MORE THAN A PRETTY PICTURE

Yield maps are often referred to as farmers’ report cards. Yet, those pictures can be too little, too late.

“As you go through the season, there could be things that pop up that need to be addressed immediately to reduce yield loss,” says John Gibson, a precision ag specialist with Crop Quest, Inc. “If you wait until the end of the season and look at a yield map, you won’t be able to fix anything until the following season.”

For the Kansas-based company, utilizing in-season field imagery is a proactive way to identify unfavorable situations before they do irreparable harm. “We use our program as a monitoring tool,” he says. “We look at it like crop insurance. It is good to have, but we hope we never see anything that causes us to have to fix an issue midseason.”

Crop Quest provides satellite imagery on every acre it has a crop service contract on and has grown from 30,000 unique acres to over 600,000 in the past three years. Last year alone, it processed and delivered over 3 million acres, with an average of five images per acre, of satellite imagery to its customers.

“It has been an education for our agronomists and growers,” says Gibson. “We are getting to the point where growers are starting to depend on the imagery for that full-field view.”

PICKING A PLATFORM

There are basically three platforms to collect imagery: satellite, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and a manned aircraft. Gibson says four questions should be asked when deciding on a source.  

1. What resolution will clearly show an issue in a field?

2. What will the image be used for?

3. Is timing critical?

4. What is the cost?

“Satellite imagery is the cheapest option and requires very little to get the images,” Gibson explains. “In most cases, the only advantage a UAV or airplane brings, in my opinion, is timing.”

AgPixel’s Kevin Price agrees that satellite imagery is much less expensive for mapping and monitoring large geographic areas. 

“There are many valuable applications for this imagery, but field-level work has many limitations that must be considered,” he notes.

Another challenge, Price points out, is the cloud cover problem and temporal resolution. 

“Landsat acquires imagery every 16 days, but if there is cloud cover over the area of interest, you have to wait another 16 days to see if it can capture a cloud-free image,” he says.

The Iowa-based company uses both UAV and manned aircraft systems to acquire, process, and analyze ag data. Working through dealers, images are often processed by the next business day. 

While Price admits there is a good use for each platform, the company favors a piloted plane.

“Manned aircraft is better suited for collecting imagery at near drone spatial resolution quality, but over many thousand acres. This is a more cost-effective platform that has many of the advantages of a drone,” explains

Price. “Our spatial resolution can be between ¼ inch and 12 inches, as opposed to 256 inches for satellite imagery.

“As people discover the advantages of using ultra-high resolution imagery for crop-management purposes and as the novelty of drones subsides, they will look to higher-quality imagery that can be collected and processed in a more cost-effective manner. Therefore, the use of small piloted aircraft will increase,” he says.

COST COMPARISON

The cost difference between each platform can be significant, especially if a company is packaging imagery with other products associated with the data. See the illustrations above as a general guide.

“Satellites have a different pricing model than UAVs and aerial. With satellites, you can pay a flat fee for the season to get every image that is taken of your field,” says Gibson.

“If, however, the agronomist finds something of concern, you must pay an additional 75¢ per acre for a georectified NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) map that can then be used for precision ag applications,” explains Price.

Aerial images and UAV images are typically on a pricing model that require a payment per acre per survey. “Our pricing is such that our dealers can quote the cost of flying and processing the data depending on what their costs might be. So it varies from 50¢ per acre for large acreage projects to $4 per acre for smaller ones,” says Price.

Whatever platform you settle on, both men agree what’s important is quality images and that the data is in a usable format. They say the image should be considered a clue rather than an answer.

“While in-season field imagery points out areas of variability, it’s the boots-on-the-ground walk to a specific location that reveals where the real story comes from,” Gibson says.

One of the biggest challenges, Price adds, is helping farmers understand how to interpret the images being gathered. The key to successfully utilizing imagery is partnering with an expert who can prescribe what is needed. 

“Everyone asks where the value is in imagery. It comes in working with an agronomist who understands a field and can diagnose an issue based on what is being seen in an image,” Price says. “This technology enables and strengthens the agronomist’s role in a farm operation.”

