Herbicide application over corn at an experimental site, as part of a long-term study looking at herbicide losses after application. Photo by ARS Researcher Joseph Alfieri.

New Tool Tracks Midwest Soil Temps

ARS scientists have developed a novel tool that uses data visualization, which is a graphical representation of information and data, to show soil temperature trends and help farmers and ag advisors in the Midwest with planning and decision-making when planting crops and applying fertilizers.

Understanding soil temperatures are important in agriculture because specific temperatures, such as 50 °F, are crucial for various aspects of agricultural production, including crop germination and nutrient application. Although local and state-level soil temperature data are accessible from state networks, there was no tool that summarized critical soil temperatures in the Midwestern region over time. Learn more...

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.