| Newsletter | [back to index] |
| Vol. 1 No. 4 | Thursday, June 1, 2000 |
Dear members and potential members,
The Precision Agriculture Research Association (PARA) idea originated with a group of producers who had been working in the realm of site-specific farming issues. Many of these producers had projects with MSU faculty. With support from MSU staff and UMAC (Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium), PARA was established in January 1997 as a non-profit organization, producer-driven, with the goal of sharing and helping each other accomplish various GPS/GIS tasks. In the fall of 1998, Chuck Merja was successful in getting a group of producers together to begin sharing ideas and needs. The group decided to take the concept of PARA, which was already in place, and become active.*
Since that time, several producers, faculty and students have evolved into a learning group. The learning group conducts on-farm, field-scale research. This group decided they needed capabilities for sharing data using similar software, especially for analysis and map making. The GIS package picked by the learning group is SSToolbox (SST). The group recently began its second year working with SST. Currently, the learning group is also participating in research to determine whether remote sensing images (downloaded using a DirecPC satellite dish) can assist management decisions.
PARA and the learning group are major participants in the direction of MSU precision agriculture research, including research grant proposals. The most recent proposal, submitted May 21 to USDA, is titled "Consortium for Land and Crop Health." This proposal involves MSU as well as South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Georgia.
The objectives of the proposal include 1) evaluating whether precision agricultural practices reduce runoff and leaching losses of fertilizer and pesticides to surface and ground waters, 2) enhancing management decisions using geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, yield prediction and crop input decision support tools, 3) developing curricula and materials for precision agriculture education and outreach and expedite transfer of knowledge to practice in multiple farmer-run "learning groups" in each region, and 4) assessing the spatial adoption trends of forms of precision agriculture with regard to social, policy and environmental implications. If funded, this grant would bring $555,000 for precision agriculture research to Montana over a 3-year period.
*Membership Information can be found on page 4 of this newsletter.
The PARA site can be found at http://www.montana.edu/places/para. There are back issues of the newsletter posted, as well as links to other sites, information on the officers and directors, and more. Check it out!!
Meetings are generally scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month, with the location moving around the state. During the months of seeding and harvest we try to meet at least once. This year, PARA is sponsoring a Field Day on July 14 in Malta, on land managed by Karl Mavencamp and Wes Anderson. The idea of communicating by teleconference during the summer months is also being considered.
June 22 Precision Ag Day in Valier at Monty Johnson’s, e-mail: 7tri@3rivers.net
Triangle and Cenex Harvest States of Valier, Cut Bank, Shelby and Chester
See a combine with a yield monitor installed; hands-on equipment demonstrations (Trimble, AgLeader, Midtech equipment); talk with the AgLeader rep or with growers in the area that are currently using GPS technology in their operations.July 10 Central Ag Research Center Field Day http://agadsrv.msu.montana.edu/carc/Default.htm July 11 Northern Ag Research Center Field Day http://agadsrv.msu.montana.edu/narc/ July 12 Southern Ag Research Center Field Day http://www.sarc.montana.edu/ July 13 Williston Research Extension Center Field Day http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/willisto/ July 14 PARA Field Day* July 17 Weed Tour, Post Farm, Bozeman http://weedeco.msu.montana.edu/weedgroup/home.htm July 19 Eastern Ag Research Center Field Day http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/state/ July 21 Western Ag Research Center Field Day http://agadsrv.msu.montana.edu/warc/ July 16-19 5th International Conference on Precision Agriculture
Minneapolis, MN http://precision.agri.umn.edu/2kconf.html*Directions: Go east of Malta on US Highway 2 about 15 miles. Turn south onto a gravel road from the Highway which is a few hundred feet beyond mile post 489. Go two miles on this gravel road until reaching a fourway intersection. Turn west and go one mile on another gravel road. Turn south onto a dirt road whose entrance is marked by a pair of wagon wheels. Go one mile south into the Robert Anderson Farm. (In other words, from US2, go south 2, west 1, and south 1. The route is on section lines.)
Producer testimonies about precision ag, applications of remote sensing in agriculture, precision N application for optimizing yield and quality, and precision weed management.
Field tours will show 1) a newly acquired 20-ft Concord air drill with variable rate equipment that is used in establishing strip trials, 2) a field site with variable rate strip trial, 3) the latest version of the Case-Textron Grain Quality Analyzer, 4) a field site with remote access weather station and neutron access tubes, 5) TDR soil moisture measurement system, and 6) examples of aerial and satellite remote sensing images that represent these fields and others in Montana.
The following article, "Montana Ag Coalition to Receive Funding to Test High-Tech Ag Methods," was distributed by MSU. Further information can be obtained by contacting Rorie Hanrahan 406-994-7702, e-mail: rorieh@montana.edu.
