Next Instruments has prepared a technical document for grain farmers, agronomist and people involved in the grain industry called, “The Missing piece of the Precision Agriculture Puzzle.” 

Precision agriculture is a major driver in the grain and oilseed farming industry because it addresses the opportunity to increase yield, optimize profit margins and to reduce cost of production. It’s been evolving for more than 30 years, from in-cabin GPS to yield mapping, to controlled steering to satellite imaging and more. Now the new CropScan 3000H On Combine Analyser provides protein mapping at high spatial density. 

Protein maps are the missing piece of the precision agriculture puzzle because they provide farmers with the ability to determine the amount of nitrogen (N) that is removed from the paddock. N makes up 17.5% of the protein in the grains. For every ton of grain stripped, the amount of N removed is simply calculated as 0.175 multiplied by protein percent. For example, wheat with 15% protein removes 1000kg x 0.15 x 0.175 = 26.25kg of N. By combining protein maps with yield maps, then the following benefits can be provided to the farmer:

• High density spatial data showing the variation in quality based on protein of the crop in the paddock 
• Differential harvesting and storage based on quality
• Protein, moisture and yield Maps enable creation of true site-specific gross margin maps
• N removal maps can be used to calculate fertilizer application rates
• Overlaying protein and yield maps with other data for better diagnostic insights into availability and uptake of N
• N trials and VRF applications can be measured and evaluated using real data 

Click here to download a free copy of “The Missing Piece of the Precision Agriculture Puzzle,” or email sales@nextinstruments.net to be sent a copy.