By Katie Nichols

As farmers prepare for the upcoming growing seasons, the dawning of a new year is a reminder of the new things to come. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is planning two precision agriculture workshops in February. These workshops are designed to provide support to farmers as they implement precision agriculture technologies to strengthen preplanting, in-season and harvest management strategies.

Brenda Ortiz, an Alabama Extension precision agriculture specialist, said the topics for each workshop were identified in collaboration with precision agriculture service providers in Alabama, as well as regional Extension agents that frequently interact with farmers and consultants.

Workshop Dates and Locations

The precision agriculture workshops will be held at two locations during February.

• Feb. 8 — Athens State University, Athens, Alabama
• Feb. 28 — Eastgate Park, Dothan, Alabama

Each workshop is free and lunch is included, but registration is required. Continuing education units (CEUs) will also be available for attendees.

Workshop Topics

While there will be some topic overlap at both workshops, Ortiz said each precision agriculture workshop is tailored to the farmers in the area.

Feb. 8 Topics

• Precision Agriculture Economics and Decision Making – Beyond Profitability
  • Jordan M. Shockley – University of Kentucky
• Irrigation Scheduling and Impact on Nitrogen Update
  • Drew Gholson – Mississippi State University
• Use of Drones in Farming
  • Jason de Koff – Tennessee State University
• The Nuts and Bolts of Fertigation
  • Calvin Perry – Retired Superintendent of Irrigation Park at University of Georgia
• Crop Growth and Yield Impacts of Novel Technologies on Planters
  • Mike Mulvaney – Mississippi State University
  • Brenda Ortiz – Auburn University
• Variable Rate Shedding on Cotton
  • Michael T. Plumblee – Clemson University
• Tools for Data Analysis of Precision Agriculture Technologies
  • John Deere and Climate View
• Technologies for In-season Crop Management
  • Vantage South and TriGreen
• Getting the Most out of the Chicken Litter Application: Best Management Strategies
  • Kent Stanford and Rishi Prasad – Auburn University and Alabama Extension
• N-Time: Image-Based Nitrogen Management Designed for Fertigation
  • Jackson Stansell and James Herrick – Sentinel Fertigation

Feb. 28 Topics

• How Choice of Soil Sampling Strategy Impacts Application Accuracy and Economics of Site-Specific Nutrient Management in Row Crops
  • Simerjeet Virk – University of Georgia
  • Brenda Ortiz – Auburn University
• The Nuts and Bolts of Fertigation
  • Calvin Perry – Retired Superintendent of Irrigation Park at University of Georgia
• Best Irrigation Management Strategies on Cotton and Peanut
  • Wesley Porter – University of Georgia
  • Brenda Ortiz – Auburn University
• Drone Spraying for Agriculture
  • Steve Li – Auburn University
• Florida STEP Program: A Strategy to Increasing Adoption of Technology and Science-based BMPs
  • Vivek Sharma – University of Florida
• Updates on Peanut Yield Monitoring
  • Yin Bao – Auburn University
  • Bennie Branch – President of KMC
• Tools for Data Analysis of Precision Agriculture Technologies
  • GreenPoint, John Deere, Climate View and Nutrient
• Modern Technologies on Planters Can Support Better Crop Growth and Contribute to Yield Increase
  • Simerjeet Virk – University of Georgia
  • Brenda Ortiz – Auburn University
• Regional Evaluation of John Deere Onboard Module Weighing System
  • Wesley Porter – University of Georgia
• Use of Satellite and Drone Images and Artificial Intelligence to Predict Within-Field Variability of Peanut Maturity and Yield
  • Mailson Freire de Oliveira – Auburn University
• Technologies for In-season Crop Management
  • Vantage South, John Deere and Green Point
• N-Time: Image-Based Nitrogen Management Designed for Fertigation
  • Jackson Stansell and James Herrick – Sentinel Fertigation

Ortiz said in addition to the topics listed above, equipment companies will have booths set up to showcase their latest technology and answer producer questions.

“I firmly believe these workshops will provide participants–especially farmers–with the opportunity to learn from fellow farmers, university precision agriculture specialists and industry representatives on how to best use precision agriculture technologies,” she said. “They will also learn how to adapt those to their operation, as well as learning what is new or in the pipeline that could have a positive impact on their operation and the environment.”

Register for these events via the Alabama Extension website, www.aces.edu. For more information, contact Ortiz directly at bortiz@auburn.edu. Regional Extension agents and county Extension offices can also help interested producers find and complete registration information.