SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

The Potash & Phosphate Institute has developed a new series of Site-Specific Management Guidelines. This article begins a new series providing a look at selected guidelines. They were first unveiled at the InfoAg99 conference at Purdue University in August. There are a total of 29 guidelines written, with complete text available at:  http://www.farmresearch.com/SSMG/

The objective of the Site-Specific Management Guidelines series is to provide a mechanism to assemble expert knowledge in a timely fashion on site-specific management in a form useful to farmers and their advisers. Without such a mechanism, needless duplication and retracing of well-worn paths may slow progress.

Each Guideline addresses a specific issue related to site-specific soil and crop management. The loose-leaf format provides the flexibility needed to stay abreast of the dynamic knowledge base surrounding site-specific technologies. New Guidelines will be added in the future and old Guidelines will be updated as needed.

The Site-Specific Management Guidelines series is a team effort. South Dakota State University coordinates Guideline development, including the review process. The Potash & Phosphate Institute assists with coordination, provides editorial assistance, and publishes the series. The United Soybean Board and the Foundation for Agronomic Research are the financial sponsors of the initial volume.

Roger Brook
Adapted from foreward
to the SSMG series

SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
http://www.farmresearch.com/SSMG/

SSMG-3 Profitability of Site-Specific Farming - S.M. Swinton and J. Lowenberg-DeBoer
When is site-specific farming (SSF) profitable? What makes it profitable or not? This Guideline looks at both variable rate (VR) input applications and yield mapping. It shows basic budgeting methods to measure average profitability. Profitability results from nine field research studies showing that high-value crops give the biggest payoff to VR fertilizer application. Many yield map benefits come from whole-field improvements such as drainage, land leveling, windbreaks, and fencing. Remember that because SSF practices are site-specific, their profitability potential also will be site-specific.

SSMG-6 Global Positioning System Receivers - D. Pfost, W. Casady and K. Shannon
The global positioning system (GPS) and GPS receivers provide the means to determine position at locations anywhere on earth. Developed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and used for many civilian purposes, from fishing to flying, GPS has also made precision farming a reality. A typical configuration for on-farm agricultural applications includes a GPS receiver and antenna, a differential correction receiver and antenna, and cables to interface differentially-corrected (DGPS) data from the receiver to other electronic equipment such as a yield monitor or a variable rate controller. Accurate, automated position tracking with GPS receivers allows farmers and agricultural service providers to record geo-referenced data and to apply variable rates of inputs to smaller areas within larger fields. GPS can provide accurate position data when installed and operated properly, but can produce false readings under poor conditions. Few, if any, receivers provide accurate position estimates 100 percent of the time.