Production and Conservation Outcomes of a Decade-Long Field-Scale Precision Agriculture System.

Evaluation of site-specific crop management has often considered only a single management practice at a time.  Research is needed that simultaneously considers economic and environmental objectives in crop production.  From over a decade (1993-2003) of yield and soil mapping and water quality assessment, a multi-faceted, “precision agriculture system” (PAS) was developed and initiated in 2004 on a 36-ha field in Central Missouri. The PAS assessment was accomplished by comparing it to the previous decade of conventional management. The employed PAS plan takes advantage of targeted management that addresses crop production and environmental issues. For example, corn was grown in field areas where depth to the argillic horizon was shallow and not profitable during the first decade. These same areas were more vulnerable to runoff generation and herbicide and nutrient losses. The portion of the field characterized as such was planted in a wheat-soybean rotation, with a cover crop before soybean. Cover crops were also used in the other portions of the field cropped as corn-soybean.  Sediment loss with PAS has been reduced about 80% compared to pre-PAS years. Profitability analysis will be presented.