By Elizabeth Ripley
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Iowa State University and Michigan State University, is hosting a free virtual field day on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. CST.
The live discussion will feature Mike Castellano, ISU William T. Frankenberger professor in soil science; Liang Dong, director of the ISU Microelectronics Research Center and Vikram L. Dalal professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Xiaobo Tan, MSU research foundation professor and Richard M. Hong endowed chair in electrical and computer engineering.
Tile drainage is among the most important land use improvements for agriculture with systems installed in nearly 50% of Iowa’s cropland. Drained croplands produce a disproportionately large amount of grain compared to total croplands, but also deliver a disproportionately large amount of nitrate to downstream waterways. A new smart agricultural drainage system project is exploring the use of robotic and sensor technology to inform the need to balance the effects of drainage on productivity, profitability and environmental quality.
“Many farmers have drainage systems and they don’t know where and when nutrients are being lost from the field,” noted Castellano. “By deploying robots up the drainage system with inexpensive, high accuracy, high resolution sensors for nutrients and water flow, farmers can measure when, where and how much nutrients are being lost. This will allow famers to better manage fields at a precision scale to improve both productivity and environmental performance of the cropping system.”
Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.
Virtual field day access instructions
To participate in the live virtual field day at 1 p.m. CST on Dec. 19:
The field day will be recorded and archived on the ILF website so that it can be watched at any time.
Participants may be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit. Information about how to apply to receive the CEU will be provided at the end of the event. This virtual field day is supported by U.S. National Science Foundation award 2125484.
About Iowa Learning Farms
Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a culture of conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319) and GROWMARK, Inc.
Photo caption and credit: Liang Dong (left) and Mike Castellano, Iowa State University, are leading a smart agricultural drainage research project using new robotic and sensor technology. Photo by Iowa Learning Farms.
Source : iastate.edu