Visual agricultural guidance or autosteering system. How to start the path to automating work for a farmer

Manual labor, partial mechanization, full mechanization, partial automation - successive steps in the evolution of agriculture, which has been going on for hundreds of years. Literally 30-40 years ago, complete mechanization of technological operations in agriculture was considered the pinnacle of success of agricultural enterprises. Today, this does not surprise anyone, and even a small farmer completely mechanized tillage.

What is productivity and how to achieve it on your farm

The evolutionary curve of agricultural development has led to the emergence of precision farming technologies, which have already become the norm in many countries of the world. 

Precision farming is a set of technological techniques based on the use of GPS/GNSS navigation data, sensors, satellite imagery, other modern devices and tools that allow the farmer to perform work in the field as accurately and with the least loss.

Precision farming began to develop especially actively with the advent of wireless Internet and devices (tablets, smartphones) working with it. Now this is the next place in the development of farmers, for successful farming.

How to get started a farmer to implement precision farming technologies

One of the vectors of precision farming is agricultural guidance or tractor gps system. It is with the installation of equipment for parallel control on tractors, combines and self-propelled machinery that the way to the use of precision farming technologies begins.

Equipment for agricultural guidance can be divided into 2 main groups:

• manual guidance system for agricultural machinery;
• autosteering system for agricultural machinery.

Visual guidance is a system that allows you to control agricultural machinery during work (sowing, spraying, plowing, etc.) with an accuracy of 10-15 cm from pass-to-pass when using a free satellite signal. It is possible to increase the accuracy to 2 cm when using paid corrections, but this is usually not necessary, because to maintain such control accuracy when manually steering is not always possible.

Agricultural guidance system consist of equipment:

• GNSS receiver for positioning of machinery
• Monitor with software for agricultural guidance
• Docking station with mount
• Cables and accessories

The main differences between guidance systems from different manufacturers are in the accuracy of the receiver, the size and reliability (rugged) of the display. For example, a professional set of GPS for tractor or spraying Geotrack includes a GNSS receiver with an accuracy of 15-20 cm from pass-to-pass on a free satellite signal and a 7-inch dust-proof display. The budget option consists of the same GNSS receiver and a tablet with basic protection from dust.

The next level of guidance system - autosteering.

Tractor autopilot is a system of devices for controlling agricultural machinery in automatic or semi-automatic mode with minimal operator involvement. The main advantage of autopilot is the accuracy of endurance of a given course with the inclusion, including reversals at the end of the race, which is not available for visual guidance systems. The accuracy of autopilot control is achieved by using an electric or hydraulic steering column drive, which "drives" the tractor with reference to the RTK corrections received from the base station. When working with a free satellite signal, the accuracy of driving will be comparable to the visual guidance system, the only difference is the execution of automatic turns.

Which is more profitable - buy autopilot at once or start from the visual guidance?

The way to choosing an agro-navigation device is based on the experience of those who have already bought, studying the offer on the Internet and reading various reviews. Many farmers trust the experience of their colleagues who already work with such devices. Some are looking for cheaper options based on budget, and some trust the experience of the manufacturer and its reliability.

We recommend starting with a visual guidance system based on the reliability of the manufacturer as the first device for parallel driving. This device is 5-6 times cheaper than a good autopilot, it is easier to maintain and manage, it can be installed independently on any type of tractor, combine or self-propelled sprayer. Transfer to another technique takes 15-20 minutes.
The agricultural guidance system will help to develop the rules of good manners in the management of agricultural machinery and will later lead to the realization of the purchase of a more advanced and expensive autopilot.

How quickly does the guidance system payback after purchase?

The main reason why precision farming technologies are being introduced is to reduce operating costs for fertilizers, seed, fuel, plant protection products and wages. The average payback period of a good tractor gps system comes after 100-200 ha.
For farmers with an area of 300 hectares and more, such a navigator will payback in the first season of use.