Engineering Your Farm

In the episode we venture into the wet world of water quality and aquatic invasive plant removal with Tara Lordi, owner and COO of Weedoo Greenboat Inc. Tara discusses challenges to water quality due to pesticide applications and nutrient runoff and how removing excess vegetation can be a win-win for water quality and the environment. Learn more at weedooboats.com  

In this episode we chat with Nancy Vander Byl, North American Territory Manager for Core Cool Systems, about how to keep livestock cool and comfortable by managing airflow and humidity in barns. We discuss the importance of airspeed, evaporative cooling, and other factors for keeping animals comfortable to maximize productivity. You can learn more at corecoolsystems.com and https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/ 

Seed conditioning encompasses a critical and underappreciated set of processes and technologies to ensure that we have viable high-quality seed to plant. In this episode, we sit down with  Alan Gaul, a Seed Conditioning Specialist with the Seed Science Center at Iowa State University. The discussion covers both the history and current industry trends in seed conditioning, as well as some of the processes involved in conditioning seed. We also discuss the many educational opportunities and services  available through the Seed Science Center and Seed Lab at Iowa State University.  

Listen in as we discuss important planter maintenance items, planter setup in the field, how to assess your planter performance, and the pros and cons of high-speed planters. Our guest is Ryan Bergman, a  technical project specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. Check out https://www.abe.iastate.edu/ and https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/ for more information. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @r_w_bergman and also follow @ISU_ABE and @ISUCropNews.

In this episode we discuss spring manure application strategies, yield implications, and adjustments for dry weather and high fertilizer prices to help you maximize the value of spring applied manure. Our guests are Dr. Dan Andersen, associate professor in the Dept. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Extension manure management specialist,  and Kristina TeBockhorst, field agricultural engineer with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. For more information visit the Iowa Manure Management Action Group website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/immag/ and visit the ISU Extension Store for manure-related publications https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ 

Properly managing in-season nitrogen and cover crop applications can be both challenging and profitable. In this episode we sit down with Kent Cavender-Bares, co-founder and CEO of Rowbot Systems, to discuss their autonomous Rowbot technology for application of nitrogen and cover crops during the growing season. To learn more, go to Rowbot.com 

Listen in as we sit down with Jon Jackson, President and founder of Global Neighbor, a company that is pursuing a new weed control strategy called Directed Energy Floral Control. We discuss how directed energy technology works and how it could be implemented on the farm for both weed seed inactivation and control of growing vegetation. Check out g-neighbor.com to learn more. 

Join us as we dive into the exciting new field of conservation agronomy. In this episode we have a wide-ranging conversation with Ruth McCabe, conservation agronomist with Heartland Cooperative, and Zach Timm, conservation agronomist with Dubuque County Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District. We talk cover crops, edge-of-field conservation practices, getting funding for conservation, the future of conservation agronomy, and more.  Follow Ruth on Twitter @agronomistruth, Zach @ZachTimm4, and follow us @IAFieldAgEngrs. 

In this episode, guests Kristina TeBockhorst, field agricultural engineer, and Joel DeJong, field crops specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, join Brian Dougherty to discuss optimal timing for fall manure and commercial N applications. Application strategies, yield effects, and adjustments for dry weather and high fertilizer prices are among the topics discussed.     

Resources for more information:

Using Manure Nutrients for Crop Production: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/12874

Manure Monday: Manure Application and Timing: https://youtu.be/rKOGYBOfU5I

DNR Manure Application Separation Distances: DNR 113 Separation Distances for Land Application of Manure and DNR 117 High Quality Water Resources.

Manure Timing Impact on Yield: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/blog/brian-dougherty/early-fall-applied-manure-can-lead-corn-yield-loss 

Improving crop yields and water quality with manure management: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/blog/brian-dougherty/improving-crop-yields-and-water-quality-manure-management 

How to Sample Manure for Nutrient Analysis: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/5059 

Join us for a discussion with Jonathan Gill about the Hands Free Hectare and Hands Free Farm projects, which achieved a world first by farming a hectare of land (now 35 hectares) entirely autonomously. Jonathan is a robotics engineer with a research team at the National Centre for Precision Farming at Harper Adams University in Newport, United Kingdom. We discuss drone technology, the advantages and challenges of fully autonomous field operations, swarm technologies, and Jonathan's vision for the future of autonomous agriculture.  To learn more, visit handsfreehectare.com and handsfree.farm and follow Jonathan on Twitter @AgRobotJon and @FreeHectare.