Here’s what I do to use it:

1. Convert the GPS track to a table and add it to the ArcView Project
2. Add the table as an event theme to a view
3. Sketch a close approximation of the field outline as a polygon theme
4. With the field selected, I then choose the field theme, vertex, and the track point theme. I adjust the snap tolerance back and forth till I find something that works (usually around 10-20) and click Snap.
5. At this point I look at the field and the points, make necessary adjustments and repeat till I have a good outline.

Note: If you have a very clean outline, the Points to lines or polylines extension followed by the Polylines to Polygons 2.3 extensions can do the same thing even more quickly.

With the miniaturization of cameras and their growing ubiquity, it wouldn’t surprise me if in a few years we start seeing this on a lot of animals. If it was attached to a wireless network it could be useful for keeping an eye on far-ranging cattle and spotting problems early on. The tricky part would be sorting through all that data. Who has time to watch that much video?

The key problem is that manure supplies nitrogen and phosphate in roughly equal proportions and crops use roughly four times as much nitrogen as they do phosphate. The hope is that some kind of separation technology will allow exporting of excess phosphate to more distant phosphate-deficient fields.

The key point I took out of reading this is that none of the technologies are currently economically viable across the board. There may be technologies that work for particular operations, but there’s nothing currently operating that would work for the majority of barns in Manitoba while remaining affordable. On a more encouraging note, there is a lot of research being done and this report gives some good criteria for assessing separation systems.

Right now, it’s still cheaper for most operations to buy/rent more land to spread on. If you want to get maximum fertilizer value from your manure or if more land is just not available, treatment may be a viable option for your operation.

• Don Flaten and Clay Sawka discussed the long term manure and crop management field laboratory.  They’ve set up a bunch of plots so that they can use field scale equipment in replicated trials.  The plots we looked at involved different proportions of manure and commercial fertilizer to meet crop needs.  It was pretty obvious that the formula that we’re using to calculate available N from solid manure is wrong, so hopefully they can come up with a better formula for us in the next few years.]
• Janelle Hamblin and Siobhan Stewart discussed greenhouse gasses.  Putting a cover on liquid manure storages, then flaring off the methane to convert it to carbon dioxide is a huge help.  For cropping systems, the initial research is that growing perennial legumes  puts out a lot less greenhouse gas than annuals, but this research is still just getting started.
• Katherine Buckley and Van Coulter discussed composting.  One easy way to tell if your manure is at the right moisture level for composting is the squeeze test.  Take a handful of manure, squeeze it, then open your hand.  If moisture runs out, it’s too wet.  If it falls apart, it’s too dry.
• Martin Entz discussed compost on organic systems.  The primary use of compost is as a supply of P.  If manure is composted, it can be used in organic systems, regardless of the source but be sure to check with your certifying agency!
• Mitchell Timmerman and Marla Riekman had a field demonstration showing some of the challenges in solid manure application.  The biggest challenge is simply the variability of spreading, so field measurements during spreading are the bet way of calculating the actual rates.   Ideally you would weigh every load and measure the distance covered (at a constant speed and rate of application).
• John Heard and Clay Sawka had a demonstration of ramp calibration strips in manured and non-manured crops.  It was surprisingly easy to pick out the point at which the crop’s N needs were met.
• There was a talk on tile drainage in clay soils, but I only got the names of two of the presenters: Curtis Cavers and Chris Unrau.  Unfortunately, this project is still in its infancy, so even with a wet year like this one it was hard to say too much about the actual results.  It’s definitely something to keep an eye on, especially if we get a lot more wet years.
• Finally Mitchell Timmerman and Trevor Fraser gave us a hands-on demo of several methods of rapidly testing manure in the field.  They emphasized that these methods can only complement and not replace lab tests.

It was a very informative day and I’m looking forward to seeing the results from these projects.

• John Heard had his nutrient deficiency planters out again. One of them was a trick question – herbicide drift rather than a nutrient deficiency.
• The forage identification quiz was tough. I was lucky to be in a group that knew what they were doing. The forage identification chart seemed to require that you know the forage first, then use the chart to confirm.
• There was a herbicide forensics plot that had a number of different rows of crops seeded, then sprayed and you were supposed to identify the chemical by the the of damage done and the crops that were damaged. It was really neat.
• As always, John Gavloski had plenty of fascinating insect facts. Apparently pollination by honeybees increased sunflower seed yield by over 200%!
• Bent Reid tried to encourage those whose spring seeding was delayed by reminding us that a 3 day delay in seeding soybeans only delays harvest by 1 day.
• Martin Entz and Iris Vaisman encouraged farmers and consultants to look at organic crops for farm profitability. This year’s twist was a look at grazing of green manure crops. Putting sheep onto the green manure significantly reduced the cost of nitrogen for next year’s crop.
• One of the interesting facts I learned was that seeding rate does not affect alfalfa stands much beyond the first year. Once you have your minimum stand, and extra seed is wasted.

Learning lots at the Crop Diagnostic School

One of the things that I appreciate about the Crop Diagnostic School is how intensely practical it is. Almost all of the plots reflect things I’ve seen in the fields. One issue they’re planning to cover this year is when to reseed drowned-out fields, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to say about that.