science & technology
Turning to tech to offset rising input costs With soaring input prices putting farm profit margins under yet more pressure, farmers must once again find new ways to improve production efficiencies. For crop-based systems – whether arable or grassland – the use of technology could help to partially offset these cost increases by ensuring fertiliser is applied accurately and effectually. “Input costs have risen sharply across the board in recent months, with prices for nitrogen as high as £650 per tonne,” explains Jack Harris of LH Agro. “At that price, growers who haven’t yet purchased fertiliser for 2022 are questioning whether they can afford to, with those that bought before the price spike also wondering how to make the best use of their commodities. “What bonds both groups is the need to maximise production efficiencies by making the best use of available inputs, especially as there are no obvious signs of when prices might return to ‘normal’.” Mr Harris suggests that precision farming technologies can help to ensure inputs are used as effectively as possible: “The benefits of auto-steering and implement guidance systems are well documented, with improved accuracy and reduced drilling overlaps and misses at the crop establishment phase a given,” he explains. “But precision farming technologies can also improve the accuracy of fertiliser and spray applications later in the cropping calendar, with satellite imagery, field mapping and real-time crop sensors enabling growers to ensure inputs such as fertiliser are only applied where and when they are needed.” 84
Cab-mounted crop sensors such as the Topcon CropSpec system, measure the light reflectance of plants at each field pass to monitor the in-field variability of crops and to provide an on-the-go assessment of where and when nutrients should be applied. And because they aren’t affected by cloud cover which can reduce the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based mapping systems, they provide a more up-to-date and accurate assessment of the crop’s actual condition and progress. “Pairing a variable rate and section control enabled fertiliser spreader or sprayer with a system like CropSpec takes the guesswork out of input applications and ensures the right product is applied at the right rate, the right time and in the right place,” Mr Harris continues. To illustrate the point, Mr Harris refers to a recent convert from fixed to variable rate applications who has been able to reduce liquid fertiliser applications by almost 15%. “Prior to installing CropSpec sensors the grower was applying 8854 litres of liquid fertiliser to a 23.61-hectare block,” Mr Harris explains. “That volume has now been reduced to 7689 litres, a saving of 1165 litres. “Even at last year’s prices that represented a saving of almost £500 just for that field. At today’s prices, the savings are even greater.” Remote management As well as making live or real-time application rate and section control adjustments, the data gathered by cab-mounted sensors can also be used to
create field-specific prescription input maps for the remainder of the season. “With the Topcon Agriculture Platform (TAP) this data download can be done wirelessly as soon as the field has been travelled thereby enabling farm managers and agronomists to make quick, but informed management decisions and to plan future input purchases
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more effectively,” Mr Harris continues. “TAP can also be used to pass mapping information and variable rate application files back to the field and can be used to adjust the spreader or sprayer’s settings remotely, thereby taking the onus of applying valuable inputs away from less experienced operators.”
