TechnologyDriven Research ISA’s Research Center for Farming Innovation develops and tests tools BY BETHANY BARATTA
Farmers rely on technology and research to be productive and profitable. Today, drones and satellites are giving farmers an unprecedented overview of crop health while ground-level sensors provide realtime data on the soil and climate. The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) Research Center for Farming Innovation is creating and testing various tools to assist farmers in making wellinformed decisions on everything from drainage management to conservation implementation. ISA President-Elect Jeff Jorgenson says investing checkoff dollars into testing of various tools makes a difference for farmers. “Finding tools that will work to make the operation more profitable and better for the environment is often time-consuming and expensive,” says Jorgenson, who farms near Sidney. “Having ISA engaged in developing and testing those tools helps find things that can work for your operation.” Here’s a snapshot of a few tools ISA Research is using and testing.
JEFF JORGENSON, ISA PRESIDENT-ELECT
Eyes in the Furrow SMARTFIRMER TOOL
How it works SCOTT NELSON
S
oil carbon or organic matter is a key factor in crop productivity. But capturing enough measurements of soil carbon to make meaningful decision zones for variable rate applications has been difficult and expensive. Technology is evolving to help researchers and agronomists gather more information about soil organic matter. Tools like Precision Planting’s SmartFirmer and Optic Mapper from Veris could make soil carbon measurements easier and more cost effective. If proven successful through various ISA Rsearch trials, the tool could save money in seed and fertilizer costs.
22 | MARCH 2020 | IASOYBEANS.COM
Photo-optic sensors ride along the soil on a planter or cart and take recordings every several seconds. The sensors pick up the color of the soil, which is related to the organic matter within the soil. The ideasis that the tool would provide improved decision zones for variable rate technology. ISA Director of Agronomy Scott Nelson says this photo-optic sensing is new technology, but we are just now beginning to figure out what insight the data provides and how to use this sensing in a practical way. “We think good, dense reads of soil carbon could improve our decision zones for prescriptions,” he says. The SmartFirmer tool measures temperature, moisture, soil carbon and residue in the seed furrow.
Precision Planting says farmers set up a rate for a given range of organic matter, and as the sensors identify different soil carbon levels in the field, it will prompt the planter to change rates automatically. The ISA research team is using the soil carbon sensor technology in its field trials to test its accuracy. If the technology shows promise, it could have real benefits to farmers, Nelson says. “If you get your prescriptions right, it can be $25 an acre in savings or a yield increase,” he says. “But the problem is we don’t always get the prescriptions right because we don’t have good quality data.” Nelson says the ISA Research team is looking for farmers to test the soil sensor technology in their fields.
For more information on the SmartFirmer tool, contact Nelson at snelson@iasoybeans.com or 515-334-1055.
