Present technology for the land application of animal wastes give the ability to store animal wastes and limit land application to defined time periods. This technology does not, however, readily deal with variables such as soil type, topology and fertility levels which dramatically affect the rates at which animal wastes can be effectively applied. GPS, GIS and remote sensing capabilities are now coming into use, which allow soil type, topology and nutrient levels to be determined and graphically represented in a database. What is not available today is the precision control of the application device---variable rate technology---for this type of material, which would allow a constant, programmed rate throughout the application cycle. With such a control system, interfaced to a GPS controller using GIS data gives the ability to then vary the application rate as required for the specific field position.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research: We propose to demonstrate the ability to effectively control the output of a slurry manure application system using rate of discharge data as supplied by strain gage load cells. Such a control system would allow a programmed soil application rate, which would be independent of slurry viscosity and density. Such a control system applied to closed tank slurry transport and application systems will facilitate the controlled application of animal waste nutrients more closely corresponding to the fertility needs of the various soils to which they are applied. Such a control system would also provide U.S. manufactures with a competitive advantage against lower cost imported product which is increasingly dominating the animal waste handling market.
