Category Archives: Precision Agriculture

Agronomy, Precision Agriculture, Projects

World class chemical application and traceability using Precision Ag Tools

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As published in Grower October 2010. James Powrie and Dan Bloomer, LandWISE Inc.

Tim Macfarlane paid for his GPS in one day.  Electronic recordkeeping avoided a chemical trespass fight and maintained good neighbour relations.  Tim is working closely with FAR and LandWISE on a project called Advanced Farming Systems, which aims to research and extend new technology on NZ farms.

“This single event covered the cost of my GPS and control systems by avoiding legal action and the stress that goes with it,” he says.  Tim grows sweetcorn, vegetables and seed crops on his family farm in Kaiapoi.  Spray events are recorded by GPS, which tracks sprayer location and application rates.

An on-farm climate station also records data automatically.  Using these data together, Tim can show exactly what was applied, when, and in what weather conditions.  This makes it easy for him to complete industry and market quality assurance records such as New Zealand GAP.

“I invested in GPS to get agrichemical efficiencies.  I wanted to avoid overlaps or misses, with their resulting yield reductions, and to get better coverage with less chemical.  Proof of product placement is the icing on the cake,” he says.

GPS tracking clearly shows operators what has been sprayed, and what hasn’t.  “Before GPS, I’d find myself at the end of a field wondering if I’d done that row or not.  And GPS shows me exactly what is sprayed, where the last tank ran out, and where to start again,” said Tim.

Prescription application reduces the risk of chemical being applied at incorrect rates or places.  And if errors occur, affected crop can be traced and isolated.  Boom control avoids double spraying on angled headlands.

The benefits of traceability

Higher up the value scale, consumers are more interested in details of the products they buy.  Marketers can focus on traceability to differentiate products and add value.  A merino clothing brand encourages customers to trace their individual garment via the web.  They can view detail on ethics and environmental policy and see the farms where the wool was grown.

Precision agriculture systems provide more staff accountability for job quality and make supervision easier.  Records contain date, time and operator information so that details can be checked and followed up if needed.  Real-time links can advise supervisors if plant or equipment operates outside specified limits via the internet.  A manager can view in-cab operations from their office computer screen.

Regulation and demand for traceability can be seen as a burden or as an opportunity to improve your system. “When I have targeted one area of my operation for improvement with precision agriculture technology, I have found that other aspects get better too,” says Tim.

For more information on precision agriculture options and adoption, talk to LandWISE.

The LandWISE website www.landwise.org.nz contains information on current members, precision agriculture articles, resources and tools.

LandWISE membership puts you in touch with other innovative growers, industry folks and technologists, join at http://www.landwise.org.nz/join/

Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

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Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil

Early signs looking good in Controlled Traffic vegetable growing

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As published in Grower July 2010.

About 12 months ago A. S. Wilcox embarked on a new challenge – to adapt controlled traffic farming (CTF) to their Pukekohe-based cropping operation. A. S. Wilcox is pursuing CTF in order to improve soil quality and overall productivity. They also hope to lower fuel use.

With support from Land WISE and Plant and Food Research, a seven hectare site was allocated to the first year trial; half is being managed according to a CTF approach they have designed, the other half to their conventional “random traffic” practice.

The key is keeping all traffic on the same wheel tracks, never driving on the productive ‘garden’ areas. Under CTF, vehicle traffic is restricted to permanent wheel tracks. These solid ‘roadways’ are better able to carry traffic, allow access sooner after rain and reduce rolling resistance energy demand. The wheel tracks are not removed at the end of a crop, they are retained to carry future traffic. As a result, there is no need for the deep ripping and powered cultivation that is often required to remove compaction caused by random traffic during the season and at harvest.

In this article, crop supply manager Simon Wilcox and scientist Paul Johnstone provide a brief summary of this operation and promising soil indicators measured during the first year.

The trial site is on clay loam at A. S. Wilcox’s property in Pukekawa. The site has been intensively cropped for almost 15 years, typically to their standard 3 year rotation of onions, potatoes and oats. Heavy cultivation has been required to remove compaction and prepare beds for successive crops. Harvesting operations are often difficult in these soils, especially during wet conditions.

There were two key differences in how each half was managed in the first year of the trial. The controlled and random traffic areas both received the same primary cultivation. But there were some differences in the way the onion beds were initially formed (??) and the way the crop was subsequently harvested. In the controlled traffic area, all harvest equipment remained in wheel tracks, whereas in the conventional random traffic area, equipment also travelled on bed tops.

