Planting
Just after crop emergence, you can fly the drone low over the field to see how the young plants are doing. The high-resolution cameras that come standard with the drone allow you to see a lot of detail. Let’s say you had a late winter freeze or a flooding rain. Flying over the field allows you to quickly assess any replant decisions you may consider.
Image processing techniques in drones are constantly improved with upgrades every few months. The most anticipated improvement is in plant counts. The software is getting more precise in ‘seeing’ the small plants to count them accurately.
News
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- If the newest Mississippi planting forecast holds, more corn and rice will be produced in 2023 compared to recent years, while demand will drive down cotton acreage.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, released its annual prospective plantings report March 31. According to the report, intended cotton acreage is at 400,000 acres, down 25% from the 530,000 acres planted in 2022. Growers also plan to plant 700,000 acres of corn, which is 21% more than the 580,000 acres harvested last year.
While many of my Northern gardening friends are still dealing with freezing temperatures, I spent this past weekend out in my coastal Mississippi landscape appreciating the fact that my tomatoes are planted and my roses are blooming.
It was the roses that really caught my attention. All of my rose plants are blooming their stems off, even though I missed the ideal pruning period of late January/early February. When I finally had time to prune, all the bushes were already pushing new growth, but the pruning still needed to be done.