How to Increase Your Farm Yields

According to the United Nations, the current world population of 7.6 billion will reach 8.6 billion by the year 2030, 9.8 billion by the year 2050, and 11.2 billion by the year 2100. As the global population grows, challenges are becoming more frequent. Farmers must increase their crop yield per hectare to achieve the highest possible productivity. 

There's good news: technological advancements can help farmers tackle new challenges. How does Farm Xport make consistent, higher yields possible? Let's DIG in to discuss the importance of productivity and how to increase your crop yields with precision technology. 

What factors affect crop productivity?

Many factors impact crop productivity, including:

▪️ Climate and weather

▪️ Soil quality

▪️ Water availability

▪️ Pests and disease-causing organisms

▪️ Type of crops being grown

▪️ Farm management practices

Farmers have always been acutely aware of the need to increase their production to keep up with the demands of a growing population. In recent years, the challenge of meeting rising demands while also dealing with the effects of an unpredictable climate has made increasing production even more daunting. 

There are four ways that factors affect crop production during the farming process:

1. Nutrients directly impact protein production, photosynthesis, root, shoot, and leaf development.

2. Soil type and soil health can affect crop production by determining the number of nutrients available to the plant and the soil's water retention and drainage capabilities.

3. The climate can play a role in crop production by dictating the temperature and moisture levels that are available to the plant.

4. Pests and diseases can cause significant damage to crops, which can affect the overall yield. 

Farmers in developing countries often face additional challenges, such as a lack of access to quality seeds, tools, and irrigation systems. They may also lack the training and knowledge needed to adopt new technologies and improve their productivity. The bottom line is that farms must find ways to boost their productivity to ensure everyone has enough food to eat. 

How can farmers overcome challenges to create higher productivity?

Fortunately, farmers can invest in technological advancements that help them increase crop yields on their farmlands. Technological advances are assisting the farmers in overcoming a good portion of these challenges. Precision technologies are available for many crops, including corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton. Precision farming is an approach to agriculture that uses technology to improve crop yields. Farmers can use precision farming techniques to map their fields, choose the right seeds for their soil, and apply the right amount of fertiliser and water. Precision farming can help farmers target their resources more effectively, leading to higher crop yields and lower production costs. For example, by using precision irrigation techniques, farmers can ensure that each plant receives the exact amount of water it needs, which reduces water waste. Precision technologies allow farms to gather information on changing field conditions to adjust production practices. Precision seeders can help farmers plant the correct type of seed for their soil. Tractor guidance systems use a global positioning system (GPS) to help to sow and dig in the optimal places. GPS mapping systems can help farmers create detailed maps of their fields to track soil health and yield mapping. Yield maps identify areas of the field that are more productive than others and can prove indispensable for achieving higher yields. Growers can test their soil throughout the growth cycle to help monitor the field's health and the health of any plants planted in those fields. Mechanised farming equipment can help reduce labour needs, and precision irrigation systems can help farmers better manage their water resources. 

Farmers and agronomists also turn to other precision technologies to increase crop yields through improved crop health. Precision fertiliser applicators can allow farmers to apply the right fertiliser to their fields. Additionally, precision farming can help farmers better target inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides, which helps to improve yields while minimising the negative environmental impacts of these inputs. Variable-rate input applications (VRT) is a technology that will enable farmers to target better, measure and manage inputs like water, fertiliser, and pesticides. Precision technologies provide field variability information so farmers can decide where and how to apply inputs. These technologies also help farmers better understand the variability in their fields and track the impact of inputs on crop yield. When used, this information improves inputs management and allows farmers to make more informed decisions on where and how to apply them in the future. 

Farmers worldwide see the benefits of precision farming and adopting precision farming techniques. The technology is most common in developed countries, where the cost of the hardware and software is often less prohibitive than for farmers in developing countries. Precision farming technology is not as readily available in these developing countries as in the more developed parts of the world because precision farming technology is often expensive to produce and requires a reliable electrical grid to function. However, as precision farming technology becomes easier and less costly to make, there is increasing interest in its use in the developing world. By using precision farming techniques, farmers everywhere can increase crop yields while using fewer resources which helps farmers improve their bottom line and provide increased food supplies for a growing population.

Where can you go to find the best precision farming solutions?

So, to whom can you turn to achieve all of the benefits of precision technology? What can you do to see consistent, higher yields, get more time in the fields, and not break the bank? Simple! Studies have found that undrained soils have about a 46% year-to-year variability in yield, whereas areas with agricultural drainage installed only vary by around 18%. A more consistent harvest allows for a more dependable cash flow. Field drainage is how to achieve several of the goals that you have for your farmstead. 

Typical benefits of farm drainage include:  

🌱 Early and timely planting

🌾 Improved harvesting conditions

📈 More consistent yields

🌧️ Better plant stand

🦠 Less plant stress

🐛 Fewer plant diseases

🚜 Less soil compaction

💰 Increased land value

Adding field drainage typically decreases total water flow out of a field long-term because the increased yields use more water than the prior lower yields. Farm Xport can offer drainage installed with a Soil-Max DIY drainage plough that removes only the excess water from the soil. In a dry year, root systems that have extended deeper and are healthier can obtain more nutrients for a longer time than shallow roots from inadequate spring drainage. Drainage alters the timing of water leaving a field. Flash floods are common without drainage, but with drainage, water slowly leaves the ground over days, if not weeks. Poor drainage destroys yield potential and can be expensive as you constantly change fertility and try to plant better seed varieties. Farmland with installed drainage typically sees 15-25% higher yields than fields without drainage. With better water drainage, the areas of your farm that have taken a yield loss or have been a total loss in the past can now convert back into farmable acres.

An adequately drained field will have increased crop quality and quantity. Farm Xport can offer the Soil-Max family of DIY drainage solutions. Results from over 125 drainage experiments show increases in yields of corn by 34%, soybeans by 29%, wheat by 76%, and alfalfa by 42% after self-installing your drainage. With the same inputs and fixed costs, fields with proper water management techniques allow for greater yield than undrained fields, resulting in a lower break-even price per bushel. Contact Farm Xport today to discuss purchasing your own Soil-Max DIY drainage plough. DIY drainage will keep your farm consistently achieving its highest possible profits. Visit https://farmxport.com/ to learn more and schedule a call with us to discuss your yield concerns, DIY drainage, and how Farm Xport makes your goals for your farm business a reality.