Topics in Precision Agriculture

ASM 301, SAS 301 or PLNT S 301
Winter 2001

Contact:  Dr. Newell Kitchen, 573.882-1135

This course is designed for upper-class students in agricultural and natural resource sciences.  Students can sign up for this course in one of three program areas:  Agricultural Systems Management (ASM), Soil Science (SAS), or Plant Science (PLNT S).

 Course overview:

Precision agriculture is an information-based management-intensive approach to farming. The philosophy of precision agriculture is to manage individual areas within a field. Today, technology has reached a level that allows farmers to measure, analyze, and deal with in-field variability that was known to exist, but was previously difficult to manage. Managing in-field variability relies on integrated technologies including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Remote Sensing, and Variable-Rate Technology.

Course will include:

• fundamentals of precision agriculture (concepts of variability, man-made vs. natural variability, yield limiting factors, scale)

• technology of precision agriculture (GPS, Yield monitoring systems, soil and crop sensing, ground vs. remote sensing, variable rate technology)

• data management and analysis (basic concepts of GIS, data storage, mapping methods)

• soil and landscape management options (fertility, productivity, remediation)

• crop management options (pest control, crop, variety, seeding)

• economic and environmental implications

• developing site specific management plans

Course objectives:

1.  Introduce precision agriculture concepts and systems
2.  Introduce and explain the terminology of precision agriculture
3.  Understand the systems approach to managing agricultural production

Prerequisites:  Recommended: Introduction to Soils (SAS 100 or PLNT S 100) and Plant Growth and Culture (PLNT S 110)

Registration:  

• to sign up for ASM 301 use  reference # 11850

• to sign up for SAS 301 use reference # 64185

• to sign up for PLNTS 301 use reference # 57585

Class Time:  Tuesday, Thursday   3:30 - 4:45 PM

Location:  107 Agricultural Engineering Bldg.

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