Claims that precision agriculture, data management and information technology will improve the profitability of broadacre farming will be put to the test this year with a field research trial being established at Manangatang in the Mallee.
Responding to farmer inquiry, BCG will spend the next 12 months examining how new technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), harvester generated yield maps and precision agriculture (PA) might influence production and profitability outcomes on Mallee grain farms.
Using yield maps generated at harvest time, the farmer-scale field trial will see nitrogen applied to this year’s wheat crop at variable rates across the paddock.
The performance and profitability of the variable-rate treatments will be compared to that of a fixed rate treatment.
The research will determine if the field has significant yield variability and attempt to ascertain what is driving that variability and the most appropriate course of action to address it.
During the season new technologies such as UAVs fitted with infra-red cameras will be employed to measure crop growth and compared against measurements taken via satellite and more traditional means such as dry matter cuts and hand-held GreenSeeking equipment.
Workflow and data management will also be examined, with a number of farm software options to be compared.
BCG commercial services manager Cameron Taylor said the project has the potential to deliver significant value to farmers with relevant and objective data on the costs and benefits of integrating new technologies into the farm business to be produced.
“Ultimately we are looking for ways that will help farmers to analyse risk and respond appropriately in a rapidly changing external environment,” he said.
“The research will help inform farmers about whether variable rate technology and other precision agriculture practices might contribute to future adaption strategies and help them to evaluate risks involved with the practice.”
A broader understanding of farm data management and interpretation are also expected to flow from the undertaking of this project.
*Updates on the progress of this field trial will be communicated to BCG members throughout the growing season. For more information, or to become a BCG member phone (03) 5492 2787 or log on at: www.bcg.org.au.
Ultimately we are looking for ways that will help farmers to analyse risk and respond appropriately in a rapidly changing external environment.
- Cameron Taylor, BCG commercial services manager
