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Mid-Atlantic Precision Ag Equipment Day
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Caroline County 4-H Park
8230 Detour Road, Denton, MD 21629
Please join us to learn how to make precision agriculture pay in your operation. Practical and informative advice will be given on sprayer and planter section control, variable rate seeding, economics and practical implementation of RTK and GPS, soil mapping, using technology for on-farm research and developing variable rate prescriptions, and much more. Come learn from some of the top, nationally recognized speakers in agriculture equipment and machinery engineering. DE and MD Nutrient Management Credits & CCA Credits will be available.
Speakers:
Dr. Randy Taylor, Oklahoma State University
Topic: Yield Monitors and Maps– Putting Data to Use with On- farm Research
Dr. Mike Buschermohle, University of Tennessee
Topic: Automatic Section Control Technology for Planters
Dr. Bobby Grisso, Virginia Tech
Topic: Mapping EC with Veris
Dr. John Fulton, Auburn University
Topic: Sprayer Section Control
Dr. Matt Darr, Iowa State University
Topic: Economics and Practical Implementation of RTK and Advanced GPS
Dr. Randy Taylor, Oklahoma State University
Topic: Yield monitors and maps – putting data to use with on-farm research
Yield monitors can be valuable tools for many farmers. Since yield at the field level is used to make many decisions, it stands to reason that yield at areas within a field could be just as valuable. Yield monitors and the data they measure can be used to diagnose crop production, estimate nutrient removal, determine spatial yield goals and aid on-farm research. Since yield monitors are a data intense technology, the true value or payback comes when this data begins to positively impact decisions.
Dr. Taylor joined the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering faculty at (OSU) in August, 2005 as an Extension Engineer. Prior to joining the faculty at OSU, he spent almost 16 years as an Extension machinery specialist at Kansas State University. He started working in the area of precision agriculture in 1996. He has an extensive background in yield monitors operation and making use of yield data. He has been involved in testing GPS accuracy and more recently worked with crop sensor systems. He has evaluated sensor applications for in-season nitrogen management for corn and wheat and developed a program to manage plant growth regulators and harvest aids for cotton. While in Kansas, he facilitated the formation of the Kansas Agricultural Research Association, which is an organization of crop producers and agribusinesses interested in furthering the practical use of precision agriculture technology through coordination of on-farm research projects. He has a B.S. and M.S. from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln all in Agricultural Engineering.
Dr. Mike Buschermohle, University of Tennessee
Topic: Automatic Section Control Technology for Planters
Automatic Section Control (ASC) technology on planters utilizes GPS-based coverage maps and electronic- or pneumatic-activated clutches to automatically turn off individual row units or planter sections in areas of the field that have already been planted or areas that have been designated as no-plant zones such as along terraces and waterways. Some of the potential benefits of this technology are lower seed costs due to reduction in double-planted areas in a field, improved yield potential in these double-planted areas, improved planting efficiency and reduced operator fatigue. Savings are dependent upon field shape and size with the highest benefits occurring in smaller, more irregular-shaped fields or fields that contain obstructions such as waterways, terraces and drainage ditches. The type of fields you farm and the number of acres you plant each year will determine if Automatic Section Control on your planter is the right investment for your farming operation.
Dr. Michael Buschermohle is a Professor in the Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Department at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he has more than 21 years experience with the University of Tennessee Extension. His educational background includes a B.S. degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Clemson University. Dr. Buschermohle works with extension agents, producers and agribusinesses in developing and disseminating educational programs in the area of precision agriculture.
Dr. Bobby Grisso, Virginia Tech
Topic: Mapping EC with Veris
Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measurement that correlates with soil properties that affect crop productivity, including soil texture, cation exchange capacity (CEC), drainage conditions, organic matter level, salinity, and subsoil characteristics. This session will cover: 1) How, with field verification, soil EC can be related to specific soil properties that affect crop yield, such as topsoil depth, pH, salt concentrations, and available water-holding capacity; 2) Soil EC maps often visually correspond to patterns on yield maps and can help explain yield variation; and 3) Other uses of soil EC maps, including developing management zones, guiding directed soil sampling, assigning variable rates of crop inputs, fine tuning NRCS soil maps, improving the placement and interpretation of on-farm tests, salinity diagnosis, and planning drainage remediation.
