Category: Industry News

New research suggests riparian buffer strips could be installed in even more places, boosting their impact by pulling nutrients from farmland waterflow

A new study suggests we may have more opportunities to protect our waterways. That’s because one system for keeping too many nutrients out of streams could be used more widely than it is now.

Known as saturated riparian buffer strips, the system slows down and redirects water coming off farm fields. Water passes through a strip of land planted with native plants (the buffer). The technique allows more nitrogen to get absorbed by plants or turn into nitrogen in the air. The system is affordable and fairly simple, and it can remove up to 92% of nitrate, a form of nitrogen.

Without edge-of-field technologies like buffer strips, farmland often spills excess nutrients from fertilizers into nearby streams. Those nutrients degrade water quality and can kill wildlife. But one effective way to reduce the spread of nutrients is a special buffer between crops and streams.

The new study discovered that these buffers could be installed in more places than previously thought. By expanding the sites where the buffers are placed, farmers could protect more of their local streams. “Limiting nutrient transport off of fields and into waterbodies prevents overgrowth of harmful algae and protects in-stream ecosystems,” says Loulou Dickey, researcher at Iowa State University, who led the research.

The study was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Quality, a publication of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Current guidelines limit where the riparian buffers should be installed. One big concern is that the redirected flow of water will weaken the streambank. If the streambank erodes and falls into the stream, it hurts water quality and damages the land. The buffers are limited to banks that are not too tall, in hopes this protects the banks from damage.

Dickey’s team tested the assumption about bank height. They also looked at how adding in a new riparian buffer affected streambank stability. They combined real-world data collection with models of hundreds of possible scenarios. “We wanted to help practitioners and designers to make determinations about site suitability in the future,” says Dickey. “Therefore, we needed to include a wide range of possible site conditions.”

The team found that most streambanks turned out fine once the farmer added a new riparian buffer. Only in about three percent of the scenarios did the new water’s flow through the soil endanger the stability of the bank. The conditions where the bank failed included sandy soils that didn’t hold together very well and riparian buffers that were less than six feet wide Those situations are unlikely to happen in the real world, says Dickey.

The biggest predictor of a failing streambank was one that was already unstable. “If the streambank is already failing, it is likely to continue to do so, but if the bank is relatively stable, it will likely remain stable even with saturated riparian buffer flow,” Dickey says.

The height of the streambank also didn’t predict the future stability. Instead, a bank that was too steep was more likely to fail. Steep streambanks have always been at risk of erosion. The takeaway is that many sites that used to be off limits could be good candidates for new riparian buffers.

“I hope our work will give farmers and landowners the confidence to install more saturated riparian buffer strips,” says Dickey. “I also hope farmers know how grateful we are to have the opportunity to study these practices because of their support.”

Expanding the use of the saturated riparian buffer could give farmers a straightforward and cost-effective way to protect their land’s water quality. That’s a boon for the farmer – and for everyone downstream.

This work was supported by Iowa NRCS grant no. NR186114XXXXG006 from the USDA. Loulou Dickey was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant no. DGE-1828942 during work on this research.

GROWMARK, Inc. is now the sole owner and operator of AgriVisor, LLC, a full-service agricultural risk management and marketing services firm. This comes after GROWMARK purchased Illinois Agricultural Association’s ownership interest in AgriVisor on December 30, 2021.

AgriVisor delivers in-depth market analysis and recommendations to more than 1,000 producers across North America. Using extensive relationships with grain elevators, farm insurance brokerages, farm bureaus, ag research firms and other ag advisory firms to stay ahead of industry trends, AgriVisor leverages collective buying power and pricing strategies on crop insurance and other innovative services such as its Crossover Solutions. 

More information about AgriVisor’s services can be found at AgriVisor.com.

Learn the basics of farm recordkeeping, taking sales online, and paying employees from experts and experienced farmers.
Accurate and up-to-date financial records are essential to any growing business, but are especially important to farms and agricultural businesses. Without a good recordkeeping system in place, decisions will be made based on hunches, not reality. Successful farm-centric grant applications must start with a solid set of numbers that can be at your fingertips…if you start now!
Join us online (via Zoom) on Thursday evenings in February 2022 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm to learn the ins and outs of setting up a solid recordkeeping system as well as other farm number-crunching topics. Can’t make a session? No problem! All sessions are being recorded and made available for later viewing to everyone registered.

