Precision agriculture uses cutting-edge technology to make farms more efficient. As experts predict that technology will brighten the future of agriculture, Clemson University scholars, Cooperative Extension Service, and Research Station faculty are joining forces to prepare a skilled workforce for this key sector of the economy. .
Michael Prumble, Clemson Extension corn and soybean specialist, told attendees at Clemson Precision's Agriculture Field Day that today's technology…
The Clemson Precision Agriculture Student Field Day is an example of this collaboration. This year's field day, held at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, South Carolina, gave students from the Clemson Agricultural Mechanization and Business Program, as well as students from Piedmont Technical College and Barnwell County Career Center, a chance to learn about the Agricultural Mechanization and Business Program. I was given the opportunity to see the technology being used. Agriculture.
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The Clemson Agricultural Mechanization and Business Program (Ag Mech) is part of the Clemson College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences. Kendall Kirk, a former instructor in the program and director of Clemson University's Agricultural Technology Center, helped organize the event.
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“This field day will give them a chance to see larger equipment as well as drones, sensors and other types of electronic equipment in use,” Kirk said. “They learned about these things in class, but this field day gives them a chance to see them in action.”
Anna Moore, Andrew Chapman and Carrington Knotts took part in the field day. Moore and Chapman are Clemson students. Knotts Strom is in his junior year at Thurmond High School and is participating in Piedmont Technical College's Diversified Agriculture Program.
Moore, an Evergreen native, will begin a career in the lumber industry when he graduates in May. She participated in a field day to see how the equipment and techniques learned in her class are used in the field.
“Although the lumber industry is not technically agriculture, there are some overlaps with precision agriculture,” Moore says. “In both industries, people need accurate and accurate data to make the best possible business decisions.”
Moore benefited from her participation by getting hands-on with a variety of precision agriculture tools and meeting experts in the field.
“One of the things that I was reminded of during my field work is the importance of good management in precision agriculture, and that creating accurate soil maps is an important part of good management,” she said. .
Chapman's interest in precision agriculture and GIS
Chapman, a Hartsville native, plans to graduate by May 2025. Participating in the Clemson Farm Machinery Program led him to discover his true passion.
“Over the past year and a half, I discovered that my real interests were precision agriculture and geographic information systems,” Chapman says. “After graduation, I would like to work in a field related to precision agricultural technology.”
Attending the field day exposed Chapman to the potential of implementing precision agriculture planter attachments and variable rate irrigation.
“Many aspects of outdoor activities influenced me,” Chapman said. “As we look to the future of precision agriculture, much of the information presented at field days struggles to reach the rural farms that truly need it most.” , I think educating producers on specific practices will greatly benefit producers in the future.”
After graduation, Chapman plans to work in precision agriculture. He also benefited from participating in athletic events.
“I was pleased to meet some of the Clemson Extension researchers and learn about their work,” he said. “From now on, when you have a problem with your crops or machinery, these extension agents will be available to answer any questions you may have.”
Curiosity and desire drive Knotts into farming.
Curiosity and a desire to learn more about the research being done at Edisto REC was one of the reasons Knotts participated in the field day. She plans to become a crop consultant.
“I used to walk by the REC when I went to the Lowcountry,” Knotts said. “I would watch crops grow in the fields and talk about how I wanted to be involved in agriculture. I wanted to get information related to my job.”
Advances in technology are making today's farms and agricultural operations more profitable, efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly. As a land-grant university, Clemson University provides agricultural education and information through classes on its main campus, the work of extension agents and researchers throughout South Carolina, and research conducted at research and education centers strategically located throughout the state. is responsible for providing. .
The three-sector model of economics divides the economy into three sectors: the primary sector, the secondary sector, and the tertiary sector. Primary industries include companies that produce energy and basic materials such as coal, oil, metals, and agricultural crops. Companies in the secondary industry manufacture goods. The tertiary industry includes companies that provide services.
