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valuable service to farmers and the natural resources they are trying to preserve. New technology, known as precision farming, now lets producers leam more about their fields than ever before. By means of signals from global positioning satellites, maps can be developed which show the variations in yields throughout a field.., Identifying.what causes the variations allows farmers to remedy any problems by deciding exactly how much fertilizer or pesticide or seed to use the maximize crop results.
Computers can also calculate the proper diet for each cow in a dairy herd; can maintain accurate records so farmers have the right materials on hand when they are needed; and help provide an accurate economic forecast based on current costs, quantities and conditions. All this helps sa've time and energy and helps ensure accuracy and eliminate waste. Computers can even control the- proper flow of a drip irrigation system and maintain the correct temperature in a greenhouse, which keep water and energy use down.
Preserving our natural resources means, among other things, solving the problem of soil erosion and maintaining clean water supplies. When soil is disturbed by wind or rain, it can blow away or wash away unless steps are taken to keep it in place. Contour farming — planting crops around a hillside instead of up and down — is one method. Another is planting windbreaks, which are rows of trees and hedges designed to reduce the causes or erosion. Currently more than 170,000 miles of windbreaks have been planted, with positive results. The use of grass waterways allows water to flow naturally from crops without taking the soil along for the ride. Using terraces, channels and drainage ditches also helps keep water where it need to go.
Erosion and runoff can be creatly reduced by keeping critical areas planted with a vegetative cover. The same is true for crop land when it is not in use. Also, grazing livestock for only a limited amount of time in any one block of pasture keeps the forage in the active growth stage and provides optimum grazing as well as erosion protection. In a more critical situation, a farmer may sometimes decide that the best solution for highly erodible crop or pasture land is reforestation — letting the area return to a more natur
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