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By Keyword “Precision Agriculture”

Soil Sampling for Precision Management of Crop Production

(B 1208) Read more

While site-specific soil sampling can improve field management, it must be accompanied by the conscientious collection and analysis of data. The new technologies that have elevated precision agriculture into the forefront of farm management cannot offset poor data collection and soil-testing techniques. Inaccurate data on soil properties will inevitably lead to improper management decisions. This bulletin addresses three primary factors that can affect the precision management of soil fertility: 1) collecting proper soil-sample cores and the consequences of improper soil sampling, 2) breaking the field into smaller management areas, and 3) differences in test results and recommended application rates between soil-test laboratories. A step-by-step procedure is then presented on how to use variabl e yield goals to develop field maps showing variable application rates of fertilizers and lime.
Application of Imaging Systems for Monitoring Poultry Well-being

(C 1256) Read more

In commercial poultry houses, bird density and distribution in drinking, feeding, and resting zones are critical factors for evaluating flock productivity, bird health, and well-being. Proper distribution of chickens in the house greatly influences animal well-being and house environmental management. Currently, routine daily inspection of broiler flock distribution in commercial grow-out houses is done manually, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. UGA poultry science researchers currently are developing an automated imaging system for monitoring floor distribution of chickens. Ongoing studies are focusing on detection of individual chickens with different gait scores in the research facility. It’s challenging to track individual birds with early health or welfare concerns using a computer vison-based method, but it is necessary and critical for producers to identify birds with well-being concerns and address those issues quickly.

GPS Guidance Options for Forage Systems
(B 1546) Read more

Some of the most widely adopted precision agriculture technologies include guidance systems that utilize a Global Positioning System (GPS). Although these technologies are most commonly utilized in row-crop agricultural systems, they also have many potential benefits in forage-based production systems. With so many different options to choose from, it can be a daunting task to determine which technologies are the best fit for a specific farming application and budget. When coupled with a differential GPS system (which are available in various levels of correction accuracy), the accuracy of these guidance systems can be greatly improved. The main goal of this bulletin is to cover the currently available GPS guidance options for forage production systems.

Using SpotOn® Digital Meter for Boom Sprayer Calibration
(C 1252) Read more

Boom sprayer calibration using conventional methods (catching flow for certain time or distance) for large (60-90 ft; 54-72 nozzles) boom sprayers can be a time-consuming process. This short publication outlines steps to take to verify nozzle output and calibrate a boom sprayer, including tables with useful information on flow rates at multiple speeds for two common nozzle spacings and an equation for calculating rates if needed.