BAE 599
Topics in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering: Precision Agriculture
Spring Semester 2007

Course Syllabus

Course Description

A course designed for students who desire to understand the acquisition and analysis of geographically referenced data for the management of crop production systems. Topics include: mapping, map projections, implementation of global positioning systems, data formats, geographic information systems, grid sampling, soil fertility and physical properties, yield monitoring, variable-rate application, crop modeling and economics.

Course Rationale

Grain producers have long recognized that variability exists within individual fields. Traditional cropping practices dictate that producers treat these production units on a "field-average" basis -- that is to treat the entire field the same. With the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) it is now possible to vary inputs in accordance with localized conditions. This coupled with the capacity to monitor yields and generate yield maps has given producers new tools to manage variability and optimize production. This course is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding the essential tools for collecting, organizing and presenting geographically referenced crop production data. An in depth treatment of "state-of-the-art" equipment and practices is presented. The course is open to upper level undergraduate students and graduate students enrolled in the College of Agriculture, or Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.

Course Objectives

1.       Students will develop a working knowledge of concepts and principles of precision agriculture.

2.       Students will learn to collect and create spatially referenced data sets and then integrate into a GIS along with other spatial data sources for analysis.

3.       Students will learn to develop precision agriculture management plans to increase profitability, and reduce economic and environmental risks associated with agricultural production.

Course Administration

Location:

Room 246, C.E. Barnhart Building

Hours:

Lecture, 11:00-11:50 AM, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Software:

Word 2000 by Microsoft
Excel 2000 by Microsoft
ArcGIS 9.0 by ESRI, Inc.

Web Site URL:

http://www.bae.uky.edu/precag/BAE599/BAE_599.htm

Instructor:

Grading Schedule:

Projects - 75%
Final Exam - 25%

Final Grades:

           A > 92%
92% > B > 83%
83% > C > 74%
74% > D > 65%
65% > E

Final Exam:

Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 246 C.E. Barnhart Bldg.

Assignments

Projects will be assigned in class via hard copy. In the event that you miss a class, all handouts will be available on the course web page the next working day. Assignments will include a due date not less than one week after the project assignment is made. This schedule will allow students to ask questions prior to submission of their work. Please take advantage of this schedule by starting assignments early.

All work is to be an individual effort unless otherwise noted.  Academic Misconduct will not be tolerated e.g. plagiarism (Please see Students Rights and Responsibilities at http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/ ). Submissions with consistent and similar errors will be given a score of zero. When using electronic media to solve an assignment you are required to submit both hard and electronic copies. All submissions must include your name prominently displayed at the top of the first page or at the beginning of the file. Failure to include your name on an assignment will result in a score of zero for that assignment. All submissions via e-mail must originate from your personal e-mail account and must include a signature with your name, major and school address.

In addition to the 14 projects assigned each week, there will be a 15^th project assigned which includes attending the Annual Precision Agriculture Conference held at the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center in Louisville, KY (http://www.bae.uky.edu/precag/conference.htm). This project will require students to write a summary paper on a topic(s) presented at the conference. Students unable to attend will be assigned a precision agriculture topic to be investigated and summarized. More information will be provided during the semester.

Assignments are to be submitted through electronic media (i.e., MS Word, MS Excel, ArcGIS 8.3, etc.).  Failure to submit neatly organized assignments will result in minimal, partial-credit, or no credit at all. Late assignments will not be tolerated. You are expected to hand in homework and lab reports on the assigned date. Failure to do so will result in a score of zero.

Examinations

The final examination will be comprehensive in nature. Portions of each exam may be either closed or open-book. You will be notified of the exam format at least one week in advance.

Variable Rate Seeding