The Precision Agriculture Technician applies geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), to agricultural production and management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, and variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop and analyze maps and remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests or weather.
Duties:
The Precision Agriculture Technician collects information about soil and field attributes, yield data, or field boundaries, using field data recorders and basic geographic information systems (GIS). The Precision Agriculture Technician create, layers, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns and field management history. The Precision Agriculture Technician documents and maintains records of precision agriculture information. The Precision Agriculture Technician compiles and analyzes geospatial data to determine agricultural implications of factors such as soil quality, terrain, field productivity, fertilizers, and weather conditions. The Precision Agriculture Technician divides agricultural fields into georeferenced zones based on soil characteristics and production potentials. The Precision Agriculture Technician develops soil sampling grids or identifies sampling sites, using geospatial technology, for soil testing on characteristics such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content, pH, and micronutrients. The Precision Agriculture Technician compare crop yield maps with maps of soil test data, chemical application patterns, or other information to develop site-specific crop management plans. The Precision Agriculture Technician applies knowledge of government regulations when making agricultural recommendations. The Precision Agriculture Technician draws and reads maps such as soil, contour, and plat maps. The Precision Agriculture Technician recommends best crop varieties and seeding rates for specific field areas, based on analysis of geospatial data.
Knowledge:
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products both plant and animal for consumption, including storage techniques.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- The Precision Agriculture Technician needs knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Abilities:
The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to see details at close range within a few feet of the observer. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions this includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules such as patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. The Precision Agriculture Technician needs the ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.