CropTecBuzz

Showing posts with label CropTec. Show all posts

New John Deere tractor, sprayer and precision farming technology will be featured at November’s The CropTec Show in Peterborough, with the focus on machine, system and operator connectivity leading to increased efficiency and reduced operating costs.

John Deere’s new 6250R tractor, featuring the award-winning CommandPRO joystick and an AutoPowr transmission, will be operated with a 5200-litre capacity R952i trailed sprayer equipped with the innovative PowrSpray wet system in the event’s outdoor demonstration area. The 6250R develops up to 300hp with Intelligent Power Management and is fitted as standard with JDLink telematics, including remote display access (RDA) and wireless data transfer (WDT) linked to the MyJohnDeere.com website portal.

CommandPRO’s functionality allows the tractor to be controlled from top speed to zero with a simple push or pull of the joystick. Both this and the conventional tractor pedals can be operated at the same time, and there is no need for an external ISOBUS joystick as the driver can also operate the tractor and ISOBUS functions simultaneously.

PowrSpray features a unique dual-circuit design with two solution pumps, each optimised for a specific function. A 1200-litre/min filling pump offers fast fill of the solution tank at low engine speeds, to reduce noise and fuel consumption. Automatic filling shut-off and the ability to rapidly power fill the 400-litre clean water tank are both standard features.

The industry exclusive Active Pause function enables the solution tank to stop filling while still providing clean water under high pressure for rinsing out chemical containers. This means the typical race against the filling solution tank is eliminated, and operators have all the time and clean water they need to complete chemical filling without stress.

A 1000-litre/min spraying pump delivers high output and exceptional spray accuracy. Automatic control of tank agitation and fully automated multi-cycle rinsing and dilution functions are also standard features of PowrSpray.

Indoors at the show, the emphasis will be on John Deere’s latest FarmSight services and support, including features such as RDA, WDT and Service Advisor Remote, which are now widely available from John Deere dealer specialists. All of this technology is designed to increase productivity and reduce cost, especially when paired with other FarmSight systems such as AutoTrac automatic steering and Section Control for sprayers and spreaders.

John Deere sees the future of farming in connectivity, making the most of machine, field and agronomist data in the decision making process. The company is pioneering the use of such data based around MyJohnDeere.com and a range of connected machines and systems.

The Operations Centre in MyJohnDeere.com serves as the central online location for farmers and contractors to connect to their machines and their fields. It also allows a wide range of partners to provide additional support to customers, including implement manufacturers, agricultural input suppliers, software companies and agricultural service providers such as crop advisors and other specialist consultants.

The latest apps make it very easy to keep track of machinery, get advice on seed and fertiliser rates or spray requirements and monitor machine productivity by working together with, and being connected to, the dealer, farm adviser and other suppliers.

For example, the new MyJobConnect service includes a MyJobsManager app for farm or fleet managers and contractors, and a MyJobs app for operators. There is also an additional app in the MyJobConnect Premium service called MyLogistics, which is an intelligent ag navigation app.

Services can be accessed in two ways, either from the office computer or on-the-go using dedicated apps for tablets and smartphones, which allow drivers to view and carry out tasks in real time from their mobile devices.

This latest John Deere connectivity package is designed to free up time for farmers and contractors to focus on their core business, and makes the complete work process including job planning, work orders, data recording, customer invoicing and reporting much easier, faster and more efficient.

CropTec 2017

Join John Deere this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

Opti-cal are pleased to provide cutting edge drone software and hardware solutions. For generations farmers have walked their fields investigating crops manually for signs of stress or disease. This traditional, labour intensive method is time consuming and can be difficult when crop canopies thicken. With the development of UAV technology, this is no longer required!

Using the Parrot Sequoia multispectral sensor capturing multispectral images has never been easier. The Sequoia is revolutionising the sector, offering a comprehensive, adaptable solution that is compatible with all types of drones. With its two sensors, multispectral and sunshine, Sequoia analyses plants' vitality by capturing the amount of light they absorb and reflect. Collecting this data means that farmers can do what's best for their fields.

