Category Archives: Precision Agriculture

Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Precision Agriculture, Projects

LandWISE Events November-December 2009

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LandWISE, FAR and the Sustainable Farming Fund, invite you to attend the following events:

Monday 16 November 2009

FAR and LandWISE Precision Agriculture and Advanced Farming Systems Field Day Canterbury

(2.00pm – 4.30pm)

Location: Courtesy John Evans, Tregynon, 1723 Mainwarings Road, RD11, Dorie near Rakaia, Canterbury.

Sign posted from Dorie Hall, cnr Mainwarings Rd and McCrory’s Rd

Discussion:

Carrot seed crop establishment trial – differences to date

Mechanical Weeding – demo

Update on NI Advanced Farming Systems farmers – What other NZ farmers are up to with Precision Agriculture

Thursday 19 November

Field Walk NZ Fresh Cuts – Chris Butler

Permanent beds for Fresh vegetables – GPS and controlled traffic farming

(10am – 12pm)

Location: Courtesy NZ Freshcuts, Driveway on left at end of Prices Road, Mangere, South Auckland.

Discussion: GPS protocols

Update on ‘Advanced Farming Systems’ and ‘Holding it Together’ projects

(1.00-2.30pm)

Location: The Franklin Centre, Massey St. Pukekohe.

Discussion: LandWISE GPS protocols

Field Walk: Controlled traffic for potatoes and onions A S Wilcox – Simon Wilcox

(3.00pm – 4.30pm)

Location: Courtesy AS Wilcox, 567 Mercer Ferry Road (on right after Hunter rd if coming from Pukekohe) Pukekawa, South Auckland

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Update on ‘Advanced Farming Systems’ and ‘Holding it Together’ projects

(1.00pm-2.00pm)

Location:   Levin RSA 32 Bristol St. Levin.

Discussion:   LandWISE GPS protocols.

Field Walk on Controlled Traffic farming and Permanent beds for Fresh vegetables

(Furrow diking for improved infiltration and soil protection will also be viewed)

(2.30pm-4.30pm)

Location: Courtesy John Clark, Woodhaven Gardens, Joblins Rd, Levin.

Discussion:   Controlled Traffic farming, Soil conditions, Furrow diking.

Tuesday 1 December 2009

FieldWalk Precision Agriculture, Opou Station – Clark Farming/ F&D Briant

Update: ‘Advanced Farming Systems’ and ‘Holding it Together’ projects

(10.00am-12.00pm)

Location: 190 Papatu Rd Manutuke, Gisborne

Discussion: CTF maize and squash, GPS adoption, LandWISE GPS protocols

Thursday 3 December 2009

FAR Combinable Crops Field Day 2009

(1.30pm to 6.30pm)

Location: FAR Arable Research Site, 2km north of Chertsey, SH1

Key note speaker: Jim Wilson, Precision Ag specialist and arable farmer from UK.

Advanced Farming Systems project update, Strip Tillage presentation.

Friday 4 December 2009

FAR Precision Agriculture and Advanced Farming Systems Field Day

(10.30am – 12.30pm)

Location: Courtesy Craige Mackenzie, Greenvale Pastures, 337 Reynolds Road, Methven.

Discussion:

Nick Poole – MAF/FAR crop sensing project           

Jim Wilson – PA and Crop sensors

General exploration of what Craige has been doing with PA.

Tuesday 8 December 2009

FAR and LandWISE Precision Agriculture and Advanced Farming Systems Field Day

Presentation by Jim Wilson of Soil essentials in UK, on crop sensing and PA at Green Shed

(12.15pm-1.00pm )

Location: Green Shed, Centre for Land and Water, 21 Ruahapia Rd, Hastings

Field walk and discussion on Precision agriculture at Scott Lawson’s organic farm.

(2.00pm)                             

Location: Courtesy Scott Lawson, Lawson’s Organic Farm, 302 Ngatarawa Rd, Hastings

For further information:

Call James on 06 6504531 or 0272 757757 or email james@landwise.org.nz

Agronomy, Precision Agriculture

Guest Post: Roger Mandel on Variable Rate Technology

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If PA adoption was a hurdle race, the gun went off a few years ago and the first hurdle was guidance. Guidance was successfully developed, quickly followed by auto-steer. We can pretty much say that all entrants cleared the first two hurdles.