JUSTIFYING THE COST

Spending the money on this type of technology doesn’t come easy for some. 

“Two summers ago, I had a grower in Kansas who was paying for imagery on two fields right next to each other,” explains Gibson. “In a late-June image, we found a stress spot in the middle of one of his fields. At the time, there was no visible sign of stress on the corn.”

After investigating, the grower realized his well had dropped from 500 gpm to 400 gpm, and his nozzle package was blowing air in the first two towers. He was able to get a new nozzle package on the pivot to match his well output and get water to his corn in the inner two towers.  

“There was a yield difference in those two towers, but catching the problem early reduced the yield loss from what could have been a complete loss,” he says. “The grower was super pleased.”

However, he was not happy about paying for imagery on his second pivot because he never had an issue the entire season.  

“This is why having imagery as inexpensive as possible for monitoring problems is very important,” says Gibson. “Once an issue is found that can be addressed through a variable-rate application, you can run the numbers and see if it is economical to get a more timely or higher resolution image.”

Imagery is still considered a novelty for many growers who have not yet integrated it into their precision farming practices. 

“As you begin to realize the value and return on investment through trials, I believe it will evolve into a required practice,” says Price.

NEW APPS HELP BALANCE PRODUCTIVITY WITH CONSERVATION

The suite of Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) apps help farmers and land managers balance productivity with conservation. The apps identify and deliver information about specific soils to your smartphone, says Jeff Herrick, a soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

According to Herrick, LandPKS combines cloud computing, digital soil-mapping data, and the global positioning system (GPS) to provide information about the sustainable potential of land under current and future climates. It includes the LandInfo and LandCover modules and was developed by Herrick and his collaborators to help farmers and land managers tackle the unique challenges they face in feeding a growing population while still protecting the soil, water, and other natural resources.

The LandInfo module allows the user to collect soil- and site-specific topographic data. The LandCover module documents ground cover, vegetation height, plant density, and spatial patterns of vegetation affecting soil erosion. According to Herrick, the information will be stored in a centralized, open-access database and will become part of a data system that, in the future, will identify management options for sites having similar topography, soils, and climatic conditions.

The free app is available at LandPotential.org, the Google Playstore, and the iTunes App Store.

COW FERTILITY, SOIL HEALTH, AND COW EFFICIENCY HOT TOPICS AT CATTLEMEN’S COLLEGE

Here’s a peek at some of the hot topics featured at the Cattlemen’s College, the production seminars offered at the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention.

Cow fertility: This is one of the left-behind traits of the cattle industry, says Megan Rolf, an animal breeding professor at Kansas State University. While many cattle traits, such as daily gain and muscle quality, have benefited greatly from research, fertility traits like pregnancy rate and calving percentage have stayed fairly stagnant over many years. “What we need to do is find out how to get more cow pregnancies early in the breeding season, and then maintain more of them to term,” says Rolf.

With a growing database of genomic information on animals, she and colleagues at other colleges have a project that will use the power of data and computers to plan matings of cows and bulls to eliminate some that could have a lethal ending because of a recessive gene trait. That would enhance fertility – more cows that get bred stay bred. The cattle breed associations control most of this genetic data and will impact how soon this system makes its way to your ranch.

Soil health: Ranchers have probably spent less time studying their soils than crop farmers, but that may be changing – and it should. Steven Shafer represents a relatively new organization called the Soil Health Institute. He says that pasturelands behave a little like cover crops where there is something growing and covering the soil all the time. It’s been proven that this helps the soil retain water, carbon, and nutrients such as nitrogen. 

His colleague, Dennis Chessman from the NRCS, says there’s new evidence of the value of rotational grazing (vs. continuous) for rainwater infiltration. One test shows that in continuous grazing, it takes an inch of rainwater about 100 minutes to infiltrate the soil. In rotational grazing, because of enhanced soil structure, it only takes five minutes to infiltrate. “What happens above ground affects below ground,” says Chessman.

