ZedX, Inc

Conservation Tillage BMP's

2010-06-09T11:12:00.000-04:00

In the previous 2 posts, here and here we took a look at BMP's for nutrient management in commodity cropping systems. Another aspect of farming operations that need to be evaluated is your tillage practices. Tillage practices and nutrient management are interwoven together and must be planned together to gain the optimal benefit for your farm.

As we all know, until the last decade or so, conventional tillage operations like the moldboard plow was the primary method utilized. Utilizing conventional tillage practices brings with it the following negative consequences:

Increases soil erosion - This one impact alone has a very negative impact on your farm. Some of these impacts are:

lower fertility levels
development of rills and gullies in the field
poorer crop yields
less water infiltration into the soil
more soil crusting
more runoff in the spring and after storms

Buries crop residues so that there is slow decay and no surface mulch effect.
Exposes bare soil to water and wind erosion. May compact the soil beneath the plow.
Minimal ridging effect.
High cost per acre

Given the above factors, it makes sense to investigate adopting conservation tillage practices on your farm. Conservation tillage is defined as any tillage system that reduces the number of passes over the field for land preparation and increases the surface residues to protect soil and water loss. That definition is enticing in and of itself as it inherently shows the major benefits you can obtain. But, the question remains, why would I want to adopt conservation tillage? I would start with some very basic questions put together by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

Is soil erosion a problem on your farm?
Is the organic matter level content of your soil being depleted?
Is soil compaction becoming a major problem on your farm?
Are you experiencing reduced yields?
Are high operational costs eating away at your profits?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should definitely be thinking about adopting a conservation tillage plan. If you are new to conservation tillage, then try adopting a plan for a few fields to get the feel for it and then adopt farm-wide. This minimizes your risk and allows you to learn what works best for you.

Conservation tillage has a few different approaches; none being wrong or better than the other.

Types of Conservation Tillage

No-Till

This approach means the the soil is left untouched from harvest to planting and from planting to harvest. The only soil "disturbance" is with an implement that is able to cut through and penetrate the residue like a drill or seed furrow opener.

No-till beans into corn

Image by: Iowa State

Strip-Till

This method only disturbs the portion of the soil that the seed will come into contact with when planted. There are benefits to strip-till when compared to no-till. Strip-till warms the soil by creating an aerobic condition. It also allows for better seed-to-soil contact while still maintaining a suitable environment to prevent erosion by leaving residue between the rows.

Researchers at NDSU looking at Strip Till Field

Image by NDSU

Ridge-Till

This method leaves the soil undisturbed from harvest to planting. You then plant the crops in ridges you form using a row cultivator. It is similar to strip-till in that it leaves residue between the rows.

Ridge-Till Cotton planted in No-Till Corn Residue

Image by University of California

Mulch-Till

This method only allows the soil to be disturbed prior to planting. You can use cultivators, discs, harrows, sweeps, etc. You may even perform deep tillage using a subsoiler. Whatever equipment you use be sure you have at least 30% residue cover or it isn't considered conservation tillage.

Now that we have a broad overview of the methods of conservation tillage, let's look at the factors, or BMP's, to guide you in developing a conservation tillage plan specific to your farm.

Best Management Practices

Soil Characteristics

It is important to match your tillage with your soil. Failure to adhere to this could lead to loss of soil productivity due to erosion and decrease in crop yields. The best way to obtain this information is through a soil analysis at your soil laboratory. When evaluating your soil, pay attention to the following:

Internal Drainage: If your soil doesn't drain well and you have a high amount of residue, the soil remains cool and wet for too long. This can cause a reduction in yield for certain intolerant crops like corn.
Soil Fertility: In conservation tillage systems, it is imperative that you have a high soil fertility level. As stated above, be sure to obtain a soil analysis and evaluate the levels of Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). If they are low, be sure to raise these levels up to where they should be, otherwise your efforts to adopt conservation tillage will result in decrease in yields.
Compaction: This is quite a difficult value to measure; however, it is known that field activities performed on wetter soils increases the compaction. This can result in poor seed-to-soil contact causing decreases in yield and other issues related to the crop vigor in your field. Be on the lookout for indicators such as spindly, short corn.
Erosion: The potential is, for the most part, dependent upon the soil texture and rise and run of the slope of you field.

