Technology is advancing rapidly and impacting a wide variety of industries. Agriculture is no exception. A recent article for Future Farming takes a look at the case of brothers Jacob and Jan van den Borne, who were recently recognized for their revolutionary contributions to the farming industry via precision farming.
Precision farming is a management concept that uses advanced technologies to produce farming methods that are both more accurate and scalable. The van den Borne brothers’ techniques draw on the following technologies:
- GPS section controlled spraying equipment, which greatly reduces unintentional overlap
- A variety of new technologies for Controlled Traffic Farming, fertilization, and crop protection, funded in part by a joint industry and government program
- Drones equipped with multispectral and thermal cameras that can measure biomass and plant vitality
- A private drone airport to allow for larger equipment
The brothers make it clear that there is an important balance between trying to automate everything and simply seeking to implement the best technologies for boosting their operations. For more details, read the article in full at Future Farming.