Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 1993 Satellites, lasers, computers part of farming in 2003, profs sayWEST LAFAYETTE, IND.–Orbiting satellites and laser measuring devices may be essential pieces of equipment for farmers in the next decade, Purdue experts say. They will need these new tools just to know where to plant their seeds. These technologies will be necessary for a new type of farming known as site-specific farming, or prescription farming. Site-specific farming means that conditions are measured for areas in a farmer's field as small as a few feet or even inches, and pesticides and fertilizers are applied according to the needs of that site. Proponents of technique say that this will reduce chemical use and increase yields, both of which will reduce costs and increase benefits for both farmers and consumers. "We're going back to what Squanto taught John Smith about putting a seed with a fish in a small hill of dirt," says Howard Doster, associate professor of agricultural economics. "In the years since Squanto we've been farming bigger and bigger fields instead of individual sites. This new farming is based on the environment of that site, and I'm excited about that." Gary Krutz, professor of agricultural engineering, says that in the near future the new technologies will be necessities, not luxuries. "The population of the world is expected to double in the next 4O years. But I don't worry so much about feeding the world in the future," he says. "With biotechnology and these new technologies, we could soon double our crop yields in this country." For such pin-point accuracy, farmers will rely on satellites. The satellites are already in orbit as part of the Air Force's Navstar Global Positioning System, which was made available to commercial users following the end of the Cold War. Farmers are not strangers to satellite communications. Not only do many of them have to rely on backyard dishes to pull in the nightly ESPN sports highlights, but many top farmers already use satellite dishes to pull in up-to-the-minute weather reports, ag news and commodity price information. The home satellite dishes soon will be used to relay global positioning information from the satellite to the vehicle in the field. "A large home satellite dish allows the small dish on an ag vehicle to be more accurate," he says. "Within a few years we'll be able to know our position to within a few centimeters or inches." Once the farmer is locates his position in the field, he will need information about that small site before he can plant the seed or treat the plant with pesticides. "For each plot farmers will measure slope, soil type at different levels, water table, fertility, the history of cropping rotations on that field, the micro-weather for that small area, and the organic content, which will tell farmers the weed population," Krutz says. The characteristics of each plot of ground will be added to a database in a computer. The computer will use the information beamed from the satellites to determine the exact position of the planter or chemical applicator. The computer will then check the database, and determine how much ferdlizer or pesticide to apply to that spot or how far apart to plant the seeds. "We will then go back to multiple applications of chemicals over the growing season, which will reduce the total volume of chemicals being applied," Krutz says. "The farmer will need to apply herbicide only in certain areas of the field. European farmers have found that multiple, smaller chemical and ferdlizer applications also increase yield." Currently, one weak link in site-specific farming is the soil tests, because compiling the information for every few feet or inches would require an enormous amount of data, says Doster. "Truly one of the limiting factors to site-specific farming is how many soil tests you can afford, because they can cost seven or eight dollars each," he says. "A farmer with 2,000 acres could need millions of these tests done. But if you can do the soil tests on the go, cost won't be an issue." Real-time measurements, as the engineers call tests made on the go, could be "simple" if research at Purdue pans out, says Mark Morgan, assistant professor of agricultural engineering. "It's too early to tell if the soil sensor will be inexpensive enough to be mounted on the front of a farm implement, or whether a farmer will pay someone to test his field," he says. To test the soil, Morgan and his graduate assistants have developed a special shank that cuts through the dirt in a field and measures a variety of soil conditions. For example, lasers or lightemitting diodes shine on the soil, and a photodiode sensor examines the reflection to determine organic content and soil moisture. Sensors determine the chemical nature of the soil by measuring the pH. And microphones determine the soil texture by listening to the sound the soil makes as it passes over the shank. "We can also determine soil moisture levels from this, as well," Morgan says. At five miles per hour, the sensors are expected to test the soil at four-foot intervals. Tyler Manufacturing Co., of Benson, Minn., is already using Purdue-developed organic material soil sensors on its fertilizer trucks to customize chemical applications. "Whatever the significance of site-specific farming is, we'll find out in the next five years. Right now we really don't know," Doster says. "But I agree with the direction of the research. I think that in 1O years this will be a cost-effective way to farm." NOTE: Black-and-white prints of the enclosed photograph or original copies of the enclosed graphic are available. Contact Purdue News Service (765) 494-2096 or purduenews@purdue.edu
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