Pennsylvania Game News - August 2019 - 37

Precision Agriculture
Precision Agriculture uses technology to evaluate productivity at
a very focused scale to decrease waste, increase profit and improve
environmental quality.
Data collection and analysis is the backbone of this practice. Data might
be collected through GPS, sensor arrays mounted on machinery, drones
equipped with specialized cameras or other methods.
Variables measured might include soil type, hydrology, biomass, leaf
chlorophyll content, soil temperature, soil humidity, stem diameter, disease
indicators, weed cover, soil electrical resistivity, nutrient deficiency and
yield.
This information then can develop a total field prescription that dictates
the best seed varieties, planting rates, rotation schemes and application
of nutrients and pesticides. And fields can be mapped to identify areas
that consistently show strong yields and others that routinely show an
overall net loss.
Precision Agriculture is considered the third revolution within the
industry, following farming mechanization in the early 1900s and genetic
modification at the turn of the 21st century.
It's a win-win for both producers and the environment. Producers
typically see immense savings in annual input costs (fertilizer, pesticides,
water) and increasing yields at harvest. Meanwhile, water is conserved,
chemicals are used only as needed at correct and responsible amounts
and automated machinery saves fuel costs and reduces harmful emissions.
These practices help protect air and water quality while protecting soil
for long-term sustainable agriculture.
And wildlife habitat can be placed in those areas showing net loss,
with assistance programs often allowing producers to continue to turn a
profit from those lands.

farming sustainably in an increasingly
difficult business climate. If you're a
birder, you might want to ensure bird
species in sharp decline do not share
the bobwhite's fate. If you're a hunter
or trapper, you might want to provide
for animals and maintain places to enjoy
time afield. If you're a conservationist,
you might be concerned about the loss of
biodiversity in agricultural areas.
And even if you don't fit into one of
these categories, if you're a Pennsylvanian,
chances are you've inherited a strong
agricultural heritage, as well as a sense
of responsibility to conserve our wild
resources.
As we strive to provide food to a
rapidly increasing population, it's those
AUGUST 2019	

generations coming behind us, whose
food we're providing today in a highchair
or school cafeteria, that deserve to live in a
clean environment, teeming with wildlife.
Each one of us can move the needle
forward, whether on our own properties,
or through volunteer work and educational
outreach.
Just as one single water droplet can
form ripples, and eventually a crashing
wave, so can one person with passion for
conservation have immeasurable positive
change for the future.
A few years back, my family decided
to take a portion of one of our hayfields
out of production and sow in some
pollinator species there. It's not a huge
area, but it represented a reduction in
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Pennsylvania Game News - August 2019

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