Genomics and animal health: A group of animal geneticists from around the country is conducting a study to find if there is a genetic connection to bovine respiratory disease (BRD), the biggest disease scourge to the beef industry. Alison Van Eenennaam of the University of California-Davis tells beef producers that 1.4% of feedlot cattle die before harvest, many of them of BRD. “That number hasn’t changed in 30 years,” she says. 

She thinks that finding a genetic solution – breeding for animals that have resistance to BRD – would be far superior and cheaper than treating with antibiotics, especially in light of consumer demands. Researchers developed objective measures of when an animal has BRD: rectal temperature, nasal discharge, cough, eye drainage, and head disposition. When they identify an animal with BRD, they find a penmate that is healthy and compare the pair’s genome. 

After doing that on thousands of animals at two cooperating feedlots, they see some patterns of certain genes and gene clusters that may predict which animals will get sick. They can correlate that back to specific bulls – some tend to sire BRD-resistant calves. 

“The heritability of BRD susceptibility is about 20%, so it’s 80% environmental,” Van Eenennaam says. “It’s not a bulletproof predictor, but you could breed cattle that are just a little less likely to get sick.” 

One encouraging fact is that the dairy industry has had some success using genetics to reduce mastitis, she says, as has the pork industry with PRRS. If we’re lucky, the genes that predict BRD susceptibility might be the same genes that also help on other diseases, and lead to faster-gaining cattle.

Cow efficiency: Dave Lalman, beef cattle Extension specialist at Oklahoma State University, says that when it comes to beef cow efficiency, we may be going after the wrong things. For instance, he says, some producers want to select cows that have greater milk production on the grounds that it will lead to higher weaning weights. But, he says, you can select cows for more milk than your environment actually can support. For instance, he says, average milk production of a beef cow might be about 17 pounds per day. You could emphasize selection on that trait and increase it to 30 pounds, but if your pastures won’t support that much production anyway, it won’t do anything for calf performance. 

“More milk is usually not the answer to more efficiency,” Lalman says.

Neither is bigger cows. He points to a study that says for every 100 pounds of cow weight, it costs you $40 extra per year to maintain her. But in terms of calf weaning weight, a 100-pound bigger cow gets somewhere between 4 and 15 pounds more calf weaning weight. 

“For the bigger cow, you spend $40 a year to get 15 pounds more calf, at most,” he says. “That doesn’t work.” Rather, he says, maybe you should go for a more moderate cow size that is easier and cheaper to maintain, and work on weaning weights in areas that are more economic.

SMITHFIELD LAUNCHES ANTIBIOTIC-FREE PORK LINE

Smithfield Foods has launched an antibiotic-free line of fresh pork products under its Pure Farms brand. The new product line meets the highest level of USDA standards with minimal processing and no antibiotics, steroids, hormones, or artificial ingredients, says the company.

The full line of products will be available in fresh pork cuts, ham cuts, and packaged pork cuts such as breakfast sausage and bacon in both retail stores and food service next week.

“The Pure Farms brand is ideal for families looking to enjoy the highest quality, antibiotic-free pork,” said Ken Sullivan, president and chief executive officer for Smithfield Foods. “We’re proud to provide our customers and consumers with a broader range of products to meet a variety of needs and preferences, including antibiotic-free.”

Smithfield is the largest pork producer and processor in the world and a leader in reporting use of antibiotics on farms. Smithfield has an internal antibiotics task force that supports the company’s commitment to industry-leading antibiotics initiatives.

3 BIG THINGS TODAY, MARCH 4

BEANS, CORN SLIGHTLY HIGHER OVERNIGHT; RFA'S DINNEEN CONFIDENT IN TRUMP'S MOVES.

1. SOYBEANS, GRAINS MODESTLY HIGHER ON CONCERNS OVER ARGENTINA RAIN

Soybeans and grains were modestly higher in overnight trading on growing concerns that persistent rainfall in Argentina will delay the country’s harvest.

