Life Sciences Commons^™

Improving Decision Support Systems With Machine Learning: Identifying Barriers To Adoption, Skye Brugler, Maaz Gardezi, Ali Dadkhah, Donna M. Rizzo, Asim Zia, Sharon A. Clay

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Precision agriculture (PA) has been defined as a “management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual data and combines it with other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production.” This definition suggests that because PA should simultaneously increase food production and reduce the environmental footprint, the barriers to adoption of PA should be explored. These barriers include: 1) the financial constraints associated with adopting DSS, 2) the hesitancy of farmers to change from their trusted advisor to a computer program often behaves …

A Deep-Learning Framework For Spray Pattern Segmentation And Estimation In Agricultural Spraying Systems, Praneel Acharya, Travis Burgers, Kim-Doang Nguyen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This work focuses on leveraging deep learning for agricultural applications, especially for spray pattern segmentation and spray cone angle estimation. These two characteristics are important to understanding the sprayer system such as nozzles used in agriculture. The core of this work includes three deep-learning convolution-based models. These models are trained and their performances are compared. After the best model is selected based on its performance, it is used for spray region segmentation and spray cone angle estimation. The output from the selected model provides a binary image representing the spray region. This binary image is further processed using image processing …

Vision And Radar Steering Reduces Agricultural Sprayer Operator Stress Without Compromising Steering Performance, Travis A. Burgers, Kelly J. Vanderwerff

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Self-propelled agricultural sprayer operators work an average of 15 h d^-1 in peak season, and steering is the task that causes the operator the most stress because of the large number of stimuli involved. Automatic guidance systems help reduce stress and fatigue for operators by allowing them to focus on tasks other than steering. Physiological signals like skin conductance (electrodermal activity, EDA) change with stress and can be used to identify stressful events. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available vision and radar guidance system (VSN®, Raven Industries) reduces agricultural sprayer operators’ stress …

Small Gas Engines Interactive Notebook, P. Troy White

STEM & Agricultural Education Curriculum Resources

A Small Gas Engines interactive notebook to help prepare students for the Briggs & Stratton Master Service Technician Exam 1.

Comparison Of Three Commercial Automatic Boom Height Systems For Agricultural Sprayers, Travis A. Burgers, John D. Gaard, Brian J. Hyronimus

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Automatic boom height systems reduce the variability of agricultural sprayer boom height. Consistent boom height is important for three key reasons: to reduce uneven spray dispersion if the boom is too low, to reduce spray droplet drift if the boom is too high, and to reduce damage to the boom or crop if the boom is too low. No data is available comparing commercial boom height systems. Three leading North American automatic boom height systems were compared: John Deere BoomTrac Pro (System A), Raven AutoBoom® XRT (System B), and Norac UC5TM Passive Roll (System C) on a John Deere R4045 …

Effect Of Different Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical Properties Of Soy White Flakes And High Protein Distillers Dried Grains-Based Extruded Aquafeeds, Sushil Kumar Singh, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

Nutritionally balanced ingredient blends for catla (Catla catla), belonging to the family Cyprinidae, were extruded using single screw extruder. The extrusion was carried out at five levels of soy white flakes content (21%, 29%, 40%, 52%, and 59% db), five levels of moisture content (15, 19, 25, 31, and 35% db) and five levels of barrel temperature (100, 110, 125, 140, and 150 ºC) using three different die nozzles (having L/D ratios 3.33, 5.83, and 7.25). Blends with net protein content of 32.5% contains soy white flakes, along with high protein distillers dried grains (HP-DDG), corn flour, corn gluten meal, …

Wetland Issues Affecting Waterfowl Conservation In North America, Heath M. Hagy, Scott C. Yaich, John W. Simpson, Eduardo Carrera, David A. Haukos, W.Carter Johnson, Charles R. Loesch, Fritz A. Reid, Scott E. Stephens, Ralph W. Tiner, Brett A. Werner, Greg S. Yarris

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

This paper summarises discussions by invited speakers during a special session at the 6th North American Duck Symposium on wetland issues that affect waterfowl, highlighting current ecosystem challenges and opportunities for the conservation of waterfowl in North America. Climate change, invasive species, U.S. agricultural policy (which can encourage wetland drainage and the expansion of row-crop agriculture into grasslands), cost and competition for water rights, and wetland management for non-waterfowl species were all considered to pose significant threats to waterfowl populations in the near future. Waterfowl populations were found to be faced with significant threats in several regions, including: the Central …

Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs)-Based Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) Feeds, Ferouz Y. Ayadi, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Michael L. Brown

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Increases in global aquaculture production, compounded with limited availabilities of fish meal for fish feed, has created the need for alternative protein sources. Twinscrew extrusion studies were performed to investigate the production of nutritionally balanced feeds for juvenile yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Five isocaloric (~3.06 kcal/g) ingredient blends, adjusted to a target protein content of 36.7% db, were formulated with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at an initial moisture content of 5–7%db, with appropriate amounts of fish meal, fish oil, whole wheat flour, corn gluten meal, and vitamin and mineral premixes. …

Recommended Strategies For Odor Control In Confinement Beef Cattle Operations, Kent Tjardes, Alvaro Garcia, Hans Stein, Charles Ullery, Stephen Pohl, Christopher Schmit

SDSU Extension Special Series

Odors coming off a beef feeding operation are generated from three different sources: the feedlot facility, waste storage, and the land where the manure is applied. In some operations, the feedlot facility may also serve as the primary waste storage area. To reduce the total amount of odor generated from a beef feeding operation, odor generation and emission by each of these three sources needs to be reduced.

The First 50 Years: Agricultural Engineering, Henry H. Delong

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

This is a history of the first 50 years (1925-1975) of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University, including lists of departmental projects and faculty members.

Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: The Beginning of Our Department
Chapter III: Progress in the 40's
Chapter IV: The Growth Picture of the 50's
Chapter V: The Expanding 60's
Chapter VI: The Unique Project of Rammed Earth Construction
Chapter VII: Agricultural Extension Work by the Agricultural Engineers
Chapter VIII: Ag Engineers Take Part in Experiment Station

Minimum Construction Requirements For New Dwellings Located In The Northern California District, Federal Housing Administration

Rammed Earth Collection

No abstract provided.

Rammed Earth Walls For Farm Building (Revised April 1938), Agricultural Experiment Station, South Dakota State College

Rammed Earth Collection

This is the second edition of Experiment Station Bulletin 277-1933, slightly revised and containing a supplement of results and progress up to 1938 that was not reported in Experiment Station Bulletin 298 published in 1936 and entitled "The Relation of Colloids in Soil to Its Favorable Use in Pise or Rammed Earth Walls."

Rammed Earth Walls For Buildings, U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Rammed Earth Collection

Earth has been used for building dwellings from time immemorial. One method of use, superior to others, and which was known to the Romans has been preserved by tradition .t o modern times. This method consists of ramming slightly moist, specially selected earth, without the addition of straw or other material, between movable forms, and is known by itsFrench name, " pise de terre," which means "rammed earth." Pise de terre is a reliable building material when properly handled and is admirably adapted to structures on farms distant from transport routes. Little information has been published on rammed earth in …