Precision Ag Makes Impact on Bottom Line

A recent USDA study looked at the impact of precision agriculture on a farmer’s bottom line.

Economist David Schimmelpfennig said there were some positive results.

“GPS, soil and yield mapping have the highest positive impact on profits, almost two percent. Guidance has a 1.5 percent impact on profits.”

The research examined preliminary data from several different crops, but most of the results came from corn farms.

Size of the farm also was shown to have an impact on net returns in the farm according to Schimmelpfennig.

“The net return that included overhead are slightly lower for all three technologies because the overhead expenses are in there.”

There is also a wide variety of adoption rates that show corn and soybeans are among the farms most likely to adopt precision agricultural practices.