Technology is woven into the stories of our lives. Chances are you’re using technology right now to read this blog or to improve efficiency in your daily life like to control lights, doorbells, cameras and your thermostat. Technology plays a big role on farms across Texas, too.
Rick Harrell, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Texas resource team leader, said technology is a tool that has changed farming techniques over time.
“With every new piece of technology, it is one more tool in the toolbox to help a farmer evaluate their farming practices to gain efficiency – and at the same time, better conserve the resources that are limited, such as soil and water quality, water quantity,” Harrell explained.
Cari Beauchamp monitors field data from a smart device on her farm in the Texas Panhandle
Conservation, efficiency, improved margins – there are many benefits to incorporating technology on the farm. Often the biggest barrier to implementing technologies is cost. Harrell said the NRCS is helping farmers overcome this barrier by providing financial and technical assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). As part of this program, NRCS can cost-share certain technologies that address on-farm resource concerns.
Discover more about five of the technologies that help Texas farmers conserve resources and grow our great state’s food, fiber and fuel.
1. Soil moisture probes
Technology is an important part of conservation on the Howard family farm. Bryce Howard said developing a modern system for irrigation with a focus on sustainability and conservation starts with a moisture probe.
“The first step is to have a probe in the ground that tells you how much rain you’ve got, how much water is in the soil, when you should turn the pivot on, when you should be watering, when you are able to turn the pivot off,” he explained.
These soil moisture probes are placed into the soil in several areas in a field and contain sensors that provide real-time data, ultimately helping farmers save water.
“Sustainability is the name of the game. Technology is going to improve and improve,” Howard said.
Discover more about their farm here.
2. Irrigation tech from phones
Thanks to EQIP, the Beauchamps were able to update their 1990s sprinklers and are now taking advantage of irrigation technology that can be controlled from apps on their phones.
With a push of a button on her phone, Cari Beauchamp can control when their sprinkler starts, change direction and depth. She said the irrigation technology on her phone also helps save water by providing the ability to quickly shut off the water if a sprinkler gets stuck or a well goes down.
“We do utilize a lot of technology, but we prefer to make our decisions after we’ve put boots on the ground,” Beauchamp explained. “So, we may say, ‘okay, this circle looks like it might be a little hot,’ but before we change a setting on our phone to make that sprinkler put on more water, we come and check and put boots on the ground.”
3. Drones
Farming in a resource-conscious way is important to Texas farmer Russell Williams. He said they try to steward their resources the best they can, especially their water, and one of the tools that helps them do that is drones.
“[Drones] help us to determine if there’s any problems in a field that you can’t see from the ground. That way if we know beforehand, we can address those problems,” Williams said.
Drones can help him discover issues in his irrigation system, such as a leak or a clogged nozzle, much faster than by foot. Fixing irrigation issues faster reduces water waste. He said drones also help their farm’s overall productivity and economic sustainability.
Get an up-close look at his farm here.
4. SWAT
Texas farmer Quentin Shieldknight is a technology enthusiast and uses a host of innovations on his farm. Ahead of planting season, he said he uses Soil, Water and Topography Maps (SWAT) to test their soil.
He explained that a SWAT is a device that goes on top of a utility vehicle that is then driven across his fields to collect data. Using the generated SWAT map, a diverse set of soil samples are then taken in specific locations.
By intensively testing their soil at various depths, it gives Shieldknight insight into the bank of nutrients available for crops in the soil.
“It allows us to save money, save time, save nutrients, and help us not over apply nutrients so we’re better stewards of our environment,” he said.
Discover more about SWAT maps here.
5. Yield Monitor Maps
As a soil scientist and farmer, Katie Lewis has seen her fair share of technology advancements in agriculture. She said one technology that has been widely used to help farmers troubleshoot issues over the past 30 years is yield monitors.
When farmers harvest their crops, Lewis said they use yield monitors to collect georeferenced crop yields and characteristics. This data helps farmers know which spots in a field have reduced yields, and through deductive reasoning, determine what is causing it.
“They can take that knowledge that they gained from that yield monitor map, collect samples, work with extension specialists, agronomists, and soil scientists to figure out what that issue is and then they can take action in much smaller areas of the field,” Lewis said.
Instead of blanket applying, farmers can be more precise with applications going into the next cropping season with less environmental impact.
Telling the story
Quentin Shieldknight discussing how soil moisture probes benefit his Texas farm
There is no doubt about it – technology is helping farmers to be even better environmental stewards. But that’s not the only thing technology helps them do. Joseph Burke, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist, said technology is providing data that helps farmers tell their conservation stories, too.
“The American agriculturalist is probably the most sustainable producer on the planet, but it’s about telling the story of why,” he explained. “That data helps producers tell the story of their farm a little bit better, especially when it comes to questions of sustainability from different crop production systems.”