February 3 – Farm Bookkeeping Basics
Starting or expanding a farm business doesn’t need to be complicated or intimidating. Learn the basics of setting up an accounting system that works for you. Covered topics include choosing a legal entity, paper or e-books, basic profit and loss statements, and developing a recordkeeping system.

February 10 – Online Sales
For many small farms, e-commerce has become an excellent way to connect with customers and sell product. With so many e-store choices already available, and new ones coming out all the time, it can seem overwhelming to find one that suits your farm best. Learn a bit about what’s out there and the possibilities for integration with financial software.  In addition, you’ll hear from farms that use different platforms and methods to e-connect with customers including via food hubs.

February 17 – Paying Employees
Adding employees to your farm means it’s growing. But it also means adding a lot of paperwork as well. Learn what is involved with managing payroll records and all the federal, state, and local filing requirements. Should you do it yourself or pay a service? In addition, you’ll hear from local farmers how they find and retain good employees.

February 24 – Financial Statements, Cash Flow, & Loan Readiness
What is a balance sheet? Owner’s equity? Where does cash flow and why should you care? For long term success and survival, every farm business needs to understand these concepts and more. The more you know and understand about basic number crunching, the more likely you’ll be able to see when a change is necessary,  before it’s too late. Gain the knowledge needed to talk with loan officers and put your farm in the best position possible to secure additional funding.

Series educators include Jocelyn Campbell, a Puget Sound-based farm bookkeeping professional; Neil Subhash, farmer and Farm Business Support Specialist at Business Impact NW along with other experts in the field of farm number-crunching and farmer-led panel discussions.

Take one, two or all four! Cost for the four-week series is $15 or $5 for a single class. Visit FarmingByTheNumbers.eventbrite.com to register. For more information on the series, contact Kate Ryan, kate.ryan@wsu.edu, (425) 357-6024.

Sponsored by WSU Snohomish County Extension, Business Impact Northwest, Snohomish Conservation District, and SnoValley Tilth.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)  announced in the Federal Register that the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is organizing the meeting, which is open to the public.

The committee will meet via webinar from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Register in advance for this webinar

By Michael A. Metiva and Zachary D. Hayden, Michigan State University

On the irrigated, sandy soils of west Michigan, nitrogen (N) management strategies for processing carrots must balance potential losses in yield and quality against the risks of N loss to the environment and high root nitrates at harvest. As a result, many growers utilize multiple topdress N applications throughout the season to “spoon-feed” N to their crops. Labor-intensive petiole sap nitrate sampling is often used to assess when and how much topdress N is needed in a particular field and year.

While petiole sap nitrate testing using handheld meters has the advantages of relatively straightforward sampling and rapid readings to assess plant N, it also suffers from high labor requirements to collect and process the petiole samples, small sample size in the field, high data variability and uncertainty about the accuracy of published thresholds for triggering N applications across different carrot varieties and soils.

As part of a larger experiment in 2019 and 2020 investigating optimal N fertilizer management in processing carrots, we evaluated the pros and cons of newer drone technology as an alternative to petiole nitrate testing for managing topdress decision making.

Experiment Details

In April of both study years, carrots (cultivar Cupar) were planted in sandy, irrigated commercial production fields with 26 lb/ac of starter N; carrots were subsequently harvested in October. Treatments included four season-total N fertilizer rates (26 [starter only], 60, 120 and 180 lb/ac N) in conjunction with two topdressing strategies (single frontloaded topdress in July vs. three split applications in July, August and September). Additional treatments looked at the timing of split applications for the recommended 120 lb/ac N rate, moving split applications either two weeks earlier or later.

Every two weeks starting in early June, we sampled petioles from each experimental plot and tested sap nitrate levels. We also flew a small quadcopter carrying both a standard RGB digital camera and an additional, more expensive multispectral camera (Micasense RedEdge MX). Drone imagery was then used to calculate vegetation indices (VIs) related to plant N status for each plot (Fig. 1).

