The Spatial Nutrient Management Planner was designed to assist farmers in applying manure to their fields for more efficient fertilization. The basic aspects of the tool consist of farm and field boundary editors and buffer delineators. After delimiting the spreadable areas, various subtools assist in recommending amounts of fertilizer based on soil and crop types. Other tools in this package are currently in development, including automatic map and report generators, and systems for laying out draglines for applying the fertilizer most efficiently over the spreadable area. Eventually, this tool will be modified for use in multiple states based on their specific regulations, and will allow for interface with database packages used in fertilization recommendations. The Center for Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Systems (CARES) , working with departments within the University of Missouri, as well as other universities, is developing this tool using ArcView Dialog Designer and Avenue scripting.
The Spatial Nutrient Management Planner was conceived as a means to record and recommend nutrient application on farms in accordance with state-specific specifications and allows comparisons of farms over multiple years. This decision support system provides a variety of tools to facilitate such functions as farm and field mapping, buffering of desired features for exclusion of nutrient application, submission of soil test results, recommendation of nutrient application, distribution of nutrient application equipment, and automatic report and map generation. The content of Spatial Nutrient Management Planner was designed by John Lory, Environmental Nutrient Management Specialist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Center for Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Systems implemented the software design within ArcView using Avenue scripting language and Dialog Designer.
The basic interface was designed with simple viewing functionality in mind. To that end, a floating suite of viewing tools relevant only to this specific application has replaced the more elaborate ArcView interface for ease of navigation. In addition, a main menu acts as a jumping off point for the other tools embedded in the decision support system.
Three tools make up the initial digitization functions for feature creation and editing. The farm and field tools provide the user with the means to delineate the boundaries of a farm operation and subdivide it into fields for precise analysis. This is aided by a background of United States Geological Survey Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles for visual reference. In addition, a buffer tool allows for various point, line, and polygon features to be added. Each feature corresponds to a real-world entity such as a dwelling, drinking water pond, and property boundary. With each feature is a built-in buffer distance as dictated by state environmental agencies. These in turn can be modified, and allowances are made for new entities not already included with the tool. The buffers delineate distances from an entity within which manure may not be applied. The total area of a field less the buffered area yields the spreadable acreage, the actual area that may receive manure fertilization.
The Soil Test and Cropping System Manager provides tools for a variety of testing purposes. Currently available in this version is the Interactive Soil Test Recommendations tool It is here that the user enters data about crop type, actual yields, yield goals for successive years, and soil test data in order to calculate recommendations of fertilizer quantity, limiting nutrient factors such as phosphorus or nitrogen, and ratings of various results based on particular amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen, and others. Calculations of these recommendations are based on Daryl D. Buchholz's Soil Test Interpretations and Recommendations Handbook, revised December 1992, published by the Department of Agronomy at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Currently under development is a Manure Management suite of tools, the purpose of which will be to visually delineate various distribution schemes of manure application equipment such as draglines for the most efficient placement.
The map tool automatically creates standard maps of user-specified types. Basic reference maps are used in the field for ground-truthing, while the rating series graphically displays categorized levels of specific criteria, such as salt pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
While the Spatial Nutrient Management Planner is currently used primarily in Missouri, it is being expanded for use in pilot projects in other states, the first of which will be Oklahoma, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Eventually, each state's specific regulations will be incorporated into this system.