Location: Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-30400-001-083-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jun 30, 2029
Objective:
Develop a cover crop species and biomass mapping technology that integrates with a cover crop nitrogen calculator to provide variable rate nitrogen recommendations to farmers.
Approach:
1. Integrate the phenotyping tool with the nitrogen recommendation tool.
2. Calibrate cover crop species and biomass mapping technology for a diverse array of cover crops with the Plant Material Centers and public/private agricultural professionals for both handheld and tractor-mounted systems. Includes user testing and ground-truth data collection.
3. In cooperation with NRCS state technical committees. Conduct on-farm nitrogen response trials using cover crop species and biomass mapping technology coupled with the CC-NCALC DST (variable rate vs. standard rate). Estimate N fertilizer reductions, economic gain, and GHG/C footprint reduction. Partners will include:
a. Large-scale corn growers;
b. Soil and water conservation districts engaged in on-farm work.
4. In cooperation with state conservationists, provide technical assistance and training for farmers to install cameras on their equipment and use the app to adjust nitrogen application rate and distribution in a field. This work will also include developing culturally tailored technical assistance. Partners include:
a. Large-scale corn growers;
5. Train NRCS staff and farmers on using the technology, through field days, webinars, and in-person train-the-trainer events.