LandWISE runs on a voluntary membership basis with an annual subscription of just $100 for the current year. Subscriptions are now due and our Financial Members will be getting their invoices sent out shortly.
If you are already one of our Financial Members, Thank You! Can you please help us again by recommending us to a friend?
We haven’t changed our subs for years, but are starting to review that. What would be best, is if more of our followers chose to join!
If you’re getting and valuing our newsletters, downloading and listening to our podcasts, accessing the resources on our website or the FertSpread tools etc. please think about giving us a hand. It really will only cost you about half a cup of coffee a week, but it will make a big difference to us.
How does LandWISE fund its activities?
Our overheads are kept rock-bottom. The MicroFarm, our offices and equipment are provided as an in-kind service by Page Bloomer Associates. Our Board is voluntary, and we meet mostly by email and video conferencing. But we do need to pay accountants and insurance and run websites and the other things every organisation has to do.
Our major activities are funded on a project by project basis. That means we need a lot of support from co-funders so we can access (hopefully) various reasearch and extension grants such as MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFFF). Our Conference too (as podcasts in 2020!) also relies on a number of loyal sponsors and the delegate fees we collect.
Merf explaining cover crops and catch crops at the LandWISE AGM
All these things cost a bundle. If we can get more members, we can increase the amount of work we can self-fund and provide more member services.
Please consider becoming a Financial Member today. Click the link, fill it in and we’ll flick you an invoice. (and we’ll cover the cost of our own coffees!)
Calling all followers and friends of LandWISE, we invite you to become a financial member this year.
Your support is vital for LandWISE to continue doing what we do. We rely on farmer support to ensure the backing of new projects, discover new areas for research or technology adoption, and to fund field days, workshops and the development of practical resources.
LandWISE Membership is a great way to support the mission of sustainable production in New Zealand, and as a member you’ll benefit from:
Results from on-farm trials
Projects focussed on real farmer and grower problems
Regional field days and workshops on a range of topics from conserving soil to nutrient management and novel fertiliser technology
A discounted registration at the 2021 LandWISE Conference
Subscription to our annual LandWISE News publication
Membership is open to all who are interested in primary production and share our values. We hope you’ll consider becoming a member, or forward this on to a non-member if you already are!
LandWISE visited Leaderbrand Gisborne earlier this week, where Nick Pollock, one of the Farm Production Managers there had invited us to hold a VSA, Fertiliser Equipment Calibration, and Quick N-Test Field Day. Nick ensured his tractor operators and crop managers were up to speed with good practice by encouraging them to take part in the day’s activities and share their experiences making day-to-day on-farm decisions regarding cultivation and fertiliser application.
Starting off the day with a fertiliser calibration, we were pleased to see the strong understanding of how to run a calibration test by their staff, and the use of practical charts to help drivers choose the right speed and revs for the field they’re working in and fertiliser product they’re applying.
Salad crops are a significant part of Leaderbrand’s production, and to accommodate this unique growing method, where planting densities are high, and crop maturity is reached in as little as 60 days, they have adopted new fertiliser application technologies which minimise waste. Calibration of these systems is especially critical to ensure uniformity of crop establishment during the short growing period and maximise the crop’s nutrient use efficiency. Using our calibration tool FertPlace, we were able to identify the application uniformity across the bed and calculate the application rate at a standard speed.
Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) – the process of assessing soil quality by eye and feel was developed by the soil scientist Graham Shepherd and has been around for a while (the first edition of the Visual Soil Assessment Field Guide was published in 2009).
Demonstrating this process in a nearby paddock, where Leaderbrand has been following controlled traffic systems for the past 5 years, showed some surprising results. The soil structure of the cultivated bed had significantly better porosity, stability of aggregates, and drainage characteristics when compared with the compacted “road” soil in the wheel tracks. The side-by-side comparison of the soil from the cultivated beds and a long term pasture soil from under a fence line in the same paddock showed that even a heavy Makauri Clay Loam soil can score well on the VSA when treated with care as Leaderbrand have committed to by adopting Controlled Traffic Farming.
