Agricultural Machine Systems Research

GPS and Remote Sensing Systems

GPS and remote sensing systems provide new ways of planning for farmers. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) can plot or map large-land areas like fields for farming, help with crop choices, fertilization, monitor crop yields and control drainage and irrigation. The ecology of and area can be protected by planning land use making decisions for providing field buffers to protect water supply and quality. Using GPS generated aerial satellite can reveal healthy fields which give farmers a clear view of how well fertilizers and irrigation are doing the job.

GPS information gives farmers a real-time decision making tool. This cotton field viewed in a graphical format was generated with GPS information. The chart reveals the spread of seed over the plot area. The farmer can see where amounts of seed have fallen and make corrections. The satellite information allows decision makers to be more precise and make better choices about field and vehicle use, calculations for seeding and fertilizing, land layout, resource issues and helps solve many other on-farm situations.

(Left) Dr. Roberson is checking out the GPS system he has attached to a utility vehicle. (Center) A GPS receiver system is temporarily mounted to a tractor for testing. Manufactures incorporating computerized equipment redesigning standard machinery. (Right a view of a cab mounted monitor.

Precision Agriculture and Smart Machinery

SMART MACHINES" combine GPS satellite information with robotic machine operations.

Machinery has revolutionized the food and fiber industry for two centuries Photo History of Agricultural Mechanization On the horizon is Smart Machines that are taking on farm chores using computers and new technologies. Research in this area improves machinery with precision operations that increase production and reduce product damage and loss. Farming with precision improves product quality, saves money, and reduces agricultural pollution while operating in an eco-friendly way.

Some Bio & Ag goals are to develop cropping machines that can reduce pesticide, spread fertilizer and seed more evenly, and machinery that can sort, recycle waste, and distribute and control activities with efficiency, while still economizing on energy to ultimately save money and resources.

Other research includes, farm machinery that can feed and monitor animal diet, move animals, automate activities, and make farming less labor intensive and more supervisory are all in the works. Producing and processing the world's need for food, feed, fiber, and biofuels will increasingly depends upon continuing innovations of machine systems. This means using computer controls, and well-designed operation interfaces to maximize efficiency, productivity, safety, and the health of workers and the environment. By using agricultural-based fuels and exacting calculations for fertilizing and pest management in addition to incorporating modern materials and systems into farming activities we will see improved efficiency and safety protecting both people and the environment.

The researchers at BAE are working to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use by developing more exacting standards and calculations for field machinery. They are assessing adjustments to equipment like field sprayers, harvesters, haulers, mulches. Researchers are designing farm operations for small utility vehicles by retrofitting these vehicles with GPS systems, sprayer attachments and use as portable chemical mixing tables. They are retrofitting traditional farm equipment for more precise work and are developing robotic field machines.

New research directions will focus on applications for on-farm activities like ISO standard biological controls and increasing integrated pest management (IPM) systems. There will be improvements to biosafety standards, and ways to systemize farm safety incorporating new standards for equipment and workers. Researchers will look at machine operability and new ways to reduce over application of chemical and fertilizers. Important also is the aspect of animal and chemical tracking systems to ID history for the security and safety of the food supply.

The many new technologies are bringing new opportunities to small farmers as well as the bigger farming enterprises. The small farmers have created Agritourism destinations using GPS to plot out and create crop mazes. These mazes are attracting city people to farms for fun and fresh produce while also gaining a better understanding of agriculture and ecology. See some of the mazes that BAE extension has assisted with at BAE Agritourism

In short the future of farm machinery will require sustainable design in combination with biological-computerized-robotic technologies creating smart machine systems that operate on just-in-time principles and use renewable energy produced from agricultural biomass for power. Bio & Ag engineering research at NC State University is helping to push the future forward .

• More Links
• NCSU GIS
• The North Carolina Pesticide Safety Education Program
• USGS - GIS
• NC Agriculture Statistics
• ISO Standards
• OECD Tractor Testing
• ESRI GIS Universities
• Occupational Health and Safety CAS standards agricultural equipment
• Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Topics
• Generations 5 .org -Expert Systems for Agriculture