Image by: Carleton College

Science Education Resource Center

If your field is considered highly erodible you must have at least 30% residue cover to be in compliance with conservation tillage guidelines. Agriculture has made great strides to date in our efforts to reduce soil erosion, but we still need to continue the research and increase adoption rates.

Graph by: USDA-NRCS

Nutrient Management

We covered this topic in our previous posts (links in the first paragraph of this posting).

Herbicide Program

With conservation tillage comes an increase in weed pressure. You must adjust your herbicide program to fit your tillage plans; just like you do with soil. A good approach, if possible is to incorporate your herbice application with your tillage operations to minimize runoff.

Equipment

The adoption of conservation tillage practices requires new, state-of-the-art equipment; especially planters. Planters will be required to place seed in soil with heavy residue. The challenge is to maintain good seed-to-soil contact and solid stands. A row cleaner can assist in ensuring you get the proper stand.

Have you started to look into conservation tillage? Have you adopted it already? How long and what are you seeing on your farm? We would really love to hear from you.

Next up in the conservation tillage series is crop production with conservation tillage. Stay tuned and share with your friends.

Resources:
No-Till and Sustainability
NRCS Web Soil Survey
EPA - Soil Preparation

Nitrogen and Phosphorous BMP's

2010-06-04T15:00:00.001-04:00

Now that you have created a Nutrient Management Plan (Plan) for your farm let's take a quick look at some Best Management Practices (BMP's) for applying Nitrogen (N) an Phosphorous (P).

Nitrogen Application

Timing
Applying N when the crop needs it provides yield, economical, and environmental benefits, so in-season application timing is important. The yield benefit is realized by having the right amount of N available for the crop at critical growth stages.

Credit - Iowa State University Extension

The economic benefit is realized with proper timing as the potential for N loss is reduced. This will prevent having to apply N again, thus increasing input costs without any added benefits from the double application. You can also realize a reduction in the environmental impact of N application with proper timing. For example, applying N with a weather forecast of heavy rains soon following increases the potential of N leaching out of the soil.

Application Rates
With the advances in agronomy and technology, it is possible and also economically beneficial to adopt Variable Rate (VRA) practices on your farm. Applying the proper rate to obtain the maximum economic return while still minimizing your environmental impact is not only feasible but should be done. There are many tools available in your precision agriculture "toolbox" to aid in your VRA practice. Soil sampling and remote sensing (Aerial/Satellite Imagery) can be analyzed to create management zones for each of your fields with ease.

"Indirect" N Sources
There are other activities in the production of your crop that indirectly applies N. Take for example an application of P. You may be applying an ammoniated phosphate to satisfy your P requirements. Well this form of P contains N. It is important to take this into account when determining your application rates so you are not applying more than what is needed. Another indirect source is the application of starter fertilizer when planting. As you did when developing your Plan, be sure to take into account all sources of N

Method of Application
There are multiple forms of N, like anhydrous ammonia, Urea, and UAN solutions. Each will have a method of application. N can be applied via broadcasting, knifing, banding, and direct injection. Each method has it's place and one is not better than the other. It just requires an effective management approach based on your field data. The method you use to apply fertilizer is quite important as it effects other aspects of your production like tillage practices.

Phosphorous Application

Application Rates

There is no need to maintain high levels of P in your soil. Only apply what is dictated by utilizing a soil analysis. Maintaining higher levels of P than is required brings higher costs and higher environmental impacts from runoff. One approach that has proven to work is the adoption of VRA technologies. This will aid in applying the right amount of P where it is needed in your field while not applying P to areas on high P levels.

