Precision Agriculture, Agronomics, and Predictive Analytics for Today’s Commercial Producer

What is Precision Agriculture?

• Utilization of Survey-Grade Equipment (RTK, RTX)

• Population per row/area

• Variable Rate systems (seeding, inputs)

• Soil Sampling, Plant Sampling

• Imagery from Satellites

• …and a UAV (getting there)

Next: Modern Agronomics

Modern Agronomics

• Disease & Drought-Resistant Hybrids

• Choosing Genetics Matching Soil Chemistry

• Weed Mgmt / Anti-Fungal (Glyphosate Resistance)

• Variable Rate Prescriptions

• Max Allowable Population Without Competition

• Yield Goals of 500BPA? (Record corn yield: 519BPA)

• Lastly: Maintaining Quality Soil Ecosystem

Next: Big Ag Data

Big Ag Data

• Performance of Every Farm, Crop, Yield, is Somewhere in a Database, Aggregated by Big Ag

• Relevance: Commodity Futures - CME-CHI/KC, Heavy Ag (Monsanto, Deere, Mycogen, Etc.) Hybrid Development Forecasting, 1-2% Yield Increase Each Year in the United States

• Sources: Yield Monitor, Imagery, NPK Maps, EM, NDVI, Multispectral Imaging, among others…

Next: Predictive Analytics

Predictive Analytics

• Predicting Future Performance

• Exploiting Big Data

• Statistics, Data Mining, AI

• Forecasting US Ag Markets = Opportunity

• Ag Data Transparency, Privacy

Next: UAV

UAV How can a drone help us solve a problem TODAY?

UAV How can a drone help us solve a problem TODAY?

Issue: Compaction during strip till and seeding not allowing H2O to reach root systems Solution: Soil breakup or surfactant application Result: Significant increase in vigor, HIGHER YIELD!!!

UAV How can a drone help us solve a problem NEXT YEAR?

Issue: Seeder Malfunction, aka Skips Solution: Ensure Seeder is Distributing Seed Properly Result: Uniformity, No Dry-Out, HIGHER YIELDS!!!

UAV How can a drone help us solve a problem in 3 YEARS?

V2 V6 Pre

UAV How can a drone help us solve a problem in 3 YEARS?

Answer: You need LOTS and LOTS of calibrated drone data!

V2 V6 Pre

But You’ll Need Much More Than Your Drone…

Soil Sampling Yield Data

Today’s Tractor Interfaces Landsat NDVI Next: UAV Sensors

UAV Sensor Tech for Agro-Intel

• Multispectral Remote Sensing (Investment)

• Modified RGB to NIR (Affordable)

• Good ol’ RGB

• Thermographics

• Others?

Put it all Together

• Calibrated Cameras

• Flight Planning – GSD, Geotags, Lap

• Test Like Crazy

• Data Pipeline and Processing Workflow

• Actual Usable Quantitative Data (Qual is OK, for Now)

Next: Diversify

Diversify • Go 3D • Drainage, Topo • Water • Irrigator Inspections

Final Thoughts

• Early Adopters

• Hype

• FUD

• Moore’s Law

• Just Do It.

Thank You

• Chris Rice

• Front Range UAS Services

• 303.990.7900

• chris@frontrangeuas.com

• @frontrangeuas