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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #214121
Title: Precision-Farming Technologies Used to Identify Land Energy Production Capability

Author
item Kitchen, Newell
item Sudduth, Kenneth - Ken
item MYERS, D. - UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2007
Publication Date: 11/4/2007
Citation: Kitchen, N. R., Sudduth, K. A., Myers, D. B. 2007. Precision-Farming Technologies Used to Identify Land Energy Production Capability [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting. Nov. 4-8, 2007, New Orleans, LA. 2007.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Production capacity of farm soils is generally known as a result of decades of recording harvest quantities on a field by field basis. With that general understanding, matching certain crops to certain soils can be viewed as a straight-forward suitability exercise. Yet now with the implementation of precision agriculture technologies and methods we can ask for within fields “what crop where and when?” Further, recent development in bio-energy markets has increased the complexity of productivity questions. As an example, fields deemed “marginal” and taken out of grain production (e.g., CRP) have or will shortly be considered again for farming. These farmlands often have significant areas described as “marginal” because of being poor yielding, environmental sensitive, or both. The objective of this analysis will to show how precision agricultural technologies can be used to target grain and biomass production strategies within fields. The claypan soil of Northeast Missouri will be used as a case-study to illustrate the principles to be presented.