2006 Precision Agricultural Services Dealership Survey Results

Precision technologies are now well-integrated into the agricultural industry – both at the farm level and at the crop input dealer level. No longer are crop input dealers only using the technologies to bring new services to their customers, they are also utilizing the technology in their own businesses to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their business operations. In early 2006, Crop Life magazine and Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business conducted a survey for the 11th consecutive year to assess the adoption of precision agriculture practices in the U.S. from the perspective of the retail crop input dealer. The questionnaire was sent to 2500 retail crop input dealerships across the U.S. A total of 368 questionnaires were returned, with 343 being usable providing an effective response rate of 14 percent. Consistent with previous surveys, dealers were asked questions about the types of precision services they offer and/or use in their businesses, the fees they are charging for precision services, how fast their customers are adopting precision agriculture practices, how profitable they are finding precision services to be in their businesses and how their precision customers compare with their ‘traditional’ customers.Precision agriculture, Crop input dealers, Variable rate application, Site-specific agriculture, Technology adoption

2008 PRECISION AGRICULTURAL SERVICES DEALERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS

Precision technologies are now well-integrated into the agricultural industry – both at the farm level and at the crop input dealer level. No longer are crop input dealers only using the technologies to bring new services to their customers, they are also utilizing the technology in their own businesses to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. In early 2008, Crop Life magazine and Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business conducted a survey for the 13th consecutive year to assess the adoption of precision agriculture practices in the U.S. from the perspective of the retail crop input dealer. The questionnaire was mailed to 2500 retail crop input dealerships across the U.S. A total of 298 questionnaires were returned, with 275 being usable providing an effective response rate of 11 percent. Consistent with previous surveys, dealers were asked questions about the types of precision services they offer and/or use in their businesses, the fees they are charging for precision services, how their customers are adopting precision agriculture practices, and how profitable they are finding precision services to be in their businesses. Key findings include: 1) 61% of the dealers surveyed offered some type of precision service, down from 67% in 2006; 2) locations owned by cooperatives and regional/national organizations were much more likely to offer precision services relative to independent locations; 3) 43% of the respondents believe they make a profit on their precision service offerings, while some 30% believe they breakeven, covering only the fixed and variable costs of offering the services; and 4) dealers continue to expect growth in precision services, and this growth is more substantial in the Midwest relative to other states.precision agriculture, geographic information systems (GIS), crop input dealer, variable rate application, site-specific agriculture, technology adoption.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS: USEFULNESS OF MEDIA AND PERSONAL SOURCES

The usefulness of several information sources is examined for U.S. farms with sales in excess of $100,000. The results indicate that crop/livestock-specific magazines and general farm magazines are the most useful information sources. Analyses indicate that the types and number of different commodities that the farm produced, as well as Internet use, are the most consistent predictors of attitudes toward various information sources. However, characteristics that explain attitudes toward different information sources vary substantially across the information sources considered.Farm Management,

THE USEFULNESS AND INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION SOURCES ON COMMERCIAL FARMS

The usefulness of several information sources is examined for U.S. farms with sales in excess of $100,000. The results indicate that crop/livestock-specific magazines and general farm magazines are the most useful information sources. Analyses indicate that the types and number of different commodities that the farm produced, as well as Internet use, are the most consistent predictors of attitudes toward various information sources. However, characteristics that explain attitudes toward different information sources vary substantially across the information sources.Farm Management,

Enhancing Rooting of Vegetatively Propagated Cannabis sativa ‘BaOx’ Cuttings

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has recently become legalized in the United States (U.S.). To grow hemp, often propagation occurs via asexual means through rooting vegetative tip cuttings. To produce plants, meristems are excised from stock plants and propagated to produce transplants for greenhouse or field-production. Successfully rooting vegetative cuttings can vary widely among growers due to greenhouse propagation environmental conditions, cultural inputs and practices, and vegetative cutting quality. To overcome rooting challenges, the impact of cutting stem caliper (diameter) and the use of root-zone heating (RZH) on rhizogenesis were investigated. Results indicated that large (2.9 – 3.2 mm) caliper cuttings and the use of RZH of 27.8oC resulted in a higher quality rooted cutting

Magnesium’s Impact on Cannabis sativa ‘BaOx’ and ‘Suver Haze’ Growth and Cannabinoid Production

Limited research exists on the fertility needs for industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) and the impact of fertility on plant growth and cannabinoids. Optimizing floral production for cannabinoid production and especially cannabidiol (CBD) production, is an economic goal for growers. Magnesium (Mg) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and plays many key roles in plant growth and when deficient leads to suboptimal plant growth. Six Mg fertility rates (0.0, 12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 75.0, and 100.0 mg·L-1) were evaluated to determine the optimal fertility for C. sativa on two High CBD-type cultivars ‘BaOx; and ‘Suver Haze’. Foliar Mg concentrations increased linearly for all life stages with the greatest foliar Mg concentrations being in the highest rate of 100.0 mg·L-1 Mg. Of the six rates, 50.0 and 75.0 mg·L-1 Mg optimized plant height, diameter, and plant total dry weight as well as having similar cannabinoid concentrations

