Before Yuxin Miao settles in to share his research in precision agriculture, he gives a gracious nod to the person who figuratively brought him to the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) in the first place.
That’s Pierre Robert, considered to be “the father of precision agriculture.” In 1995, Robert created the world’s first Precision Agriculture Center (PAC) at the University of Minnesota, and he organized the first six international conferences in the field.
Miao, an AGREETT-funded associate professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, became the PAC’s director in July 2023, and is excited to be carrying the torch in a field that’s critically important to the success of growers in Minnesota and around the world.
Precision agriculture, simply put, uses technology and data to help farms become more efficient. At the University of Minnesota, the PAC encompasses partners from all aspects of agriculture and technology, including the Departments of Soil, Water, and Climate; Agronomy and Plant Genetics; Plant Pathology; Entomology; and Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering in CFANS, plus entities like the College of Science and Engineering and GEMS Informatics.
Miao’s research focuses on precision nutrient management—specifically nitrogen but including nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur—and the integration of nitrogen with other aspects of management like seeding optimization and irrigation.
And the scope of his work goes far beyond small research plots, as it needs to account for spatial and temporal (seasonal/time-related) variability. “We work closely with farmers to do on-farm experiments directly in their whole fields,” Miao says. “Not only the experiments, but we also demonstrate some of the technologies with their equipment.”
On-farm research with tangible benefits for farmers
His nitrogen management technology uses satellite remote sensing, which collects daily images with three-meter spatial resolution. It monitors crop growth and includes factors like the farmer’s early nitrogen application information and soil-landscape conditions to determine how much additional nitrogen will be needed and where it will be needed.
To illustrate, one farmer that Miao has worked with in Wheaton, Minnesota, used to apply all his nitrogen fertilizer early in the season, before planting. Some years he applied too much and some years not enough. From on-farm experimental work, they found the optimal nitrogen rate changed from year to year, and the spatial variability was illustrated for the farmer.
“Now he has the opportunity to make in-season, site-specific adjustments,” Miao says. “He really liked this idea and he has changed from applying all the nitrogen before planting to split applications.”
Miao has established the Minnesota On-Farm Precision Agriculture Research Network, which includes crop consultants, farmers, and others in the industry, to facilitate the adoption of advanced precision agriculture technologies by the growers in Minnesota.
“Every year, we support them to do the on-farm research and trials, and then every year we organize a network meeting to share the results of the farmers and crop consultants and learn from each other.”
Read this full precision agriculture feature on the University of Minnesota News website.