Following this first look at soil characteristics under cropping, we visited a recently disestablished vineyard that is being leased by Leaderbrand for cropping in-between developments. The short break in production had allowed them to dig an impressive viewing hole that demonstrated the variability in soil structure, texture, and organic matter at different depths in the profile. As seen in the figure below, the Waipaoa Silt Loam profile has a buried topsoil (Matawhero Silt Loam) at 40cm depth, remaining from before the 1948 flood of the Waipaoa River.
To finish off the field day, a demonstration of soil sampling and using Quick-Nitrate Test Strips was completed for a Leaderbrand lettuce crop.
As part of FPVP, LandWISE is helping growers to adopt this tool as an in-field method to determine the soil supply of N during the growing season. More information about this test process and the proof of concept research, led by Plant and Food Scientist Matt Norris can be found here.
For those already using Nitrate Test Strips, the Quick Test Nitrate Mass Balance Tool which converts the Nitrate Test Strip results from ppm into a kg/ha Nitrate-N value can be found on the FAR website.
Our acknowledgement and thanks go to Leaderbrand Gisborne for supplying us with equipment to test, and setting aside their time to take part. We also gratefully acknowledge MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund, and the co-funders of the Future Proofing Vegetable Production project for making field days such as this one possible.
A visit to Denmark in search of farm robotics expanded to include wide span tractors, controlled traffic farming, growing Christmas trees and farm nutrient management plans and audits.
Automation of the agricultural sector has EU and government attention and funding. Despite an influx of refugees and workers from Eastern Europe, the focus is filling a labour void in the agricultural sector.
The new USD Tek Centre housing an engineering research group of around 500 people at the University of Southern Denmark (USD) illustrates the investment.
The Tek Centre at University of Southern Denmark illustrates the investment Europe is making in agritech development
Research institutes, municipalities and government are working on a proposal to turn a nearby commercial airport into a specialised unpiloted aerial system (UAS/UAV) facility.
USD is developing unmanned aerial systems to distribute beneficial insects to grapevines. Ground application results in losses as many beneficials cannot climb to colonise the target plant. The technical hurdle is UAS control – needing to control flight to release the beneficials from 200-500 mm above the canopy.
USD Robotic specialist Kjeld Jensen promotes open source software as key to increasing the pace of development. Having access to standards, stable architecture and software libraries means researchers can focus on new things rather than constantly reinventing the wheel.
An innovation hub in Struer was established in a facility donated by Ericsson Communications when they shifted research and development from Denmark. It is now home to about 150 technologists in a number of start-up companies.
Resident ConPleks Innovation develops automation technology for other manufacturers (for example Intelligent Marking and MinkPapir). The availability of such support makes it much easier for traditional companies to enter the field of robotics.
At the Agro Food Park in Aarhus, AgroIntelli has a focus on autonomy for weed control in organic productions systems, a movement apparently stronger in Europe than in New Zealand. This start-up grew out of a disbanded Kongskilde R&D group.
Safety of unmanned systems is critical. All the above are involved in “SAFE”, a project that brings together major agricultural machinery manufacturers and universities to develop advanced sensors, perception algorithms, rational behaviours for semi-automated tractors and implements and finally autonomous robots.
Hans Henrik Pedersen is well known to LandWISE members for his work on controlled traffic farming and gantry tractors. At Kjeldahl Farms on Samso we saw the prototype 9m ASA-Lift gantry. At 20+tonnes plus another 20+ tonnes with a hopper of onions it’s not a small machine. It seems version two will be different, but development funding is yet to be found.
The ASA-Lift 9m wide span gantry tractor at Kjeldahl Farms
At the Aarhus Agro Food Park Dan Bloomer delivered a presentation on Precision Agriculture in New Zealand to 70 Dutch agronomists and agrichem representatives touring Denmark. An afternoon field trip visited a biogas generator on a dairy farm and a facility for high quality Christmas tree production.
Specialist equipment for commercial production of Christmas trees fits narrow rows and automates labour intensive tasks
Other presentations covered the operation of SEGES, a farmer owned agricultural research and extension organisation performing more than 1,000 field trials every year in partnership with universities, government departments, businesses and trade associations.
SEGES covers all aspects of farming and farm management – from crop production, the environment, livestock farming and organic production to finance, tax legislation, IT architecture, accounting, HR, training and conservation.