The third hurdle was yield mapping, and here we saw the first crash out because the software was very complicated! A couple of others clipped the top but continue off stride. Hurdle four, Variable Rate Technology, known to all and sundry as VRT. Carnage! Bodies all over the track, with one or two limping to the finish line. It was so good up until then…

What happened? The machine dealerships and companies have a lot to answer for. Lack of local support with the attitude, “Once it leaves the lot, the PA is your problem,” or, “Call the 0800 number” is very common.
In the past year I have seen $300k machines with factory guidance systems have to be re-booted twice a day because the system freezes. And the dealer can’t fix it. I see new VRT gear that can’t talk because its software is years out of date. It takes weeks to find out why, weeks to fix it and farmers just have to accept it. I am glad they don’t build aircraft.

Until the hardware problems are fixed the rest of issues around precision agriculture are minor. The new ISO-BUS will help, but we have at least 10 years before that technology works its way through the industry.
Start making purchase decisions based on the quality of support you’ll get. The second best gear with the best support trumps the best gear if you can’t operate it.

We have come up with a few simple rules for Variable Rate Technology (VRT).

  1. VRT pays when the yield difference between two zones is ~1 t/ha or more.
  2. You need to know what is causing that variability. This is nothing but basic agronomy. What is the constraint? For farmers in Western Australia (home for me) it is often soil type which equals water holding capacity. But it could be compaction, subsoil toxicity, water logging, and the list goes on.
  3. Can I fix the problem? Will amelioration remove the problem? If the answer is yes you are lucky, most problems can’t be fixed – just reduced.
  4. Zones should be simple. Have only 2 or 3 zones and the location of the border should be “close enough is good enough”. If instrument that we measure with is 15m wide (header front) and the tool that we apply 18m (seeder bar) don’t worry if the boundary between zones is .5m this way or that way; think in seeder bar width.
  5. The size of the paddock is less important, and zones don’t have to stay within a single paddock. I have seen growers zoning the farm (or all one crop within a farm) as a single paddock. Fences and roads are not issues. The part of the computer for auto steer is separate from the part that does VRT so as I put it, “You don’t have to colour inside the lines (paddock boundaries).”
  6. Not all paddocks need PA. Just because you have the toys doesn’t mean you have to use them in every paddock.

Finally: There are lots of people out there selling information (imagery like EM, Gamma and NDVI), services (VRT maps and cleaning yield maps), and gear (guidance, task controllers, software packages and sensors). A word of warning; there are many fantastic people out there but a few bad ones are making it tough on the rest. You need to do your homework. Ask for references and good luck!

Dr Roger Mandel
Lecturer Agronomy, Curtin University of Technology

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil

Stop jumping on the bed! ???

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CTF- Taking the tractor off your beds and onto permanent tracks

As featured in ‘Grower’ October 2009

Controlled Traffic Farming is a simple way to dramatically reduce input costs (time, fuel & machinery) – while sustainably increasing crop yields – towards increased farm profit.

With appropriate agronomy and management CTF is being used in NZ, Australia, South Africa, US and Europe.  Farmers use CTF to maximise the potential of both the cropped and wheeled areas for their specific purposes.   The tracked areas in the paddock become valuable in saving fuel and for bearing traffic in wet conditions, meaning operations can continue or resume sooner after rain.

CTF simply involves confining all field vehicles to the least possible area of permanent traffic lanes to avoid the soil damage and costs associated with conventional cropping.

This makes sense.  Just like us, soils can’t do their work as well if they have been run over by a tractor.  I mentioned this at a LandWISE presentation. A woman in the audience told me about her tractor ‘bite’ and that once was enough for her! 

We have been told all our lives not to walk or barrow on the beds in our vege gardens.  Now RTK GPS technology gives us the ability to stay off the beds in our crops too. 

Dan Bloomer and I, together with a few other Kiwi’s, attended the Controlled Traffic conference and Precision Agriculture Symposium in Australia in September.   Australian adoption of Precision Agriculture and GPS guidance is growing rapidly.  It was a good place to learn what our neighbours are up to.  Their soils have suffered decades of wheel damage.  The Australians have learned that compacted soils shed more water, making the impact of floods and droughts worse.  So they are becoming big fans of CTF. 

We learnt that some 4000 RTK GPS units are in use for tractor guidance over there and nearly 11% of cropping in Australia is under controlled traffic.   Some farmers in Australia have cut their machinery costs by as much as 75% while their crop yields have risen.  With water such a limiting factor it was exciting to hear that CTF farmers were having their crops mature where their neighbours were not able to harvest in drought.  Adoption in this environment is proving rapid.  The SPAA website is worth a look: www.spaa.com.au

Does this apply equally here in New Zealand?  LandWISE project farmers across the country are also working with controlled traffic farming and are teaming up to share information and methods in vegetable production.

Woodhaven Gardens in Horowhenua grow fresh vegetables, supplying markets year round.  John Clarke was very keen to explore the advantages of controlled traffic.  He wants the improved soil structure and increased accessibility to the crop offered by firmer permanent wheel tracks.  And he is keen on less flooding because of better infiltration of water into the soil.  Reduced fuel consumption is a bonus of a CTF system.  