BOZEMAN –A collaborative of ag groups will demonstrate technologies designed to improve producer management of agricultural chemicals in Montanan’s vast wheat belt.
The project will evaluate the use of aerial imagery as compared to ground scouting for the preparation of zone maps required for variable rate application of herbicides. It will also evaluate different types of aerial imagery, with soil sampling as a control, as a way to prescribe zones for the variable rate application of herbicides and nitrogen fertilizer.
Triangle Ag-Services, Chouteau County Conservation District, and Montana State University have been awarded $34,000 from NASA and $10,000 from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for the project.
The grants will pay for multi-spectral imaging and digital photography within the Golden Triangle area of Montana that roughly extends from Great Falls to Shelby to Havre. It will also pay for field expenses related to the demonstration of new technologies designed to improve producer management of Ag chemicals in Montana's vast wheat belt. Project collaborators will be providing in-kind donations to make up the $100,000 dollar value of the project.
"We have a lot of producers and ag businesses who have a vested interest in this new technology." said project initiator DeImna Heiken of Triangle Ag-Services. "The output of the trials will include the validation by local stakeholders of several technologies, viewed currently as "promising research," said Heiken. "If this project is successful, we will be well on our way to putting more of the resources that we already have to productive use. Then we can think about expanding these opportunities,"
The Chouteau County Conservation District applied for the DNRC grant on behalf of the project and will be issued the funds. Heiken, who currently has a number of commitments from regional producers and organizations with variable rate equipment, is seeking additional participants to cost share ag chemical and soil analysis expenses.
Assistance for the project came from a number of sources, including the MSU TechLink Center, which helps companies to commercialize NASA and DoD technologies. TechLink helped organize the project and assisted principal investigator, Dr. Dan Long of the MSU Northern Ag Research Station, in applying to NASA for the grant. Dr. Long is a leading researcher nationally in the field of site-specific management for small grain production and marketing. His recent work has focused on the benefits of management zones for increasing protein in wheat.
NASA is partnering on one of the grants to support both the scientific and commercial goals of the project. The NASA funding goes directly to Positive Systems, of Whitefish, to pay for aerial multi-spectral imaging of areas totaling some 200 sq kilometers (a square roughly 10 miles on a side). Positive Systems has several ties with NASA, and is a recognized leader in the development of technologies for government and commercial digital aerial photography applications. They have provided aerial remote sensing solutions since 1991.
Richard Anderson, Chairman of the Chouteau County Conservation District, observed that variable rate application offers a potential way for local producers to prosper, while minimizing the environmental impact. "Smart ag chemical management works for everyone," Anderson said.
On Farm Research Activities this Season
Carl & Janice Mattson, north of Chester are applying variable rates of nitrogen to 160 acres where Mike Choriki and Tracy Beeman used Veris and soil probes to map soil variability. They are using files that Tracy deisgned that he designed and a Rawson rate controller, run on the Ag Navigator system.
Daryl Sather from Havre, Montana, plans on doing some experiments with Asset on canola and corn ground. He is doing some side by side analysis of two Roundup Ready canola varieties as well as comparisons of several varieties of corn on 17 acres.
Dan Keil, near Conrad, is going to conduct canola variety trials that include IMI tolerance and canola coating (dormant seeded in the fall). He is also doing some variable rate fertilizing and wild oat mapping.
Chuck Merja from Sun River plans to map wild oats and use digital orthoquads (DOQs) to define weed patches and soil/vegetation anomalies.
PARA has 2 Omnistar satellite receivers available for those interested in learning more about on-farm GPS. Please contact Chuck Merja at chuckm@3rivers.net for more information.
UMAC submitted a proposal to NASA for a satellite that would be planned, built, and operated by University students, faculty and associated engineers in the 5-state region (ND, SD, ID, WY, MT) for the specific purpose of serving agriculture and natural resource management in this region. The main objective was to provide low cost images to producers/ranchers on the Internet within 24 hours. We recently received notice that the proposal was not funded; UMAC plans to address reviewer’s comments and resubmit a proposal in 2 years.
The PARA (Precision Agriculture Research Association) organization has undergone some changes. There is a new board of directors, new officers, and a new focus on the goals of the organization. Along with the restructuring of PARA comes a new dues structure. The old system was a sliding dues scale, based on a member's revenue. That system is gone. PARA will now collect annual dues of $100 per representative per year. The new year began January 1, 1999. Anyone wishing to submit their dues may do so by sending them to either:
| PARA | Bruce Wright, PARA Secretary/Treasurer |
| P.O. Box 5326 | P.O. Box 664 |
| Bozeman, MT 59717 | Belgrade, MT 59714 |
For membership or other information: Contact: Bruce Wright at osmose@aol.com or Chris Erlien at cerlien@montana.edu