Application Method/Placement

P, in contrast to N does not "move" rapidly once it is in the soil so applying P near the root zone will aid in reducing the runoff potential as well as provide the nutrient needed to assist in plant vigor. It is for this reason that broadcast is not recommended for application of P. A good approach is to consider banding the P directly into the soil at the root zone.

Erosion Control

As the biggest environmental risk from P is runoff into nearby lakes and streams, proper management of erosion is critical. Consider conservation tillage or strip-tillage practices to minimize erosion, and thereby P loss.

Buffer Strips

Buffer strips (an area where no manure of fertilizer is applied) will reduce the P runoff impacts to the environment.

So now we have a Nutrient Management Plan and a few BMP's to help guide you in your decision making process. Every farm is different so some BMP's may be applicable, some not. Do you have any that should be included that you would like to share?

As you work through your Plan and BMP's and get ready to implement them, consider taking a look at our production management suite of tools, AgFleet. There is also more information on our home page.

Coming up next will be discussions concerning tillage systems used in production agriculture.

Nutrient Management Plans - A Step in Developing Best Management Practices

2010-06-03T14:21:00.001-04:00

Nutrient Management - the practice of using nutrients wisely for optimum economic benefit, while minimizing impact on the environment.

Photo Source - USDA-NRCS

As with any business, developing Best Management Practices (BMP) is essential to continued success and profitability. As you develop BMP's for your farm, a critical piece to include are Nutrient Management plans. In this post we are going to focus on commodity crops.

Many times BMP's are situational, especially with Agriculture and Nutrient Management. However, there are certain steps that broadly apply to developing a Nutrient Management plan for any farm. Once a plan is developed, the next step, developing BMP's for fertilization, can be put in place. Let's take a look at developing a Nutrient Management Plan

Farm Nutrient Managment Plan Steps:

Assess the natural nutrient sources like soil reserves and legume contributions
Identify fields or areas within fields that require special nutrient management practices
Assess nutrient needs for each field by crop
Determine quantity of nutrients that will be available from organic sources, such as manure or industrial or municipal wastes
Allocate nutrients available from organic sources
Calculate the amount of commercial fertilizer needed for each field
Determine the ideal time and method of application
Select nutrient sources that will be most effective and convenient for your operation.

List taken from the Illinois Agronomy Handbook, Robert G. Hoeft. rhoeft@uiuc.edu

No matter what arable crop you are producing, the above steps are what you should be thinking about and serves as an excellent guideline in developing your overall high-level nutrient plans. For step one, the most effective method in making this assessment is soil sampling each field. Soil sampling will provide you with the detailed data you need to see what the pH, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) levels are in your field(s). So be sure you have developed a continuous soil sampling plan. Once you have a complete analysis, be sure to, as step 2 states, review any special requirements. These can be federal and state conservation regulations and livestock waste use. Now we are ready to determine the total amount of nutrients that are needed for your crop and once this is done, calculate the amount of commercial fertilizer that is required, being sure to take into account the nutrients that are already/will be available from the organic sources.

Now, you have a general plan that can be utilized company wide as a benchmark to work from. As you begin working through your nutrient management plan, there are other key drivers that will be integral in the process. Some of these are yield goals, soil composition, seed selection, tillage practices, and crop rotation. Each of these plays a part in your calculations.

Another key point to remember when working through your plan is that you are developing the framework and economics to begin precision, or site-specific agriculture. There are a multitude of studies and sources that show the benefits of adopting precision agriculture (lower input costs, increase yields, sustainability, and conservation) but nothing makes it more clear when you apply this thinking on your farm.

You will notice that I mentioned BMP's above. In the next posting in this series, I will cover BMP's for Nitrogen and Phosphorous.

So, what do you think about developing Nutrient Management plans on your farm? Worth the effort? Does it make good business sense and apply to your farm? Let us know.

