AFM AFM Soil & Land Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Precision agriculture variable-rate technology (VRT) allows farm managers to:
- Eliminate all soil sampling costs
- Apply inputs at rates matched to soil variability within a field (Correct answer)
- Guarantee uniform crop yields across a field
- Replace the need for agronomist consultations
Correct answer: Apply inputs at rates matched to soil variability within a field
VRT adjusts application rates of seed, fertilizer, or chemicals in real time based on georeferenced soil or yield data, optimizing input use efficiency.
Question 2: A soil's cation exchange capacity (CEC) is important to farm managers primarily because it indicates:
- The field's irrigation requirement
- The soil's ability to retain and supply nutrients to crops (Correct answer)
- The depth to bedrock
- The amount of organic matter in the subsoil
Correct answer: The soil's ability to retain and supply nutrients to crops
A higher CEC means the soil can hold more positively charged nutrient ions, reducing leaching losses and improving fertilizer efficiency.
Question 3: Under USDA's National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs, a Wetland Determination on farmland is significant because:
- It automatically qualifies the land for drainage assistance
- It restricts drainage or conversion activities that could affect federal program eligibility (Correct answer)
- It increases the land's appraised value
- It exempts the land from property taxes
Correct answer: It restricts drainage or conversion activities that could affect federal program eligibility
A wetland determination means any drainage or conversion activity could violate Swampbuster provisions, resulting in loss of all USDA farm program benefits.
Question 4: Cover cropping is primarily used in US farm management to:
- Generate immediate cash income between cash crops
- Improve soil health, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds during the off-season (Correct answer)
- Replace the primary cash crop during drought years
- Increase field drainage speed
Correct answer: Improve soil health, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds during the off-season
Cover crops protect and improve soil structure, organic matter, and biological activity during periods when the main cash crop is not growing.
Question 5: A farm manager reviewing a land appraisal for acquisition purposes should pay special attention to the soil type's:
- Color designation in the Munsell chart
- Productivity index and drainage classification, which drive income potential (Correct answer)
- Depth to the C horizon only
- Frost date range
Correct answer: Productivity index and drainage classification, which drive income potential
Soil productivity index and drainage class directly determine the land's crop yield potential and income-generating capacity, the foundation of its investment value.
Question 6: The primary goal of an integrated pest management (IPM) plan on a managed farm is to:
- Eliminate all pesticide applications permanently
- Minimize pest damage while reducing chemical inputs and costs through monitoring and thresholds (Correct answer)
- Maximize insecticide applications to prevent any yield loss
- Shift all pest control responsibility to the tenant
Correct answer: Minimize pest damage while reducing chemical inputs and costs through monitoring and thresholds
IPM uses economic thresholds, monitoring, cultural practices, and targeted treatments to control pests cost-effectively while minimizing environmental impact.
AFM AFM Soil & Land Management 2
Precision agriculture variable-rate technology (VRT) allows farm managers to: