Comparison of Spatially and Conventionally Managed Farms - A Research, Education and Demonstration Project

NDSU Extension and ND Farm Business Management personnel are cooperating with 10 North Dakota farmers to evaluate possible advantages of using geospatial technology in crop production. The primary goal of the Comparison of Spatially and Conventionally Managed Farms Program is to improve our understanding of the economic and environmental factors important to farmers who adopt geospatial technologies to produce agricultural crops, according to project coordinator John Nowatzki, extension geospatial specialist. This interdisciplinary research, extension and education project compares crop production on 160 acres on each of ten farms using geospatial technologies with crop production on similar land on each of the farms. The program compares the farms for three years. The geospatial technologies include: 1) geospatial records of crop inputs, expenses, yields and returns; 2) remote sensing of crops using infrared aerial photography and Landsat satellite imagery; 3) global positioning system (GPS) crop yield monitoring; 4) variable rate crop inputs; and 5) real-time GPS/GIS with hand-held computers.

Five Dickinson area and five Carrington area farmers are cooperating in this three-year project. Farm Business Management instructors, Steve Metzger, Carrington, and Jerry Tuhy, Dickinson, are selecting the cooperating farmers, and will work with Dickinson area extension cropping systems specialist, Roger Ashley, and Carrington area extension cropping systems specialist Greg Endres, to assist the cooperating farmers with spatial management decisions.

The cooperating farmers use geographic information systems (GIS) software supplied by Ag Leader, Inc. to keep track of crop inputs, remote sensing data, crop yield data and field management zones on their fields. The farmers use hand-held computers with attached GPS unit to help scout the fields during the growing seasons. The farmers use recommended variable rate input applications on the designated fields, either using their own variable rate application equipment or through variable rate applications available from commercial applicators. They also harvest the designated fields with combines equipped with yield monitors.

Nowatzki provides green and NDVI layers of Landsat imagery taken during the growing season of each geospatially managed field in the participants’ farms for initial use in delineating management zones. During each growing season, the geospatial specialist will acquire 1-foot resolution infrared and multi-spectral aerial photography for each of the participating farmers’ fields. The growers will be able to download copies of the aerial photography from a program Internet site to use in crop and field evaluation.

The participating farmers collect combine yield data with corresponding GPS location data for all participating fields. After each growing season, the geospatial specialists will assist the farmers to analyze the yield data and correlate it with the other digital layers available for each field.

Participants have opportunities for training on the geospatial management software, GPS application equipment, remote sensing technologies and potential economic and environmental impacts of spatial management.

Program personnel will prepare annual reports comparing the production and economic factors between the spatially and conventionally managed fields.

For more information about the Spatially Managed Farms Program contact John Nowatzki by telephone at 701-231-8213 or email John.Nowatzki@ndsu.edu