Automating Vegetative Treatment System (VTS) Management
Channel: Livestock & Poultry Environ. Learning Community
Date: 12/06/2013

For more: http://www.extension.org/67598 Vegetative Treatment Systems (VTS) are an alternative to runoff retention ponds for open lot feedlots. A proof of concept was developed to investigate the feasibility and reliability of incorporating soil moisture sensors, sediment basin level, and precipitation into a human machine interface (HMI) with data tracking and simple message system (SMS) alerts for the owner of a Sprinkler VTS.

To operate effectively VTS systems the collected runoff from the feedlot must be managed soon after a runoff event has occurred, so that the system is able to accommodate the next event. Creating a feedback loop to the producer about the soil moisture balance in the vegetative treatment area and the storage capacity of the sediment basin provides the producer with information about the status of the system and help determine when the best time to apply the runoff to the VTA. Additionally, there is concern by regulators about the potential for deep percolation from VTA's.