Stop No. 1 on the Florida Grower Precision Ag Bus Tour was at
Astin Farms in Plant City. A look around the facility illustrated how the company is utilizing a digital platform for advanced recordkeeping to improve food safety and traceability. We learned that proper data management can be used to create daily food safety audits, which allows the farm to be even better prepared for real audits.
Photo by Frank Giles
Dwight Rainwater (left) showed how
JayMar Produce near Duette, FL, is using weather stations and soil moisture monitoring to improve irrigation and fertigation.
Photo by Frank Giles
Sunny skies and warm temperatures welcomed Florida Grower Precision Ag bus tour attendees and hosts.
Photo by Frank Giles
Harvest CROO Robotics is building a strawberry harvesting robot near Duette, FL. Scott Jantz provided a rundown of the machine's specs.
Photo by Frank Giles
The automated strawberry picker from Harvest CROO Robotics is designed for labor efficiency and can replace 30 human workers.
Photo by Frank Giles
Alan Jones showed how Jones Potato Farm is using intensive soil and tissue sampling to reduce fertilizer inputs with precision applications on his farm in Parrish. Jones has been recognized for his conservation practices with numerous awards, including the
American Vegetable Grower Grower Achievement Award.
Photo by Frank Giles
Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, an Assistant Professor of agricultural and biological engineering with UF/IFAS, demonstrated a drone and a smart vision herbicide applicator that only targets weeds.
Photo by Frank Giles
This drone, equipped with a smart vision herbicide applicator, could reduce herbicide usage by 90%.
Photo by Frank Giles
Florida Grower magazine recently hosted a Precision Agriculture Bus Tour to visit farms around Central Florida that are utilizing technology to improve productivity, efficiency, stewardship, and data management.
Scroll through the photo gallery above to get a look at the stops that attendees experienced.