University Courses

For the past 5 years I have taught SOIL 4111-Introduction to Precision Agriculture, this course was first taught by one of my mentors Dr. Pierre Robert.

In SOIL 4111 students are introduced to essential aspects of precision agriculture including: soil/landscape and crop spatial variability, new technologies such as GIS, DEM, GPS, sensors, variable rate machinery, precision agriculture software, remote sensing, geostatistics, sampling, experimental designs, precision integrated crop management, data acquisition, processing, and management; and socio-economical and e-marketing aspects.

I also helped in the development of a new graduate level soil science course: SOIL 4005/5005 - Laboratory and Field Techniques in Soil Science.

Additionally, I have given guest lectures and organized recitation sessions for courses in Basic Soil Science, Wetland Soils and Vadose Zone Hydrology.

What is Manure Worth?

The Manure Value Calculator

The "What is Manure Worth?" Excel spreadsheet has been developed over several years to calculate the value of manure as a replacement for commercial fertilizers under a range of application rates and methods, crop nutrient needs, application costs, and fertilizer prices. It was recently revised to make it more user-friendly. For more information please check the project's website.

Workshops

Small-group workshops are underway across the state for farmers and other agricultural professionals. Presenters will explain the factors impacting the economic value of manure and how to maximize manure value. Participants will learn how to use the “What is Manure Worth?” worksheet and use their own data to analyze the economics of their own manure management practices. Participants are recruited by local UMN extension staff, County Feedlot Officers, producer organizations, and staff of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. If you would like to host a workshop, see the workshop brochure or contact me. For more information about the 2010 workshops please check the calendar.

Grower Learning Groups

In addition to working with Minnesota’s growers on the on-farm Nitrogen trials, I had the unique opportunity to help farmers conduct research on their own farms. During 2005-2006, the UMN funded my work with the Grower Learning Groups (GLG). The idea was to collaborate with farmers to develop research questions based on the farmer’s management concerns, set-up statistically valid on-farm experiments, and perform the statistical analyzes to test the farmer’s hypotheses. This experience was very rewarding, farmers were developing their own research questions and the following cropping season they were making management adjustments based on their on-farm and regional research findings.

Here is an example of one of the outreach projects that I got involved as part of the Precision Agriculture Center: Midwestern Water Quality Project (CAP).