Results from a survey of attendees at the 2012 National No-Tillage Conference indicate farmers will be paying considerable attention to utilizing the latest technologies to push up yields during the coming year. More than two-thirds of these growers will rely on field mapping and yield monitor data analysis this year to boost yields and increase crop production efficiencies.

More than half of the growers will rely on tractor autosteering to improve the accuracy of field work. Some 9% will also install autosteer units on planters, drills, strip-till rigs, vertical tillage tools and sprayers for more accurate farming.

In 2012, nearly half of these farmers will use variable rate fertilization while 19% will rely on variable rate seeding to trim costs. However, only 5% expect to use precision technologies to vary pesticide application rates during the coming year.

Here’s how these growers responded when asked what technologies they’ll be using during 2012.

Precision Technologies % of Farmers
Field Mapping 67%
Yield Monitor Data Analysis 66%
GPS Guidance—Tractor Autosteer 55%
GPS Guidance—Lightbar 52%
Variable Rate Fertilizing 47%
Variable Rate Seeding 20%
Satellite Aerial Imagery 19%
GPS Guidance—Implement Autosteer 9%
Soil Electrical Conductivity (Veris) Mapping 6%
Variable Rate Pesticide Application 5%
Electronic Fertilizer Application 5%
Remote Sensing 4%

— Survey of 2012 National No-Tillage Conference attendees