Precision Ranch Management Daniel Penturf Agribusiness Major

Summary Appling precision ag technologies to other areas of agriculture besides farming Using Precision Ag to Improve Forage production Using Aerial Photography and GIS for Brush and Tree Control

Remote Sensing in Ranching Weed and Brush control Rotational grazing Locating animals using Infrared Photography Fertilizer application

Bermuda Grass Research OSU is currently researching using INSEY for predicting forage yield 58% of variation in predicted forage yield was explained by INSEY NDVI was also able to explain 65% of variation in Forage N uptake

Bermuda Grass Research Reduce cost of Nitrogen fertilizer Increase nitrogen use efficiency Reduce possible environmental harm from over application

“Precision Ranching” In 1987 Bert Wallace owner of the Peace Pipe Ranch in West Texas decided to take a new approach to mesquite tree management

Peace Pipe Ranch Using TNTmips software he created aerial maps of his property using IR photography Using a GIS package he then created a detailed map showing what areas would be most beneficial to spray

Peace Pipe Ranch His overall goal is to clear dense mesquites from the soils with the highest production potential. By loading his TNTmips Software into Excel he can create Spreadsheet to determine the Cost/Benefits of spraying in given areas The factors he uses to determine where to spray are: Soil type Canopy Density Number of acres Expected root kill

Peace Pipe Ranch He is also using these maps linked up with a GIS package to: Designing fence layouts Placing water tubs Planning Grassing strategies

Snowberry Bush Control in Montana A Montana Rancher used IKONOS imagery to aid in the Arial spraying of Snowberry Bush. The Rancher has considered the use of this technology a large success

Snowberry Bush Control in Montana The value of the satellite photos is very obvious in this project. Without access, it would be very difficult to measure the progress of the spraying. The images are also invaluable for determining where to spray next.”

Alternative uses for ranching IKONOS Maps have been created for hunters who lease land from ranchers The maps allow Ranchers to show hunters: where cattle are located, what crops are growing, where they can hunt. On one particular ranch interaction time and hunter conflicts were greatly reduced.

References Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium http://elm.aero.und.edu/umac2/index.html Cobley K. 1998. Beef. Help form Above. www.beef-mag.com/ar/beef-help-above Royal K. 2000. Decision Support Systems for Precision Ranching http://www.microimages.com

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