Topdress N treatments created variability in the N status and yield of carrots over time, allowing us to try to detect differences using both petiole sap nitrate testing and drone imagery.

Drones vs. Petiole Nitrate Testing: Correlations with Yield

If a measurement of N status is finding meaningful differences, those differences should be reflected in final yield. Fig. 2 shows that drone-based vegetation indices from either the drone’s normal digital camera (Green Leaf Index [GLI]) or the added multispectral camera (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index [NDVI]) were both more strongly correlated with yield than petiole sap nitrate testing. This was especially true from mid-August to mid-September in 2019 when the strength of the correlations exceeded 50 percent, meaning over half of the variation in yield could be explained by information the vegetation indices were picking up.

Along with fewer yield differences overall, correlations were lower in 2020, where no N status metrics explained more than 20 to 30 percent of the yield variation on any date. Still, drone indices did as well as or better than petiole nitrate.

Guiding Topdress Application Decisions

The idea behind both petiole sap nitrate testing and drone-based vegetation indices is to apply N when the crop’s N status (as measured by these tools) drops below a certain threshold. For petiole sap nitrate, different thresholds have been published from university research, though concerns remain that these values may be specific to a given variety or region.

Drone-based decision making relies on a different “sufficiency index” approach, which requires comparing vegetation index values to a high-N reference area within the field that represents adequate N fertilization. Normalizing VI values using this in-field reference transforms the vegetation indices into “sufficiency indices” (SIs) which measure how close other areas look to the high-N reference. Making topdress decisions requires both establishing appropriate reference areas and deciding on a threshold relative to the reference below which topdresses should be applied. 

Using SIs has the advantage of capturing N status differences independent of variations due to variety, disease, growth stage or other factors accounted for by comparison with the reference area. However, more research is needed to evaluate the optimal reference treatments and threshold values to use in carrots.

In this trial, an analysis using our high-N, frontloaded topdress treatment as the reference area and a threshold value of approximately 1 (apply a topdress if a given area looks “worse” than the reference) found that drone-based SIs recommended topdress applications about 25 to 35 percent less often, on average, than petiole nitrate testing, with the potential to reduce N costs and pollution from wasted N.

Practical Considerations

Drone-based SIs show promise relative to petiole nitrate testing for topdress decision support. In particular, drones may offer greater accuracy, larger sampling areas, fewer labor hours, and more interpretable, frequent and multi-purpose information on crop status. The accessibility of these advantages may well increase over time through improvements in drone or satellite technology and greater speed and availability of image processing services.

However, maintaining appropriate high-N reference areas adds additional management complexity, and the additional time and expertise required to fly the drone and process the imagery likely necessitates use of a service provider for all but the most tech-savvy growers. Upfront costs for a drone and software are also generally higher than for a handheld nitrate meter (in our case, approximately $1,500 for the drone and $2,000 for the software versus $400 for a nitrate meter). The addition of the multispectral camera to the drone cost nearly $6,000 more, but our similar results for both cameras suggest this extra cost may be unnecessary.

More research is needed to test drone-based adaptive N management for carrots at field scale and identify tradeoffs as the farming technology landscape continues to evolve. Still, our research shows promise for using drones in carrot nitrogen management.

The Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder targets one of farming’s most significant challenges: weeds. By leveraging computer vision and laser technology, Carbon Robotics delivers chemical-free, no-till weed control for specialty crops. The LaserWeeder utilizes thermal energy from industrial lasers to eradicate weeds at the meristem without harming valuable crops or disturbing soil.

Laser weeding is a high-precision solution that improves crop yield, reduces farming costs, and creates sustainable paths for regenerative and organic farming. A single LaserWeeder can weed 15 to 20 acres per day and eliminate up to 100,000 weeds per hour.

Carbon Robotics’ 2021 models are sold out, but new models for the 2022 growing season are available for pre-order.

Visit carbonrobotics.com.