What has been learnt so far?

There was no difference in onion yields achieved using either approach. In time A.S. Wilcox hope the controlled traffic approach will deliver a deeper, better-structured soil that can either support larger crops or require fewer fertiliser or irrigation inputs.

Soil quality of prime interest, so a range of soil physical properties were assessed immediately prior to the harvest of onions in January. These included bulk density, aggregate size and also aggregate stability. There were few big differences in these indicators at this stage, probably because both areas had received the same primary cultivations and all seasonal traffic for weed, pest and disease control was in the formed wheel tracks.

Water infiltration under controlled traffic did however increase by about 30%, an encouraging observation which appeared linked to differences in bed forming practice. This was consistent with visual observations made during the season by the Wilcox team, where the effective soil depth was much greater under controlled traffic.

The most recent set of soil samples were collected in April, just prior to the planting of potatoes. The effects of the different traffic approaches at harvest appear to be emerging. Under the conventional random traffic practice there were a greater number of big, clumpy aggregates – a sign of residual compaction. By contrast, smaller aggregates were formed with less cultivation under controlled traffic.

The current potato crop will give the best indication yet of the potential benefits of the new controlled traffic approach. If these soils are better drained and structured, we expect to see more favourable lifting conditions during the challenging winter period.

In addition to the emerging soil benefits, the Wilcox team estimates they can reduce fuel use by about 50% by managing their traffic. The hoped for energy savings appear to be real. Convinced of these benefits, A. S. Wilcox has increased their controlled traffic area, implementing it on 44 ha this year.

All and all, early observations are encouraging for successful controlled traffic farming at this site!

For more details on these results contact James Powrie (LandWISE) or Paul Johnstone (Plant and Food Research). Funding for this project has come from the Sustainable Farming Fund ‘Advanced Farming Systems’ and ‘Holding it Together’ programs.

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 membership puts you in touch with other innovative growers, industry folks and technologists, join at http://www.landwise.org.nz/join/

Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

Controlled Traffic Systems, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Water

LandWISE 2010 Conference – Know your Farm with Precision Ag

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As published in Grower June 2010.

James Powrie and Dan Bloomer, LandWISE Inc.

“The life-cycle, right through to the end consumer, matters a lot if we are to capture value and climb out of the commodity trap”, says James Palmer, MAF Policy’s Director of Strategy Development. In his opening address at the LandWISE Conference, Palmer highlighted the challenges faced by agriculture in New Zealand. He noted that Precision Agriculture can help farmers to grow the natural capital and markets on which our economy depends.

Held in Havelock North, with a high tech field session at the Centre for Land and Water in Hastings, the conference attracted 130 delegates. Farmers, researchers and industry people congregated to learn more about the benefits of advanced farming systems for vegetable, arable and pasture crops.

New technologies such as GPS, crop sensors, imaging and communications are driving farming forward in Australia, reported Professor David Lamb from the University of New England, NSW.   Lamb, Leader of the Precision Ag Research Group described new applications in cropping, pastoral systems and viticulture and the use of crop sensors, satellite imaging and livestock tracking.  On the LandWISE Conference itself, he said, “This has been the most enjoyable event I have attended in many years.”

Fellow Australians,  Dr Eileen Perry and Dr Roger Mandel spoke about the physics of crop sensing, how Australian growers are making technology pay and also, perhaps most importantly, how to avoid its pitfalls. “Check very carefully what support you will be getting – I’d sooner have the next best technology with the best support,” said Mandel. “If you can’t get support when and where you need it, you’ll have a very expensive tool doing absolutely nothing,” he said.

LandWISE Manager, Dan Bloomer notes, “Australia has invested heavily in Precision Agriculture – probably owing to the very marginal nature of some of their farming, and their need to target inputs accurately and take special care of their soils and water.”    New Zealand growers are taking on Precision Ag as their profitability is challenged and environmental performance is becoming a key success factor. “Cost saving technologies like GPS, auto steering and high tech spraying and planting gear are getting cheaper while the other input costs are all going up.  Farmers are catching on fast, and once in, they wonder how they ever did without it,” he adds.

Fuel savings from 25-55% are being made in Controlled Traffic Farming operations. LandWISE is monitoring progress on farms producing onions, spinach and lettuce and maize cropping.  Plant and Food scientist, Paul Johnstone, and AS Wilcox Crop Supervisor Simon Wilcox told delegates about trials of permanent beds for onions and potatoes. After only one crop, measureable soil improvements and fuel savings are seen. AS Wilcox will greatly increase the area of Controlled Traffic Farming this year.