You can find us here: ZedX

Growing Degree Days and their use in Agriculture

2010-05-20T16:11:00.001-04:00

As the growing season continues to move forward it is now time to start looking at some of the data that will be important when planning in-season activities. One of the data sets that all growers watch is Growing Degree Days (GDD), aka Heat Units.

GDD's the total amount of heat required, between the lower and upper thresholds, for an organism to develop from one point to another in its life cycle. Tracking this data assists in application timing and, more importantly maturity of the crop to determine harvest timing.

In a laboratory, calculating this value with a constant temperature is very straightforward; however, calculating this in nature with the myriad of temperature fluctuations is a bit more involved. This has led scientists to develop more than one method in obtaining the value of heat units. These are, from the simplest to most complex mathematically; single triangle, double triangle, single sine, double sine, and Huber's. There is a good post regarding these methods and calculations at the University of California IPM Site.

There are many uses outside of Agriculture for Heat Units, but we are going to focus on their use in farming.

Crop Development

As a producer it is important to follow the maturity of your crop as it reaches certain growth milestones. Activities such as application timing, scouting, logistics management, labor management, imagery acquisition, pest/disease management, and harvest timing depend, in large part, on the growth stage of the crop. As with all activities in agriculture, timing is everything. Let me say that again. Timing is everything. And many times once you are late, the value in accomplishing the task at hand decreases dramatically or has no value or just can't be done.

Hybrid Validation

Seed companies publish the maturity times of their hybrids but a few base the start date on emergence vs. planting date so it is good to keep track of this data yourself. In some cases their is no published data available so the best way to obtain this data is through your own data gathering.

Insect Pest Management

As with plants and other organisms, insects are dependent on temperature for their development so basing activities on calendar days is not always sufficient. GDD's should be used as a guide to your pest control actions.

Every farmer I know is interested in GDD data. The question is not the data itself but the most efficient way to obtain reliable, consistent, delivery of the data. As with many other businesses, time spent acquiring data comes at a cost. That cost could be the time spent at the PC researching the best place to get the data instead of actual farming activities or it could be the upfront capital cost of acquiring a weather station. Not to mention the installation and, more importantly, the maintenance cost of the hardware.

We at ZedX have spent many years accumulating gridded weather data sets from both public and private weather networks and put this data through a vigorous QA/QC process. We can also calculate GDD's using any methodology, from the basic on through to the most complicated.

This GDD data is delivered into your Inbox daily throughout the growing season.

The sign up process is quick and simple, taking just a few minutes.

What else do you use GDD's for? Let us know and join in the conversation.

Please contact Nate Taylor via phone at (814) 441-1867 or email at taylor@zedxinc.com for more details.

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Precision Farming Live Chat

2010-04-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

The below link is a short entry describing the upcoming live streaming chat on Twitter about Precision Agriculture called #agtech.

Take a moment to read and then join us this Friday April 30th, 2010 at 1200 Central Time.

Precision Pays

Got Weather Data?

2010-03-29T12:39:00.002-04:00

All of us in the business of agriculture know full well the phrase, "at the mercy of the elements"; aka weather

Especially farmers.

We also know full well that this major puzzle piece cannot be controlled and usually is the "one nail sticking up that hangs up your extension cord"; aka Murphy's Law.

And we all love Murphy until he becomes a "team member".

So what can we do to mitigate the risks associated with inclement weather?

Well, one approach, aside from crop insurance, is proactive management using high resolution forecast data.

Seems easy enough given that there are a myriad of weather data sources available. Just plug in your city or zip code and obtain a forecast and off you go. But the data you receive may not be representative of your farm and an incorrect decision can prove costly. We have all been there too; top dressing small grains in the hopes of having enough rain fall only not getting it thereby reducing yield and wasting your money, not protecting your crop from disease or insects in time causing yield loss and reduction in quality, not harvesting your crop and getting hit with rainfall, and a myriad of other scenarios that can dramatically drive your P&L the wrong direction.

But what if you could have site specific forecasted weather data emailed to you every morning based on the latitude and longitude of your location? What could you do with this data? Could you use it to plan out your farming activities to drive your P&L in the right direction?

