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Track: Agriculture
Mark Brennan
TASC, Inc.
55 Walkers Brook Drive
Reading, MA 01867
Telephone: 617-942-2000 x2402
Fax: 617-942-0789
E-mail: mwbrennan@tasc.com
George R Waddington
Utility of Spatially Related Data for Managing Agricultural Variability
Defining Issue: Automated data processing systems are required to detect, delineate, and manage naturally occurring variability within agricultural fields. GIS Solution: TASC has developed PC-based tools for managing field-specific variability. Methodology: Variations in crop yields reflect differences due to specific crop varieties, soil conditions, disease, pests, and nutrient imbalances. Crop growers are concerned with controlling field-specific variability to maximize crop yields and reducing input costs to realize financial profits. This paper describes processing methodology and tools that have been developed for making preseason crop management decisions, processing remotely sensed data and field specific information, processing weather data, and analyzing obtained yields. Software tools and potential products associated with a new agricultural information service will be discussed and demonstrated. Case studies from the 1996 growing season will be presented to show spatial variability in corn
and soybean fields near Jacksonville, Illinois.
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