Antonia Glaria is the Agronomist and Production Manager at Woodhaven. She is responsible for trialling the conversion to a controlled traffic system.  “We are happy with how the soil is looking after the changes we have made to the system” says Antonia.

Existing equipment fits with the change and less field operations are needed, because much of the soil compaction has gone.  The tractor is mounted with a Trimble RTK GPS for bed forming and planting.  John plans to add another GPS system in the near future to extend their use of CTF and get the gains of GPS in other operations.

Antonia is sharing her experiences from the changes with Chris Butler at NZ Fresh Cuts. Chris is also a LandWISE project farmer.  He has been using controlled traffic for salad production in Auckland and in the Waikato. The system he has developed is similar to the Controlled Traffic Farming at Woodhaven.

If you would like to learn more about controlled traffic, you can visit the LandWISE website, there is plenty of information, as well as pictures and links to video in the resources section at: www.landwise.org.nz

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

Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association Conference – September 2009

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Hi-Tech – Low Emissions Cropping – Economical – Energy Efficient – Environmentally Sound

Dan and James from LandWISE attended the Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association (ACTFA) conference in Canberra.

Australian adoption of GPS

It was estimated that 4000 RTK GPS units are in operation on vegetable and arable farms in Australia.  CTF adoption is estimated at 11% of cropping farmers and is climbing. Growing local networks of CTF farmers are apparent through the presentations and workshops and in talking to farmers we met. 

Aussie Drought

CTF as a solution to many challenges in soil, water and staying in business, has acceptance among the farmers with whom we spoke.

Farmers with experience of CTF spoke in terms of gains in Water Use Efficiency and drought tolerance of their operations.  They spoke of neighbours, unable to harvest droughted crops, asserting that they were getting less rain than CTF farmers.    

One agricultural contractor only has customers that operate CTF systems.  This is a deliberate business strategy; in dry years his customers have harvestable crops and he wants the consistent work.

Dire issues with water shortages sharpen the interest of farmers in Precision Agriculture.  The large holdings and low per hectare yields reported by Australian grain farmers means small per hectare savings are significant.  Margins are tight and grain prices under downward pressure.  Any gains offered by technology are being explored and exploited. 

Water use efficiency (in kg/mm rainfall/ha.) is a common measure of gains from Controlled Traffic Farming in Australia.  Improved infiltration and soil moisture storage are important reasons to convert to CTF.  

New Zealand relevance

Our climate change predictions indicate both increased drought and extreme rain events! Fortunately the soil infiltration and water holding benefits of CTF address both these key issues. While we typically have smaller farms, their productive value is higher.  So an equivalent percentage improvement from adoption CTF would have larger dollar gains per hectare.

CORS Networks

Australia is making a massive investment in CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations). These are permanent GPS signal correction systems that, for an annual subscription, provide RTK correction signals for use in mining, geology, agriculture and construction.  A statewide network in Victoria is 40% towards planned full coverage.  CORS networks offer some billions of dollars in savings over the expansion of private base station networks.  Many conference attendees thought farmers would continue to invest in their own, or local cooperative networks as well so these projections may be overly optimistic.  

Who went?

The usual suppliers of GPS equipment were evident.  There was considerable presence from Precision Agriculture farmer groups (South Australian No-Till Farming Association, Southern Precision Agriculture Association, Conservation Agriculture Association of Australia and NZ, LandWISE).  Private consultants, agronomists and Universities were also well represented.  Of some 83 delegates, 16 farmers were present.  Useful contacts were made on behalf of LandWISE. 

The experience of CTF farmers was that their CTF systems are delivering savings in fuel, fertiliser and time and improved yields and water use efficiency.  Continued extension of the use of CTF is likely, with other spatial technology bringing additional benefits to farmers who are choosing to adopt other Precision Agriculture systems on their farms.

Very brief headlines of the presentations are below.  Full information should be available soon on the ACTFA website – http://www.actfa.net

The Coming Famine: the risks to global food security – Julian Cribb (author of a book ‘The  Coming Famine’ to be published 2010)

Julian opened the conference by letting us know we are at crisis point. Many resources underpinning agriculture are running out.  Peak phosphorous has passed and the level of waste of nutrients in food production is huge.  He predicts major regional food crises leading to conflicts and mass refugee movements.  He sees food security as a national defence issue which suggests urgent diversion of defence spending into R&D for food production. see  http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features-global-food-crisis

CTF- The Proven Solution – Don Yule

Long time CTF proponent, Don showed how CTF is a solution to a host of resource management and productivity issues and that it offers gains in soil resilience to climate variability and social benefits. don@ctfsolutions.com.au

