By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Speaker Jerry Brightbill talks with an Expo-goer following his presentation at the Precision Ag Expo in Corpus Christi. — Staff photo by Taylor

June 29, 2006 - There’s little doubt that farmers of past centuries would think the latest technology … precision agriculture … would be possible, much less produce better crops.

At the Precision Ag Expo held June 7 at the Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi, farmers, technical dealers and agri-business attendees filled the auditorium to glean knowledge from a variety of experts.

The expo’s agenda featured speakers who had used the technology, those who were selling equipment, and professionals from over the southern states who are involved in introducing the new technology to current farmers … especially, the younger generation who are already “computer savvy.”

Acronyms came fast and furious, but after some research and question-answer periods, most came away from the meeting with some idea of what “precision ag” really is.

The simplest definition is simply “knowing and caring where you are in a field,” although it is also defined as the “application of new technology to aid in agricultural production challenges which can result from field variability.” 

Jerry Brightbill, a farmer from Plainview, came to the state’s Coastal Bend region to tell the audience about his expriences. Brightbill farms 4,000 acres around the Cotton Center area with the big tractor and implements many only see in pictures – 16-row equipment on 38-inch rows. The Panhandle farmer testified that “without water, nothing else really matters.” Yet some assistance that doesn’t rely on Mother Nature, or irrigation, is available to farmers in the way of precision agriculture. He said that by using the latest technology, every six minutes of time he saved in the field equaled a 1 percent reduction in costs.

Sales reps brought their biggest and best products and equipment to exhibit at the Expo. — Staff photo by Taylor

Even with the newest equipment and technology, he said farmers need to collect several years of data from their individual crops before they would “really know what’s going on” while using the new Global Positioning System (GPS).

By using remote sensing from aerial photography, farmers can see exactly what is happening at various points within a field, without actually walking the property. Using guidance systems, application technology, software, monitors and controllers, data collection becomes much easier.

According to literature, precision farming can improve crop yields; produce information to make better management decisions; reduce chemical and fertilizer costs; provide more accurate records; reduce pollution; and, above all increase profit margins for producers.

Using the latest technology, a producer check a screen mounted in the tractor’s cab and pinpoint where they are on the field and determine where the equipment needs to go. This allows the producer the opportunity to have more uniform, productive fields, because of the fact that he can trace what is/has happened.

For more information concerning precision agriculture: www.precisionagriculture .