Implementing DJI Zenmuse XT's thermal capabilities, irrigation and water pooling can be managed more efficiently. Powered by FLIR's industry leading Tau 2 thermal camera, the Inspire XT gives growers a detailed understanding of the state of their lands, giving them fundamental insights that lead to better decision making.

Pix4D’s cutting edge software, multispectral, RGB and thermal images can be converted into accurate reflectance and index maps, like NDVI, and high resolution orthomosaics. Easily integrate drone-based technology into your Ag operations, processing locally when and where you want.

Opti-cal have the knowledge and skills to be able to support your entry into the world of Aerial Survey work. We can advise you on getting the right UAV and sensors for your line of work and provide full training and support when it comes to processing your data into 2D and 3D systems.

Opti-cal Survey Equipment is a well-established industry-leading supplier of land survey and precision measurement technologies. We sell, hire and service new and re-conditioned land survey and laser equipment.

For more information please contact 0330 678 0181 or sales@surveyequipment.com – surveyequipment.com

CropTec 2017

Join Opti-cal this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

At Sencrop, we are a passionate team dedicated to making a real impact in agriculture.

Sencrop empowers ALL farmers to make the right decisions at the right time to improve their yields, and ultimately their way of life.
Sencrop allows agri-partners (resellers, chemical companies, technical centers, etc.) to spread their services with ultra-local information, and get a closer relationship with the farmers.

Our solution gives farmers the ability to:

View the current conditions of their fields in real time.
Make better agronomic decisions thanks to ultra-local weather information.
Have more interaction with their partners based on streaming data.

Thanks to low-power, long-range networks, and affordable, connected sensors, in-field data streams continuously into the Sencrop cloud platform.
Sencrop has developed a web and mobile-based platform to:

View in-field ag-weather conditions in real time.
Access or push alerts and decision-making tools.
Connect and fuel in any agry-partners services based on in-field data.connected to in-field sensors.

Sencrop is dedicated to bringing valuable precision farming services to farmers everywhere.

Sencrop is compatible with all agronomic Decision support tools and disease models: data integration to cooperatives/merchant’s agronomic models (disease prediction, pest management, stage of plant growth, etc.). We allow agri-partners to spread their services.
Sencrop is a collaborative platform enabling any farmer to share their data/observation with their ag-experts, partners or neighbours.
Low-power, large area network: a young technology but a global trend.

Today, Sencrop is building the largest customer base in Europe with powerful cloud and key partnerships.

Sencrop is particularly adapted to the potato growers and permits to predict the late blight disease, based on agronomic developed by key partners.

Reduce the amount of back and forth trips a farmer make to spray its crops; offset treatments by several days if necessary: local data relayed from the connected ag-weather station in real time are invaluable for deciding how to treat crops when risk factors for disease are present. Late blight growth is stimulated by successive periods of warm weather and high humidity. Water on potato leaves prompts blight zoospores to germinate and causes plants to become infected.

Sencrop enables you to anticipate and program a system of simple alerts. Sencrop can fuel data into any decisionmaking tool that makes it possible to know the risk of the fields being infected by late blight at any time, based on weather forecasts, crop varieties, planting, and sprouting dates, overall health statuses and previous actions taken (treatments and irrigation, etc).

For more information on Sencrop and potato crops, please visit http://www.sencrop.com/en/

CropTec 2017

Join Sencrop this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

ACS Farm Image launches precision soil analysis services and a range of yield boosting products to mark 20 years of agricultural business.

September 2017 sees the 20^th anniversary for Farm Image, part of Kent-based Austin Contract Services Group who, over the past two decades, have provided agricultural services including soil sampling and lime spreading for farmers across the South East.