Cropping Systems for Climate Change – Jeff Tullberg

Jeff spoke on tillage and traffic options to improve rainfall use efficiency and soil surface protection, and the green house gas balance of cropping.  He says that CTF avoids the inefficiencies inherent in current systems and is a way forward to more productive and resilient cropping. jeff@ctfsolutions.com.au

Spatial Information Research – New Opportunities for Agriculture Communities – Phillip Collier

Spatial technologies support and promote improved farming practices and yield benefits.  The CRC (Cooperative Research Centre) for Spatial information is responsible for ‘spatially enabling Australia’. Agriculture, Natural Resources and Climate change are a focus of this CRC.  P.collier@unimelb.edu.au

What has CTF/Zero-Till done for my farming operation? – Robert Ruwoldt, Glenvale Farms

“Farmers resist change but there is always a better way to do things”     “Soil compaction is holding the world back from going to the next level”  Robert has achieved fewer weed problems, reduced fertiliser use and better water use efficiency since converting to CTF.  “Changing your farming system is the easiest thing to do, but some people make it the hardest” glenvalefarms@bigpond.com

The Farming Business 1992-2009 – Hugh Ball

A total of 15,000 hectares of arable cropping land is in the family business with a further 20,000 hectares under their management.  Key to this are capable core staff, external expertise and a family advisory board. CTF is on 3 meter centres, 12 m implements and 36-48 m boom sprayers. Balls are investing heavily in farming and CTF. “Money is cheap and the world is hungry” hugh@ballfm.com.au

Rural R&D Response – Peter Reading MD GRDC

Adoption by growers comes from Awareness, Tools and Motivation, if any of these elements are missing, adoption won’t happen.  Australian Precision Ag technology transfer is funded by GRDC via packages for growers and advisers in PA.  p.reading@grdc.com.au

Going Straight – A reporter’s run down the tramlines Peter Lewis ABC TV

A TV show on early CTF in 1998 captured Peter’s imagination.  He has enjoyed watching CTF evolve in Australia since then and passes on his enthusiasm for CTF as a non farmer. lewispeter@abc.net.au

A Contract Harvester Perspective on CTF – Peter Bradley

“If a farmer wants a profitable and more sustainable harvest… go for it- create your CTF system and you won’t look back”   Peter encourages his farmer clients to invest in  sustainable low emission cropping systems.  woolaroo@bigpond.com.au

Controlled Traffic Farming System – Australian CTF standard, Industry Proposal – Kevin Platz, John Deere

Initiatives to avoid problems of mismatching equipment include development of CTF standards.  Standards being agreed among farmers and key industry players include proposals for all tractors 150-500 HP to be at 3 m wheel tracks for CTF.  Manufacturing issues are still being discussed.  platzkevin@johndeere.com

Logistics and efficiency of grain harvest and transport systems Greg Butler – SANTFA

A model has been developed to assist grain farmers to reduce machine time, fuel consumption and emissions through better vehicle management. greg@santfa.com.au

Australian GNSS CORS networks – status, issues, challenges, future – Martin Hale

State CORS networks (on 70 km spacings) are at various stages of planning and installation and will offer sub 2 cm accuracy via GPS correction signals.  A national network (Auscope) is being implemented for science and commercial use.  Availability of correction signals to farmers, miners and the construction industry will be an additional benefits of the national network. martin.hale@dse.vic.gov.au

GNSS and Agriculture – Martin Nix, Navonix

This talk covered the national economic benefits of CORS networks vs local arrays of base stations. Benefits come from high accuracy, and using data multiple times and across multiple industries – mining construction, agriculture. Martin referred to ANZLIC and an Allen Consulting report, “The economic benefits of high resolution positioning.” http://www.crcsi.com.au/UPLOADS/PUBLICATIONS/PUBLICATION_348.pdf   martinjnix@gmail.com

Proximal Sensor Technologies – John Rochecouste CEO CAAANZ

Identifying the ‘production issue’ is still a precursor to the deployment of technology.  Farmers have the question, “How does the information relate to what I am doing?  What do we need to research and how do we manage data?  rochecouste@iinet.net.au

(We are interested to meet NZ members of the Conservation Agriculture Association of Australia and New Zealand.)