Performance of alternative component pricing systems for pork

One method of implementing value-based marketing is a component pricing system. This research develops and evaluates alternative component pricing systems for pork. Two electronic technologies for estimating carcass components (optical probe and electromagnetic scanner) were evaluated on two sets of data representing different populations. Model accuracy increased as additional components were added.Peer reviewedAgricultural Economic

Peat Substrates Amended with Wood-based Biochar Do Not Influence the Efficacy of Paclobutrazol Drenches

Various soilless substrate components have been evaluated for many years to identify sustainable resources that do not negatively impact plant growth. Biochar is a carbon-based material that has been evaluated for use as an alternative aggregate in peat-based soilless substrates. In addition, the use of carbon adsorption for compound removal is widely used in groundwater remediation, municipal water filtration, and volatile organic compounds. Experiment one aimed to determine the impact of coarse biochar (6 mm) were examined at the same incorporation volumes as Expt. 1 and compared with a perlite-amended substrate at the same incorporation volumes. However, during Expt. 2, continual drench applications at times of irrigation of 0.0, 6.25, 12.5, 25.0, 50, and 100 μg·L−1 (ppb) paclobutrazol were applied to pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana) ‘Matrix Blue Blotch’ and begonia (Begonia ×hybrida) ‘Big Red Bronze Leaf’. The efficacy of paclobutrazol drenches for controlling growth in all species was unaffected by the substrate composition regarding aggregate type or aggregate incorporation rate. Thus, even though biochar is often used for bioremediation and wastewater treatment, it did not negatively impact the efficacy of paclobutrazol drenches at the concentrations used. This research suggests that when biochar is used as an amendment to peatmoss it will not influence paclobutrazol drench efficacy when incorporated up to 30% by volume for the examined species

Comparison of Peat–Perlite-based and Peat–Biochar-based Substrates with Varying Rates of Calcium Silicate on Growth and Cannabinoid Production of Cannabis sativa ‘BaOx’

Growers have been searching for alternative horticultural growing media components because of their desire to use sustainable resources. Biochar is a carbon-based material that has been evaluated for use as an alternative aggregate in peat-based soilless substrates. Additionally, silicon (Si) has been examined as a beneficial element to promote plant growth and plant quality in a variety of crops. However, there has been limited research regarding the interaction of biochar as an aggregate and Si in soilless substrates. This study aimed to determine the impact of Si and biochar on plant growth and nutrient uptake for greenhouse-cultivated hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Hemp plants were grown in one of 12 different substrate blends: with two rates of calcium silicate (CaSiO3), two aggregate types of biochar (medium or coarse) or perlite, and aggregate percentages of 85% peat + 15% aggregate and 70% peat + 30% aggregate. The cannabinoid concentration, plant height, diameter, or total plant biomass were similar across all substrate blends after 12 weeks of growth. Additionally, the use of CaSiO3 as a Si substrate amendment increased Si foliar concentrations, and the addition of biochar to peat-based mixes did not limit the Si availability for plant uptake. However, Si substrate amendments did not impact plant height, diameter, or total plant biomass. This suggests that the biochar tested during this study is suitable in peat-based substrates for C. sativa ‘BaOx’ production at rates up to 30% (by volume) in peat-based substrates with CaSiO3 amendments

Evaluation of alternative techniques to determine pork carcass value

Three techniques for estimating the value of pork carcasses were evaluated: an optical probe, a real-time ultrasound scanner, and an electromagnetic scanner (EMSCAN). The ability of these techniques to predict carcass value was compared to the predictive ability of actual measures of backfat depth and longissimus muscle area taken with a ruler and a dot grid. Results indicated the EMSCAN model was the best predictor of carcass value. However, the optical probe, ultrasound, and the ruler/dot grid all provided information not contained in the EMSCAN model. The choice among ultrasound, the optical probe, and the ruler/dot grid depends on how the carcass will be used. There is no significant difference between ultrasound and the ruler/dot grid or the optical probe and the ruler/dot grid if the carcass is to be marketed in wholesale primal form, but the ruler/dot grid is superior if the ham and loin are to be sold as lean, boneless products. A model combining the EMSCAN and optical probe readings provided more accurate value predictions than either technique alone. A carcass value matrix for use in pricing pork carcasses was developed using readings from the optical probe. Carcass use has a substantial impact on value differences between fat and lean pigs.Not peer reviewedAgricultural Economic