TEXAS NEIGHBORS | SPRING 2018 By Justin Walker Communications Specialist Technology constantly changes, and agriculture adapts. On today’s farms and ranches, technology is every bit a part of its fabric. GPS, drones and apps have increased productiv-ity across agriculture, effectively changing the way farmers and ranchers operate. With GPS and drones, farmers and ranchers can create yield maps for any given crop based on land and seed characteristics. It can help with farm planning, providing data to help decide which crop would do best on what part of the farm. They help with soil management and crop assessment. Soft-ware is even available to use GPS for soil analysis, and it can track irrigation and nitrogen levels. Drones can be used to efficiently apply chemicals using dis-tance-measuring equipment to help prevent over-and under-spraying crops. Smartphones aren’t just for tweeting or snapping photos. Apps are used every day for the benefit of agriculture. Farmers can record data, and apps allow ranchers to keep cattle records in their back pocket. All they need is a well-charged battery! Biotechnology has given us better seeds. That leads to higher production while using fewer resources. That benefits us all and our environment. Data and technology help farmers be precise and efficient while growing our food and fiber. And each day, farmers, ranchers, researchers and more are working to find ways to become even more efficient. Photo courtesy Lindsay Kimbrell WWW.TEXASFARMBUREAU.ORG