By Ron Bates

Technological advances in farming can allow us to make quicker, better decisions. This can range from how much fertilizer to use to how many seeds we should plant in different regions of our fields. It also can drive our tractors in a straight line while remembering where those rows were planted when it comes time to harvest.

That’s a lot of technology. And it’s only a portion of what is available to farmers looking to make data-driven decisions to help increase yield and reduce production costs. Farmers who want to learn more about ag precision technology should attend this year’s Michigan State University Agriculture Innovation Day.

The free event begins at 8:30 a.m. July 26 at MSU Farms, 3750 N. College Road, Lansing, Mich. It has been approved for restricted-use pesticide credits and certified crop adviser continuing education units.

During the daylong event, farmers will learn how implementing technology on their operations can aid decision-making to improve yields, increase profit margins and reduce environmental effects.

Experts, scientists and researchers will tackle the most pressing technology issues facing farmers through breakout sessions and discuss how technology can help farm businesses improve sustainability and profitability.

This is the fourth year for Ag Innovation Day, but the first to be hosted at an MSU campus farm. The event provides an in-depth look at identified needs in the specific locale. Each year, the focus of the educational field day changes, providing farmers with a diverse set of research results on an annual basis.

This year’s edition has the theme, “Focus on Precision Technology That Pays.” The educational sessions will discuss topics that address newly completed research on remote sensing with drones, calibrating planters, variable-rate seeding prescriptions, yield monitor data and much more.

Each of the sessions will highlight specific technological aids that assist producers in addressing farm technology goals that improve their bottom lines. They include:

Smart Ag: Where Is It Going? This session explores the definition of “smart ag” and how every session featured during the 2019 Agriculture Innovation Day represents important components of smart technology use in production agriculture. Participants will learn how smart agriculture can improve production, boost the farm’s bottom line and help protect the environment. Farmers will leave with a better understanding of what components of smart ag are right for their farming operations.

There's an Ag App for That. With thousands of apps available for mobile devices that help manage nearly every aspect of an agricultural operation, farmers want to know which ones are worth their time. Eric Anderson and Monica Jean from MSU Extension will share recommendations on several useful, free apps, as well as fee-based ones available for both iOS and Android devices. There also will be a real-time demonstration of a field-based application.

Precision Soil Sampling: Every Farm Needs It! This session explores proper technology and protocol of soil sampling fields for precision agriculture. Dennis Pennington from MSU will show participants how accurate soil sampling and GPS equipment aid in assessing soil fertility levels, how grid size affects fertility maps and how fertility management zones help farmers follow soil fertility plans that allow for precise variable-rate applications of nutrients.

Remote Sensing to Develop a Prescription Map. Having timely aerial images from drones can help in day-to-day management decisions. However, the real opportunity with drones is to use multispectral images coupled with analytics to develop comprehensive prescriptions. Using images from drones, historical field yield maps and modeling can lead to broad-based prescriptions for seeding, fertilizer applications and more. Bruno Basso from MSU will show participants how all this comes together for use on the farm.

Planter Calibration: Seed Placement Pays. While advances in planter technology have given producers tools to improve seed placement, management still is key. This session looks at seed placement, discusses the fate of seeds not planted uniformly and presents steps producers can take to improve placement, yield and the bottom line. Bob Nielsen from Purdue University and Bruce MacKellar from MSU Extension will show participants the effect of plant spacing on crops recently emerging after wheat and crops planted in the spring.

The Art and Science of Writing a Variable-Rate Seeding Prescription. Precision GPS systems and variable-rate seeding planters give growers access to more data than ever, but knowing which data is needed to maximize profitability can be confusing. Participants will learn how to evaluate various data layers and explore which data layers should be used to create prescriptions.

Elizabeth Hawkins from Ohio State, Maninderpal Singh from MSU and Dave Cheney, Cheney Farms, Mason, Mich., will give live on-screen demonstrations creating management zones using various commercially available platforms and later show the results as they walk field demo plots planted to variable and fixed seeding rates to evaluate agronomic response to seeding rates.

Yield Monitor Data and Proper Calibration: A Four-Step Process. When yield monitor data is used to make management decisions, it is critical to identify high- and low-yielding areas of each field. Determining yield rates is not possible without proper calibration of the mass flow sensor, moisture sensor, distance measurement and vibration calibration of a yield monitor.

Presenters will demonstrate how yield monitors work and how to use them for developing accurate yield maps, especially when using them for variable-rate nutrient application, creation of management zones and other uses. Dennis Pennington from MSU will show participants how to calibrate a monitor at four flow rates and how improper calibration could overestimate or underestimate yield.

Feeding Crops with Sensor-Based Variable-Rate Nitrogen Technology. Variable-rate nitrogen application is a management approach for applying the correct amount of nitrogen in the right place based on spatial variability across the field. Real-time sensor-based VRA-N adjusts the application rate on the go, based on reflected light from crop foliage at sidedress time.

Tim Harrigan and Ricardo Costa from MSU and Blaine Baker, Bakerlad Farms, Clayton, Mich., will evaluate and compare the economics and effectiveness of on-farm, real-time VRA-N with single-rate applications based on grid soil sampling, crop yield potential, pre-sidedress nitrogen test results, in-field chlorophyll readings and other best practices.

Participants will have an opportunity to interact with the VRA technology, learn about the economics and accuracy of VRA-N versus single-rate applications, and take home practical recommendations for implementing VRA-N technologies.

Using the Michigan EnviroImpact Tool when Applying Manure. Manure is a good source of nutrients for crops, and it is important for farms to focus on ways to reuse this valuable resource for crop production. With better planning of manure nutrient applications, farmers can protect the environment and reduce the use of commercial fertilizers while saving money.

The Michigan EnviroImpact tool shows daily runoff risk across Michigan using National Weather Service data about precipitation, soil moisture, temperature and landscape characteristics. Erica Rogers from MSU Extension and Andrea Thorstensen and Dustin Goering from the NOAA National Weather Service will demonstrate how the tool works and how farmers can use this information as a decision-support tool to effectively plan manure application.

For information about Agriculture Innovation Day and for more detailed session descriptions, visit canr.msu.edu or contact Ron Bates at [email protected].

Bates is the Michigan State University Extension agriculture and agribusiness director.