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Background:
The technologies of remote sensing,
including airborne and satellite imaging, global positioning systems,
precision agriculture, and geographic information system software, have been
introduced to Mississippi farm production in a variety of ways, most of
which deal with the techniques and procedures. Few studies are available
for evaluation of the economic impact of these technologies when used as
they should be, in combination. Though the general area of “precision
agriculture” has been documented in several geographic areas, it is typical
of a farm community that new procedures are not well-received until it is
proved to the local producers that they will work under local conditions. A
number of projects have been funded over the past few years in the ASTA and
RSTC programs; these have developed sufficient data to effectively evaluate
the economic viability of the technologies in a production setting.
Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate a selected subset of
the pertinent ASTA and RSTC projects, as well as previous and current
on-farm activities associated with ASTA, RSTC, and extension efforts, from
an economic perspective.
Proposed Approach:
1.
Select one of the major crops of Mississippi; it is recommended that
the first phase of the project address either cotton or soybeans, as crop
production costs for these are well understood.
2.
Select two to three geographic locations within the State which
represent different crop management styles for the chosen crop; for example,
one area might include Delta cotton production, and the other may represent
the Hill Country cotton. Treat each of these areas separately, as though
the other does not exist, so that data from each remain pure.
3.
Document and analyze crop production costs for a representative farm
size for each area; disregard extraordinary farm sizes and farm operations.
This should be an examination of common practices, not one of uncommon
activities.
4.
Using expertise from knowledgeable Extension, University, and the
farm community, examine the production practices in each area, looking for
those that can be made more efficient, reduced, replaced, or eliminated
through the use of remote sensing and precision agriculture technologies.
Document the cost and effects of the activities.
5.
Locate, examine, and document the commercial costs of the application
of precision agriculture and remote sensing technologies in each area. Be
aware that research costs are not appropriate, and that the costs in one
area may well be different from those in another. The intent is to define
and relate the most-likely costs that would be incurred by a farm due to the
use of the technologies.
6.
Locate, examine, and document the activities and costs that may be
incurred if a crop management consultant group or individual is required to
utilize the precision agriculture or remote sensing technologies. It is
likely that some areas will not have a farm production community
sufficiently familiar with the technologies to use the advanced capabilities
without outside assistance.
7.
Define, examine, and document the features, advantages, and benefits
of each step of crop production procedures in each area, assigning costs to
each; relate the economic impact of the use or non-use of advanced
technologies to the total cost of production. Include possible differences
in crop quality, ease of harvest and processing, meeting of Government
regulations, or other aspects which may be recognized as significant.
The intent of this project is to determine
as well as possible the costs associated with the use of advanced
technologies in representative examples of Mississippi crop production.
Properly done, the format of the study should be applicable to any crop in
any location, so experimental design is critical. Questions that should be
answered by this procedure include:
A.
How much does it cost to use precision agriculture and/or remote
sensing technologies in Mississippi agriculture?
B.
What are the technical reasons to do or not do so?
C.
What are the economic reasons to do or not do so?
D.
What equipment does an
individual (consultant, farmer, Extension agent) need to use the
technologies? What are the minimum specifications for equipment? What will
that cost? What is the current recommended setup, including software? What
will that cost? Where can the individual get it?
E.
What do we not know
about the economic impact of these technologies? What recommendations can
be made to fill that gap?
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