
When I was attending a recent University of Nebraska Extension Crop Production Clinic in Norfolk, I picked up a handout from Dr. Guillermo Balboa, a research assistant professor in the University of Nebraska agronomy and horticulture department. The title was “10 facts about digital agriculture in Nebraska,” and it covered statistics related to the adoption of digital ag.
A state survey was conducted in 2023 by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to identify the level of comfort and adoption, along with the barriers to adoption, of digital agriculture tools.
Old flip phone
As someone who was among the last of my neighbors to still have a flip phone, I am a big believer in digital ag, but I would be considered a late adopter for sure. Many might ask, “What does digital ag mean?” The answer given on Dr. Balboa’s handout characterizes the term as “the use of new technologies, combining multiple data sources and advanced analytical methods integrating systems that allow farmers and stakeholders of the agricultural value chain to improve food production systems.” Kind of a mouthful to talk about, but you get the idea.
Not surprisingly, according to this survey, 50% of Nebraska farmers said they do not have a clear definition of what digital ag is, and 20% had never heard of it. That said, 80% of farmers responding to the survey have a smartphone and express limitations in access to cellular internet as a reason for limiting their adoption of digital ag tools.
What are the top 10 digital ag tools used by farmers? Well, phone apps, GPS, yield monitors, grid soil sampling, autosteer and yield maps top the list. Variable rate fertilizer, weather stations, satellite imagery and variable seeding rate finish out the top 10. And the apps used by farmers in the survey are used most for weather, markets, commodity prices, machinery and banking.
Still emerging
What are the least-used digital ag tools in our state? Robotics tops the list, followed by Lora network, blockchain, virtual fencing and automatic feeding. However, just because they aren’t used as much as others right now, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t Nebraska farmers using all of these tools in their operations.
Looking at these lists of digital tools now employed on farms, I think back to how we communicated in the field with CB radios when I was in high school and bag phones later on. These were huge advancements and sure beat the confusing hand signals my dad made out of the combine window or actually trying to communicate by yelling over the roaring sound of the tractor engine. But they were nothing compared with the employment of GPS. That was a game-changer, and it continues to be such a crucial tool that most other new technologies in the field are built upon.
It makes us ponder: What in the world will be coming down the road in digital ag in the next decade or two? Certainly, artificial intelligence will be among those tools in the steady advancement of tech on the farm.
You can learn more about this study by contacting Balboa at [email protected].
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