Introduction to Precision Agriculture

Welcome

Introduction to Precision Agriculture is a dynamic online book that began with the information I have gathered through repeated teachings of Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Precision Agriculture classes, including Precision Ag. I, Precision Ag. II, and Geospatial Agronomic Management. After a few years of teaching the class, and finding no singular source for information on precision agriculture technology, I have compiled sources and created this guide to understanding theories and applications in precision agriculture. This book focuses on row-crop agriculture (corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, and rice) in the United States, with examples from many major agricultural software and hardware providers.

This book was designed with the student in mind. I have attempted to write this book as a guide for students that come with no agricultural background. With this approach, it is my hope that all can gain some insight from the text, and that each theory and application will be explained in great detail in order to understand the purpose of the practice, and the why behind each decision.

The Precision Agriculture classes at MSU are taught with a computer laboratory component. A secondary purpose of this text is to align the teachings of the book with applicable lab exercises that expand on the theory and provide a way for students to get hands-on with technology. Software for the lab exercises include ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, Pix4Dmapper, and Ag. Leader SMS.

By creating this online resource, I hope to continually improve the availability of information for past, present, and future students while improving student’s outcomes for their careers and lives improving agricultural production in the states and across the world.

This book is a work in progress.