Dr. Grisso joined the Biological Systems Engineering faculty at Virginia Tech in August, 2001 as an Extension Engineer. Prior to joining the faculty at VT, he spent 16 years as an Extension machinery specialist at University of Nebraska. His primary extension role is to develop programs in the areas of agricultural machinery management, precision farming, and farm safety. His activities have focused on the accurate placement and safe handling of pesticides by farmers and certified pesticide applicators. His overall program goal is to improve agricultural profitability through the selection and efficient use of machinery systems used in crop production, while providing a safe working environment, and protecting the environment. He has a B.S. and M.S. from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. from the Auburn University all in Agricultural Engineering.
Dr. John Fulton, Auburn University
Topic: Sprayer Section Control
Automatic section control (ASC) has been heavily adopted over the past several years on agricultural sprayers. Farmers or others implementing this technology have experienced immediate benefits on input savings and a reduction in the occurrence of overlap within fields. Simply, the technology turns sections or nozzles OFF in areas that have been previously covered or ON and OFF at headland turns, point rows, terraces, waterways and other areas marked for no-application of pesticides or nutrient. A study at Auburn University indicated overlap reduction by 1% to 10% when using ASC equating to savings from $1.50/ac up to $25.00/ac depending on crop, equipment size, field shape and size, and the accuracy of the technology. Recent Alabama testimonies has indicated savings could be as high as 32% when using both ASC and guidance technologies on sprayers. Currently, equipment manufacturers and third-party companies are offering a variety of systems that control boom-sections or even individual nozzles. However, the performance of this technology can be dependent upon selecting the right components and partially associated with the GPS correction service used for a particular sprayer and farm operation.
Dr. Fulton has been with the Biosystems Engineering Department at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama over the past 7 years. His research and extension efforts focus on precision agriculture, machinery automation, and harvesting & transporting of cellulosic biomass. He has worked in the field of precision agriculture since 1995. His education background includes a B.A. degree from Wittenberg University in Physics and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky. John leads the Alabama Precision Agricultural program at Auburn Univeristy providing timely information to farmers and consultants around the South related to precision ag. His machinery research is concentrated on technology development for dry and liquid applicators to improve their in-field performance.
Dr. Matt Darr, Iowa State University
Topic: Economics and practical implementation of RTK and advanced GPS
Today’s GPS market is much broader and more competitive that in recent years and has provided agricultural producers more GPS options. The availability of RTK coverage, both through private and public sources, has greatly increased and has made RTK service cost competitive with alternative sources. Additionally, GLONASS compatible GPS equipment is improving the average satellite availability and as a result is increasing the reliability and accuracy of GPS hardware. At the same time the cost for displays and precision ag control systems has decreased. The combination of improved accuracy and reduced cost has increased adoption rates of precision ag equipment and has led to improved economic payback and justification for precision ag systems. This session will directly address the cost and performance comparisons of GPS and precision ag equipment and will discuss the economic payback of precision ag technology.
Dr. Matt Darr joined the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University in early 2008 as a member of the Advanced Machinery Engineering and Manufacturing Systems focus group. Dr. Darr’s research program focuses on the use of embedded systems and advanced instrumentation to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and control capacity of agricultural systems including those for food, fiber, and energy production. Integration of electronics into traditional machines is playing a key role as new agricultural vehicles are developed to meet the needs of production while minimizing its impact on the environment. Currently this work is focused in two application areas: Advanced sensing and control systems for optimized machinery management and enhanced productivity, and Development of harvesting, handling, and storage technologies to support agricultural based cellulosic biomass feedstocks. In addition, Dr. Darr teaches courses related to precision agriculture and agricultural machinery electronics within both the Agricultural Engineering and the Technology Systems Management program. Dr. Darr also provides leadership for both the Ag Leader Precision Agriculture Lab and the John Deere Machinery Automation Lab within ABE.
Partners: Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Penn State, and University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Services.
Many thanks to our Leadership Sponsors who each donated $1,000 or more to support this program: Rural Community Insurance Services, Southern States Coop, Willard Agri-Service, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Farm Credit, Atlantic Tractor, LLC., and Hoober, Inc.
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Last updated: 08/22/2011
Dr. Joshua M. McGrath
Laboratory for Ag and Environmental Studies
Dept. of Environmental Science and Technology
1109 H.J. Patterson, Bldg. #073
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Office: 301.405.1351
Mobile: 302.363.4558
For more information about the Mid-Atlantic Precision Ag Equipment Day, contact:
410.228.8800 or 410.758.0166