Will “Crop Specialist” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔
Unknown Chance of Automation
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Job Description
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.
Job Details
- The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 19-4099.02
☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Precision Agriculture Technicians”.
Also Known As…
- Precision Agriculture Technicians
- Soil Fertility Specialist
- Research Agricultural Engineer
- Regional Agronomist
- Precision Farming Coordinator
- Precision Agronomist
- Precision Agriculture Specialist
- Physical Scientist
- Nutrient Management Specialist
- Independent Crop Consultant
- Crop Specialist
- Precision Farming Specialist
- Precision Crop Manager
- Precision Agriculture Technician
- Migration Specialist
- GPS Field Data Collector (Global Positioning System Field Data Collector)
- Extension Precision Agriculture Specialist
Tasks for “Crop Specialist”
- Contact equipment manufacturers for technical assistance, as needed.
- Install, calibrate, or maintain sensors, mechanical controls, GPS-based vehicle guidance systems, or computer settings.
- Participate in efforts to advance precision agriculture technology, such as developing advanced weed identification or automated spot spraying systems.
- 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.
- Document and maintain records of precision agriculture information.
- Identify areas in need of pesticide treatment by analyzing geospatial data to determine insect movement and damage patterns.
- Collect information about soil or field attributes, yield data, or field boundaries, using field data recorders and basic geographic information systems (GIS).
- Analyze data from harvester monitors to develop yield maps.
- Identify spatial coordinates, using remote sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS) data.
- Create, layer, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data, such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns, or field management history.
- Prepare reports in graphical or tabular form, summarizing field productivity or profitability.
- Demonstrate the applications of geospatial technology, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), automatic tractor guidance systems, variable rate chemical input applicators, surveying equipment, or computer mapping software.
- Divide agricultural fields into georeferenced zones, based on soil characteristics and production potentials.
- Advise farmers on upgrading Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment to take advantage of newly installed advanced satellite technology.
- Compare crop yield maps with maps of soil test data, chemical application patterns, or other information to develop site-specific crop management plans.
- Recommend best crop varieties or seeding rates for specific field areas, based on analysis of geospatial data.
- Analyze geospatial data to determine agricultural implications of factors such as soil quality, terrain, field productivity, fertilizers, or weather conditions.
- Provide advice on the development or application of better boom-spray technology to limit the overapplication of chemicals and to reduce the migration of chemicals beyond the fields being treated.
- Program farm equipment, such as variable-rate planting equipment or pesticide sprayers, based on input from crop scouting and analysis of field condition variability.
- Apply precision agriculture information to specifically reduce the negative environmental impacts of farming practices.
- Analyze remote sensing imagery to identify relationships between soil quality, crop canopy densities, light reflectance, and weather history.
- Draw or read maps, such as soil, contour, or plat maps.
Related Technology & Tools
- Personal computers
- Automatic land leveling systems
- Variable rate applicators
- Air clutches
- Field personal computers PC
- Automatic boom control systems
- Global positioning system GPS receivers
- Autosteering systems
- Soil electrical conductivity measurement devices
- Fertilizer spreading equipment
- Lightbar guidance systems
- Desktop computers
- Yield monitor systems
- Tractor mounted soil probes
- Soil samplers
- Moisture monitors
- Sprayer application equipment
- Seed drills
- Laptop computers
- ESRI ArcView
- Microsoft Office
- SST Development Group SSToolbox
- Microsoft Excel
- Ag Leader Technology SMS Advanced
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- GeoAgro GIS
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- ESRI ArcPad
- MapShots EASi Suite
- AGCO GTA Software Suite
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Trimble AgGPS EZ-Map
- Trimble AgGPS MultiPlane
- Novariant AutoFarm AF Viewer
- Farm Works Site Pro
- Microsoft Word
- John Deere Apex Farm Management