A lot of work involves nutrient management. Denmark introduced nitrogen regulations in 1994. We are only now at a similar position. Caps introduced to stop leaching halved losses by 2014 by which time the nitrogen cap was about 25% lower than the economic optimum. With most benefit coming from improved handling of animal manures, the cap is now being lifted.
All Danish farmers must have nutrient management plans with budgets and fertiliser purchase documentation and application records. They are must report annually, work mostly being done by about 3,500 consultants. All fertiliser sales are reported to the Environment Agency so farm reports can be audited.
Dan’s travel was supported by a Trimble Foundation Study Grant
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
Caliente emerging on 23 March, 7 days after plantingOats 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.
Dan is the Manager of LandWISE Inc, an independent consultant, and a member of the Precision Agriculture Association of New Zealand Executive.
The SFF “On-Farm Fertiliser Applicator Calibration” project arose from repeated requests by farmers for a quick and simple way to check performance of fertiliser spreading by themselves or contractors. They wanted to know that spreading was acceptable.
A calibration check includes assessment and correcting of both application rate (kg/ha) and uniformity (CV). Farmers indicate determining the rate is reasonably easy and commonly done. Very few report completing any form of uniformity assessment.
There are many protocols internationally relating to the spreading of fertiliser products. Lawrence (2007) compared six test methods.
1400 tray matrix used to collect 18 simultaneous transverse tests on a Transpread “W” twin chain spreader, From Lawrence, 2006
Most used 0.5 m trays organised in a single transverse row to capture the spread pattern of the spreader. No account is taken of the longitudinal variation between individual rows when multiple tests are carried out.
The results of the test are given as the bout width where the coefficient of variation (CV) does not exceed a specified level. In all cases the maximum allowable CV is 15% for nitrogenous fertilisers and 25% for low analysis fertilisers.
An On-Farm Protocol
There is no set method dor assessing uniformity. On-farm testing could use a set number of collectors per swath (spacing changes with swath width) or a set spacing between containers (container number varies with swath width). Farmers can decide.
There are however some important principles:
Uniformity requires collection of samples from a spreading event and calculation of a uniformity value.
Set equipment up correctly according to manufacturer’s instructions
Ensure the spreader is horizontal, and at the correct height off the ground
Use standard test trays, given the need for baffling to stop fertiliser bouncing out
Ensure the spreader is driven well past the trays to capture all fertiliser
If a larger sample is wanted, two or more runs at the chosen application rate should be made rather than applying a higher rate.
Set equipment up correctly according to manufacturer’s instructionsA line of trays laid out across the full width of spread to catch fertiliser. Use standard test trays, given the need for baffling to stop fertiliser bouncing out
Weighing samples is complicated by the very small quantities involved – often a single prill in the outer containers. Scales weighing to 0.01g are required, but satisfactory options are readily available at reasonable price.
An alternative is to assess the volume of fertiliser captured in each tray. Disposable syringe bodies make good measuring cylinders.
Disposable syringe bodies make good measuring cylinders
Determining a field uniformity will involve either physical or theoretical over-lapping of adjacent swaths.
Determining a field uniformity will involve either physical or theoretical over-lapping of adjacent swaths
On-line software is being developed to process data and generate statistical reports. Key outputs will be measured application rate, the CV at the specified bout width and the bout width range at which CV is within accepted limits.
Test spread-pattern checks performed to date show there is a need for wider testing by farmers. Unacceptable CVs and incorrect application rates are not unusual.
There remains some question about the percentage of fertiliser caught in some types of tray
Awapuni Function Centre, Palmerston North. 21-22 May 2014
Just two days to go to LandWISE 2014! The final programme and some tasters of individual presentations are on the website.
In a change to previous years, our “outdoor session” on Day 2 includes a bus tour of a small catchment with intensive land use – vegetable cropping and dairy farming – and a regionally significant lake. This will be in the middle of the day, with buses returning to the conference venue for the final afternoon presentations and panel discussion.
We have a focus on farm plans to avoid or minimise off-farm impacts, especially from sediments and nutrients. This is a critical issue now, and farmers need to understand how new expectations may affect their day to day activities.
Many thanks to our Conference Sponsors and the many speakers and others who bring you this opportunity. We especially thank our Platinum Sponsors, BASF Crop Protection, AGMARDT and John Deere.
Please pass this message on to your friends and colleagues you believe would gain benefit from attending.
LandWISE 2016 