Yes, you can.

This is just one of the data sets that the Skybit service provides and has been providing since 1992. This service has only grown more powerful over the years as ZedX has accumulated over 60+ years of gridded weather data direct from the NWS and private sources. The product is easy to use and can be used throughout your organization with ease.

Skybit Sample Report

Skybit has also been expanded over the years to cover disease and insect infestations for certain crops.

Skybit Wheat Disease Report

Above are just two examples of what the Skybit service provides. Skybit is easy to sign up for, requires no contractual obligations, and is fully automated. Here are the standard service offerings:

As you are planning your 2010 season, think about how accurate, timely, site-specific weather data can aid in your decision making. We can be reached virtually at ZedX, where you can review the suite of products and services we provide for the agricultural and energy sectors, or our sales group can be reached directly at (814) 441-1867. When contacting us, please let us know how you found us and be sure to mention this blog posting. Thanks for reading and your interest in ZedX, Inc.

Get in the Zone with Zone Maker

2010-03-24T07:00:00.005-04:00

Now that we have covered the backbone of AgFleet, Data Manager, let's dig into the Zone Maker module. The very first question you should be asking in terms of the Zone Maker module is why? Why create zones in my fields? The answer: Economics. Take a look at the field below. By creating these management zones you are able to reduce input costs, labor costs, as well as increase your bottom line.

The Zone Maker module is designed to create infield management zones of data sets. In this particular instance, I used a processed aerial image taken from one of the providers we work with. But the Zone Maker module can create zones from almost any agricultural related data set; Veris, Lab Analysis, SSURGO, Yield, and As-Applied). The process is quick and relatively simple to get from Analysis to Application. The Zone Maker module was designed so you could utilize the system to create and analyze the management zones in a timely manner, make a decision, and get out to the field. A good example of this versatility is the ability to get the zone data into the hands of the individuals working in the field:

Further utilizing the field above, you will see that I created 4 management zones. Each zone will have the acre size and range of values in each zone. Notice the radio buttons available: Export File, Save Zones, and To PDA. Each of these tools are there to aid in getting your data to the field. Whether you need to immediately create a VRT application file, need to save these zones as a benchmark for use later, or need to get these zones in the hands of your scouts so their efforts are more targeted allowing for increased capacity or decrease costs, it only takes a few mouse clicks to get from A-Z.

So how simple is it to actually create zones once my fields are in the system you ask? We made a document that covers this question. It is here. Please feel free to download and share the document.

Maybe you have started exploring strip-till and want to band your fertilizers (P&K) together on one pass. You can create zones based on multiple variable as is shown below:

In the sample above I had the system analyze the P&K values in the field and created 4 management zones. You can now create an application file, head out to the field and variable rate apply P and/or K.

What about controllers? Can I use my existing GSII, AgLeader, Raven, or Trimble? Yes you certainly can. The AgFleet system is equipment agnostic; meaning we support most OEM's equipment. Here is a snapshot of the currently supported file formats/equipment:

At the start of this post you were asked to think about the "why?" Did you remember that question while you were reading the "how" and "what?"

It is important to think in these terms: It's similar to what tools you put into your toolbox to accomplish your goals. Now more than ever P&L (profit & loss) responsibility is getting more difficult. The input costs surely aren't going to decrease enough to have a major impact. I suspect they will continue to increase. The farmers that I know are getting squeezed, if you will, from both sides, the inputs and the markets. One approach to take to alleviate some of this bi-directional pressure is to reduce costs. As shown above, the Zone Maker module can assist you in doing just that.

So whether you are fully into Precision Agriculture or just beginning to dabble, the very first item (well second after creating field boundaries) to accomplish is creating management zones in your fields. And remember, you can't manage what you don't measure.

Thanks again for reading and please visit us at ZedX, Inc or AgFleet for more information then give us a ring at (814) 441-1867and mention this posting. We are currently providing free demo accounts. Most importantly, this does not require a CD/DVD as AgFleet is a fully web-based system.

