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Precision Agriculture

News Release – LandWISE Conference 12th and 13th May 2010, Havelock North

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April 15, 2010 – for immediate release
LandWISE Conference 12th and 13th May 2010, Havelock North

‘Know your Farm – with Precision Ag’
Leading researchers and practitioners of Precision Agriculture from around the world are to address the LandWISE Annual Conference on the 12th and 13th of May.

The conference is being opened by MAF Director of Strategy Development, James Palmer, who will speak about the challenges facing NZ agriculture and how the successful adoption of technology can offer solutions.

Keynote speaker Professor David Lamb will update delegates on worldwide advances in precision agriculture. Professor Lamb is the Director of the Precision Agriculture Research Group at the University of New England. He is well known in precision agriculture as an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining speaker.

Dr Charles Merfield from Ireland will outline how high precision agriculture tools are advancing organic cropping systems. Dr Eileen Perry from Victoria will explain the use of crop sensor technology and Dr Roger Mandel from Western Australia will “demystify precision agriculture”. Wade Riley from Mississippi will be telling delegates how to make it all work.

With farms investing heavily in precision agriculture tools there’s a need for other primary industry professionals to stay up to date. James Powrie from LandWISE says, “We are talking about shifting where farm money gets spent. The cost of inputs is rising, and the cost of precision ag technology falling, so it makes good financial sense to invest in these new tools. Bankers and advisers are recognising this is a major revolution in farming and everyone needs to adapt accordingly.”

LandWISE Chair Hugh Ritchie, says, “The LandWISE Conference has become one of the foremost events for farmers and their supporting industry reps to keep up to date with new technologies. LandWISE connects various players – farmers, scientists, technology providers – and facilitates projects where we all work together.”

LandWISE Manager, Dan Bloomer adds, “The conference is our biggest event, it is our main chance to get together and share news of the three year Sustainable Farming Fund Advanced Farming Systems project.  It is about using high technology on farms, with case studies and demonstration sites from Auckland to Canterbury.  Our farmers will stand up and share their stories too; how technology is ensuring more efficient use of water, soil, fuel and financial resources in New Zealand farming”.

The conference is well supported by industry, local government and primary sector groups. Key partner, the Foundation for Arable Research heads the list of Industry Gold Sponsors along with Farmlands, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, NZ Fresh Cuts, Gisborne District Council, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Horticulture New Zealand, CASE IH, WaterForce and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, AGMARDT and Potatoes New Zealand.

Precision Agriculture, Projects

CASE IH Gold Sponsor of the 2010 LandWISE Conference

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CASE IH will be a Gold Sponsor of the LandWISE 2010 conference.  “CASE IH dealers from around New Zealand have been supporting LandWISE events with attendance and sponsorship for over a year now.  We are delighted that they have decided to support the 2010 conference too,”  says Dan Bloomer of LandWISE.

CASE IH have been at the forefront of precision farming for more than a decade, giving farmers the ability to better control the entire crop production cycle. Case IH precision farming tools include everything you need to achieve repeatable accuracy from sub-inch levels and beyond, reduce overlaps, cut input costs – and maximize your yield potential.

Case_Agr

Tillage

Reduced tillage corn expert from Ohio hosted by FAR

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In February Ed Winkle was hosted by FAR to talk to Farmers about reduced tillage in corn and soybeans in the USA. Ed spoke at the FAR Maize day and then visited farmers around the North Island to look at maize and corn planters and discuss planter setup options.

He visited 3 LandWISE farmers while in NZ, David Clark, Hugh Ritchie and Hew Dalrymple, where he saw how some innovative NZ farmers and contractors are setting up their gear.  Ed has modified planters for himself and other farmers in the US and believes that similar methods would work well in New Zealand conditions.

How Ed’s cropping system works

Ed buys farms and works on drainage first, retiling and draining as required. He then works on pH and soil fertility to eliminate any limiting factors.

His grandfather planted over 4 months but Ed targets the best 5 planting days. Timing of planting is aimed at catching plenty of sun on the longest day.Timing is right for Ed if his best yield comes from his second or third paddock planted. Emergence within a 48 hour range shows that he has achieved even establishment.

