Geospatial technology is helping farmers and scientists better understand wind damage in corn.
Accurate GPS coordinates combined with yield monitor data has revealed for every 1 percent of wind damage in a corn field, there were 26 pounds or half a bushel of production loss per acre.
Cost wise that added up to be anywhere between $76 dollars to $232 dollars per acre.
According to Dr. Ammar Bhandari with USDA’s Ag Research Service, “We use a simple GPS unit to locate the wind damage points inside the field and connected that information with the in monitor system which you know many of our farmers already use that with the combine during harvesting and then we use that system to estimate the potential yield and economic loss.”
The Ag Research Service hopes that this new technology will help farmers through natural disasters in the future.