Reddy Pullanagari is a doctorate student at the NZ Centre for Precision Agriculture at Massey.  He has begun work with NZ Fresh Cuts Operations Manager Chris Butler, who spoke about CTF in salad cropping and crop sensing for nutritional management.

“Conferences are great, but we need more of this closer extension happening throughout agriculture,” says Bloomer.  “LandWISE works hard to improve communication between farmers, scientists and academics. We believe strongly in cooperative research efforts and excellent communication between farmers and researchers,” said Bloomer.  “And it seems to work well.”

Three scholarships enabled students to attend the Conference. Apatu Farms sponsored a leading Ag/Hort student from Lindisfarne college in Hastings.   LandWISE matched this to allow Sam Tod and Rowan Sandford to attend the conference free of charge.

Anna Gillum, an honours student from Massey University, also attended the conference on a scholarship from LandWISE, “It has confirmed for me that I have chosen the right industry.  It was nice to realise that my last 3 years of study, and this post grad year, will benefit me as well as give me an enjoyable future in this industry.”  she said.

AGMARDT provided travel assistance to the conference from Australia for Professor David Lamb, Dr Eileen Perry and Dr Roger Mandel.

Horticulture NZ Fresh and Process Vegetable Product Groups and Potatoes New Zealand were Gold sponsors of the LandWISE Conference.  They were in good company, with Waterforce, CASE IH, Trimble, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, EECA, Foundation for Arable Research also leading sponsors of the event.

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 membership puts you in touch with other innovative growers, industry folks and technologists, join at http://www.landwise.org.nz/join/

Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil

Ergonomics in your tractor – Making the job easier with GPS

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As Published in ‘Grower’ Magazine May 2010.

James Powrie and Dan Bloomer, LandWISE Inc.

“I don’t care what it cost! He’s not such a grumpy b*&&er when he comes in off the tractor.” So said the farmer’s wife.  The interviewer had asked, “What rate of return are you getting on your investment in GPS guidance?”

Our experience is that many farmers respond in non-financial terms, preferring instead to explain why they “would never go back!” They are able to work longer and feel better at the end of each day, and they know they do better jobs than they can without it. What value should you put on a fresher mind, less silly mistakes, ability to work longer hours during high pressure periods?

There’s a story of a contractor entering the busiest part of the planting season. He lost his night shift driver and ending up planting for 100 hours at a stretch.  “I don’t recommend it but there’s no way it would have happened without GPS. 24 hours would have cooked me,” he said.

Most farmers adopt GPS because it saves on “soil, oil and toil”. And it is true that precision agriculture tools such as tractor guidance can reduce costs in the paddock; saving time, fuel and agrichemicals too.  But a message we keep hearing, is that the in the cab benefits were under-estimated, and a key reason to add more GPS units on other tractors.

It’s about Ergonomics – the study of the ‘fit’ between people and their tools and environments.  It is one of the things that owners and operators of self steering tractors love.   The bottom line is that GPS makes things more comfortable for the operator, and leaves them free to concentrate on the actual task being done.  Less stress in the cab equals less fatigue, because driving straight is handled by the gear.  This allows drivers to monitor the implement, the job it is doing and any adjustments required.

“The important work happens behind the tractor. That is where the money is made and lost,” says John Evans who grows process peas, specialist seed and a range of arable crops in Canterbury.  “Steering depends on looking out the front, but you can’t look out front and back at the same time. After trying GPS you realise how you can’t do the job as well without it,” he says.  “And my ‘cell phone wiggle’ is gone; when I answer the phone, the tractor stays on its bullet straight path.

Donovan Keen was furrow dyking a carrot crop at Lawson’s Organic farms when James caught up with him.  They watched the implement for five minutes without having to look out the front of the tractor.  “Especially with precision weeding; without GPS, one look back and we take the crop out,” said Donovan.

It is not just the owner-drivers that benefit. As employers, farmers are noting additional benefits. Randal Hanrahan grows process sweetcorn, potatoes and arable crops, farms livestock and operates an Agricultural contracting business in Ashburton.  With a larger operation to manage, Randal found driver training and hiring to be a major headache.  “Everything is so much easier with GPS,” he says.  “Driving very straight is a skill that is not often found.  This technology allows even a new driver to steer straighter than an old hand – every time” says Randal.

