Category Archives: Research

AgTech, LandWISE People, Precision Agriculture, Research

Sprout Accelerator

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Sprout

Sprout is a new agritech accelerator programme delivered by The BCC, Building Clever Companies in Palmerston North.

Entrepreneur-in-Residence Stu Bradbury is well known to the LandWISE community through his role starting and growing Where’s My Cows, Precision Irrigation and its Variable Rate Irrigation technology and more recently setting up AgriOptics in the North Island..

Stu will be introducing the Sprout Accelerator programme at LandWISE 2016 and giving a brief review of its first achievements.

Accompanying Stu are representatives from two successful Sprout programme participants, AgriTrack and Bee’z Thingz.

Dunedin entrepreneurs Andrew Humphries and Tom Rivett created AgriTrack to help large scale crop farmers with the multitude of logistical challenges during harvest time, particularly those associated with vehicle management. Their solution enables live tracking of vehicles and is already being used in more than 30 farms in Western Australia.

Dunedin entrepreneurs Andrew Humphries and Tom Rivett created AgriTrack  (C) Sprout

Mangere Bridge duo Julian McCurdy and Peter Bennett set up Beez Thingz using technology to develop a platform for hive management so a network of kept bees could be accessed by everyone in the industry.

Beez Thingz founders Julian McCurdy and Peter Bennett Image (C) Sprout
Beez Thingz founders Julian McCurdy and Peter Bennett Image (C) Sprout

Just three more exciting offerings at LandWISE 2016!

Register here>

Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, Drainage, Irrigation, Plant Health, Research, Sensing, Soil, Water

Investigating variability in potato crops

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Sarah SintonLandWISE 2016 Conference presenter Sarah Sinton is a well experienced member of a Plant and Food Research group studying potatoes.

In the 2012-13 growing season the Plant and Food researchers surveyed commercial potato crops in Canterbury and confirmed grower concerns that a “yield plateau” of approximately 60 t/ha was common.  At this level, potato growing is becoming uneconomic.

Plant and Food Research computer-based modelling shows that yields of 90 t/ha (paid yield) are theoretically possible in the surveyed paddocks in most years. This shows a “yield gap” of about 30 t/ha.

The most important factors found to be reducing yield were soil compaction, the soil-borne diseases Rhizoctonia stem canker and Spongospora root galls.

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Tuber health, disease management, soil compaction and irrigation all have ability to reduce yields

Using CORE funding, Sarah and colleagues have been running a number of related trials, comparing field performance with modeled potential growth rates. They’ve used DNA to assess soil pathogens, applied a range of treatments and measured disease incidence and yields. They have also looked at the role of seed quality in potato emergence, variability and yield.

But it is not all about diseases. Soil compaction, structure and related issues such as aeration, drainage and water-holding show up as crop limiting factors.  Also implicated are irrigation management and weeds.

Potatoes NZ reports that the use of guidance technology and variable rate application based on soil testing is being undertaken but there is limited crop based management of inputs.  There may be opportunity to manipulate some inputs.

In paddock variability can be relatively easily identified using remote sensing equipment (both NDVI and Infrared) but there are three major problems with potatoes which are:

  • Remote sensing can identify differences in a paddock but these need to be ground truthed to determine what the reason for the difference is – e.g. canopy disease etc.
  • Often by the time a difference is apparent on a crop sensor map, even when it is ground truthed, growers cannot implement a management decision that will change the crop performance.
  • Yield maps are generally used as the baseline reference for Precision Agriculture and this is difficult and expensive to implement for potatoes.

Sarah is presenting some of her group’s work at LandWISE 2016. Look for “Investigating variability in potatoes”.

Agronomy, AgTech, Automation, Controlled Traffic Systems, MicroFarm, Planting, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Research, Sensing

Trans-Tasman Grower Day

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Looking for answers - LandWISE 2015
Looking for answers – LandWISE 2015

What’s the Trans-Tasman Day about?

Given there are two dozen top Australian growers, agronomists and researchers joining us for our conference, arranging more time to discuss issues of interest was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The programme for the day is less structured than a normal conference day.  The morning is inside discussion, the afternoon getting out and about. But it does follow two days of conference, so we’ll be well primed.

We will spend time discussing some key crops – onions and potatoes included – and importantly technologies we can use to better understand and manage them.

We aim to identify areas of common interest and possible collaboration. What topics are relevant in both countries? What joint research opportunities are there? Where to from here?

After lunch we travel to a local farm, True Earth Organics, where Scott and Vicki Lawson and staff grow and pack a range of field, vegetable and berry crops. From there we go to a local major vegetable processing factory to view the next stage in the value chain.