Remote Sensor Technologies – Eileen Perry DPI VIC

GPS is the enabling technology that allows farmers to fully utilise sensor data.   Selecting the most suitable sensor and mounting it on the most sensible platform (tractor, plane or satellite) is critical.   Using sensor data in combination with other information (e.g. yield, soil or crop data) is key to gaining the most benefit from sensor technology.  eileen.perry@dpi.vic.gov.au

Paul Slatter – John Deere Precision Ag specialist

Paul sees yield mapping as a key step in the Precision Agriculture data cycle.  When combined with input records of factors which influence yield, these show the rewards farmers are getting for their management decisions – varieties, dates, fertiliser etc. slatterpaul@johndeere.com

Gathering Data for Variable Rate Technology is the easiest bit, doing something with it is the challenge.  Ed Cay – gps-Ag

Australian farmers are using nutrient removal maps, water use efficiency, multilayer yield trends and gross margin maps to design and justify variable rate input spending.  Ed sees that the future for variable rate technology will bring easier to use hardware and software, more use of remote data transfer, service industry growth and more industry group support.  ed.cay@gps-ag.com.au

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture

Things that happen when your wheels turn – Is soil compaction flattening your profit and sustainability?

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As published in ‘Grower’, September 2009.

The invention of the wheel, is often raised as a measure of human progress. It has evolved from wood and stone, to steel and rubber. Once roads were formed and compacted for traffic, commerce and agriculture changed forever. Those with heavy loads to move had an option other than water, sled or legs. In agricultural cultivation, draught animals have been replaced by machinery which revolutionised crop production to keep pace with the food demand of a growing population.

The diameter, width and the softness of the tyre or surface, determine the footprint of any wheel.  That zone is where the pressure of load and vehicle is spread on soil or pavement – ‘where the rubber meets the road’. This footprint is an interesting place. It determines the quality of traction, wear and tear, and how well a vehicle or tractor can carry or pull a load. Here upward resistance equals the downward pressure of the wheel. If the surface is already compacted, little or no compaction will occur. If the surface is soft or loose, compaction is the result. Also rolling resistance and friction will increase on a soft surface. This increases the energy, and fuel consumption required to move, or reduces the load able to be carried.

Soil has some natural compaction which occurs with time, gravity, water movement and the passage of animals. Some consolidation of soil is desirable to prevent wind erosion and provide seed contact with soil for germination. Compaction can be an asset where repeated traffic is intended. (A lot of energy goes into compacting the base of our roads for instance). It is when the level of compaction of the soil affects the structural aggregates or peds in the soil, that structure and pore spaces are adversely affected.

In the growing zones of a crop, this is a problem. In a paddock or crop, the rolling wheel is riding on soil and vegetation. If the soil is soft the wheel is climbing onto loose material and rolling it down. In the process it is squeezing gas and water from the profile, closing pore spaces and making changes which can be longterm, and detrimental. Depending on the soil type and its state of dryness and existing compaction, around 75% of the undesirable effects of compaction can occur in the first pass.

In our cropping soil, when soil compaction is excessive, it can lead to the loss of structure, erosion, biological degradation and loss of water holding capacity and nutrients. In some regions of the world, compaction has led to the loss of productive capacity of soils and the departure of agriculture, probably forever. More commonly, compaction is a factor in reduced yields and deterioration of structure in cultivated soils. As land prices rise and our population increases, these soil quality trends will need to be reversed.

In next month’s Grower we will discuss how the use of GPS to guide machinery is containing compaction to traffic bearing zones, which are separate from the garden areas for growing the crop. This is allowing growers to reduce fuel consumption and other inputs and improve the profitability and sustainability of their cropping.

Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is all about managing soil compaction – confining it to narrow strips across the land and maximizing the remaining undamaged soil area for cropping. In practice CTF means matching machinery tracks so they take up the least possible area. Farm conversion to CTF is about adopting a CTF “mindset” – the belief that separating wheels and crops is a key method of reducing costs and increasing returns.


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

GPS: for simpler operations, savings, and sustainability

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As published in Grower, July 2009.

NZ Fresh Cuts is creating new ground in vegetable growing, using RTK GPS guided cultivation.  GPS is used to guide tractors for controlled traffic farming in maize and to form permanent beds in leaf vegetables and carrots.  The goal is to save input costs and to improve sustainability in cropping operations.  This is done by using Trimble GPS to guide tractors down the same wheel tracks, pass to pass, year to year. Repeatable 2 cm accuracy is possible and early trials of permanent beds, show savings in inputs, management and improved yield. 

“Indications are that GPS will pay [for itself] in 3 years on fuel savings alone, and we also expect major savings in labour, land allocation, steel, fertiliser and machine R&M”. Chris Butler- NZ Fresh Cuts.

