Adventures in summer science By Brandon Scott, Ag Communications Intern Previous features: Research propels student toward goal

Student researches auto-steering's impact on crop yields Jacob Bolson describes controlled-traffic farming as a process in precision-agriculture in which all fieldwork is done while driving on the same wheel tracks during every task. Bolson, a senior in agricultural engineering at Iowa State University, said global positioning systems (GPS) make it possible. This summer he is conducting a research project on controlled-traffic farming with Amy Kaleita, assistant professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering. “The implementation of GPS in agriculture has taken a significant role in the adaptation of controlled traffic farming methods,” Bolson said. “With high-accuracy auto-steer, farmers are able to see consistent repeatability from year to year and between different fields. This will make it possible to operate equipment in permanent, well-defined and precise tracks.” Bolson contributes to several different aspects of the research project. “I periodically collect data from a producers farm near Waterloo and spend the vast majority of my time on data analysis, project logistics and general controlled traffic farming research,” Bolson said. Kaleita values Bolson’s contribution. “There is no ‘typical’ research day,” Kaleita said. “There are a lot of logistics that go into the project planning, learning to use the equipment, game-time decisions that change your plans as conditions change. So some of Jacob’s work has been in planning the implementation of the data collection, some of it has been in the data collection itself and the data analysis.” Kaleita said the project is dependent on producers. “The data collection is done on an actual farm, and with the cooperation of the producers, Clay and Wade Mitchell,” Kaleita said. “The research is part of the College of Agriculture On-Farm Research and Demonstration Grant Program that encourages collaboration between Iowa State researchers and Iowa farmers.” Bolson said that most of the research on controlled-traffic farming has been conducted in Australia. He is excited about conducting research in Iowa because there is a limited amount of data related to the Midwest. “This project will demonstrate the effects of controlled-traffic farming on a local farm by testing compaction, infiltration and crop yield,” Bolson said. “To date, a fair amount of time has been spent on the logistics of the project, but I am a firm believer in precision agriculture and am very interested in the future of controlled-traffic farming in North America, especially Iowa. I look forward to providing Iowa farmers with data from direct on-farm analysis of controlled-traffic farming.” According to previous research, benefits of using controlled-traffic farming range from decreased soil compaction to increased topsoil retention. Bolson said that previous conclusions showed a yield increase of 9 to 16 percent as a result of improved seedbed conditions. Despite the increased yield, Bolson said Iowa farmers might be hesitant to adopt controlled-traffic farming. “There are some significant differences between conventional farming and controlled-traffic farming,” Bolson said. “The requirement that all machinery have the same wheel-base can mean a reinvestment in equipment and generally involves no-till farming versus conventional tillage.” Bolson’s experience with redesigning agricultural equipment isn’t limited to this research. Through his involvement with Cyclone Power Pullers, Iowa State’s one-fourth-scale-tractor pulling team, Bolson has gained experience in engineering, leadership, marketing and public relations. “My most memorable moments at Iowa State come from the variety of experiences I’ve had as a member of the Cyclone Power Pullers,” Bolson said. “This summer, our team placed sixth at the 2006 International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Peoria, Ill.” Find out more about the competition at: www.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2006/jun/tractor.shtml.