Register here>

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Agronomy, AgTech, Automation, Controlled Traffic Systems, LandWISE People, MicroFarm, Precision Agriculture, Projects, Research, Sensing, Soil, Water

Excellent LandWISE 2016 Conference Speakers

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We published the list and short biographies of our invited speakers today. We are again privileged to have an extremely knowledgeable group representing farmers, technologists and researchers from both sides of the Tasman Sea.

Conference keynotes and new LandWISE Australians include Ian Layden and Julie O’Halloran, precision horticulture researchers and extension specialists from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).

Ian and Julie are leading a group of two dozen top growers and agronomists for a week of related events built around the LandWISE Conference. Queensland farmer Ben Moore and Tasmanian farmer Robbie Tole will present their own experiences investigating precision horticulture opportunities.

Returning LandWISE Australians are Tristan Perez from Queensland University of Technology and John McPhee from the University of Tasmania. Tristan will update us on progress with weeding robot AgBot II and Harvey the capsicum picker. John will tell us about precision horticulture research underway in Tasmania.

Parallel work is being done in New Zealand. Look for reports from  Plant and Food researchers Sarah Sinton, Paul Johnstone and long serving LandWISE Board member Bruce Searle. Chris Smith from AgriOptics, Jane Adams of OnionsNZ and LandWISE’s Dan Bloomer and Justin Pishief will overlay a series of precision cropping and related topics.  Charles Merfield from the Future Farming Centre will give a review of biostimulants and related technologies – a different aspect of the agritech revolution.

Rounding out Day 1 are agritech accelerator Sprout Entrepreneur in Residence Stu Bradbury and two accelerating companies represented by Tom Rivett and Julian McCurdy.

Day 2 has a focus on value from data and robotics. We hear a lot about “big data” and “value chains”: what are they? Alistair Mowat, James Beech and Megan Cushnahan will tell us how they and others are getting real value, and where there’s still value to be tapped. Roger Williams will outline how Plant and Food is investing in digital horticulture research.

Lincoln Agritech’s Armin Werner has been a regular attendee at LandWISE. This year he takes the stage with a global review of field robotics and weeding technologies in particular. Kit Wong will tell us about Callaghan Innovation development of systems for machine vision to manage onion crops.

David Herries of Interpine will take us to a different sector and explain how UAVs are giving value in forest research and management.  And rounding it all up, Simon Morris of ALtus UAS will make sure we understand the regulations governing our use of this still new but very powerful technology.

So come to LandWISE 2016: the value of smart farming. Have you mind expanded, your knowledge updated and your excitement kindled. Mix and mingle with leaders in farming, agronomy and agtech!

Conference programme here>

Speaker biographies here>

Conference registration here>

 

LandWISE People, Precision Agriculture, Research

The Value of Smart Farming

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header1525 and 26 May 2016

Havelock North Function Centre

LandWISE 2016: The Value of Smart Farming is our 14th Annual Conference! Details are on-line and registrations open.

This year we are proud to host a delegation from Australia with two dozen growers and advisors crossing the Tasman to join us. The conference is the central point of their week long tour from Auckland through the Bay of Plenty to Hawke’s Bay and the Manawatu.

Tour leader, Ian Layden is also one of our keynote speakers. Ian and the Queensland growers have been trialing precision vegetable growing, assessing the same sort of things that are of interest to LandWISE members. We look forward to learning from their experiences.

A carrot harvester fitted with a yield monitor as part of Queensland Precision Vegetables research. (C) Image from SPAA 2015 Conference Proceedings
A carrot harvester fitted with a yield monitor as part of Queensland Precision Vegetables research. (C) Image from SPAA 2015 Conference Proceedings

On a different angle, Charles Merfield will present results from a review of the agricultural uses of plant biostimulants. Plant biostimulants are diverse substances and microorganisms used to enhance plant growth. The global market for biostimulants is projected to increase 12 % per year and reach over $2 billion by 2018!  Despite the growing use of biostimulants in agriculture, many in the scientific community consider biostimulants to be lacking peer-reviewed scientific evaluation. Merf’s review will get us up to date with the science that is available on this topic of great and growing interest.

In 2015, LandWISE and Plant and Food Research began a three year project investigating variability in onions crops. We will report results from our first year’s activities, ranging from individual onion measurements to images from satellites and a swag of things in between.

Mapping canopy development with smartphone app - camera shrouded to avoid shadow effects
Mapping canopy development with smartphone app – camera shrouded to avoid shadow effects

We hear more and more about “big data” and “data analytics” and “value chains”.  These need not be scary! and we have several experienced speakers to let you in on the secrets. Join Alistair Mowat, James Beech and Megan Cushnahan as they explain value chains, the value of massive amounts of image data to identify signatures of specific crop factors, and how big data gives insights that were previously unseeable.

The party wouldn’t be complete without a peek at field robots and UAVs. Do you know the Civil Aviation rules about flying a drone – even on your own place?