Soil resilience has improved quickly with minimum tillage. Water infiltration, drought resistance, earthworm numbers and recovery from adverse events are better. Ed saw very compacted soils on many of the farms he visited in NZ. “If you aren’t already getting some serious soil problems, you’ve got them coming, your soil needs less passes”, he said.

Nitrogen rates are comparable to those in NZ and are set using models based on projected yields. Ammonium sulphate is applied at 100kg/ha which Ed believes aids the microbial breakdown of slash, which is rarely mulched.

Less P and K are being applied to Ed’s farm now than when he started in 2004, and he knows some min till farmers who have applied none in 20yrs. 17 nutrients are monitored in his soil tests and each is held at satisfactory levels with targeted fertilising to ensure yields are not compromised.

Setting up a planter for reduced tillage

The only cultivation done is by the planter itself. It is set up to achieve consistent tilth, cultivation depth, soil cover, seed depth and firming in a single pass. Setup is critical, says Ed. “The planter units should ‘float’ along. If you are working with pressure, you are working against yourself.” And he carries this philosophy through a lot of what he says.

The planter uses 500mm disc to cut trash and soil surface and residue managers clear trash from a 6 inch strip for soil warming and planter performance. Ed uses Keaton seed firmers to ensure each seed is correctly set in the planting slot. Planter performance is monitored carefully with results checked in every paddock.

Pre season maintenance includes measuring disc diameters and any play in moving parts. Out of spec discs are discarded and any loose joints are shimmed or rebushed to ensure consistent results.

Cover crops

Ed sees cultivation as a catastrophic event for a soil. Cover cropping is seen as offering multiple benefits and protecting the soil. It gives something back to the system. Radish is used as a cover crop to provide soil aeration, reduce compaction and capture and store nutrients. It also provides bio fumigation against weeds and pests. In Iowa it only grows for 60 days or so before it is killed by snow. But Ed is an advocate as he sees the significant gains being well worth the cost and effort of planting.

The Benefits

Reduced tillage corn provides great erosion control and improvements in soil properties, but is done primarily for economic reasons. Yield is king and drives profit.

Costs are reduced by fewer passes. Environmental benefits ‘come along for the ride’.

Ed believes many reduced tillage disappointments are simply a result of using the wrong gear and/or setting it up wrong.  The system he is using has been successful across a range of soil types across the US. Corn yields of 11 tonnes / ha are typical in the US.Ed’s yields have risen from 10.3 to 13.9 tonnes/ha in 6 yrs and are climbing.

“Some farmers are happy with [11 tonnes], but I need to pay the bank. I didn’t get given anything, so it has to work,” he said.

Reduced passes and smarter planter setup are the keys to more successful farming. Ed was heartened to see so many NZ planters being set up towards reduced tillage and “saving soil, oil and toil”

Ed’s conclusion: “Make less trips across your fields and make more money!”

Thanks to FAR for hosting Ed.

Agronomy, Drainage, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Water

Going High Tech at Holton Farm

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As Published in ‘Grower’ Magazine February 2010.

Like many farmers who have adopted precision agriculture, Tim Macfarlane is using GPS to control his machinery.  This gives savings in time, fuel, labour, machinery and other input costs.

Tim farms Holton Farm near Kaiapoi.  He grows sweetcorn and pumpkin for the fresh market and seed crops including cabbage, clover, ryegrass and radish.  Peas, wheat and barley are grown for feed.

The first steps into precision agriculture came to the farm in the 1990s. A hired hand-held GPS was used to map paddock boundaries. Knowing true paddock sizes allowed for accurate ordering of seed and chemicals.

Now, GPS guides the tractor providing for more efficient cultivation, planting, fertilising and inter row cultivation.  It controls his spray boom too, switching nozzles on and off, section by section at exactly the right time.  Spraying is more precise and less overlapping of herbicide applications reduces chemical waste and yield reduction.

Leica RTK GPS is now used for all high accuracy guidance, with corrections coming from an on-site base station. This gives season to season accuracy of better than 2 cm. Farm operations are routinely logged with GPS and transferred into an integrated farm mapping and management program.

