GPS Guides Two-Thirds of Domestic Corn Plantings

(WASHINGTON, DC) Precision agriculture is in use on many farms in the United States. According to the Economic Research Service (ERS) at USDA, guidance systems have the highest rate of adoption by farmers. On a per crop basis, 67 percent of all corn planted in 2016 utilized a guidance system. Rounding out the top five crops that use the technology in planting: 57 percent of spring wheat, 53 percent of rice, 49 percent of peanuts and 45 percent of all soybeans. Guidance systems use global positioning system (GPS) coordinates to automatically steer farm equipment like combines, tractors, and self-propelled sprayers. This helps reduce operator fatigue and pinpoint precise field locations within a few inches. Guidance systems reduce costs by improving the precision of sprays and the seeding of field crop rows. The technology can also help extend working hours for field operations during time-sensitive production periods because guided machinery works well in the floodlit dark.