Precision Farming: Introducing Variable Rate Seeding/Drilling

5. April 2022

For some crops, the Precision Farming Free DLC for Farming Simulator 22 adds the option of adjusting the seeding rate in different zones of the field. There are multiple benefits in variable seeding and drilling. Learn more below!

The Precision Farming Free DLC is a project initiated by John Deere and funded by EIT Food, Europe’s leading Food Innovation Initiative. Co-funded by the EU, it is meant to highlight sustainable technology in agriculture. It releases on April 19th for PC and consoles.

Benefits of Variable Rate Seeding & Drilling

In some areas of your fields, you can reduce the seed rate while still maintaining the same yield level. On the other hand, some areas may require a higher seed rate to improve competitiveness against weeds and reach the full yield potential. Ultimately, this means more yield and fewer weeds!

How Variable Rate Seeding & Drilling Works

Three seed rate options are available: low, standard and high. You can either select the auto-mode or switch the seed rate manually. Turning on automatic seed rate will always ensure the ideal seed rate for each part of the field.

While seeding in manual mode, on the other hand, the small bars below the circles indicate which of the three possible seed rates would be optimal for the current soil type. You need to switch between the seed rates accordingly.

Dependencies on Crops & Soil Types

The ideal seed rate also depends on the soil type: While loamy soil has the highest fertility and yield potential and a lower seed rate is required, silty clay is a more challenging soil type where a higher seed rate will compensate for lower emergence in the poorer seedbed conditions.

Take a look at the table: It shows the crops for which a variable seed rate is available and displays their respective ideal seed rates based on the soil type they are growing on. Of course, you need to know on what type of soil you are seeding. You need to take soil samples of the field, first - or purchase a soil map, if you don't want to take the samples manually. 

Learn more about soil types and soil sampling.

More Info On New Features Coming Soon!

The Precision Farming Free DLC will be made available through the official ModHub on PC and consoles for Farming Simulator 22 on April 19th. See the complete list of features, below. We will share more information about each new feature in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned! 

Precision Farming Features in FS22

* Returning features based on Precision Farming for Farming Simulator 19

Goals and Members of the Collaboration

The EIT Food funded project aims to provide knowledge regarding sustainable farming technology. Implementing Precision Farming in the global video game phenomenon Farming Simulator is one of EITs multiple steps to increase awareness.

Various other partners from the European Union are part of the project: The University of Hohenheim (Germany), the University of Reading (UK), Grupo AN (the largest cereal cooperative in Spain) and the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences cooperate to promote the technology.

Downloaded more than one million times, the first version of the Precision Farming DLC for Farming Simulator 19 proved a great success.

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