New technology keeps coming to Holton

GPS and auto steering is allowing a shift towards Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) which Tim thinks will increase yields by reducing overall compaction.  CTF is also expected to provide other efficiencies. “As we grow in confidence with Precision Ag, endless possibilities are opening up to us,” says Tim.

GPS allows various types of captured data to be precisely located and mapped on the farm.  EM38 soil conductivity sensing is being used to map relative water holding capacity across the farm.  Greenseeker crop sensors are capturing differences in greenness across paddocks, helping decisions about weed control.  Yield maps are clearly showing how much crop was harvested from each part of a paddock.

EM38 scanning and mapping was conducted in 2009.  The intention is to gain understanding of soil depth, quality and water holding capacity.  This information will be used to plan rotations and decide whether to irrigate more of the property.

EM38 mapping also helps determine location and depth of old, forgotten drains, identifying areas where inversion and ripping might be practical.

Weeds and technology

Weed challenges are now focusing Tim’s attention on GPS based weed management practices. These offer alternative options for control and can increase efficiency in the use of chemical, fuel and other inputs.

Tim wants systems that allow him to determine weed type and density using sensing and GPS mapping tools.  Once the target is well understood, chemical rates and application methods can easily be varied. Already, GPS controlled boom switching is reducing overlap, providing accurate record keeping and proof of placement, and easy recording of chemical trial data.

When chemical tools are unavailable, the improved accuracy of RTK allows very efficient mechanical weeding. The accuracy lets Tim go later with the final inter row weeding pass and go closer to the planted crop. And RTK inter row weeding means less hand weeding in radish, sweetcorn, cabbage and pumpkin row crops.

The future of technology at Holton

Technology is giving gains at Holton.  Tim says, “As we learn more about technology, we learn more about our farm and how we can keep making progress. Over time and with good planning, precision ag ensures that huge benefits are gained in production, efficiency and economics for the entire operation”

Tim is an agent for Leica Geosytems Precision Ag products, Raven GPS and spray control equipment, and Farm Data software. These technology products are integrated into the farming system.  The GPS feeds operations and yield data into the farm software.  Farm software feeds data and map files back to the GPS.

If you would like to keep making progress on your farm and to understand Precision Agriculture better, you may like to join LandWISE and to attend the LandWISE conference in Havelock North on May 12th and 13th.  This year’s conference will be called ‘Know your farm – with Precision Ag’.

See www.landwise.org.nz for more information.

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Projects

2010 LandWISE Conference

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2010 LandWISE Conference

Know Your Farm – With Precision Ag, Havelock North, 12th & 13th May.

The LandWISE conference aims to be to the leading Precision Agriculture event in New Zealand each year.

You will get to meet other farmers, growers and industry people with an interest in Precision Agriculture.  And  hear world class speakers on these topics:

  • Precision Ag and the Big Wide World – MAF Director of Strategy Development – James Palmer, Professor David Lamb (UNE) and Dr Charles Merfield, will address the challenges and changes driving advances in Precision Ag. in NZ and worldwide.
  • Making Your Data Valuable – New ways farm data is enhancing farm profitability.  See how it is being collected and used to farm better.
  • Knowing and Growing Your Soil – Ways you can preserve and improve soil quality.
  • Managing Traffic in the Field – Updates on managing soil compaction, a technical session on tyre inflation and successful Controlled Traffic Farming in NZ.
  • Managing Variability – Demystifying crop sensors, agronomy tools and Variable Rate Technology to improve effectiveness with fertiliser and other inputs.
  • Precision Irrigation – How some NZ  farmers are managing water smarter to reduce the cost and environmental impacts of irrigation.

Members enjoy a discount, so if you are coming to the LandWISE conference, consider signing up, you will be in excellent company.

This year the LandWISE Conference will be followed by a one day Crop Sensor Workshop on 14th May 2010.  Places limited.

To receive a conference schedule, to register or to learn more about our activities, contact LandWISE for more information at info@landwise.org.nz

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects

Organics embrace the best of all worlds

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As Published in ‘Grower Magazine December 2009’

Scott Lawson is a BioGro certified farmer who is using precision agriculture (PA) techniques on his Hawke’s Bay farm.  Produce from his farm is marketed through the True Earth brand. Scott is a founding member, and a Director of LandWISE.