Key Technology has introduced its VERYX 2.0 line of digital sorters suitable for carrots. The machines feature a new mechanical layout, next-generation LED illumination, enhanced laser scanner technology and new powerful software driven by artificial intelligence. VERYX 2.0 eases use, reduces operating costs, and improves the accuracy of foreign material and defect removal to optimize product quality and maximize yield, according to the company.
The product line includes belt- and chute-fed sorters of various sizes, configurable to address a range of product applications and production capacities. The sorters can be equipped with cameras, laser sensors and/or hyperspectral imaging technology to identify the color, size, shape, structural composition and biological properties of each object. 
Visit www.key.net.

Megan Clark of Grand Mound, Iowa has been named the national winner of the 2022 GROWMARK essay contest for FFA members. The theme of this year’s contest was “What, in your opinion, has changed for the better in the agricultural industry as a result of the pandemic?”

Clark is a student at Central DeWitt High School and a member of the DeWitt Central FFA Chapter. Her FFA advisor is Amy Grantz. She will receive a $1000 award from GROWMARK, and the DeWitt Central FFA will receive $750.

In her essay, Clark said: “While other sectors in the country found themselves at a standstill, agriculturalists continued to thrive and emerged from the pandemic with new business opportunities and a stronger public image. Forever the optimist, farmers pushed back against adversity and found new ways to grow.”

Four runners-up were also selected. They each receive $500 and their FFA chapters receive $300. They are, in alphabetical order:

     •   Liz Elam, of Clovis, New Mexico. She is a member of the Texico FFA Chapter and a student at Texico High School. Her FFA advisor is Chris Flanagan.

     •   Kylie Oakland, of Elgin, Iowa. She is a member of the North Fayette Valley FFA Chapter and a student at North Fayette Valley High School. Her FFA advisor is Ryan Holthaus.

     •   Sidney Stiers, of Williamsfield, Illinois. She is a member of the Williamsfield FFA Chapter and a student at Williamsfield High School. Her FFA advisor is Kent Rigg.

     •   Makenna Stundebeck, of Salisbury, Missouri. She is a member of the Salisbury FFA Chapter and a student at Salisbury High School. Her FFA advisor is Breanne Brammer.

This is the 29th year for the program, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders, to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues in agriculture, and understand the unique role of cooperatives.

Vive Crop Protection has been selected as the “Crop Protection Solution of the Year” in the 2021 AgTech Breakthrough Awards.
Vive Crop Protection has created six new fungicide and insecticide products using trusted active ingredients with its patented nano-polymer Allosperse Delivery System technology. Allosperse allows previously incompatible products to be mixed with liquid fertilizer and other crop inputs and applied in one application.

“Developing novel active ingredients can take decades and cost millions of dollars,” said Bryan Vaughn, managing director of AgTech Breakthrough Awards. “Vive Crop Protection has put its focus on making existing active ingredients more efficient and able to be applied differently, allowing growers to use proven active ingredients in new ways to create on-farm efficiency and value. This includes both biological and chemical active ingredients, which Vive can easily deliver in the same jug.”

Sakata Seed America has officially signed an agreement finalizing the sale of its carrot breeding program to long-standing corporate partner, Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc., or IFSI. IFSI is an independent company delivering leading research, product development, licensing, and production for the seed industry’s sweet corn and field crops, and has partnered with Sakata Seed Corporation for many years on a number of crop breeding and production programs.

“IFSI is a long-time partner and friend of Sakata. We align well on our respective company’s ethos and values, including a strong commitment to quality, service, and our customers. We are confident that IFSI will take this program to new heights, and we’re proud to support IFSI and the program’s success through joint marketing and logistics efforts,” stated John Nelson, Executive Vice President of Sakata Seed America.

Effective immediately, IFSI will integrate the Sakata carrot program into day-to-day operations, including fulfillment of existing and future orders for domestic and international business.

“The IFSI team is committed to delivering world-class genetics and the acquisition of the Sakata Seed America carrot program is another forward step in fulfilling this mission. We are excited to collaboratively grow and expand on existing carrot genetics and provide a comprehensive portfolio to the market, including Nantes, Cut and Peel and Fresh/Cello categories,” said Clinton Naugle, CEO of IFSI.

The combined goal of the Sakata Seed America and IFSI partnership is to ensure market excellence for the supply chain, growers, distributors and, ultimately, end consumers. Sakata will assist IFSI in research, as well as sales, logistics, and production efforts for current and future carrot genetics.