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Integrated crop management: The other precision agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Steve Padgitt ,
Peggy Petrzelka ,
Wendy Wintersteen  and
Eric Imerman
Steve Padgitt
Affiliation:
Professor of Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011;
Peggy Petrzelka*
Affiliation:
Senior Associate Dean, College of Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011;
Wendy Wintersteen
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112;
Eric Imerman
Affiliation:
Works for Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service.
*
Corresponding author is P. Petrzelka (petrzelk@grinnell.edu).
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Abstract

“Precision agriculture” was a favorite buzzword in agricultural discussions in the 1990s. Proponents of precision agriculture note its promises are twofold: economic benefits for the producer and environmental benefits for society. These benefits are to be achieved by improving the efficiency of input use, based on data obtained with global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies. Although fulfillment of these promises has been mixed to date, it appears that “precision agriculture” will continue in the agriculture vernacular into the 21st century. In this article, we propose another sense of the term, and argue that precision agriculture, or at least long strides in that direction, is possible short of these highly complex methods and capital investments, through integrated crop management (ICM). As practiced by the producer and/or provided by independent crop consultants, ICM is one alternative to providing information-intensive management on the farm, and has proven efficiency of input use. That is, the promise of economic and environmental benefits holds true in a manner that makes it possible for any producer to implement “precision agriculture.” Using data from users and nonusers of independent crop consultants implementing ICM, this study reveals that several economic and environmental benefits are gained from the information and management recommendations provided by consultants. Pest and nutrient management recommendations have led to decreases in pesticide and commercial fertilizer use. For the majority of users, these input reductions have resulted in an increase in profits since hiring a consultant. Users attributed changes in total cost of production to their consultant's effectiveness, and some reported receiving double or greater return for every dollar invested in consultant services. The results confirm the important role that Iowa's independent crop consultants could play in agricultural production and environmental protection through their promotion of ICM activities. However, the scarcity of consultants in Iowa, and possibly elsewhere, presents a challenge within the industry. Addressing this issue may help in contributing to rural development, economic benefit for the producer, and environmental benefit for all of society.

Keywords

crop consultantscrop yieldsfarm inputsfarm profitsintegrated decisionmakingIowasite-specific crop managementsustainable agriculture
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , March 2001 , pp. 16 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

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