{"id":69021,"date":"2015-10-20T08:02:59","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T13:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=69021"},"modified":"2015-10-21T08:48:42","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T13:48:42","slug":"latta-gets-demo-of-gps-based-ag-chemical-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2015\/10\/20\/latta-gets-demo-of-gps-based-ag-chemical-application\/","title":{"rendered":"Latta gets farm practices demonstration"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/<\/b>independent editor<\/i><\/p>\n

PAYNE — In today\u2019s agriculture, particularly in the application of fertilizer and other ag-based chemicals, precision is the name of the game.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. Representative Bob Latta listens as Mercer Landmark representatives talk about GPS-based ag chemical application.<\/strong> (Dave Mosier\/Van Wert independent)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U.S. Representative Bob Latta got the chance to see some precision ag technology in action on Monday afternoon as he watched — and participated in — a demonstration of GPS-based fertilizer application on a farm near Payne in Paulding County.<\/p>\n

Latta met with representatives of Mercer Landmark in Payne and then visited a farm just south of the village where a demonstration of a new precision strip-tillage was being conducted. The local demonstration was the result of state and federal grant money aimed at reducing agricultural runoff into Ohio\u2019s waterways.<\/p>\n

Ag runoff has been blamed for algae blooms and other problems seen in Ohio waterways, including Lake Erie and Grand Lake St. Marys.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has come a long way from when my grandfather was working with a team of horses and putting whatever on,\u201d Latta said following the demonstration. \u201cToday, we can get it down to an exact science.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process is a complex, but established one. Farmers obtain soil samples on their acreage and provide that information to Mercer Landmark. Then, Jason Diller, Mercer Landmark\u2019s precision agriculture manager, analyzes the data using information provided by The Ohio State University Extension Service.<\/p>\n

Diller said his analysis provides a GPS-based \u201cprescription\u201d on how much fertilizer or other chemical should be used on the farmland, broken down into 2-acre squares.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/a>
Rep. Latta holds a computer-generated soil analysis in his hand. The analysis was uploaded to GPS equipment on the tractor (background) and then used to apply potash to the soil.<\/strong> (Dave Mosier\/Van Wert independent)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The equipment then applies the proper amount of ag chemicals needed for each two-acre square, using GPS technology.<\/p>\n

Kip Studer of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources\u2019 Division of Soil and Water, noted that funding for the Mercer Landmark project were provided mostly by the state, with some federal dollars, including Lake Erie prep funds and also funding from a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A John Deere tractor leased from The Kenn Feld Group demonstrates GPS-based ag chemical application.<\/strong> (Dave Mosier\/Van Wert independent)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strip-tillage application equipment that can apply chemicals to 12 rows at a time was purchased to apply fertilizer and other ag chemicals, while a John Deere tractor was leased from local farm implement dealer The Kenn-Feld Group.<\/p>\n

On Monday, potash was being applied to provide potassium to the soil prior to planting. To better avoid agriculture runoff, the chemical was being applied several inches below the soil, which was then replaced over the furrows to seal in the chemicals.<\/p>\n

Latta said he was impressed with the technology, which also had a side benefit for the federal legislator who also got to drive the tractor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s different than driving my grandfather\u2019s old Oliver,\u201d Latta said when he climbed down from the huge machine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/independent editor PAYNE — In today\u2019s agriculture, particularly in the application of fertilizer and other ag-based chemicals, precision is the name of the game. U.S. Representative Bob Latta got the chance to see some precision ag technology in action on Monday afternoon as he watched — and participated in — a demonstration of GPS-based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-01 21:52:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}