Agriculture & Precision Agriculture

There is growing demand for improved information on agricultural systems and the impacts of management practices. This demand has become amplified with increasing pressures of climate change, population growth, and environmental quality. Many AGS projects center on assessing the impacts of agricultural management practices to create improved adaptation strategies and identify more efficient farm productions methods. Precision Agriculture (PA) is also part of this application theme that integrates a number of technologies (remote sensing, yield monitors, soil instruments, GPS, etc.) that allow farmers to optimize management strategies. Information acquired through precision agriculture (PA) can then be used to tailor the production of crops according to the characteristics of the farm, expectations of its performance, and desired goals in terms of both yield and quality.

Example Agriculture Projects include:

• Assessing carbon (C) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts associated with alternative management practices; nutrient biogeochemical cycling related to irrigation, fertilization, tillage, and cover crops
• Mapping tillage practices and rotations over large regions and over time
• Development of web-GIS tools to provide scenarios for farm management crop production and GHG reductions