At Lawson’s Organic Farms they integrate the best of organic, biological and conventional toolkits.

Scott’s philosophy is simple:  “The health of our soils relates directly to the health of our community.  My intention is to promote healthy soils to produce healthy food, for healthy people.”

“We adopted RTK GPS two years ago to drive straight lines and save costs.  GPS lets us do things we wanted to do before but couldn’t.  It is an essential tool for us now.”

“We operate a controlled traffic farming (CTF) system.  Precision GPS guidance keeps our cultivation, planting and mechanical and thermal weeding equipment on the same tracks.  We are also using GPS for capturing yield data, fertility and ph information and have begun mapping our soils with EM38.”

Managing compaction with GPS and controlled traffic

Scott has found that GPS allows straight lines to be driven by any operator, saving inputs and making operations quicker and cheaper.  RTK GPS guides the tractor to within 1-2 cm of the same wheel tracks, year after year.

Now he is using GPS guidance to control traffic and get on top of soil compaction. Controlled traffic farming is about deliberately driving on designated roads through the crop and keeping compaction in one zone.  The beds or gardens are then kept relatively free of compaction.

Scott’s controlled traffic system is seasonal, because current tractors and harvesters have different wheel track widths. All operations except harvest are in the controlled traffic system so plants get the growth benefit.

GPS guided mechanical and thermal weeding

The chemical weed management tools available to organic farmers are very limited. So they tend to make more use of hand, mechanical and thermal weeding.

Hand weeding has been used extensively in Scott’s operation.  It is slow and expensive, and labour management is a big consumer of time too. Precise GPS guidance has allowed bullet straight rows to be planted and mechanical weeding machines to be guided close to the crop row.  This has reduced expenditure on hand weeding operations.

Thermal weeding is also used, with steam applied to kill emerging weeds.  Timing is critical and so the controlled traffic system is a bonus.  The formed tracks have an enhanced ability to carry traffic, even when ground conditions wetter than ideal.

Mechanical and thermal weeding, as pursued by organic growers like Scott, are receiving more interest from conventional growers.  Some weeds cannot be easily taken out of some crops with selective herbicides.   Chemical options are declining as products come off registration and as plants evolve chemical resistance.  As chemicals are deregistered, growers lose ability to rotate chemistry and avoid evolved resistance.

Conventional farmers, John Evans and Hugh Ritchie, are two other LandWISE members who have adopted GPS guided weeding.  John grows vegetable seed and grass seed crops.  Chemical options are not giving adequate weed control, especially in his seed carrot crops.

John uses RTK GPS to guide a Kongskilde mechanical weeder within 50mm of the planted rows.  “This is reducing the hand weeding bill and offers improved weed control.  It has an added benefit of aerating the soil surface when a rainfall crust has formed, letting the soil breathe again,” John says.

Hugh uses GPS guidance supplemented with camera implement control to weed squash, fresh and process vegetables with a Danish Eco-Dan system.”  It has reduced a major labour bill for us.  And using less residual chemical is a direction we are pleased to be heading in.“

Scott is intrigued by the view some folks have of organics.  “If I asked some fellow growers if they’d like to try the organic weeding methods I am applying, they’d likely tell me where to get off.  If I ask if they’d like to weed mechanically using GPS and eliminate expensive selective herbicides from their program, their ears prick up”.

The LandWISE website www.landwise.org.nz contains articles on precision agriculture and many resources and tools.  It is also a place to comment, chat and ask questions about where to go to learn more.
Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

Agronomy, Precision Agriculture

Six Simple Steps to Precision Agriculture Adoption

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From Grower Magazine November 2009

Precision Agriculture, or ‘information rich farming’, is a rapidly increasing part of New Zealand crop production.   Precision Agriculture is allowing growers to be more efficient with inputs and lift their profitability while making their farming more sustainable.

Sustainable profitability is why many growers in New Zealand are adopting Precision Agriculture.   Some vocally promote it but others prefer to keep quiet about the advantages.

