Dr. Beth Baker and I discuss the results of our field investigations on water quality improvements following adoption of cover crops with the host of Field Lab Earth, a podcast of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Farmers adopt conservation practices with the intention of achieving a specific conservation goal. In our study, that practice was winter cover crops coupled with reduced tillage, and the intention was to reduce surface water pollution. It was hypothesized that these conservation practices would reduce the amount of water and soil leaving the field during rain events, thereby reducing water pollution associated with soil and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that are carried by the water. Two years of data collection did not provide overwhelming evidence to support water quality improvements. This study supports the notion that conservation is a long-term strategy. Effective integration into conventional systems requires as much patience as it does adaptive management. More research is needed to understand the nuances of these practices in different types of farming situations such that farmers can optimize their placement and function.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University and the University of Kentucky. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2017-68008-26303.
June 16, 2023
Can we protect farmer privacy and still contribute to open science in agriculture research?
I contribute my thoughts and opinions on data privacy for on-farm research participants to a feature story in CSA News.
Scientists are under increased pressure to provide research data freely and openly to all interested parties as a means of furthering science. However, sharing of farm data collected from under the mantle of research can compromise the privacy of the collaborating farmer or landowner. De-identification of farm geospatial data is not sufficient to protect privacy, reducing likelihood of participation in research. This interaction creates a feedback loop that is currently be ignored, but must ultimately be addressed, by the agriculture research community.
Can artificial intelligence compensate for lower technology solutions?
I contribute to media coverage related to our study into application of artificial intelligence to images from a low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicle to simulate image data from higher-cost, more sophisticated technology.
Aerial imagery is a valuable component of precision agriculture, providing farmers with important information about crop health and yield. Multispectral cameras provide color maps that represent vegetation to help farmers monitor plant health and spot problem areas. However, these cameras cost at least $5,000, and still require a separate purchase of an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV). Conversely, a low-cost UAV costing around $1,500 and having an integrated camera can provide imagery that, when combined with artificial intelligence, can allow users to make comparable decisions about crop management.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University, the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, and Texas A&M University. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2018-67021-27668.
Do cover crops and reduced tillage increase soil and water conservation?
A short summary in CSA news of research on conservation farming systems in Mississippi.
In the U.S. Mid-South, some farmers voluntarily adopt practices to prevent runoff-driven nutrient and sediment pollution to surface waterbodies. One such practice is fallow-season cover crops, often done while also reducing tillage. The study suggests it is unlikely that adding these conservation practices will immediately reduce pollution in conventional production systems and highlights the need for more research to help farmers transition to these practices.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University and the University of Kentucky. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2017-68008-26303.
November 13, 2022
Using technology to improving grazing systems
Dr. Garrett Street and I discuss research on use of uncrewed aerial vehicles to detect forage quality in a story featured in MAFES Discovers.
This project is team focused on using uncrewed aerial vehicles and accelerometers to better understand forages. Specifically, the research aims to learn how forage quality and availability influence the long-term body quality and behavior of grazing animals, such as cattle, while remaining cost effective. This research Street has produced models predicting forage characteristics like total fiber, crude protein, and nitrogen, as well as maps giving fine-scale and accurate information about different aspects of forage quality that affect grazing systems. The products produced from this research will allow cattle producers to know how much forage is available in a pasture as well as the nutritional quality of that forage, decreasing the likelihood of overgrazing.
Strategies for planning fall stewardship in row crop systems
I join my long time collaborators, Dan Prevost of Southern Ag Consulting and Parker Frew from Delta FARM to discuss lesson learned from on-farm cover crop trials on the REACH webinar series.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University and the University of Kentucky. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2017-68008-26303.
July 26, 2021
How can we improve the usefulness of uncrewed aerial systems in agriculture?
Dr. Alex Thomasson and I discuss research to increase the capacity for decision making with uncrewed aerial vehicles in production agriculture in MAFES Discovers.
Uncrewed aerial systems can provide continuous streams of data, but once that data is produced, what happens next? Several obstacles stand in the way of producing actionable information from data generated through precision agriculture.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University, the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, and Texas A&M University. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2018-67021-27668.
I discuss our efforts to use uncrewed aerial vehicles to monitor soil erosion in research highlight featured in MAFES Discovers.
According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, the earth loses the equivalent of a soccer field of soil every five seconds, reducing crop yields in places by up to 50 percent. At the field level, lost soil productivity from erosion effects crop yields while off-site impacts include sedimentation and eutrophication-when the waterways receive too many nutrients resulting in the growth of algae. Low-cost uncrewed aerial systems open up the possibility to monitor soil loss with high temporal frequency and at low cost.
Can we shift to conservation production systems while maintaining farm profitability?
Drs. Beth Baker, Jordan Shockley, and I discuss the costs and benefits of integrating cover crops in Mississippi row crop production systems.
There are plenty of agronomic and economic factors to consider when producers decide to implement cover crops into their operation. In the world of cover crops, it is increasingly clear that there are many considerations a producer must weigh. At its base, a farm is a business. Therefore research must demonstrate that farms can maintain profitability while adopting conservation.
This project was a collaborative project between Mississippi State University and the University of Kentucky. It was funded by the USDA NIFA under award #2017-68008-26303.
December 1, 2019
How lost cost drones are a tool for conservation
I discuss use of uncrewed aerial systems for monitoring soil erosion at the 2018 Soil and Water Conservation Society conference.
Low-cost uncrewed aerial systems open up the possibility to monitor soil loss with high temporal frequency and at low cost. The highly visual nature of the output makes this an ideal tool for conservation technical service providers working with landowners to implement precision conservation.
I share my thoughts on why precision agriculture is conversation and how to get started on the REACH webinar series with host Dr. Beth Baker.
The goal of precision agriculture is to apply only the products that are needed. By its very nature, precision agriculture promotes conservation by reducing the over-application of chemical products in row crop systems. I share this and other thoughts about easy and inexpensive ways to begin applying precision to on the farm.
Do preemergence herbicides affect establishment of St. Augustinegrass?
Sharing results from graduate research conducted by Mississippi State University student, Amy Wilber, in Golf Course Management magazine.
Weed-infested areas are undesirable and require postemergence weed control, often achieved with herbicides. Although preemergence herbicides can prevent annual weed growth, they might hinder turfgrass establishment. There is limited research on the impact of preemergence herbicides on establishing St. Augustinegrass using plugs, as previous studies used sprigs or ribbons. Treatment effects on St. Augustinegrass establishment were assessed weekly during active growth following application of preemergence herbicides. The study revealed that prodiamine, pendimethalin and dithiopyr negatively impacted St. Augustinegrass establishment, even when used at recommended rates. Atrazine showed safety for desired turfgrasses, while S-metolachlor's effects were inconsistent.
Sharing my thoughts on two facets of agriculture with nebulous returns on investment with my colleague and friend Dr. Brian Arnall at Oklahoma State University on the Crop Science Podcast Show.
Most farmers can do the math on the costs, but savings and ecosystem services are not so easy to quantify. Moreover, adoption of both technology and conservation are heavily tied to the fit. If it doesn't make sense for the farming operation, it likely won't make cents for the farm!
