Robotic soil sampling

Brothers Troy and Benjamin Fiechter, who farm in Indiana in the US, were concerned about the variability in the soil samples they took on their farm. They became convinced that only samples from exactly the same spot could be compared accurately.

“Otherwise you can’t track results over time accurately, something we’ve seen on our own farm,” explains Troy.

Experimenting on their farm, they discovered that, even if sampling cores were extracted only a few metres away from the original location, there was a considerable difference. More often than not, soil nutrient values, including pH, are not uniform even within a small sampling area.

The Fiechters add that conventional soil sampling has other drawbacks, all leading to variable lab results. These include inconsistent core depth, possible cross-contamination of soil from point to point, and human error. As a result of all this, they set about developing a robotic soil sampler.

Their first prototype was built on the base of an

ATV and was GPS-guided and controlled by remote control. It was also equipped with lidar-based obstacleavoidance technology. (This combines 3D and laser scanning.) An auger was used to collect soil samples.

Rubber tracks

Smart Core, their second machine, looks similar to a Bobcat skid-steer loader, but has rubber tracks and boasts an automatic sampling system, where each sample is bagged without human error or contamination. Asked how consistent it is, Troy says: “We’ve even had it hit the exact same hole!”

Customer Scott Eikholt, a commercial farmer, confirms the advantages of the machine’s accuracy.

“With autonomous GPS, pulling from the same spots every three years, we can see how nutrients change, and know when to cut back or add them, increasing our operation’s profit. This and the sample quality is why we’re a customer.”

For YouTube videos showing the autonomous soil samplers at work, go to bit.ly/atvsoilsamp and bit.ly/smartcore1. Visit agnext.com. • Greg Miles is a livestock farmer and Internet marketer. Email him at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Online farmer.