Since 1997, Farm Image has grown from solely offering soil pH analysis to today providing the most accurate techniques for obtaining a whole portfolio of useful soil data as well as offering a unique solution for each client.

Introducing SoilSmart.

The Farm Image team are of the strong ethos that profitability in farming heavily relies on making the most of your every hectare which in turn, is dependent on truly knowing your soil.

SoilSmart is the division of Farm Image that offers a range of sampling and analysis packages tailored to suit you and your business with no hidden costs or contracts. In doing so, Farm Image pride themselves in remaining a team that can provide an honest and personal service tailored to each and every one of their customers.

Whilst still offering the standard soil sampling techniques to give results for pH, P, K and Mg, Farm Image have expanded their SoilSmart range to include Precision Sampling and Smart Scanning.

As opposed to simply taking samples in a ‘W’ pattern across a field, Precision Sampling uses GPS technology to systematically sample a field, taking 16 cores from every hectare or a specific number of samples per hectare at the request of the farmer. As a result, this technique provides a far more accurate insight into unique field environments and allows for the formation of Farm Image Precision Maps (as depicted) clearly showing field zones for each field property- pH, P, K and Mg.

However, in 2017, Farm Image began researching further into the ways in which soil can be analysed and how that may be translated into precision farming techniques such as variable rate seeding and fertiliser application. As a result, September’s anniversary celebrations sees the launch of SoilSmart’s Smart Scanner service using the latest in-field scanning equipment.

Farm Image, having invested in the technology to offer soil data analysis at an unbeatable rate of samples per hectare as well as adding analysis of Organic Matter, Soil Texture (Electrical Conductivity) and Topography to their precision packages.

Amy Bradley, Marketing Manager at Farm Image, explains that ‘the Farm Image Smart Scanner is able to take 200 readings per hectare and form on-the-go field maps via an on-board tablet, to the highest accuracy for pH, Organic Matter, Soil Texture and Topography, all of which drastically affect water holding capacity and nutrient availability for crops.’

“We were the first British company to import a U3 soil scanner from Veris Technologies” remembered Amy. “It came straight off the plane at Heathrow and went to the 2017 Cereals show in Lincolnshire where it turned a lot of heads.” “Since then, we have been busy taking the service from farm to farm across the UK showing farmers the real potential in farming precisely for profitability”.

The team at Farm Image are keen to make it clear to their customers how the biggest benefit of the Smart Scanner service is how it translates into huge money savings by allowing farmers to be more targeted with drilling as well as product application. The advantage of the Smart Scanner mapping compared to grid sampling is that soil is not laid out in neat squares, there is variability within most 1Ha grids, and modern farming equipment has the ability to change rates multiple times within each 1ha grid, and meet the soil’s needs more accurately.

CropTec 2017

Join ACS Farm Image this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

With 42 percent of the 486 drinking water protected areas in England and Wales at risk from pollution by agricultural chemicals, growers must protect water quality by ensuring this autumn’s crop protection programmes are only applied when it is safe and prudent to do so.

That is the advice from Adama which warns that unless growers act now, ongoing water quality issues threaten to remove even more actives from the crop protection armoury.

“UK agriculture has already lost more than 70% of the active substances at its disposal since the early 1990s,” explains Ali Bosher, Marketing Director at Adama. “Put simply, if we as an industry don’t do more to protect our natural water resources, even more active ingredients will be banned, leaving farmers to face a future with significantly restricted weed and pest control options.”

Whether it is metaldehyde from slug pellets or key weed control active ingredients, more needs to be done to prevent these and other agrochemicals from entering fresh water supplies.

“It is clear that efforts to date have been insufficient to mitigate many of the non-target, water related impacts associated with applying chemicals to arable crops,” Ali continues. “The increasing trend of raw water exceedances for oilseed rape herbicides such as metazachlor, carbetamide, propyzamide and quinmerac need to be reversed.”

