precision ag in oklahoma wheat production

Precision Ag in Oklahoma Wheat Production

By Brennan Leighton

The early days

• Conventional till• Plow the prairie • Drought = Crop Failure • Bare soil + wind = Dust Bowl

No till

• Made possible by the invention of herbicides• Weed control in fallow system • Weedseeker • GPS, GIS, Auto steer, Overlapping swath

control

Soil testing• Composite 15-20 six inch cores mixed together per

management zone• Send to SWFAL• Correct Ph with lime• Fertilize P and K according to % sufficiency• Nitrogen need is determined by expected yield • Apply ½ Nitrogen pre-plant and ½ to be determined mid

season using Greenseeker and N rich strip or N ramp • Can use Veris rig to map soil EC, moisture content, and

soil texture.

How much N to apply on N rich strip?Grain Yield (Bu/ac) N Rich Strip (lbs/ac actual N)

20 50

30 75

40 100

50 125

60 150

70 175

• N Ramp

Nitrogen Rich Strip

Sensor-Based Nitrogen Rate Calculator

• http://www.soiltesting.okstate.edu/SBNRC/SBNRC.php

• Can also be used for predicting yield, profit, loss

GreenSeeker on the History Channel

• http://nue.okstate.edu/GreenSeeker_Results.htm

Precision seedingP2070 Precision Hoe Drill

• Covers 70 feet

• Can adjust individual openers seeding depth by 1/8in increments from 0-2in

• Can monitor down pressure• Can maintain fertilizer/seed separation 1 7/8 inch lateral

separation and 7/8 in vertical separation with dual shoot openers

Seed variety

• Hybrid seed varietys can be very important for maximum yields and drought tolerance

Combine technologies

• Auto steer • GPS, GIS• Yield monitors – Mass flow sensors– Moisture sensors– GPS– Ground speed sensor– Programmed harvest width

Yield maps

Questions?