Check out the programme, register and we’ll see you in Havelock North!

Thanks to Our Loyal Platinum Sponsors!
Thanks to Our Loyal Platinum Sponsors!
AgTech, Automation, LandWISE People, Precision Agriculture, Research

A visit to Climate Corporation

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LandWISE’s Dan Bloomer joined a large group of New Zealand ag-tech organisations for a week getting to know the Silicon Valley venture capital and tech start-up scene.

The first visit was to Climate Corporation, recently acquired by Monsanto. How can you not be impressed by a three metre 3D projection screen? One you can control from a tablet, make it spin like the earth, view the globe from any angle, and project any theme you like.

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Climate Corp Chief Technology Office, Mark Young, demonstrates the globe.

Climate Corporation seeks to understand the world and its climate, map it in real time and make useful information available to the world’s farmers. We saw time lapse of global cloud cover, near real time views of sea surface temperature and as shown above, global ground cover allocated to food for animals and food for people.

But their interest is wider than the weather. The Climate Corporation aims to build a digitized world where every farmer is able to optimize and flawlessly execute every decision on the farm.

They are investing heavily in agronomy and creating growth models to help predict crop development.   To achieve greater seed placement accuracy they developed SpeedTube, a precision elevator to replace drop tubes. This is said to allow more precise seed spacing at twice the normal planting speed. Same quality at twice the rate? Sounds attractive!

This visit was organised by Wharf42, NZTE, Callaghan Innovation and the Silicon Valley Forum.

LandWISE People, Research

One Minute Questionnaire #2

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Responses to the first one minute question covered a wide range of things for which people sought relief!

While self washing and folding clothing is of interest to all, it’s not perhaps one we are well placed to resolve, at least not rapidly. Other requests included getting wide machinery to fit through standard gates, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks such as spraying and weed control, and simplifying compliance.

A number of people identified recording information as their key bugbear. So that’s one we follow up with Question Two.

Data

Question of the Week:

What sort of information is recorded manually, then collected and entered into a computer so it can be used?

Email your reply -click here

Or use the form below

Fields marked with an * are required

Thanks for sharing your problems; believe it or not, we really want to know!

Research

The One Minute Questionnaire

In the lead up to the LandWISE Conference, we are polling our readers about things that would add value.

We only know the first question: the next one will be determined by your responses.  So please take one minute to tell us what would make things better for you.

We’ll collate responses, determine what needs to be followed up, and let respondents know what we find.

Thanks for helping!

Question of the Week:

What one thing you do on a regular basis would you like to change to make your job easier?

Email your reply -click here

Or use the form below

Fields marked with an * are required
Agronomy, Controlled Traffic Systems, MicroFarm, Planting, Projects, Research, Soil, Tillage

Winter Cover Crops Established

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This winter we have established both Caliente Mustard and Oats in paddocks 1 and 2, the site of our last two years of summer onions.

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Oats and Mustard well established 12 days after drilling

The ground had not had onions before 2014-2015 as far as we know. We grew our second crop in succession in 2015-2016.

Our plan is to grow onions for a third year, and to pay attention to the development of weeds, pests and diseases. Plant and Food Research reported some evidence of “Pink Root” in a few plants while harvesting samples of the 2015-2016 crop.

After harvest, Gerry and John Steenkamer ripped the beds, leaving the wheel tracks. This is step 1 of a route into permanent bed cropping at the MicroFarm.

Unfortunately, the alignment of the main AB line for the entire block did not match the buried drip irrigation installed some years ago, and it has been damaged beyond repair.

Mike Kettle Contracting drilling oats and mustard
Mike Kettle Contracting drilling oats and mustard

After ripping, Mike Kettle Contracting power harrowed the paddocks to about 100mm to reduce the rubbley surface. The Caliente and Oats were drilled by Kettle Contracting on 16 March.

We chose a split-paddock planting, with Caliente on the northern side and oats on the south. This repeats last winter’s pattern, so we will have two years of onions followed by either Caliente or Oats when we establish the 2016-2017 crop.

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Caliente emerging on 23 March, 7 days after planting
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Oats emerging on 23 March, 7 days after planting

Many thanks to True Earth Organics for supplying the Caliente seed, and to G & J Steenkamer and Mike Kettle for groundwork and drilling.

 

Agronomy, Projects, Research

Onion Crop Harvested

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The MicroFarm onion crop was lifted on 3rd February and harvested on 13th February prior to promised rain.  Many thanks to Gerry and John Steenkamer for providing equipment and staff to do these tasks.

We don’t have final yields yet, but the load out was about 70 tonnes per hectare.

Here is a simple photo essay showing some of the scenes from the ground and from our UAV.

Lifting

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Harvesting

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And off to the packhouse

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