Engineering Commons^™

Deployment And Evaluation Of An Active Rfid Tracking System For Precision Animal Management, Brian Barnes

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A better understanding of animal space utilization in current livestock facilities could lead to improved facility design and animal health. This study was conducted to determine whether an active RFID tag tracking system could accurately provide animal locomotion data on an individual animal basis. The system is composed of four sensors, located in the corners of a swine pen, and compact tags, which attach to the animals and transmit a signal. The sensors use the tag signals to determine 3-D positions in real-time. A data acquisition system was developed to capture raw data from the system software into a database …

Characterization Of Ground Nozzles For Pesticide Applications, Ryan Henry

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pesticide applications are a common component of crop production systems in the United States (US). For row crop systems (e.g. corn, soybean, or wheat), pesticides are applied by ground, aerial, or chemigation methods. The exact method of pesticide delivery is not universally regulated/ prescribed in the US, and the equipment and application technique are largely defined by the individual applicator. A wide variety of choices and decisions must be made by applicators to result in a successful pesticide application. Examples of these choices include proper active ingredient(s), carrier volume and equipment (e.g. nozzle type, spacing, and operating pressure) selection while …

Housing In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Supply And Condition: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Most rural Nebraskans own their home. And, when asked about housing programs or priorities they would support in their community, most rural Nebraskans support programs that help seniors age in their homes, programs that would help upgrade the condition of existing homes and providing affordable rental housing. They are less likely to support organizing volunteer efforts to maintain existing housing stock, but still one-half support this option as well.

Support for one of the programs differs by community size. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to support …

Community Satisfaction And Marketing In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions: as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans say it would be difficult to leave their community. And, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Across all years of this study, rural Nebraskans’ views about the change in their community have generally been positive. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better during the past year has usually been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the …

Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Perceptions Of Local Schools: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L.J. Mcelravy, Jeanne Lorraine Surface

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Most rural Nebraskans have elementary, middle and high schools in their community or nearest community. Most of the schools available are public but many rural Nebraskans report having both public and private schools of each grade level. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to have each level of school in their community. And, persons living in or near the larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to have both public and private schools available.

When asked about priorities for their local …

Vermont Bioenergy Initiative: Final Report To The Us Department Of Energy, Christopher William Callahan, Scott Sawyer, Ellen Kahler

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

The purpose of the Vermont Bioenergy Initiative (VBI) was to foster the development of sustainable, distributed, small-scale biodiesel and grass/mixed fiber industries in Vermont in order to produce bioenergy for local transportation, agricultural, and thermal applications, as a replacement for fossil fuel based energy.

The VBI marked the first strategic effort to reduce Vermont’s dependency on petroleum through the development of homegrown alternatives. With billions of gallons of ethanol produced and blended with gasoline each year in the United States—and very little possibility of corn-based ethanol development in Vermont—we focused on a specific subset of bioenergy alternatives: We worked with …

Automated Mini-Channel Platform For Studying Plant Root Environments, Kevin F. Kreis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Plants are crucial to our lives; they provide us with building materials, oxygen, and food. A season’s crop yield can be significantly affected by local environmental factors. Farming practices currently focus on using fertilizer, pesticides, monitoring water availability, and genetic modification of the plant to increase crop yield. Improving fundamental understanding of plant root interactions with their local soil environment, or rhizosphere, will help improve crop yield. Studying such interactions is challenging because roots are underground, making it difficult to observe interactions and to manipulate the local soil environment.

The goal of this thesis is to develop an automated mini-channel …

Wet Grain Delivery Advice: A Previously Impossible Extension Challenge Solved Through App Technology, Joseph S. Dvorak, Sam Mcneill, Clint Hardy

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The delivery of wet grain during harvest is a complex and constantly changing problem about which Extension professionals have been unable to offer more than general advice. By capitalizing on important characteristics of mobile devices, a new app enables producers to fully benefit from detailed information universities have generated on grain drying and costs associated with delivery of grain to different locales. Development of such an app demonstrates the power of apps and mobile devices in allowing Extension to deliver previously unattainable services to its clientele.