To protect and promote water quality, Adama urges growers not to apply chemicals when there is a risk of active ingredients being leached into running field drains, ditches or natural water courses.

“Whether it is safe to apply depends on a raft of factors including field slope, soil moisture deficit, location and current and future weather conditions,” Ali adds. “Assessing these dynamics can be difficult, especially when working across a large geographical area, at multiple sites or on land with a range of soil types. For that reason, we are appealing to growers, agronomists and sprayer operators to use the free WaterAware app prior to making any applications this autumn.”

The WaterAware app uses GPS positioning and data from the British Geological Survey’s MySoil-UKSO Platforms, MORECS and Met Office to spatially assimilate soil type, soil moisture deficit and slope information along with forecasted weather conditions on a field-by-field basis to advise when it is safe or unsafe to make applications. It also incorporates the #SlugAware tool which enables users to assess the risk of slug and snail activity and to target activity on an individual field basis.

“By considering factors such as soil type, humidity, soil moisture, temperature, cultivation method, wind and current and previous crops, #SlugAware gives growers a low, medium or high threat of slug activity warning based on their land’s specific conditions in a given 24 to 72 hour period,” Ali explains. “Only applying pellets during low risk periods will help to protect water quality and help to extend the longevity of metaldehyde-based slug pellets such as Gusto 3.

“The app is completely free to use and is designed to prevent key active ingredients from entering and polluting raw water supplies and in doing so to avoid further regulatory restrictions,” Ali concludes.

The WaterAware app is FREE to download from Google Play for Android devices or the Apple Store for Apple devices. BASIS and NRoSO points available for using the app. For more information click here https://www.adama.com/uk/en/wateraware

CropTec 2017

Join Adama this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

Red Tractor UK has recently launched its new farm assurance scheme standards, which are taking effect from 1^st October 2017. Evie Price, from CXCS, here to give you the low down on the major changes you’ll need to comply with before your next audit.

With the recent launch of Red Tractor UK’s updated farm assurance standards, we’re taking a closer look at what it means for some of the sectors within UK agriculture. All 6 schemes have had their scheme standards updated to include additional requirements for paperwork and certain farming practices, with the changes taking effect from 1st October 2017.

The viability for a business is usually the topic of discussion when Farm Assurance is mentioned; when looking into becoming farm assured, many farmers ask ‘what are the benefits for me and my business?’ Financially the benefits aren’t always clear cut. You must pay to be a member, and whether your produce/livestock actually fetch a higher price than non-assured produce, can often be dependent on other factors. However, now that the average consumer is becoming more interested in where their food comes from, the industry can begin to see the benefit of using their Red Tractor membership to assure the consumer that their produce is 100% British, and at the high quality they expect. Without this, there is no real way of advertising that produce such as British meats, have been raised to some of the highest welfare standards, not just in Europe, but in the world.

This pressure from consumers is just one reason why Red Tractor UK have tightened up on their standards; the organisation has also faced criticism from other groups as well as the media, stating that their standards are the lowest of all assurance schemes in the UK (compared with the likes of RSPCA Freedom Foods). Red Tractor assured farmers have been able to use their membership certificate as proof of competence for buying and using rat bait for industrial use, however this requirement (under VC.b) has now been brought in line with Think Wildlife’s Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use. This means that Red Tractor assured members will now have to complete a site survey, environmental risk assessment, bait plan (kept for 2 years), and a COSHH assessment if there are 5 or more employees. This is double the record keeping requirements compared to the current standards booklet (October 2014 version), and introduces more Health & Safety in to the mix, which some may feel is long overdue.

Additional to this, schemes will see changes from biosecurity and medicine usage, through to effluent containment and silage pit structures. This will bring it in line with, (and possibly above in some cases) regulations such as SSAFO, which are already statutory.

