Second announcement for the Training Program:
 
 “Optimizing Management for Precision Farming: A Systems Approach”
 
            March 9 - 14, 1998, Gainesville, Florida
 
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*********    WWW-site:  http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~workshop/   *********
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### SPONSORED BY:
 
- University of Florida
- Wageningen Agricultural University
- University of Georgia
- International Fertilizer Development Center
- International Consortium for Agricultural Systems Applications
 
 
### RATIONALE
 
Precision Farming has a goal of optimizing the use of soil and water
resources and chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) on a
site-specific basis.  This goal is now technically feasible due to
recent advances in sensor technology and controllers that allows
variable rate application of materials across a field.  Technological
advances in remote sensing, grain yield monitoring, geographical
information systems (GIS), and global positioning systems (GPS),
provide new opportunities for characterizing variability in crop
fields.  These new tools have now shown that many crop fields are
highly variable, thereby reducing overall field yield and resource use
efficiency.  However, once one has a measure of the spatial
variability, optimizing management requires an understanding of what
caused the variability first of all, and a method to determine optimal
management over the field.  Crop simulation models are needed to help
consultants, researchers, and other farm advisors determine the
pattern of field management that optimizes production or profit.
However, the effective use of these tools requires their evaluation in
fields to be optimized, their integration with other information tools
such as GIS, geostatistics, remote sensing, and optimization analysis.
A comprehensive crop model application package has been developed by
researchers from several countries.  This system, DSSAT v3.1,
incorporates crop/soil/weather models, data input and management
software, and analysis programs for optimizing production or profit
for homogenous fields.  It also has features linking DSSAT crop models
with GIS, geostatistics, and other software to enable users to
optimize management over spatially-variable fields considering a
number of important factors that affect crop development and yield.
This training program is designed to provide participants with
necessary concepts and a practical working knowledge of these tools,
with case study projects.  It will also provide them with information
on how to link crop model components with other packages being
designed and developed for practical application to precision farming.
 
 
### PROGRAM GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
 
The overall goal of this training program is to increase the
capabilities of participants to apply quantitative tools to optimize
management of spatially-variable fields, taking advantage of new
sources of information, methods for its use, and equipment for
precision farming.  Specifically, the program will focus on:
 
1. Information tools for managing spatial data, including GIS, remote
sensing, yield monitoring data, and GPS. Hands-on experience with a
GPS and GPS-GIS linkage.
 
2. Analysis software to gain insight into the magnitude of spatial
variability and possible reasons for this variability, including
kriging, correlation, and crop and soil model approaches.
 
3. Description of CERES and CROPGRO crop simulation models, focusing
on corn, wheat, and soybean crops, and information required for their
applications to spatially-variable fields.
 
4. Operation of the DSSAT v3.1 software system, including components
linking DSSAT crop models with spatial analysis programs and IDRISI
v2.0 GIS software.
 
5. Example applications of DSSAT v3.1 to optimize management in
specific field situations.
 
 
### PROGRAM CONTENT
 
This training program will describe concepts of spatial variability
and precision farming.  It will describe practical approaches for
characterizing spatial variability and methods for analyzing reasons
for the variability.  The program will make extensive use of
"hands-on" practical sessions that demonstrate the concepts, software
for analyzing spatial data, and models for determining management that
optimizes production, taking into account possible effects on the
environment.
 
The program will make extensive use of the Decision Support System for
Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) v3.1 software package.  This
comprehensive package includes the CERES (maize, wheat, rice, sorghum,
barley, and millet) CROPGRO (soybean, peanut, dry bean, and tomato),
SUBSTOR (potato), CROPSIM (cassava), and CANEGRO (Sugarcane) models
for crop growth and yield.  These models respond to weather, soil
water holding and root growth characteristics, cultivar, water
management, nitrogen management, and row spacing/plant population.
The program will describe information inputs required by these models,
outputs predicted by the models, and methods to interpret uncertainty
and risk associated with uncertain inputs. DSSAT also includes links
to GIS and remote sensing information, which allows mapping of
spatially variable inputs across a field and mapping of predicted
outputs from the models, such as yield, nitrogen leaching, water use,
etc.  The entire DSSAT v3.1 package will be provided to each
participant along with documentation on its use.  The program length
will be six working days.
 