LandWISE is working with farmers who are making Precision Agriculture work for themselves in different ways.  A wide range of technologies are being adopted, examples being;  GPS, auto-steer, mapping systems, optical sensors and variable rate application technologies for spraying, fertiliser and planting.

Each time they master one step, a new set of opportunities appears. “I couldn’t even perceive what I might be doing with this when I started.”

It seems there is something for everyone.  If you are going to be part of this, what steps might you take?
Let’s chart a grower’s progress in adopting Precision Agriculture:

1.    Acknowledge that you have probably already started!

A principle of Precision Agriculture is to identify and manage zones.  If you are a farmer in New Zealand, you’ll already think at paddock scale, and recognise that paddocks are different to one another. You will be aware that different parts of your land perform differently.  Some areas hold less water, are ready to work sooner, warm up quicker but dry out first. Paddocks may have sandier or deeper soils or have a different aspect or weed cover. They have different cropping histories.  You probably soil test and fertilise accordingly.  If you use this knowledge to make decisions about inputs, timing or management, then you are already operating with the basics of Precision Agriculture.

2.    Get spatially aware and more precise

LandWISE farmer Tim Macfarlane is routinely using PA tools on his farm in Canterbury.   “The basic technology is simple and it lets us do things we otherwise couldn’t.  My first step towards PA was to accurately map the farm using a hired GPS unit.  I then had confidence in ordering fertiliser and seed and a sound basis for assessing yield information”.

Tim’s tractors now have GPS guidance for cultivating, planting and spraying in his mixed cropping and fresh and process vegetable operation.  We watched Tim using high accuracy auto steer to make a second planting of male plants for specialist seed production, and the final row was precisely on line.

3.    Ask yourself whether you would like to increase farm input efficiency.

Increased input efficiency means producing more for less.  Ideally, lifting yields while reducing labour, fuel, fertiliser, seed or chemicals to grow your crops.
Driving straight lines often gives the biggest immediate payback. The fatigue reduction is enough reason in itself, but the follow on advantages provide efficiency gains and the ability to do things in new ways. Some LandWISE vegetable growers using GPS to guide their cultivation and establish permanent beds are saving in excess of 50% of their fuel bill, as well as reducing labour and other inputs.
Variable Rate Technologies (applying different inputs based on variable crop requirements), show a lot of promise.   LandWISE is working with growers to determine how they can gain advantage from such tools.

4.    Understand your own farm better.

Where are your best and worst yields?  Why?
Identifying zones on your farm may support better decision making.  Google earth, aerial photographs and topographical and soil maps are a good place to start. Can you use other information to categorise these zones?  Soil maps and experience may hold clues to the causes of differences.

Electronic crop sensors are being used with GPS to plot differences in ‘colour’ across a crop.  Your eye is a sensor too.  You may start with a hand held GPS, mapping areas you know to be different.  Then you can inspect and sample your soil, crop, and weeds to better understand the zones, and your farm.

A number of LandWISE farmers have scanned paddocks using electromagnetic sensing tools (EM38) to identify soil zones. One goal is to map water holding capacity for irrigation management, a process that requires field sampling in different zones.  There is a lot still to learn, but the benefits are already apparent.

5.    Get information, Get together

Seek out neighbours who are already practicing precision agriculture and ask if you can see what they are up to. There are people at all stages of adoption across the country.  LandWISE is working with farmer groups from Pukekohe to Canterbury. Keep an eye out for a LandWISE event near you.

Dan Bloomer at LandWISE has seen how precision agriculture is making farming more interesting and fun, as well as lifting farm profit and sustainability.  “At LandWISE we get to work with a bunch of growers, who are very enthusiastic about the gains they get.  And they do this while they learn and share information.  Everyone wins.

Hugh Ritchie is sharing equipment with his contractor and his neighbours to speed their adoption and share engineering costs in arable and vegetable cropping.  “We know we want to adopt controlled traffic farming, to take better care of our soil and save costs.  Sharing the investment in technology means we can all get there faster” says Hugh.

6.    Join LandWISE

LandWISE farmers support each other to move forward and learn about Precision Agriculture.  A major Sustainable Farming Fund project, supported by FAR, HortNZ, Farmlands, Ballance, and several Regional Councils has twelve development sites in operation across New Zealand.

