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UVM Extension outlines on‑farm precision agriculture trials, variable-rate fertilizer tests
Summary
University of Vermont Extension researchers described ongoing trials using satellite/GPS mapping, yield monitors and variable‑rate fertilizer application on Vermont farms, noting early results from five participating farms and state grant support for equipment.
Heather Darby, a professor and agronomist with University of Vermont (UVM) Extension, told a legislative committee that UVM Extension is running applied, on‑farm research into precision agriculture to help Vermont farmers get better yields while reducing inputs. She said the program uses satellite and GPS data, yield monitors and zone‑based soil sampling to create maps that allow variable‑rate fertilizer application across fields.
Darby said last year five farms participated in a variable‑rate fertilizer pilot supported with funding from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Researchers mapped yields and soils in zones and used a spreader that reads application maps to change fertilizer rates in real time as it moved across a field. The project aims to determine whether the approach reduces fertilizer use, maintains or improves yields and provides a return on investment for farmers.
Darby described the research as part of a wider “on‑farm precision network” that will help farmers share data and experience. She said major challenges include the volume of data generated and the skills and equipment needed to collect, process and deliver usable recommendations to farmers. Darby said not every farm will adopt these tools because they require management capacity and can be costly, but she noted both large and smaller operations are experimenting with precision systems, including yield monitors and livestock collars.
State support for the work comes via grants to purchase equipment and to fund research staff. Darby said the team purchased a spreader capable of reading application maps through funds from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture; her Northwest Crops and Soils Program includes 14 grant‑funded staff and a central research site at the Rainville farm that has hosted research for about 15 years.
The researchers are still analyzing the first year of data to determine whether the technology optimized yields and reduced fertilizer inputs, Darby said. Investigators will refine sampling, data integration and implementation procedures and expand the network of participating farms as they learn what works in Vermont soils and climates.
Darby framed the trials as part of meeting two goals: keeping farm practices economically viable while protecting natural resources. She said precision approaches also apply to manure management, where computerized spreaders can change manure application rates by field zone, and that the state has been supportive of precision manure management through grant funds. Ending: Darby invited follow‑up questions and offered to provide contacts and research results after the committee meeting.
