Duh enaknya jadi petani Amerika, Mas Jokotingkir
(Usman) tahu itu. Tanahnya ratusan hektar, dalam
cerita ini 5,000 acres (kira-kira 2,300 hektar atau 23
km persegi). Traktornya model baru, diperlengkapi
dengan PC dan GPS agar membajaknya urut, dan jarak
menanam bibit dan memberi pupuk tinggal menyetel.
Tapi, seperti petani dimana-mana, jam kerjanya panjang
mulai sebelum matahari terbit sampai setelah matahari
terbenam. Enake, rek.
Salam,
RM
---------------------------------
A harvest of modern technology
Agriculture and computers blend increasingly well
Thursday, December 30, 2004 Posted: 10:04 AM EST (1504
GMT)
Farms use a Pocket PC with GPS receiver to record
different seed and fertilizer combinations in the
fields.
KENTON, Ohio (AP) -- Darkening skies and a light
morning drizzle blanketed the fields while combines
harvested corn and tractor-trailers hauled away this
year's crop. Even though he knew what was coming,
Brian Watkins hopped out of his pickup truck and
stepped into his office to check the weather forecast
on his computer.
The radar map on his laptop showed a blob of yellow
and green. A big storm headed right his way. "Oh man,
that doesn't look very good," he said, knowing that
much of the day was going to be lost.
Although he still can't control the weather, nearly
everything else is a different matter. With
computerized gadgets that can steer a tractor, monitor
how much corn is harvested per acre and keep fresh air
flowing through the pig barn, Watkins' farm is an
example of the impact modern technology has had on
agriculture.
Watkins, 43, is the sixth generation of his family to
farm this land about 60 miles northwest of Columbus.
He and his brother, Mark, took over the operation from
their father.
Watkins started farming full time 23 years ago with
about 400 acres. Now the farm is a small business with
2,000 hogs and 5,000 acres of corn, soybeans and
wheat, most of which is turned into feed for his pigs
or sold to neighboring hog farms.
"My memory of growing up here is very different from
what we do today," Watkins said.
The planter that sows corn and soybeans stretches 60
feet across and can finish 400 acres on a good day. It
wasn't long ago that they were happy to get through 20
acres in a day. His Caterpillar combine can harvest
35,000 bushels per hour.
"That's what makes farms get bigger," Watkins said.
Not everyone has embraced technology and the movement
toward large farming. Some environmental groups think
big farms are to blame for increased water and air
pollution. And some farmers believe that the advances
in technology have led to the demise of family farms
and a change in rural lifestyle.
But Watkins doesn't see it that way. Advancements in
agriculture have eliminated a lot of back-breaking
work. The hours are still long, but much time is now
spent managing and marketing the business.
"I don't want to go back to using horses and old
tractors," he said. "I don't want to shovel manure by
hand. To me, that's ludicrous."
There's no more daily lifting of feed bags to keep the
hogs nourished. A computer in the barn controls the
food, water, temperature and air flow.
"One person can take care of it in two hours," Watkins
said.
Some of the biggest changes have been made by gadgets
that are everyday items for many.
E-mail cuts down on wasted time waiting for phone
calls. Cell phones have replaced radios in the
tractors and combines.
And soon, wireless Internet may allow even more access
to computers. While the equipment already is in place
on Watkins' farm, it can't reach all of the fields.
'The tractor's driving itself anyway'
Sam Beiler, 32, who helps operate the farm's feed
mill, installed the equipment that one day could allow
computers to instantly monitor how much corn is coming
off the field and send the data back to the office.
"The tractor's driving itself anyway," Beiler said.
"So you might as well be checking the markets."
This past spring, Watkins planted his cornfields for
the first time with a Global Positioning System that
allowed his tractor to essentially drive itself.
A fixed transmitter on the farm sends signals back to
the tractor that allow it to travel a straight line; a
human operator still has to turn it around.
The GPS allows farmers to work longer into the night
when it's more difficult to see. They can avoid
planting on top of old root systems. And it reduces
fatigue, Watkins said.
A memory card stores the paths already taken so he can
pick up exactly where he stopped. The system also is
creating a topographical map of the fields that is
accurate to within an inch.
Watkins plans on combining that information with
numbers gathered by yield monitors on his combines
that tell him which fields are producing the most corn
and soybeans.
All of that will help him decide where more drainage
is needed in the fields and lead to more production.
"My grandfather knew you needed drainage for this to
work," Watkins said.
The difference now is that farmers can make better
decisions based on the data technology provides.
"You can see how much money you're leaving on the
table," he said.
-
The Associated Press
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