Technology inches farming toward autonomy
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Armchair farming may not be here yet, but it’s getting closer.“Autonomy in agriculture isn’t as far away as you think,” says Kent Shannon, University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist.Agriculture is rapidly shifting to technology that can increase land efficiency, reduce labor shortages and streamline food production, says Shannon.
Adoption of precision ag varies across generations
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers who fear they are falling behind in farm technology might not be as behind as they think.Kansas State University cropping system economist Terry Griffin explains that a recent Kansas Farm Management Association study on farm technologies dispels the myth that all farmers use all of the latest technology.Griffin was one of the speakers at the December 2020 University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, held…
Precision ag tools
Excerpted from the Environmental Impact of Missouri Crop Production report
Check data systems before harvest
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineer Kent Shannon offers tips for collecting farm yield data prior to harvest.
Field borders benefit wildlife on the farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Weedy field borders and brushy fence lines may not be attractive to some people, but for many Missouri farm wildlife and game species, those places are prime real estate.
Free online tool helps growers with nitrogen application decisions
COLUMBIA, Mo.– The Useful to Usable (U2U) climate initiative recently launched a new online decision-making tool, Corn Split N, that helps farmers and crop advisers manage the application of in-field nitrogen for maximum crop yields and minimum environmental damage.
Drone on the range
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For centuries, farmers have braved the elements to walk their land to check for problems ranging from wind damage and calving cows to pests and predators.Unmanned aerial vehicles may save farmers time and money with bird’s-eye views of farmland, says Bill Wiebold, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist. It opens up endless possibilities for precision agriculture, he said.
Drones draw interest to crop scouting and other new farm uses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Remote sensors can play a big part of farming in the future. Those sensors can be on a 10-foot pole or a satellite 250 miles out in space.The sensors of most interest at an agriculture technology fair, July 17, were on an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that looks like a toy helicopter. Farmers and agribusiness came to see, learn and do.
MU Extension receives USDA tech grant for pastures
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has received a $444,000 grant to create a mobile application to help farmers manage forage better. The Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services is one of 33 nationwide. It provides seed money to implement new ideas and techniques for conservation on private lands, says NRCS state conservationist J.R. Flores.
Improved drone technology gives farmers edge in scouting fields
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones are higher in quality and lower in price than they were just a few years ago when farmers began using them, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer Kent Shannon.
MU's Kent Shannon profiled as an “exceptional extension specialist”
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineer Kent Shannon was featured in the November 2017 issue of Successful Farming magazine, which profiles “10 Exceptional Extension Specialists.”