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Edwin Cisneros Mr. Ruiz Computer Applications August 13, 2013 Farming on a Whole New Level Although people have worked in agriculture for more than 10,000 years, advances in technology assist with maintaining the protecting land, crops, and animals. The demand to keep food prices affordable encourages those working in the agriculture industry to operate as efficiently as possible. (Newman 33-47) Almost all people and companies in this industry have many acres of land they must maintain, and it is not always feasible for farmers to take frequent trips around the property to perform basic tasks such as watering soil in the absence of rain. The number of people-hours required to water soil manually on several thousand acres of land might result in businesses spending thousands of dollars in labor and utility costs. If the irrigation process is automated, sensors detect how much rain has fallen recently, as well as whether the soil is in need of watering. The sensors then send this data to a computer that processes it and decides when and how much to water.1 In addition to keeping the soil moist and reducing maintenance costs, computers also can utilize sensors to analyze the condition of crops in the field and determine whether pests or diseases are affecting crops. If sensors detect pests and or diseases, computers send a notification to the appropriate individual to take corrective action. In some cases, according to Brewster, the

Barton states that many automated home irrigation systems also are programmable and use rain sensors (67-73)

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discovery of pests might trigger a pesticide to discharge in the affected area automatically (Agriculture: Expanding and Growing). Many farmers use technology on a daily basis to regulate soil moisture and to keep their crops pest free. With technology, farming can be much more convenient and efficient.

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Works Cited
Barton, Blake. "Computers in Agriculture." Agriculture Today and Tomorrow Feb. 2012: 53-86. Print. . "Computers in Argiculture ." Agriculture Today and Tomorrow Feb. 2012. Brewster, Letty. Agriculture: Expanding and Growing. 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. Newman, Albert D., Aand Carmen W. Ruiz. The Agriculture Industry Today. New York: Alabama Press, 2012. Print.