Project Number: 5436-13210-005-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 01, 2004
End Date: Jun 30, 2009

Objective:
Diversified irrigated cropping systems reduce risk, increase net productivity, expand rural economic development, and enhance environmental sustainability. In addition, emerging environmental and natural resource issues, including endangered species, high energy costs, and competing downstream water uses will continue to negatively impact regional irrigated agriculture unless scientifically sound approaches are found. The objective of this agreement is to ensure the development of critical research information on irrigated cropping systems by the collaborative use of precision, self-propelled linear move irrigation systems and the development of automated, radio-linked agricultural micro-climate monitoring stations in both Montana/North Dakota and Washington State. The linear move irrigation systems will be used to develop and test precision water and chemical application systems and to assess their use high value irrigated cropping production systems and their role in improving water and soil quality and ecologically sound pest management practices and technologies. The automatic, radio-linked microclimate monitoring will be used to improve real time irrigation and pest management through the use of models and within field soil and plant monitoring instrumentation The WSU Center for Precision Agriculture Systems (CPAS) has an ongoing research and development program concerning the design and management of automated agricultural weather stations, radio telemetry and control, and implementing models for irrigation water management and plant protection to maximize environmental stewardship and reduce input costs. The USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) has responsibility for conducting research concerning water management and plant protection on dryland and irrigated lands in the Northern Great Plains. WSU and NPARL scientists intend to conduct cooperative research by working closely on problems of mutual interest concerning precision controls for self-propelled irrigation systems, use and sighting of automated farm weather stations and telemetry networks, and the modification and/or refinement of appropriate climate-based models combined with real time monitoring of climatic, plant and soil parameters. All these efforts are directed towards the improvement of grower managerial capacities and the economic viability of agricultural enterprises in the region.

Approach:
The Agricultural Systems Research Unit, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS and the WSU Center for Precision Agriculture Systems (24106 N. Bunn Road, Prosser, WA 99350) will collaboratively install, maintain and utilize lateral-move irrigation systems on the North Dakota State University Nesson Valley Research Farm (about 25 miles east of Williston, ND), the Montana State University EARC (near Sidney, MT) and at the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (near Prosser, WA). Jointly, they engage in precision irrigated cropping systems research and collaborate on the development and improvement of real-time climate-plant-soil monitoring technologies. The ultimate goal is to provide innovative and credible water and pest management solutions that enhance soil and water quality, conserve natural resources, and reduce producer's dependence on agrochemicals, conserve water and energy and reduce economic risk. ARS will conduct the evaluation and installation of precision irrigation hardware/software, microclimate monitoring equipment-software and conduct irrigation and soil management aspects of the research in Montana and North Dakota. The WSU-CPAS will conduct research at the Prosser site aimed at improving software, communications, monitoring, and control capabilities.