Because the tractor is steered by GPS the real work can be monitored and the office work can happen in the cab too.  Randal takes his phone and laptop up the ladder and runs his contracting business from the cab.  “It saves me time at night”, he says. “When I get inside, I can spend time with my family.”

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 membership puts you in touch with other innovative growers, industry folks and technologists, join at http://www.landwise.org.nz/join/

Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects

Precision Agriculture Project Update and LandWISE Conference 2010

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As Published in ‘Grower’ Magazine April 2010.

James Powrie and Dan Bloomer, LandWISE Inc.

The Advanced Farming Systems Project was established to share learning related to Precision Agriculture. It is modern technology, rapidly entering the mainstream in cropping.

All twelve case study farmers in this LandWISE SFF project are using GPS and related technology for more profitable cropping. Their primary interest is using Precision Agriculture tools to guide and control machinery. Automatic steering to drive straight lines gives early benefits. Application control to improve material placement soon follows.

As farmers and advisors become more involved in precision farming, their interest in generating maps from automatically captured spatial data increases. Recording what happened where allows proof of placement maps, yield maps, or maps from crop and soil sensing.  Application maps that tell the equipment “how much to apply where” can follow.

Innovative farmers are reducing their inputs and improving yields, and they’re having some fun, challenges and a lot of learning along the way. In Hawke’s Bay, any cropping farmer of scale is using GPS.  Look around; GPS antennae can be seen on tractors almost anywhere in NZ.

Driving straight and controlling traffic with GPS
Driving straight gives the first tier of savings and efficiencies in fuel, time, inputs and R&M.  Several focus farmers have moved from Random Traffic Farming (RTF) to Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF).  Avoiding the soil damage and the costs imposed by remedial tillage is saving over 50% of fuel at NZ Fresh Cuts salad cropping farm in Pukekohe and at David Clark’s maize farm in Gisborne.  “Once we stop wasting energy in compaction, we don’t need to use more on remedial tillage.  With controlled traffic we save fuel on every pass and we do less passes,” says Chris Butler at NZ Fresh Cuts.

The soil responds well, once we stop driving randomly over paddocks.   Remember that 70-80% of compaction is done with the first pass and some cropping systems result in 100% compaction cover across a paddock.  Benefits noted in CTF systems include higher earthworm numbers, better water infiltration and storage and more resilience and faster recovery of soils in the face of catastrophic events.

Controlling Machinery for weeding
Hugh Ritchie and John Evans are both enjoying the benefits of RTK GPS for mechanical weeding. Straight planting lines can be revisited with <2cm accuracy.  “This is giving dramatic labour and agrichemical savings and reduced use of residual herbicides.  We justify it with economic reasons but gain environmental benefits as well,” says Hugh.

GPS planter and spray boom control
GPS technology can individual sprayer nozzles or planter coulters off or on at the optimum location saving misses or double ups. The controller tracks applications and references boundaries to turn on and off the relevant part of machine, saving seed or chemical and improving yields. This also provides a powerful tool for proof of product placement.

Surface Optimisation
On Hew Dalrymple’s farm, yield maps, EM soil maps and aerial photos all tell a story of variability. The sandy dune contour has tops that rapidly get too dry and hollows that pond and stay too wet. High precision GPS guided earthmoving is recontouring the sand dune country and evening out topsoil depth. It also allows his centre pivot irrigators to complete full circles or greater arcs, further enhancing production and return on investment.

Data Capture and Analysis
Yield maps, operational maps and remote sensing can give multiple layers of data to aid in managing a farm or crop.  Among the case studies are LandWISE farmers trialling crop and soil sensors to better understand their farms and manage their crops. To some it’s the icing on the cake: real time sensing and variable rate application.  For now, we just want to know what we can realistically achieve today (and tomorrow).

The LandWISE 2010 Conference
Precision Agriculture uptake is accelerating as technology costs fall and input costs rise.
Farmers can justify Precision Agriculture through immediate economic returns, but are very conscious of the environmental benefits which follow. They are the long term sustainability factors.

Using technology on your farm can save your “soil, oil and toil”. Register for the LandWISE conference on May 12th and 13th to learn from local farmers and local and overseas experts.

The LandWISE conference is being held in Havelock North.  It is the leading Precision Ag event in NZ each year and is a fun and interesting event.
Visit the LandWISE website www.landwise.org.nz for more information.

The LandWISE Conference is held in May each year.  This year’s theme is Know your Farm – With Precision Ag.  12th & 13th May, Havelock North.  See our website to learn more, or call to register.
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.
Visit the website to learn more, or contact James direct on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757.

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

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.