Sustainability is a company-wide focus at NZ Fresh Cuts, who aim to operate a future focused business that is environmentally responsible and looks after people and profits.
Water use efficiency is also likely to increase with improved infiltration through the beds.  Chris has observed that heavy rain is now resulting in less runoff and that runoff water is tending to be clean, indicating that improved infiltration is already occurring.  Combined with planned electromagnetic sensing (EM38) and mapping, this may lead to optimization of irrigation programs.
“Our soil is our big asset, so seeing that it is staying in place is a big plus from controlling our tractor traffic with GPS”. Chris Butler

Controlled traffic also offers potential for less soil damage in wet weather harvesting, because the permanent tramlines are better able to support traffic.

Farming operations were set up 3 years ago with the intention of moving to full controlled traffic. The operations are still evolving towards a final methodology.  Equipment changes were required and a 225hp tractor with RTK auto steer, 6 meter discs, triple bed hoe and triple bed Lister bar were purchased.  Another tractor has GPS fitted for bed forming.

A major advantage is the increased opportunity to get ground preparation done in narrow windows while minimising the damage to the soil.  Because there are fewer operations in the CTF system there is less total waiting time after wet weather.  GPS also allows for the tractor to turn out of one row and into another three or four rows away which cuts down on turning time.  This is possible because the GPS guides the tractor accurately and so adjacent rows are not required to guide the setting up of beds.  Now that three rows are being cultivated per pass, time savings are even greater.  Loss of downtime may allow more crops per year to be grown.
The market for leaf vegetables, has wide variation in daily demand.  Contracts require 300 harvest days per year to meet agreements.  Quality standards are high and the rotations are short, with up to 8 crops grown per season.  Gains in landuse efficiency and turnaround are an attractive aspect of GPS use.

Dan Bloomer manages LandWISE and has worked with Chris over the past 8 years while controlled traffic farming was pioneered at Opou Station in Gisborne. 
“The early gains from controlled traffic are in the soil recovering from the beatings of conventional cropping.  This can quickly provide for cheaper cultivation, more worms and healthier soils.  It is a no-brainer to care for soil by driving on it less”- Dan Bloomer, LandWISE

Mechanical weeding is already being used to reduce reliance on herbicides.  Chris can see the benefit of auto steer on implements and later will explore what the increased accuracy of GPS guidance will offer for mechanical weeding.   Pest and disease pressure will need to be monitored, as the effect of permanent beds is unknown.  Disease pressure will be a point of study to ensure best possible outcomes.

Controlled traffic trials are being run at both Rangiriri and Mangere sites to compare conventional practice with CTF and cost, yield and soil properties will be monitored.  Short rotations of the crops here, give an opportunity to measure any effects of changes quickly.  LandWISE is hosting field days, at this and 11 other Advanced Farming sites around New Zealand. 

NZ Fresh Cuts are a key sponsor of the LandWISE Advanced Farming Systems project.  LandWISE will monitor trials and report on progress at these farms.

LandWISE is a forum for sharing information on new technology for smarter farming and on farm research.  For more on LandWISE field days, events and membership, go to www.landwise.org.nz
                     

Agronomy, Irrigation, Precision Agriculture, Soil

Crop sensing and variable rate application field talk

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In February, LandWISE and the centre for precision agriculture at Massey, hosted a talk by Jim Wilson of Soil essentials in Scotland at Hew Dalrymple ‘s property in Bulls.  Jim was here as a speaker at the FLRC workshop. He runs a farm in Scotland and works with farmers to bring GPS, sensing and data management onto their farms. He presents simple ways to bring technology into creating certain savings on fertiliser, fuel and steel, on the farm.

Sensing the ‘greenness’ of a crop canopy, combined with sound agronomy, can be a great tool for managing nitrogen application. The key to this technique, is the efficiency with which the soil can deliver the nitrogen to a given plant or part of the crop.

A variable rate nitrogen system can be designed once any other limiting factors, such as pH and water have been eliminated. This technology has been adopted strongly in the UK because of caps on N fertilizer levels, which mean that farmers are driven to apply correct levels depending on site variability and plant needs.

To view Jim’s soil essentials website see: www.soilessentials.com

At the same session, Carolyn Hedley of Landcare, presented on recent work with EM38 sensing which is being used to schedule variable rate irrigation. This is done by determining water holding capacities of soils using a combination of sensing and soils knowledge, then programming the output of centre pivot irrigation, nozzle by nozzle, according to these results.

More information about variable rate irrigation is available at: www.precisionirrigation.co.nz

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Soil

Why Join LandWISE?

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Global pressure on agricultural land, water, nutrients and energy are all intensifying, while increased demand for food follows population growth.  LandWISE sees advanced farming systems as a key to improving sustainability and profit in the face of these challenges.

