Technology | Winter 2009
GPS has a fit on small farms too.
By Scott Garvey
Can a small farming operation benefit from GPS technology? With phosphate fertilizer hovering around the $1,200 per tonne mark it reached last season, just saving five or 10 per cent on fertilizer costs by reducing overlap might be enough to cover at least a sizeable down payment on a GPS system.
The reduction in overlap when using even a basic system also cuts chemical and fuel costs. With basic GPS systems available for under $2,000, it's getting tougher to make the financial argument for not having one.
But the technology brings other, harder-to-define benefits, too. “There's a real intangible here that's hard to capture in terms of ROI (return on investment),” says Sid Siefken of Trimble Agriculture, a GPS manufacturer. He's referring to reduced fatigue and the ability to work late into the night with precision accuracy.
These advantages benefit not only large-scale operators, but smaller ones as well. Because the latter are more likely to work at off-farm jobs, during seeding and harvest seasons they're putting in a full day then coming home and working late into the night on the farm.
A GPS system that makes equipment operation less fatiguing also improves operator productivity. And that's a real benefit if you have to cram a lot of farm work into a few hours each morning and evening.
With that in mind, Siefken says, “I think most farms can benefit from GPS technology.” As for which GPS system to buy, Siefken suggests looking at all the benefits as well as how quickly you will recoup your investment before making your final decision.
Softening the workload and leaving an equipment operator less fatigued at the end of the day can pay dividendsby reducing stress, a health concern for farm families regardless of how many acres they crop
