Agricultural GPS Systems

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Agricultural GPS Systems Are Making Farmers Happier Than Ever

Many people have come to know global positioning systems from their use in cars as mapping and navigational systems. However, these unique systems have many additional uses. People have been able to take advantage of them as tracking devices to watch over their precious items, and even pets, and they have also been able to help them trek through wooded areas or even golf courses with ease. But now, farmers can utilize them for their many acres of land with agricultural GPS systems.

How Do They Work?

Similar to other devices on the market, agricultural GPS systems base their technology on military units that work directly with a constellation of 24 U.S. government-owned satellites that circle the Earth two times a day in precise orbits. The units are synched up with the satellites allowing them to transmit coded information in UHF frequencies that reach the unit receivers on the ground. The Precise Positioning Service is utilized by authorized personnel the US Department of Defense only for security purposes. However, the Standard Position Service (SPS) is available to civilians and is what we use in everyday life.

Agricultural GPS systems specifically are beneficial to farmers because they help them manage land and crop production more precisely than if working with other technology. Some ways they are able to use the units are to help guide their spraying equipment and fertilizer applicators, which reduces excess skips and overlap. Over ways they assist croppers is by helping them to precisely locate soil-sampling sites, determine disease and insect infestations in the fields, map out where weeds are located, and help record crop yields in the fields.

What Types Are Used in Farming?

Equipment Guidance Systems – These agricultural GPS systems are used to maintain perfectly precise swath-to-swath widths by creating an imaginary A-B starting line then circling for parallel swathing. The units use a display (light bar or screen) that either has audible tones or directional indicators in the form of lights that work to guide for better operation. The display works perfectly to help you determine if you have deviated from the intended position, which is great for keeping crops perfectly aligned.

Field Mapping - Field mapping devices are the closest to standard units that you will find in among the farming products. They utilizing the positioning technology to locate and map regions of the fields that can hinder production, such as high weeds, diseases, pest infestations, power lines, rocks, potholes, broken drain tile, poorly drained regions, and a lot more.

Yield Monitoring Units – These agriculturalGarmin GPS systems are used as a mass flow sensor to measure the harvested weight of the crop. The sensor is positioned at the top of the clean grain elevator and is alerted when the yielding amount of grain reaches the top of the grain tank. All data is displayed on a monitor that is found in the combine cab. It is stored on a data card and transferred to another remote computer (usually in your office) to be analyzed.

Precision Crop Input Applications – This technology is used to vary crop inputs throughout the field by utilizing real-time sensors to determine the crop conditions. It also helps to vary fertilizer, seed, fungicide, insecticide, and herbicide rates, which makes it easier to adjust irrigation applications.

Who Offers Them?

There are multiple companies that offer these devices. Below are a handful companies that have good reputations for putting out reliable results.

Hemisphere – This company is considered an industry leader in manufacturing products that are compatible with satellite-reliant technologies. They offer a number of GPS agriculture products that are said to really make a difference when wanting to minimize your costs and maximize your yields.

John Deere – John Deere is a company well-known for its farming products. Now they produce autosteer devices that are said to offer perfect consistency to within a meter from row-to-row. They are so perfect, in fact, that the University of Illinois conducted a study that showed that these units can predict with just an inch of the required seed zone – the smallest error of any system tested.

Agricultural GPS systems are a great asset to farmers who work hard to develop their crops and fields only to find that they have slight inaccuracies that can result in the loss of a lot of money. By utilizing these systems, they are able to open themselves to a new world of business that will essentially increase productivity and profits. There are more agricultural GPS systems on the market that can be beneficial to the farming industry. So get out there and learn more about what they can do for you!