 Harvey Dreibelbis, a technician for Southern States, is going
where no man has gone before.
Dreibelbis is
introducing futuristic Star Wars farming. His all-terrain vehicle, with a laptop computer
and antenna, may be the forerunner of the farming droids featured in the science-fiction
classic.
The cone-shaped antenna mounted on
front of the Trail Boss ATV doesn’t have the personality of R2D2. No beeps or squeaks
as it moves across the fields.
But the antenna, computer and
package of high tech equipment is changing the way Rowan farmers look at crops,
fertilizers and fields.
The $25,000 worth of gadgets stays
mounted on the ATV. The laptop computer is extra heavy duty, able to withstand the worst
knocks and spills.
Kevin Fisher, a crop adviser for
Southern States and a former extension agent, is helping introduce area farmers to the new
technology.
The Southern States program is
called precision farming. It opens up an unknown world of possibilities.
“It’s scary,” said
Fisher, adding, “We’re just beginning to scratch the surface of how it can be
used.”
At the base of the system is the
military Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), the same system used by planes, boats and
some high-dollar cars.
Even from space, its location
system is accurate to within less than 2 feet.
By driving the specially equipped
ATV around a field, the on-board computer draws a map that shows exact acreage.
The computer software package
overlays a grid that breaks the field into 2.5 acre sections. Instead of taking soil
samples from a 30-acre field and blending them, measurements are taken in the separate
grids. The samples are sent off for analysis and the results downloaded into the laptop.
The computer then determines the
amount and types of fertilizer needed for each grid.
The information is transferred
into a computer-controlled spreading truck, which follows the grid, putting the right
amount of fertilizer where it’s needed. It prints out a variety of color coded maps
to show the nutrient needs.
If a new driver hauls a load of
lime or fertilizer into the wrong field, the truck won’t spread anything. Through the
GPS connection, the computer knows it is in the wrong place.
A half dozen farmers in Rowan are
using the technology this year.
In some instances, the system has
simply verified what farmers already knew. “On the maps, they can pick out the wash
areas, the spots where they’ve had problems,” said Fisher.
Correll Brothers, off U.S. 70 west
of Salisbury, signed on with Southern States with the hope of reducing fertilizer use. Sam
Correll said Friday that the drought has played havoc with the first year.
“It’s been too dry to
tell anything,” said Correll. He continues to be optimistic that it will save on
fertilizer costs in the future.
Farmers also can use computer
equipment connected to their combines, to measure the yield for each section of the grid.
Darryl Corriher, one of the county’s larger grain farmers, is the only Rowan farmer
using yield monitors so far.
Also in the near future, experts
expect farmers will use computers and satellites for controlled application of weed
killers. Now farmers cover entire fields with a herbicide, a shotgun approach that is very
costly.
Using the new technology, farmers
can go through a field and mark areas where a particular weed or grass is prevalent, said
Fisher. With the computer program and the GPS connection, the sprayer targets the weeds
with the herbicide that is needed.
While Southern States charges for
the precision farming service, Fisher said it offers a potential saving in fertilizers and
chemicals. By getting nutrients exactly where they are needed, fields can also yield more.
Precise application of fertilizer
is a major factor in no-till farming, according to Fisher. With tilled fields, the plows
blend the soils and the fertilizers. In no-till fields, the nutrients stay where you put
them.
Fisher estimated that 85 to 90
percent of the cropland in Rowan is no-till.
Agriculture specialists and
companies are working to get maximum usage out of the new technology. Coming near the
beginning of a new century, Fisher said it’s difficult to dream where the technology
will go over the next few decades.
Like a scene from Star Wars,
machines may take to the fields to do planting and harvesting —guided by computers
and satellites, while the farmer stays home and takes care of other business. |
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