1. Current GPS and other Precision Agriculture Adoption in Agriculture
By Beth Crumpler

2. Where GPS and PA Stands
See what need there is for GPS and other PA education
Find out who needs to be reached
Reveal how beneficial GPS use can be
Reveal why farmers decide to use precision agriculture
What farmers are using precision agriculture for the most

3. Surveys
Value-added Crop, GPS Technology and Consultant Survey: Summary of a 1998 Survey to Illinois Farmers
University of Illinois- Jonathan M. Norvell and Dale H. Lattz
Adoption of GPS technology 1998
3000 farmers with 23% response=691 responses

4. Respondants 34% from 1-499 acres 25% from 500-999 acres

5. Results Over all farms 19.5% used yield monitors
33.2% used soil testing
21.1% used variable rate fertilizer application
4.6% used variable rate nitrogen application
21.2% used variable rate limestone application
2.5% used variable rate pesticide application
2.1% used variable seeding rates

6. Results continued 1-499 500-999 1000-1499 >1500 Yield m 4.5 14.0
27.7
38.8
Soil t
13.4
30.3
47.3
46.5
VRFA
6.4
18.6
32.3
30.9
VRNA .7
5.4
4.1
9.5
VRLA
6.5
18.0
31.6
VRPA
1.5
1.6
VSR .8
7.4

7. Additional Findings
8.2% of all of the farmers surveyed planned to begin using yield monitors in the next 2 years
10.8% in the next 3 years
28.3% of all were undecided
33.3% said they didn’t plan on ever using GPS (60.6% of these were acres)

8. Surveys (continued)
Farm Management Newsletter, 2000 by Joe Parcell and Ray Massey
Use and Perceptions of Precision Agriculture Technologies by Professional Chemical Services
Ag Crop Management Conference sponsored by the University of Missouri

9. Respondants
Professional chemical appplicators, managers, consultants, and seed and chemical dealers
75 surveys, 22% of attendees

10. Use Technology Yield monitors 13% 33% 55% -- 20% 39%
Clientele currently using
Clientele expected to use technology in 5 years
Yield monitors
13%
33%
Yield maps (% of clientele with yield monitors)
55% --
Fertlity level maps, herbicide rate maps, or soil type maps
20%
39%

11. Offering PA Services Service current 2yrs 3+ yrs Never undecid
GPS aid soil
35% 6%
24%
21%
44%
Yield monitor
32%
31%
17%
36%
VR P+K
28% 3%
VRL
27%
13%
>18%
48%
VRN
15%
16%
19%
26%
40%
VRP 0%
14%
20%
41%

12. Surveys (continued)
Adoption and Use of Precision Farming Technologies: A Survey of Central Ohio Precision Farmers
Michael Arnholt, Marvin T. Batte, and Steven Prochaska
Survey conducted March 2001

13. Respondants
82 out of 156 growers responded 65 out of the 82 were still farming and completed the questionaire
Average size of the farms 747 acres

14. Results 12% of the farmers had adopted GPS receivers
27.5% used combine yield monitors
84.6% used georeferenced grid or zone soil sampling
73.3% used VRT of fertilizers or lime

15. View of Use Results

16. Motivation Results

17. Benefits Results

18. Changing Management Results

19. Final Survey
Summary of Preciaion Farming Practices and Perceptions of Mississippi Cotton Producers
Steven W. Martin and Fred Cooke, Jr.
2001 Southern Precision Farming Survey
244 surveys with 62 adopters 182 nonadopters

20. Benefits Results

21. Adoption Results

22. Use Results

23. Yield Changes

24. Farm Dealer Importance

25. Crop Consultant Importance

26. Extension Educator Importance

27. Conclusions
There is much need for GPS education based on 28.3% of farmers in Illinois undecided on GPS use and large amount of service providers undecided.
Smaller farmers need to be reached and service providers.
Farmers seem to be mostly satisfied with their current GPS systems.

28. Conclusions (continued)
Farmers decide to use GPS because of
Increased profitability
On farm experimentation
Improved information regarding within field variability to support decisions
Environmental compliance
Risk reduction potential

29. Conclusions (continued)
What farmers are using precision agriculture for is precise knowledge of soil pH and soil nutrition across soil grids or zones
What practice changed the most as a result of using precision agriculture is fertility practices

30. Suggestions
There seems to be a lot of farmers yet to be reached on the use of GPS.
Extension educators can play a role in helping farmers be reassured of the use of GPS tools.
Help farmers decide if precision agriculture use would be profitable for their farm