It is easy to take a look at the new standards, and begin to think you will be spending even more of your time in the farm office, but there are certain revisions to the standards which are just inclusions of documents that most farms should already have filed away. An example is a new entry in the Documents and Procedures section of the standards, (DP.a.2), which requires all members to have a farm map in place, showing buildings, watercourses and no spread margins. Sound familiar? That’s because it is very similar to the manure risk map all farms within an NVZ are required to keep as part of their cross compliance records. Similarly, looking at revisions to farming practices, items such as the storage of agrochemicals (AG.a), don’t really ask for farmers to do anything more than what they should be doing to meet cross compliance regulations.

Having said this, we recommend all farm assured members to take some time before their next audit to ensure they are falling in line with all applicable standards as displayed in the October 2017 booklet. All scheme standards booklets can be found on the Red Tractor website at www.redtractor.org.uk, if you haven’t already been sent a hard copy in the post.

If you would like any advice or help to complete your farm assurance records, (including COSHH assessments where applicable), CXCS will be more than happy to help. Visit www.cxcs.co.uk for more information or email info@cxcs.co.uk.

CropTec 2017

Join CXCS this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

WITH continued pressure on plant protection products, establishing crops this coming season will be as challenging as ever. Growers are encouraged to remember the relevance of rooting and root health to gain rapid establishment and avoid pest pressure. Don Pendergrast explains more.

Don Pendergrast - Product Development & Technical Manager for UK & Ireland

“The role of plant nutrition is well known in early crop development, but now, interest is growing in how best to harness this potential through improved rooting. Plants source nutrients via the root system and leaves, and one method of improving rooting is biostimulants - products that can improve the health, depth and size of roots.

Biostimulants work by improving the plant’s metabolism, facilitating nutrient and water absorption through the root system, and by boosting quality attributes such as fruit setting, grain quality and limiting flower drop. Plant health and vigor improves a plant’s ability to tolerate stress conditions, so allowing yield to reach its potential.

But Biostimulants certainly aren’t a replacement for traditional plant protection or nutrition products, instead they should be used as a complimentary addition to encourage overall health and vitality. Because we know so much more now about how crop nutrition works, we understand that stimulating a plant’s immune system and metabolism is key, and how this can be influenced in a positive manner, such as by using biostimulants.

The biostimulants and biosolutions market makes a considerable contribution to the sustainable agriculture agenda and we are proud to be developing our portfolio to include more of these products, such as active ingredient GA142.

GA142 was developed by Arysta LifeScience for use in biostimulants. It works by unlocking nutrients in the soil which may otherwise be unavailable to the plant, whilst stimulating the enzymes that enhance plant root growth. One of our GA142 products is Rooter. Trials have shown that Rooter increases root weight by up to 40% in a range of crops, allowing better access to nutrition which is vital in breaking yield barriers.

This is a valuable tool available to growers this autumn, an example application being for improving oilseed rape crops resilience against drought stress and flea beetle damage. It works because improved rooting can help crops to survive dry weather and access the moisture needed to grow away from cabbage stem flea beetle attacks. By applying Rooter, growers can help to alleviate both environmental and pest stresses and break the illusive yield barrier.”

Rooter will be among the products showcased by Arysta LifeScience at CropTec on

November 29&30. For more information, visit www.arystalifescience.co.uk

Tickets to the CropTec show are free providing you book your tickets in advance: Book here

Many years of experience in the field have allowed Cimbria SEA colour sorting machines to play a leading role into the optical electronic sorting industry. Our strong market position is the result of over 40 years of know-how in development and production of optical electronic color sorting equipment. This enables us to offer the most innovative and flexible sorting solutions based on a technical experience and a strong concept.

The latest sorting machines introduced to the market by Cimbria are the “Chromex” and “True” optical sorters, equipped with high-resolution full-color RGB trichromatic cameras which, combined with HIS software system, allow a near human eye vision color sorting technology. The Chromex system is also equipped with a shape-sizing function integrated into the system, to sort out elements according to their geometric characteristics.

