Being Precise
Two events were held in Kent & Hampshire looking at the latest developments in precision farming. Both events were well supported.
There was a presentation by Simon Parrington, commercial director of SOYL, who focussed on variable rate P & K application including the technical developments that have been made in the 17 years since its launch. Over this period, some CMP clients have had their fields sampled and mapped 4 times giving themselves & their agronomists the knowledge that this technology can bring real financial benefits.
Moving on from P & K, Simon discussed SOYL's relatively new variable seed rate technology. This system varies the seed rate in the field according to soil types with the overall aim of producing a more even crop. Over the past few years SOYL have been closely monitoring the results of farmers who have already adopted their variable seed rate technology. Initial results look promising, but this technology is still in its early stages of development.
Simon Griffin, SOYL's soil scientist gave a presentation on their variable rate nitrogen software. Unlike the roof mounted sensor approach adopted by some companies the SOYL system is based on Green Area Index (GAI) measurements taken from satellite images on a daily basis throughout the growing season. Some of our clients have used the system with varying levels of success. However, in recent years the system appears to be far more effective and has shown some real agronomic benefit.
Richard Reed from Top Con gave the final presentation on their range of GPS guidance systems. He explained the benefits of their RTK system offering within 2cm pass-to-pass accuracy. Although the set up cost is relatively high, Richard explained the potential for several farms to group together and share the cost of the required fixed aerial mast, as depending on topography, the RTK signal can be received within 30km of the RTK transmitter. Additionally, for those farms in the South West, there could also be the possibility of Natural England S4P grants to subsidise the cost of such projects.
The events were informative and gave everyone the opportunity to question precision farming methods and to take away some ideas for further development on their own farms.
