can be within an inch, but can cost tens of thousands of
dollars.
This technology uses real time kinematic receivers or base
stations and uses radios to transmit information to field
equipment, Koostra said. Some companies and even farmers are
developing base station networks within a geographic area with
some people owning base stations and others paying a fee to use
them.
New technology is now also putting GPS systems onto the
implement to ensure that it is tracking in the same path as the
tractor. This technology will ensure accuracy on sloped fields
where the implement may move at a slightly different angle than
the tractor. This is important in central Kentucky because of
the terrain, he said.
Individual row or spray nozzle control is also being developed
to account for turns in fields to eliminate over application or
under application or seed placement.
Farmers may view a planter with individual row controls at this
year’s UK field day on July 26 at the Research and Education
Center in Princeton. Field day participants also will be able to
see demonstrations of a tractor equipped with both types of auto
steer technology.
UK College of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission,
reaches across the commonwealth with teaching, research and
extension to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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