What is the value of remotely sensed data collected over my field?
The view of a field is typically done from ground level, or at best, from the seat of farm equipment. While this ground level view of a field will never be replaced, the addition of a “bird’s eye” view can greatly enhance a grower’s ability to make informed management decisions about their field(s). More specifically, field knowledge coupled with an aerial view of the field, may provide a grower with a better understanding of factors potentially affecting crop yields. In fact, it is this view from above that often reveals problematic patterns in a field that would otherwise go undetected.
The important point here is that what a grower sees from an aerial photograph can have a significant impact on how he manages his fields. For instance, how effective are the tile lines at draining a field? Are there areas within the field that need additional tiling? Can historical cropping patterns be seen in the field or are there patterns that suggest soil compaction from farm machinery? When monitoring the crop, are there planter skips, is there uniformity in plant stand, or is there a pattern in the field suggesting herbicide overlap?
It is equipment or management-induced patterns that most surprise growers when they see aerial photographs of their fields. If surveyed, probably 80 percent of Midwestern growers would identify unnoticed equipment patterns as the number one problem within their fields. Quite often, these yield-reducing problems (identified through remote sensing) are easily rectified through simple adjustments in management practices or equipment.
Examples include planter skips, location of tile lines, herbicide overlap, magnitude of soil variation, and wide guess-rows.
