Just above and to the right of farmer Thad Becker’s steering wheel in his John Deere combine is a screen about the size of an iPad.
“I’ve got readouts on yield, current yield and current moisture of the crop … how many acres I’ve done, how many total bushels I’ve harvested in the field,” Becker said. “And I’ve got a lot of other options too.”
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Thad Becker uses precision agriculture to harvest soybeans Oct. 7 in Mexico, Mo. He’s spent thousands of dollars on high-tech farming tools that help him make farm management decisions, “We fixed so many problems in our fields, yields have responded tremendously,” Becker said.
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Thad Becker uses a combine to harvest soybeans Oct. 7 in Mexico, Mo. The 2010 implement is outfitted with precision agriculture tools that collect data as Becker plants and harvests crops. Becker tends corn, wheat and soybean fields in Centralia and Mexico, Mo.
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Thad Becker steers his combine to harvest soybeans Oct. 7 in Mexico, Mo. Becker uses precision agriculture technology to plant and harvest wheat, corn and soybeans in mid-Missouri more efficiently.
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Thad Becker’s combine harvests soybeans Oct. 7 in Mexico, Mo. Becker utilizes a John Deere combine that has a screen measuring the amount of soybeans harvested in each area.
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A grasshopper perches on a soybean stalk Oct. 7 in Mexico, Mo. Farmers across the Midwest are using high-tech tools to calculate yield for commodity crops and target treatments to just the plants that need it.
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