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Use of global positioning increases on farms

December 26, 2004 /

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The tractor weaves to ride the field’s dips and rises while perfectly hugging the row previously cut by its black-clawed tiller, creating a seamless pattern of turned soil.

But the person in the cab has nothing to do with this precision. Aided by a computer and a Global Positioning System – a constellation of Earth-orbiting satellites – the vehicle is driving itself.

All the farmer has to do is turn the tractor around when it reaches the end of the field.

The use of technology has increased in the past few years as farmers try to cut costs to compensate for relatively stagnant crop prices. Infrared sensors control how much fertilizer is applied. Retinal imaging tracks cattle. On the horizon, perhaps, are tomato-picking robots.

By JAMES HANNAH
Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/12/26/build/business/55-global-farms.inc

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