You might decide to join LandWISE because:

  • When you join LandWISE you join an excellent group of farmers and growers who are bringing new technology into their businesses to be more successful into the future.
  • You want to learn ways to improve profitability, while reducing GHG emissions and improving soil and farm resilience in the face of climate change.  This happens with fewer cultivation passes and reduced tractor horsepower requirements which can result from GPS use in cropping. 
  • LandWISE is supporting the integration of GPS and other tools into the mainstream.  The trend is for new users of GPS to keep adding GPS units into their tractor fleets, once they see the benefits.  Learn more and assess this gear for yourself.
  • You want to network with farmers who have selected themselves for LandWISE projects.  They are innovative contributors, who are happy to share their learning with others. 
  • You will get discounted attendance at the 2010 LandWISE conference .  Speakers will discuss how the new technologies can be used to enhance soils, refine water and nutrient management and reduce chemical, fuel and labour inputs.  It will be the event for NZ farmers wanting to learn about GPS and precision agriculture in 2010 See www.landwise.org.nz

What are Advanced Farming Systems ?

Advanced Farming Systems is a term that describes the integration of new technologies, often including GPS, into farming practises.  The benefits of a well designed Advanced Farming System include improved soil health, savings on fuel, water, steel, fertilizer and agrichemicals and reduced Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.  

Introducing Advanced Farming Systems can reduce overall capital investment in farm equipment and variable costs and improve profitability in ground breaking ways.

As part of the Advanced Farming Systems project, LandWISE holds field days around New Zealand. 

To learn more about advanced farming systems and Precision Agriculture see www.landwise.org.nz  Register there for LandWISE membership and conference attendance.

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects

Profiting from GPS and High Tech Farming – in the face of climate change

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As published in Grower, May 2009.

Profiting from the technology is the bottom line for farmers investing in high accuracy GPS.

A three year research programme is following leading vegetable growers as they seek the rewardsof GPS and other precision farming tools. The technologies are being used to change how potatoes, onions, lettuce, sweetcorn, vegetableseed and arable crops are grown. One grower has already halved his fuel bill through using GPS.

Even simple things are making big differences. Self-steering systems allow hands-free driving. It is less demanding and more accurate.  This leaves the driver free to check equipment function, observe crop health or talk on the phone. Users (and their families) report greatly reduced fatigue and increased productivity. The trend is for new users to keep adding more units into their tractor fleets. Once they see the benefits, they can’t see how they did without it.

Twelve cropping farmers, from Mangere to Ashburton, have stepped forward. All have invested in high quality GPS and have auto-steer systems. While experience and equipment levels vary, all are enthusiastic, if wary of potential pitfalls ahead.

LandWISE manager Dan Bloomer is grateful to be able to work on the project. “We get to work with farmers who have selected themselves for the project. They are innovative and practical, and terrific contributors who are happy to share their learning with others.”

FARMER FOCUS
The farmers have identified particular aspects of advanced farming systems upon which they wish to focus. Issues range from “getting the systems going on our place with our staff” through “using this gear to manage my problem weeds much better” to “getting all this paddock information out of the tractor and straight into my office computer – I want to use it to make better decisions”.

LandWISE members (a Who’s Who of innovative vegetable growers, industry representatives, science providers and others) see ‘Advanced Farming Systems’ as key to improving sustainability.  For this study, LandWISE has partnered with the Foundation for Arable Research and the HortNZ Processed Vegetables Product Group. Additional core funding is provided by the Sustainable Farming Fund, New Zealand Fresh Cuts, Balance AgriNutrients, Farmlands and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

BEYOND STRAIGHT LINES
GPS use moves beyond driving straight lines, into permanent beds, precision weeding, spraying, and variable application of nutrients and water. Case studies will also explore data management, crop and soil sensing and mapping, and the integration of precision tools into cropping systems.

The common theme is increased profitability, while reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and improving soil and farm resilience in the face of climate change. This happens with the fewer cultivation passes and reduced tractor horsepower required on a farm which can result from GPS use in crops. David Clark at Opou Station in Gisborne had his fuel tanker driver ask where else he was buying fuel. It is a longer time between tanker visits now, with fuel usage about half what it was under conventional cultivation.

Another case study farmer grows lettuces, carrots and Asian brassicas for NZ Fresh Cuts in Mangere. Chris Butler is already enjoying gains from GPS use. He has reduced tractor passes, saves time at the end of each row and expects to reduce nitrogen fertiliser inputs significantly. He anticipates improved soil properties will reduce weather related downtimes. Improved windows for field operations, together with higher efficiencies, will allow more crops per year. He says: “GPS is an essential tool for us to gain the most from our land and financial resources.”

WHAT ARE ADVANCED FARMING SYSTEMS?
Advanced Farming Systems is a term used to describe the integration of new technologies, often including GPS, into farming practices. The benefits of a well designed advanced farming system include improved soil health; savings on fuel, water, steel, fertiliser and agrichemicals; and reduced GHG emissions.

