The Leopold Center link to I-FARM

I-FARM on the web
 

Thanks to a web-based tool developed at Iowa State University that allows a farmer to run “what if” scenarios on virtual or actual farms, the answers are as close as a home computer. The tool, now in its third year, has been expanded so that it can be used to determine biomass harvest and its impact on erosion, soil fertility, livestock operations, the farm’s energy and labor requirements and a host of other variables.

I-FARM is a database-driven farming systems simulation model that predicts economic returns and ecosystems impacts of farm operations. It is unique because it integrates both crop and livestock components with soils, weather and economic information specific to 20 states, including Iowa. Access is free and the web site can handle up to 50 users at one time.

Since we first wrote about I-FARM in 2005 (Summer newsletter, “Take a spin on I-FARM: Create your own virtual farm”), a number of features have been added or expanded. Here are some of the significant changes.
GIS application: The most important change has been the addition of a GIS-based interactive map. Rather than selecting from a list of soil types for each field, users can zoom in on the map of Iowa, which takes them to an aerial photograph of their farm. The program then automatically enters soil type, hill slopes and other field-specific details already available on the public databases.

Soil databases: Recently two new NRCS soil databases have been coupled to I-FARM: the STATSGO database (state level) and SSURGO database (county level). The coupling has now been completed for nine states in the Midwest, including Iowa. The significant advantages are the availability of field/soil specific hill slopes, slope lengths and yield data.

Bioeconomy: Grants have funded further development of this model to address issues specific to maintaining diversity in the bioeconomy. Sample farms with a range of biomass harvest scenarios have been added to the tool. Locations of all ethanol plants in the United States, as well as feedstock type and capacity information, also have been added to I-FARM. The model can calculate distances to these plants from any farm in Iowa.

States modeled: Soil, weather and environmental data for the state of Arkansas were added in 2006. The model now covers Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee and
Wisconsin.

Labor, energy, machine costs: New modules for labor and energy are based on 15-day periods, the same time frame used to calculate erosion. The change helps account for periods of high seasonal labor as well as energy consumption based on the actual number of field trips.

Custom farming: Custom rates for labor, machines and energy can be specified in the model, or according to average rates made available through ISU Extension. The first custom farming operations included in I-FARM are for biomass harvest and transport, and other custom farming options will be added.

Production data: The model includes production data for corn (grain, stover or silage), soybeans, wheat and wheat straw, alfalfa, grass for grazing, grass and legumes for grazing as well as forage, and switchgrass. Future plans call for the addition of production data for potatoes and barley.

Livestock production data are included for dairy (four categories of milk yield), beef (finishing on hay or silage and cow-calf operations) and types of hog operations (nursery/feeder pigs, grower hogs, gestation sows and lactating sows/piglets). Future plans include the addition of production data for poultry and sheep.
Instruction: I-FARM is being used in several university classrooms. The team has developed an instructor’s manual and a sample two-hour exercise for a computer lab or homework assignment.

The Leopold Center link to I-FARM

The Leopold Center was a cooperator with Iowa State University and other partners in a three-state USDA grant designed to encourage farming systems that mix crops and animals. One of the project outcomes was development of I-FARM.

The Leopold Center continues to aid I-FARM’s second phase by supporting an advisory team. The group met for the first time in 2006 to provide general guidance and scientific overview of the project in its future directions. Serving on the advisory team are:

• Martin Adkins, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Des Moines;

• Robert Burns, ISU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering;

• Jill Euken, ISU Extension, Lewis;

• Jerry Hatfield, USDA National Soil Tilth Laboratory;

• John Laflen, consultant, Buffalo Center, Iowa;

• Jeri Neal, Leopold Center Ecology Initiative; and

• Shahab Sokhansanj, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The I-FARM development team includes software developer Ed van Ouwerkerk in the ISU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering; Tom Richard, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Pennsylvania State University; and Robert Anex, ISU Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

I-FARM on the web

http://i-farmtools.org

To use, click on web application link. Sign in (simply a way to save info for later). Set aside a block of time to enter data from your own farm, or retrieve any one of more than 30 sample farms that have data already entered.