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Precision Agriculture Technicians

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Apply geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to agricultural production or management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, or variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop or analyze maps or remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests, or weather.

What you’d do

  • Document and maintain records of precision agriculture information.
  • Collect information about soil or field attributes, yield data, or field boundaries, using field data recorders and basic geographic information systems (GIS).
  • Use geospatial technology to develop soil sampling grids or identify sampling sites for testing characteristics such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium content, pH, or micronutrients.
  • Divide agricultural fields into georeferenced zones, based on soil characteristics and production potentials.
  • Install, calibrate, or maintain sensors, mechanical controls, GPS-based vehicle guidance systems, or computer settings.
  • Create, layer, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data, such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns, or field management history.
  • Compare crop yield maps with maps of soil test data, chemical application patterns, or other information to develop site-specific crop management plans.
  • Analyze geospatial data to determine agricultural implications of factors such as soil quality, terrain, field productivity, fertilizers, or weather conditions.

Skills that matter

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Active Learning

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Agronomist
  • Crop Specialist
  • Precision Agriculture Specialist (Precision Ag Specialist)
  • Precision Agronomist
  • Agrintelligence Specialist (Agriculture Intelligence Specialist)
  • Agronomy Consultant

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