Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
tractor passes to save fuel, labor, and time [1]. These technologies may be
especially valuable in regions such as North Dakota, where fixed costs of
equipment can be spread over large farms.
8.2.2 GPS GUIDANCE AND AUTOSTEERING SYSTEMS
GPS guidance and autosteering systems are used in agricultural equipment
to increase operational efficiency and effective field capacity, resulting
in more area covered per unit of time. The GPS guidance systems are
used for parallel field operation with predetermined swath width across
the field. It consists of GPS receiver, antenna, controller, and the display
of choice, including either a light bar or a monitor. It can also have addi-
tional features such as a data logger, sound device, or visual display [8].
The GPS receiver can have differential corrections such as the Wide Area
Augmentation Systems, the National GPS Differential Correction Service
(beacon) or real-time kinematic differential correction, depending upon
the required accuracy.
Autosteering systems in agricultural vehicles use the GPS guidance
systems with the added option of automatically steering the vehicle. In
this case, the mechanical device or an integrated electro-hydraulic control
system installed in the cab automatically steers the vehicle based on the
GPS signal and predetermined swath width. When using autosteer, the
equipment operator only steers during turns and other maneuvers [9].
Though many farmers have been using these technologies for some time,
having adopted them based on peer recommendations and anecdotal evidence
of the reduced need for costly inputs, the actual benefi ts in terms of energy and
time savings need to be quantifi ed. This study estimated the savings of time
and energy attributable to GPS guidance and autosteering systems in North
Dakota to develop a precision technology program for the farmers.
8.2.3 RESEARCH METHODS AND DATA
Estimating energy use reduction attributable to precision farming tech-
nology is important for North Dakota farmers. A survey of about 1,000
 
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