AgFleet Introduction_Data Manager Module

2010-02-16T12:54:00.001-05:00

Now that the 2009 #harvest season is behind us here in the United States, producers and #ag folks that support producers are feverishly planning for the upcoming 2010 season.

As every farmer knows full well, the 2010 season has basically begun, for some last summer! Field information is being tabulated and evaluated, yield history, crop rotation history, fertilization records, marketing information, financials, equipment performance, and overall farm information is, simultaneously, being "closed out" and "opened".

At ZedX we understand and appreciate the complex and inter-connected relationships that a farmer deals with day-in day-out. We strive to deliver value to the farmer first and foremost. All of us in the business of agriculture are successful when we help make the farmer successful. We take this mantra very seriously at ZedX and have leveraged this philosophy in the design of our products and services. There is a quantifiable value in our products and services that each participant in the agri-supply chain can benefit from.

In a series of posts, I will focus on our flagship product, AgFleet (www.agfleet.com). Agfleet has been in the marketplace since 1998 and has since grown to manage over 15 million acres throughout North America. It is a powerful decision-support system that was designed in consultation with growers, dealers, and consultants. It is the only fully web-based product of it's kind, and has been since it's inception. A web-based solution provides significant benefits to the user like:

Common Communication Platform
Anytime Anywhere Access
Standardization of data throughout the process
Real-time customer support
NO CD/DVD upgrades
Operation on multiple PC's without added cost and licenses

There are 10 distinct modules as shown in the diagram below

I will be writing a post on each distinct module over the coming weeks. This post will focus on the Data Manager module. It is the first module you will use and continually interface with throughout the growing season.

1.) Data Manager

"You can't manage what you don't measure." It may be an old management adage; however, it is more pertinent than ever. The suite of AgFleet modules allows you to measure your key activities so you can better manage your business. The Data Manager module is the backbone of AgFleet. This is where the user can set up grower/user profiles, manage various classes of data associated with production agriculture; from imagery, yield, as-applied, soil, lab analysis, weather, pests, irrigation, and Veris, and create farm related maps and reports.

Data Manager is fully GIS enabled (as is all other modules that benefit from GIS). There is a 2 click up-load process to ingest your existing field boundaries. AgFleet also has NAIP background imagery pre-loaded to allow a user to locate specific fields and manually draw boundaries. This allows for the ultimate in flexibility.

Once in the boundary editor, you can then perform multiple actions to suit your specific needs. Do you have pivots? No problem, there is a tool for that. Are you split planting a field? Easy enough to accomplish with the split polygon tool. Need to scout the field? Just click the To PDA radio button. Want to evaluate a certain hybrid? Spilt the polygon and manage a "field" within a field. All of this, with an intuitive interface so you can spend more time farming and running your business, and less time behind a PC.

The following screenshot details the available tools within the Data Manager module:

As can be seen above, a user can perform multiple tasks as appropriate based on their business. You can export boundary files and upload and process yield, EC, and as-applied files. These uploaded files can then be utilized within the system to create zones and prescription/application files in multiple controller formats; from GSII to Raven to AgLeader. These tools were developed with the idea that efficiencies and ease of use will allow a grower to spend more time "growing" and less time working on the PC.

The ultimate output of the Data Manager module are reports, also called Products.

The above screenshot details all the reports that are pre-loaded into the system. Each report comes with free customization to add your company information and logo.

As you get ready for the 2010 season, please take some time to review www.agfleet.com. Afterwards, please contact us at the below contact information.

We are providing free demo accounts with pre-loaded data in order to provide a "test-drive" of the service. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for further postings pertaining to each module. Next up will be the Zone Maker module.

Contact Information:

Nate Taylor

taylor@zedxinc.com

814-441-1867

When contacting us, please reference this posting to ensure we know where you found us as well as guarantee your free demo account access.