While a few farmers have used precision soil sampling on some fields, the only discernable movement along these lines has been at the grower level with yield-mapping systems in grain combines.
Growers report that they like the digital readout that records yield as the crop is harvested.
But that is as far as they take this technology in most cases. To date, very few yield maps have been generated from these yield-mapping systems. The data that is recorded can be used to build a yield map showing which areas of the field generate high productivity and which are less productive. With this information and variable rate controllers in application equipment and planters, growers can adjust fertilizer, herbicide and seed applications to optimize inputs for specific locations in the field. The technology behind all this is still emerging.