More rain fell over the weekend in much of Argentina’s soybean- and corn-growing regions, according to Commodity Weather Group. As much as 4 inches fell, with about 70% of growing areas receiving rain, the forecaster said.

The excessive rainfall may alleviate some concerns about a global glut of soybeans and grains, if the start of Argentina’s harvest is delayed, analysts said.

Soybean futures for March delivery rose 3¢ to $10.29¼ a bushel overnight on the Chicago Board of Trade. Soy meal futures rose 20¢ to $337.60 a short ton, and soy oil gained 0.27¢ to 33.22¢ a pound.

Corn futures added 1½¢ to $3.70¾ a bushel in Chicago.

Wheat futures for March delivery gained 2½¢ to $4.52¼ a bushel. Kansas City wheat rose 1¼¢ to $4.53½ a bushel.

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2. RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION CEO DINNEEN CONFIDENT IN TRUMP

The head of the Renewable Fuels Association assured an audience at an industry show yesterday that he believes President Trump will keep campaign promises to support agriculture and ethanol and that his tough talk on trade will, at the end of the day, improve the U.S.'s position as a global exporter of agricultural products.

Analysts and farm groups have expressed concern that Trump’s tough stance with Mexico – saying he wanted to implement a 20% tax on goods imported from the country to help pay for a border wall and his suggestion that he would impose a 35% tax on wares from China – will hurt agriculture if those countries retaliate by putting in place their own tariffs. The president said at an August rally in Iowa that he would cut taxes for farmers, calling producers the "backbone" of the country. Indeed, in a letter to the ethanol industry on Tuesday, he said he “values the importance of renewable fuels to America’s economy and energy dependence.” 

RFA Chief Executive Bob Dinneen said he’s not worried about trade, as Trump is using his rhetoric as a negotiating tactic and that, at the end of the day, the position of the U.S. as an exporter of farm goods will be preserved or strengthened.

Dinneen told members of the National Ethanol Conference that while growers are still struggling to make a profit due to low crop prices and high input costs, ethanol has buoyed futures. U.S. growers last fall harvested 15.1 billion bushels of corn. Of that, 5.35 billion will be used to make ethanol, accounting for 37% of total use, according to the Department of Agriculture. That’s a shade under what will be used to feed livestock but more than double what is exported, USDA data show.

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3. LARGE STORM TRACKING FROM ROCKIES INTO PLAINS, MIDWEST

A massive winter storm watch is in effect for a stretch of land from western Wyoming all the way up to northern Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service.

“A strong upper-level trough of low pressure will track across the central Rockies today,” the NWS said in an early morning report. “As this emerges into the Plains tonight, rain will initially develop … (and) as colder air pushes into western and north-central Nebraska overnight into Thursday, rain will change to snow.”

Total accumulations of snow in the Sandhills and north-central Nebraska could reach as high as 15 inches, the agency said. Winds also will increase as the storm moves east.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Plains, a red-flag warning has been issued due to warm weather, strong winds, and low humidity.

Temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s to mid-80s in much of southwestern Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, according to the NWS. Humidity is expected to be extremely low, from 8% to 15%, and winds will gust to as high as 50 mph. Fires are not recommended.

HIGH PAVING COSTS MEAN MORE UNPAVED ROADS

Roughly one third of the U.S. road network – some 1.4 million miles – is unpaved, meaning those roads have a gravel or dirt surface, according to the Federal Highway Administration in 2012. The total may be rising slowly, says Stateline, which covers state government. Some 550 miles of paved road (the distance from Chicago to Kansas City) were converted to unpaved roads by counties and cities in 27 states in recent years.  

Gravel and other unpaved roads require more routine maintenance, but they are much cheaper to install or maintain than a paved road. Some 50 miles of pavement were recycled into gravel roads in three Iowa counties in 2013 and 2014, says Stateline, which cites an estimate by Allamakee County in northeastern Iowa, that resurfacing a paved road costs $100,000 a mile while conversion to gravel costs $5,000 per mile.

This article was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an independent, nonprofit news organization producing investigative reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health.