Song Of The Dzopa: A Case Study Of Traditional Farming, Food, And, Isabella Pezzulo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a plane high above the snow-capped jagged peaks and cracked earth of Ladakh, I stared down below with awe, wondering how people ever coaxed life from the soil in this mountain-desert landscape. The intention of this study is to see how traditional subsistence farming actually takes place and the social settings formed by these practices. Living in the village of Tar for a little over twenty days allowed me to observe the age-old practices in which nourishment is produced and community formed through working the land. Working with my hands and resting with cups of butter tea alongside villagers …

Impact Of Irrigation Method On Water Use Efficiency And Productivity Of Fodder Crops In Nepal, Ajay K. Jha, Razan Malla, Mohan Sharma, Jeeban Panthi, Tarendra Lakhankar, Nir Y. Krakauer, Soni M. Pradhanang, Piyush Dahal, Madan Lall Shrestha

Publications and Research

Improved irrigation use efficiency is an important tool for intensifying and diversifying agriculture in Nepal, resulting in higher economic yield from irrigated farmlands with a minimum input of water. Research was conducted to evaluate the effect of irrigation method (furrow vs. drip) on the productivity of nutritious fodder species during off-monsoon dry periods in different elevation zones of central Nepal. A split-block factorial design was used. The factors considered were treatment location, fodder crop, and irrigation method. Commonly used local agronomical practices were followed in all respects except irrigation method. Results revealed that location effect was significant (p < 0.01) with highest fodder productivity seen for the middle elevation site, Syangja. Species effects were also significant, with teosinte (Euchlaena mexicana) having higher yield than cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Irrigation method impacted green biomass yield (higher with furrow irrigation) but both methods yielded similar dry biomass, while water use was 73% less under drip irrigation. Our findings indicated that the controlled application of water through drip irrigation is able to produce acceptable yields of nutritionally dense fodder species during dry seasons, leading to more effective utilization and resource conservation of available land, fertilizer and water. Higher productivity of these nutritional fodders resulted in higher milk productivity for livestock smallholders. The ability to grow fodder crops year-round in lowland and hill regions of Nepal with limited water storages using low-cost, water-efficient drip irrigation may greatly increase livestock productivity and, hence, the economic security of smallholder farmers.

Effects Of Chemical Amendments To Swine Manure On Runoff Quality, Elizabeth L. Bullock, Dwayne R. Edwards, Phillip A. Moore Jr., Richard S. Gates

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Land-applied swine manure can be an environmental concern when runoff losses of manure constituents occur. The use of chemical amendments to mitigate these losses has been investigated for poultry litter, but materials such as swine manure have received less attention in this context, particularly at the plot scale or larger. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the impacts of aluminum sulfate (alum; Al₂(SO₄)₃), aluminum chloride (AlCl₃), and ferric chloride (FeCl₃) addition on runoff of selected constituents of land-applied swine manure. Manure was collected from feeder pigs fed a …

Error Analysis Of Stored Grain Inventory Determination, Aaron P. Turner, Michael D. Montross, Joshua J. Jackson, Samuel G. Mcneill, Mark E. Casada, Josephine M. Boac, Rumela Bhadra, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Sidney A. Thompson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Estimation of the quantity of stored grain is important for crop insurance, financial statements, and inventory control. Traditionally, the height of grain has been measured using weighted tape measures, and the volume is subsequently computed using standard geometric shapes (cylinders and cones) along with visual correction of the grain surface. Field measurements by four trained USDA Farm Service Agency and crop insurance agents on older farm-sized bins (8.2 to 11.0 m, or 27 to 36 ft, in diameter) resulted in standard deviations between 0.02 and 0.30 m for the equivalent height when the grain surface was not level. The largest …

Correlating Bulk Density (With Dockage) And Test Weight (Without Dockage) For Wheat Samples, Rumela Bhadra, Mark E. Casada, Josephine M. Boac, Aaron P. Turner, Sidney A. Thompson, Michael D. Montross, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Samuel G. Mcneill

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

In grain bins, the compaction of stored grain is caused by the overbearing pressure of the bulk material in the bin. To predict the amount of grain in the bin, compaction values must be determined based on the average bulk density (BD) of the stored material. However, BD is determined following the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) guidelines for measuring test weight (TW), which require that dockage be removed prior to measuring wheat TW. Thus, this creates a problem for predicting grain compaction and conducting inventory studies, because the average BD of the grain in a bin for these calculations …

As-Applied Estimation Of Volumetric Flow Rate From A Single Sprayer Nozzle Series Using Water-Sensitive Spray Cards, Michael P. Sama, John T. Evans, Aaron P. Turner, Surya Saket Dasika

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using coverage measurements from water-sensitive spray cards to estimate the volumetric flow rate at an individual sprayer nozzle. TeeJet VisiFlow Even Flat Spray Tips were selected due to their uniform distribution of coverage. Spray distribution for each nozzle was validated using a spray patternator table with 2.5 cm sampling widths. A rotary test fixture translated water-sensitive spray cards through the spray dispersion (water at ambient conditions) at a constant angular velocity and a radius of 1.2 m. The test fixture measured volumetric flow and pressure at the nozzle and …

Recalibration Methodology To Compensate For Changing Fluid Properties In An Individual Nozzle Direct Injection System, Joe D. Luck, Scott A. Shearer, Brian D. Luck, Michael P. Sama