LED lighting and back-ground systems, exclusively designed for our sorting machines, allow the most precise focusing of the beam on the inspection line.

Program settings and adjustments are performed through a user-friendly software, which allows the real image setting directly on the sorter touch-screen, to establish the defective elements to sort out.

All Cimbria sorters are available from 1 to 7 chutes, to satisfy any production capacity.

Our machines perfectly suit the needs of modern food and non-food processing systems that demand the optical sorters ability to detect and reject products having a similar color but with different shades.

Some typical examples for which the highest sorting accuracy is required are removal of Ergot from Cereals, Wheat from Barley, removal of discoloured Beans to name but a few.

Cimbria SEA Colour Sorting machines represents state-of-the-art optical sorting technology which is able to match the increasingly stringent requirements of food commodities industry, ensuring that safety and purity requirements are met.

For more information please contact Cimbria on 01757 706387 or visit www.cimbria.com

CropTec 2017

Join Cimbria this November at The CropTec Show.

Registration is free for all those who pre-register before the event.

With glyphosate resistance a potential threat to UK arable production there are some key management strategies growers can adopt to maximise its efficacy when controlling black-grass ahead of autumn drilling.

Following the publication of AHDB’s Weed Resistance Action Group guidelines to help protect herbicide efficacy, which identified four simple messages - prevent survivors, maximise efficacy, use alternatives and monitor success - further trials have highlighted key management strategies which could help prevent glyphosate resistance, while optimising black-grass control.

In terms of ‘preventing survivors’, a review of industry trials shows no black-grass control benefit from more than three glyphosate applications pre-drilling. In fact, the results showed only a small benefit of three applications over two.

In ‘maximising efficacy’ of the product, results show there is no benefit from increasing total dose rates above 1080g/ha (437g/acre) of active ingredient.

Initial results from container-based trials also indicate the optimum timing for good black-grass control is GS12 to GS13, (two to three leaves unfolded), with more variable and generally lower control at both later and earlier growth stages of the weed.

WRAG guidelines

Prevent survivors: Avoid repeat applications to surviving plants
Maximise efficacy: Apply the right dose (reduced rates increase the risk of reduced efficacy), at the right timing, in the right conditions
Use alternatives: Use non-chemical options (such as cultivation), where practical, and use other herbicides in sequence
Monitor success: Remove survivors and report potential resistance issues to your advisor and/or the product manufacturer

Source: AHDB

In the same trials, control was further improved by soil disturbance after treatment and simulated deep cultivation was more effective than shallow cultivation, both for ryegrass and black-grass.

Dr Paul Gosling, who manages weed research at AHDB, said: “A complaint on field performance might be the first indication of a resistant population. By this stage, 30 to 40 per cent of the population may be resistant already. So it is clear we must work together to tackle the glyphosate resistance threat head on and stop it arriving in the UK in the first place.”

The full version of the guidelines, as well as a two-page summary (AHDB Information Sheet 03), is available from cereals.ahdb.org.uk/wrag

News content brought to you by Abby Kellet, Arable Farming Magazine. To read more articles like this visit: https://www.fginsight.com/

CropTec 2017: Black-grass Hub

The popular Black-grass hub will return once again to this year's CropTec Show, sponsored by Bayer CropScience.

Whether you need advice on pressing home the advantage after an effective pre-em programme or are dealing with the aftermath of sodden seedbeds, we have resources for you. From herbicides and application technology through to cultivation and crop choice there will be a team of experts at the Hub who can support you with your black-grass decisions.

For a more detailed discussion about some of the main developments in black-grass control, the Hub is hosting a series of seminars with specialists from inside and outside Bayer so that visitors get the freshest perspectives on black-grass control.

https://www.croptecshow.com/black-grass-hub/

Tickets are free to attend, providing you pre-register here

The CropTec Show 2017

WRAG guidelines

Twitter

Popular Posts

Labels

Blog Archive