LandWISE has a major annual conference in May and field events during the year. We are currently establishing local precision agriculture discussion groups for members.
The LandWISE website www.landwise.org.nz contains information on current members, articles on precision agriculture and many resources and tools.  It is also a place to comment, chat and ask questions about where to go to learn more.

LandWISE hold field walks and Precision Agriculture discussions in Pukekohe, Gisborne, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Levin.  If you share an interest in Precision Agriculture you are welcome to attend.
Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil, Tillage, Water

Evans Farm Precision Agriculture Field Walk, Canterbury

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On Monday 16 November 2009, a field walk was held in conjunction with FAR, at John and Jack Evan’s farm in Dorie. This is an Advanced Farming Systems Project farm and includes a strip tillage trial.

James Powrie and Dan Bloomer spoke about the LandWISE Advanced Farming Systems project, what the various farmers are achieving with Precision Ag and the benefits of Controlled Traffic. About 35 visitors attended and saw John’s Trimble GPS guidance at work in mechanical weeding of beetroot seed. And then viewed the strip tillage trial which is in carrot seed production.

John spoke frankly about the warts and all of adopting Precision Agriculture. The principle benefits to him are in reducing overlaps and wasteage and in being able to solve weed control and herbicide efficacy challenges by mechanically weeding. As he becomes more precise with planting, he finds that his demand is lifting for still further precision, so that he can weed closer and faster.

Thanks to John and Jack Evans and FAR.
For further information: Call James on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757, email james@landwise.org.nz or see www.landwise.org.nz for updates.

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil, Water

Auckland Region Precision Agriculture Field Walks

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On Thursday 19 November a LandWISE field day started at 10am at NZ Fresh Cuts at Mangere, South Auckland.
Chris Butler described the adoption of a permanent bed system in their salad growing operation.

GPS use and Controlled Traffic Farming have evolved there, to the point where fuel savings of about 50% are being gained over conventional practices. A reduction in the number of cultivation operations has been made possible and this has the benefit of allowing more crops per season on this property.

The next challenge is in optimizing Nitrogen fertiliser efficiency, which will enhance their profitability dramatically.

The use of NDVI sensing will be explored as part of the LandWISE project at this site. This will be with the support of Agri Optics from Canterbury.

Lunchtime Presentations on the Advanced Farming Systems and Holding It Together projects were given by James Powrie- LandWISE and Paul Johnstone- Plant and Food Research at the Franklin Centre in Pukekohe.

In the afternoon about 20 visitors saw the AS Wilcox and Son permanent bed trial in Pukekawa. Wilcox’s are trialling controlled traffic and permanent beds in a 3 year trial in potatoes, onion and oats. They aim to gain in soil quality, efficiency and a reduction in harvest cost by reducing compaction. They also talked about their journey in adopting and now expanding the use of GPS in their cropping operation.

Thanks to Plant and Food Research, AS Wilcox and Sons and NZ Fresh Cuts.
For further information: Call James on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757, email james@landwise.org.nz or see www.landwise.org.nz for updates.

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil, Water

Precision Ag in Vegetables – November Field Walk in Levin

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On Tuesday 24 November 2009 an Advanced Farming Systems and Holding It Together Project update was given by James Powrie- LandWISE and Paul Johnstone- Plant and Food Research. The update was held at Levin RSA following on from a HIT project team meeting.

In the afternoon this was followed by a field walk to Woodhaven Gardens where Antonia Glaria showed 15 visitors their trials in Controlled Traffic farming and Permanent beds for Fresh vegetables.

Early improvements in soil structure are encouraging as soil structure recovers with a reduction in wheel traffic and cultivation. Furrow diking was also observed and HIT project sediment traps were visited by the group with discussion on amelioration of the effects of soil loss in intensive vegetable cropping.

Furrow diking is having the effect of reducing ponding and enhancing infiltration at this farm.

Thanks to Plant and Food Research and Woodhaven Gardens.
For further information: Call James on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757, email james@landwise.org.nz or see www.landwise.org.nz for updates.