 
### OUTLINE (PRELIMINARY):
 
Day 1 INTRODUCTION AND CONCEPTS OF PRECISION FARMING
    - Yield maps, GIS, remote sensing tools, and GPS
 
Day 2 CROP, SOIL, WATER AND N-SIMULATIONS WITH DSSAT V3.1
    - DSSAT v3.1 operation and basic data sets
    - Examples of Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Crop Simulations
 
Day 3 CHARACTERIZING OF SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF FIELDS
    - Spatial Interpolation of Point Data,
    - Relating Remote Sensing Images to Yield Maps,
    - GIS Technology for Digital Terrain Map Analysis,
    - Spatial Data Bases for Crop Model Analyses
 
Day 4 ANALYSIS TOOLS
    - Seasonal and Spatial analysis in DSSAT v3.1
    - Data in DSSAT v3.1 for Applying Crop Models
    - GIS-crop model linkage
    - Model Evaluation Exercises
 
Day 5 OPTIMIZING MANAGEMENT FOR SPATIALLY VARIABLE FIELDS
    - Obtaining Inputs for Spatially Variable Fields
    - Simulating Different Segments of a Spatially-Variable Field
    - Economic Analysis
 
Day 6 CONTINUATION OF OPTIMIZING MANAGEMENT
    - Case Studies
    - Reporting and Discussion of Results
 
 
### QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPLICATION
 
1. Participants should be university graduates currently engaged in
crop consulting, research on precision farming, providing advice
to farmers on precision farming, or development of information
tools and methods for precision farming.
 
2. They should have an understanding of crop production systems and
be relatively familiar with terminology in crop production.
 
3. They should be familiar with personal computers, including DOS
and Windows operating environments, and with the operation of
software packages in these environments.  Computer programming
skills are not required.
 
4. They should be fluent in English.
 
 
### TRAINING FACULTY
 
Dr. James W. Jones, University of Florida,
Dr. Kenneth J. Boote, University of Florida,
Dr. John Schueller, University of Florida,
Dr. Johan Bouma, Wageningen Agricultural University,
Dr. Harry Booltink, Wageningen Agricultural University,
Dr. Gerrit Hoogenboom, University of Georgia,
Dr. Paul Wilkens, International Fertilizer Development Center,
Dr. Philip Thornton, International Livestock Research Center, Kenya
 
 
### REGISTRATION
 
In order to register, you have to provide all information on the
registration form. This form can be obtained by writing to the address
below, or preferably, by printing it from our WWW-site:
 
     http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~workshop/registration_form.htm
 
Please fill in the form completely and accurately, and mail or fax it then
to:
 
Mail: Optimizing Management for Precision Farming: A Systems Approach
      International Programs/Training Unit
      P.O. Box 110329
      Gainesville, FL 32611-0329,
      United States of America
Fax:  +1 (352) 392-7127
Tel:  +1 (352) 392-1965
Email: [log in to unmask]
 
 
QUARANTY AND REGISTRATION DEADLINE: To guarantee enrollment, payment
must be made with a purchase order, check or credit card by February
1, 1998. Enrollment is limited to 25 participants. Priorities for
enrollment will be on the basis of date of receipt of payment.
 
REGISTRATION FEE: The fee for this training workshop is $1,900.  It
covers registration for the six-day program, resource material
including DSSAT v3.1 software, and tea/coffee breaks.  It does not
cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, or lodging during the program nor air
transportation and health insurance.  Each participant is responsible
for these costs. Food and hotel lodging will average about $75/day.
 
LODGING: Rooms for participants will be reserved in the Rush Lake
Motel. This is a good quality motel which is located close to the
university campus and several restaurants. It is a 15-minute walk to
the university campus or the city bus can be used. Special
arrangements can be made for parking on campus. Please indicate on
your registration form if you would like to have lodging reserved at
the Rush Lake Motel. Payment for lodging is to be made directly to the
motel (advanced payment is not required).
 
VISA: A visa is required for entry into the United States.  Each
Participant must obtain a visitor visa from the Embassy or Consulate
of the United States in his or her country of residence.
 
PROGRAM CANCELLATION POLICIES: Cancellation of pre-registration must
be made at least 72 hours before the program begins in order to avoid
being billed 25 percent of the registration fee. Substitution of
personnel is recommended in lieu of cancellation. Pre-registrants who
fail to attend or to send a substitute are liable for full
registration fee. To cancel a registration, call (352) 392-7127. In
the event the program is canceled for any reason, the organizers will
not be responsible for any cancellation changes or charges assessed by
airlines or travel agencies.
 
 
### MORE INFORMATION
 
More information on the training program can be found on the following
WWW-site:  http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~workshop/
 
If you specific questions on program information (NOT on registration
and facilities information!!!), your may direct them to:
 
   Dr. James W. Jones
   Agricultural & Biological Engineering Dept.
   University of Florida
   Gainesville, FL 32611-0570
   Fax: +1 (352) 392-4092
   Email: [log in to unmask]
 
 
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Joep. C. Luyten
 
Agricultural & Biological Engineering Dept.
University of Florida
P.O. Box 110570
Gainesville, FL 36211-0570
 
Tel: (352) 392-7736
Fax: (352) 392-4092
Email: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~luyten/joep/
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