A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 25, 1998
Young Farmers View Satellite Mapping Technology
(Continued from Page A 1)
operated on a laptop computer to
map, grid, take samples, and use
the information to apply variable
rates of lime and fertilizer where
necessary on fields.
The software, according to
Adams, can be programmed to
store information from 214 acres
down to 2-foot squares. Some
grids can be made into any size,
including five, 10. or even one acre
in size. However, gridding the
information about the soil to 2-
foot squares “is not cost effective,”
and that information from larger
blocks can be put to better, less
expensive use.
When Adams uses the GPS sys
tem to map a field, he first drives
around and uses the positioning
equipment to locate the bounda
ries. The system uses satellite sig
nals to coordinate position by lati
tude and longitude. However,
because the government restricts
the signal accuracy to only 60
yards, a “triangulation” method
using a Coast Guard FM signal
makes the plotting accurate down
to an area measuring 3-foot square.
Using the signals to generate a
grid system, soil samples are taken
from selected spots. Those sam
ples are analyzed by a private Vir
ginia lab. Information on the sam
ples are keyed into the computer
grid. Afterward, an entire “appli-
SUPER HEAVY STEELi
• Equipment storage & workshops
■ Hay and animal shelters
■ 100% made in USA.
SIZES AVAILABLE
2(25 x 40) 2(42 x7O)
3(30 x 50) 3(45 x 80)
2(40 x 64) 1(55 x 120)
cation map” can be plotted and
loaded into a variable rate applica
tor, which adjusts the amount of
lime and nutrients on fields.
Maps of phosphorous, potas
sium, and overall soil pH can be
laid in together to provide detail on
soil conditions and need for a parti
cular crop. Information about crop
history is necessary to get an accu
rate application picture, according
to Adams.
Using this information allows
custom applicators to. in Adams’
words, “write a prescription" for a
field, including the amount of
lime, phosphorous, and potash
necessary. In the future, as tech
nology improves, nitrogen “pre
scriptions” as well as micronutri
ent levels can be plotted and pre-
■MI
whyi
'(ran
»e
He
more
Bui
ings ha
janned
has
bas(
I Buil
las aid*
lings thi
lodfram
building needs-f-aeronafitical,
agricultural, commercial, industrial,
institutional, municipal, recreational, or
residential —Morton Buildings will design
and build the structure you desire. Morton
Buildings, building generations of trust.
scribed. Also, the technology
could eventually be used to help
calibrate the application of diffe
rent types of manure to soils.
Solanco Young Farmer Associ
ation members took turns in the
jeep Monday evening, following
the parameters of the field, watch
ing the location indicator on a lap
top in the jeep. The indicator was
made up of a ted dot on a laptop
computer screen that moved as the
jeep moved. The position indicator
worked with great accuracy.
Adams is able to key in certain
terrain features, including ground
hog holes, on the computer map.
The most challenging aspect of
collecting and storing data is to
“make all the computer equipment
work and interface correctly with
Penn
I Da
map
nl
I pit
inn
i mm
In Mo
ian9s
rton
'base
:ars,
built a
pustomi
ns. Thi
'enerati
custoi
ling Me
•’s undii
in mi
ton
puted It
to matti
counl
consti
iction,
ider
the data,” Adams said.
Adams, who has spoken to other
farmer organizations including the
Harford County Young Farmers, is
enthusiastic about the equipment
and what it can do to improve
yields for farmers.
Producers have the opportunity
to “save money and get better
yields by applying product in the
right areas,” he said. In areas
where the fertilizer or insecticide is
not necessary, it is not applied.
Many agree this “precision agri
culture” technique could go a long
way to improving farm
profitability.
The kind of work to help
improve soil profitability “needs to
be done by the fanner on the
ground,” said Adams. “It can’t be
done by someone sitting behind a
desk”
Many custom GPS maps can be
generated for a cost of about $8 an
acre, depending on what informa
tion the producer is looking for.
What makes the technology
interesting is that the grid informa
tion can be overlaid with harvest
data. The GPS system can be
rigged up to a combine or forage
cutter to provide a “field history"
of soil productivity, according to
Adams. The harvest data is accu
rate to less than 5 percent with
combines and to 10 percent with a
harvester and haymaker.
As more operators use the tech
nology, “it will become cost effec
tive,” Adams said.
The cost ofhaving GPS technol
(Turn to Page A2l)