Advanced Farming Systems can reduce overall capital investment in farm equipment and improve profitability in ground breaking ways:
• Driving straight using GPS eliminates overlap and saves expensive inputs such as seed, fuel and chemicals.
• Reduced cultivation saves fuel and equipment and enhances soil quality, especially if controlled traffic principles are adopted.
• Reduced compaction avoids wasted energy (driving on loose soil is similar to driving uphill all day). Energy is required to consolidate a traffic base, then again to remove the compaction. Think of rippers and sub-soiling implements as large anchors which the tractor pulls through the earth, hour after hour. It is easy to grasp the energy savings possible through avoiding, or at least reducing, compaction.
• GPS guided Controlled Traffic Farming creates permanent tramlines, ‘supporting beams’ in the soil that carry the tractors. The formed tracks give better support to traffic in wet conditions. The soil condition between tracks keeps improving with time. A ‘garden’ forms between the tracks, allowing crops to grow free of compaction. It is about putting compaction where it is an asset and nowhere else.
• Advanced farming systems allow farmers to identify and manage zones separately within fields. Both soil and crop sensing tools are available. Combining crop scanning with GPS, a farmer can identify different zones, defined by ‘relative greenness’. Variable rates of nitrogen can then be applied, based on crop needs in different zones of a field. Given the high energy inputs and cost in N fertiliser manufacture, this offers large environmental and economic benefits.
• Fitted with RTK-GPS and auto-steer, tractors can return to the same precise line – within 1 or 2 cm. This allows for new systems such as strip-till cultivation, banded fertiliser placement and precision planting (all returning precisely to the same row), as well as precision mechanical weeding to within centimetres of crop plants. Advanced Farming Systems are changing the face of farming. Users are enthusiastic about the gains made possible and the improvements still to come in many aspects of their cropping.

To learn more about Advanced Farming Systems and LandWISE events, see www.landwise.org.nz.
LandWISE has worked with advanced farming systems in Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand-wide since 1999.

Controlled Traffic Systems, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Uncategorized

Farmers Profit from GPS Technology

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LandWISE project creates cost savings for farmers

From, The Farmlands Shareholder, September 2009.
 
When fuel prices went through the roof last year, LandWISE was already working with farmers using technology to reduce fuel costs on their farms. 

These tools are used by LandWISE farmers to implement Advanced Farming Systems to improve their farm returns.
 
LandWISE Manager Dan Bloomer and Project Co-ordinator James Powrie are working with farmers from around New Zealand.  Twelve farmers, spread through Hawke’s Bay, Waikato, Manawatu, Pukekohe, Gisborne and Canterbury, have stepped up as case study farms in the Sustainable Farming Fund Advanced Farming Systems project. 

The farmers have all invested in high quality GPS and auto-steer systems.  Their common theme is increasing profitability and improving soil and farm resilience in the face of climate change.
 
Farmlands is a key sponsor of the LandWISE Advanced Farming Systems project. The project aims to promote the successful use of technologies such as GPS, to slash fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, cut other inputs and enhance soil quality on farms.
 
Hugh Ritchie, a board member of LandWISE Incorporated and one of the case study farmers says, “LandWISE researches important farm projects that might otherwise not be tackled.  We are a small organization with a strong track record for producing new, practical solutions for arable and crop farmers.”

LandWISE provides an umbrella under which farmers, growers, industry and research organisations can gather. They discuss, develop and implement feasibility trials using these technologies. 

Advanced farming systems have resulted in increased production and substantial fuel, labour and equipment savings for Gisborne maize grower and LandWISE board member, David Clark.
 
After many years of conventional cropping, experiencing soil compaction, poor soil structure and reduced earthworm presence on his farm, David has developed the use of GPS to control traffic. 
 
‘Controlled Traffic’ means the same wheel tracks or ‘tramlines’ are used for all tractor operations. This results not only in increased production and time saving, but also in substantial financial savings for the business.
 
Each year, high accuracy Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS positioning technology and self-steering keeps operations on exactly the same tracks.   This results in restricted soil compaction, improved soil quality, better yields and increased earthworm activity.
 
Today, David runs two tractors instead of four, has halved his fuel costs and reduced labour costs too.  Localised soil compaction in the permanent tramlines is now an asset that supports equipment, with the “garden” growing between them free from the damage from tractor tyres.
 
GPS and auto-steering is key to improved accuracy and makes the job less demanding, resulting in reduced fatigue and increased productivity.  GPS is an investment that is changing the way people farm, with immediate and long term benefits.

To find out more about LandWISE and Advanced Farming Systems go to www.landwise.org.nz