Precision Agriculture: Precision Resource Management - Phase III - Scope 5

The historical management of Kentucky's land resources such as clear cutting of forests, land application of animal wastes, intensive cultivation and over-fertilization of tobacco, conventional tillage practices that promoted soil erosion, and aggregation of smaller fields into large production units, have all combined to compromise environmental conservation, reduce water quality, and introduce spatial variability in crop fields. The problem facing most Kentucky landowners and farmers is the lack of appropriate and cost effective strategies to manage scarce and variable resources in a site-specific manner. The advent of GIS and GPS provides these producers with new tools to manage this variability. The goal of this project is to develop and assess precision resource management equipment and technologies for implementation in Kentucky to improve environmental quality, aid land use decisions, and enhance profitability. The objective is to focus on the development and advancement of geospatial technologies in support of 1} sustainable agriculture and natural resource management and 2} land-use planning and decision making in Kentucky. This will be done by integrating 7 subprojects: Timber Harvesting Analysis Using GPS and GIS - Track and evaluate harvest, skidding, and hauling operations in steep terrain forests to develop methods that reduce deleterious impacts on water quality. Autosteer Technology for Precision Agriculture - This project evaluate the use of precise placement of banded fertilizers and seed into strip-tilled areas with the objective of improving seed emergence while minimizing soil erosion. Development of CAN-Bus Control for Seeding - The proposed project utilizes a Controller Area Network (CAN) system which varies seeding on each individual row unit, preventing over or underseeding. Use of GIS for Planned Expansion of AFOs - This project proposes to site AFO using existing soil and land use data, attempting to minimize the impact on nutrient buildup, air pollution, and other deleterious results. Evaluating Sensing Methods for KY Crops - This project attempts to add new capabilities of existing sensors for the need-specific application of nutrients for com, soybean, and other crops common in Kentucky. Precision Management of Carbon Sequestration - This project outlines the development of methods that measure sequestered carbon in agricultural fields. GIS Outreach Training - This project seeks to develop a set of GIS-based training systems which can be used for the training of farmers, agribusiness professionals, government officials, and Extension Agents.