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Limited advancement of direct injection pesticide application systems has been made in recent years, which has hindered further commercialization of this technology. One approach to solving the lag and mixing issues typically associated with injection-based systems is high-pressure individual nozzle injection. However, accurate monitoring of the chemical concentrate flow rate can pose a challenge due to the high pressure, low flow, and changing viscosities of the fluid. A methodology was developed for recalibrating high-pressure chemical concentrate injectors to compensate for fluid property variations and evaluate the performance of this technique for operating injectors in an open-loop configuration. Specific objectives were …

Exploring Agricultural Production Systems And Their Fundamental Components With System Dynamics Modelling, Jeffrey P. Walters, David W. Archer, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, John R. Hendrickson, Jon D. Hanson, John M. Halloran, Peter Vadas, Vladimir J. Alarcon

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Agricultural production in the United States is undergoing marked changes due to rapid shifts in consumer demands, input costs, and concerns for food safety and environmental impact. Agricultural production systems are comprised of multidimensional components and drivers that interact in complex ways to influence production sustainability. In a mixed-methods approach, we combine qualitative and quantitative data to develop and simulate a system dynamics model that explores the systemic interaction of these drivers on the economic, environmental and social sustainability of agricultural production. We then use this model to evaluate the role of each driver in determining the differences in sustainability …

Broadband And Mobile Internet Services In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that home broadband adoption has plateaued in the United States. In addition, there has been an increase in adults who use a smartphone to access the Internet but do not have traditional broadband service in their home. Given these national trends, how do rural Nebraskans access the Internet? Are they accessing the Internet from their cell phones? Are they subscribing to high-speed Internet services at home? How satisfied are they with their Internet services? How important do they feel Internet access is for various items? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these …

A Review Of Non-Destructive Methods For Detection Of Insect Infestation In Fruits And Vegetables, Nader Ekramirad, Akinbode A. Adedeji, Reza Alimardani

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Insect damage in fruits and vegetables cause major production and economic losses in the agriculture and food industry worldwide. Monitoring of internal quality and detection of insect infestation in fruits and vegetables is critical for sustainable agriculture. Early detection of an infestation in fruits can facilitate the control of insects and the quarantine operations through proper post-harvest management strategies and can improve productivity. The present review recognizes the need for developing a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable insect infestation monitoring system that would lead to advancements in agriculture and food industry. In this paper, an overview of non-destructive detection insect damages …

Modeling The Compressibility Behavior Of Hard Red Wheat Varieties, Aaron P. Turner, Michael D. Montross, Samuel G. Mcneill, Michael P. Sama, Mark E. Casada, Josephine M. Boac, Rumela Bhadra, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Sidney A. Thompson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The bulk density of grain in a storage structure varies vertically and horizontally due to the overburden pressure created by the cumulative weight of the overlying material. As the overburden pressure increases, the stored material compacts. This compaction is believed to be caused by rearrangement of kernels along with higher intergranular stress between particles, leading to kernel deformation. This compaction is of primary concern when estimating the amount of grain in a storage structure. In this comprehensive study, confined uniaxial compression tests were conducted on 27 different samples of hard red winter wheat, at three moisture levels, over the range …

Recalibration Methodology To Compensate For Changing Fluid Properties In An Individual Nozzle Direct Injection Systems, Joe D. Luck, S. A. Shearer, B. D. Luck, M. P. Sama

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Limited advancement of direct injection pesticide application systems has been made in recent years, which has hindered further commercialization of this technology. One approach to solving the lag and mixing issues typically associated with injection-based systems is high-pressure individual nozzle injection. However, accurate monitoring of the chemical concentrate flow rate can pose a challenge due to the high pressure, low flow, and changing viscosities of the fluid. A methodology was developed for recalibrating high-pressure chemical concentrate injectors to compensate for fluid property variations and evaluate the performance of this technique for operating injectors in an open-loop configuration. Specific objectives were …

Temporal Dynamics Of Maize Plant Growth, Water Use, And Leaf Water Content Using Automated High Throughput Rgb And Hyperspectral Imaging, Yufeng Ge, Geng Bai, Vincent Stoerger, James C. Schnable

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Automated collection of large scale plant phenotype datasets using high throughput imaging systems has the potential to alleviate current bottlenecks in data-driven plant breeding and crop improvement. In this study, we demonstrate the characterization of temporal dynamics of plant growth and water use, and leaf water content of two maize genotypes under two different water treatments. RGB (Red Green Blue) images are processed to estimate projected plant area, which are correlated with destructively measured plant shoot fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW) and leaf area. Estimated plant FW and DW, along with pot weights, are used to derive daily plant …