Manfred Hurtz, Utenwinkler Hof, Nideggen, Germany, 100 ha GERMANY Nideggen
Manfred Hurtz (55) farms 100ha and grows 30ha of barley, 30ha of winter wheat, 30ha of oil seed rape and 10ha of maize. Besides that he grows 15ha of Christmas trees. “Because my family and I can’t live from arable farming alone.” He started with precision farming tech- nology in 2003 and learned that online sensor technology is not his preferred way of working. His main tip for farmers starting with or al- ready active with precision farming is to take small steps. Right now, he would advise the use of biomass maps from satellite imagery.
1995 to 1998 to become a farmer whilst serving in the army. Then in 1998 he started farming.
Sprayer prototype In 2003 he was approached by the University of Bonn to take part in a malting barley pro- ject. The project was aimed at detecting weeds with one single camera and then spray the weeds individually with three different tank mixes or a combination of them. “The sprayer was built by Rau, which was very inno- vative, yet complex,” says Mr Hurtz. “It had three different tanks and three different spray lines. I liked the technology, but my main ob- jection to online systems – detect and spray in the same go – is that you can never determine in advance how much spraying liquid you need to mix and that I always had residue of three different tank mixes.” This was one of the early precision farming lessons learned and since then, he’s never become a big fan of on- line measuring and direct application of in- puts. It however put him in the spotlight for the Kverneland Group as a dedicated test and development partner. It was this project that initiated the kick-off of his involvement and dedication to precision farming technology. The project lasted for another couple of years and eventually, the knowhow was sold to Ger- man company Agricon.
Yet another online system Mr Hurtz’ next steps in precision farming in- cluded a combine yield mapping system in 2005, a VRA mulch / low till seeder in 2006, a VRA Kverneland weigh-cell spreader in 2007
and a Yara N-sensor in 2008 (together with his neighbouring farmer). “My main motivations to use precision technology and tools are to: 1) Limit and possibly lower the environmental impact of farming
2) Decrease the amount of inputs used 3) Protect the drinking water sourcing around my farm
Apart from these ‘business motivations’, I be- lieve that precision farming can help society and neighbouring citizens to understand and ac- cept farmers and farming. It’s the tools that help us produce good quality and sufficient food
with minimum impact on the environment.” It was these motivations that led to the pur- chase of the N-sensor (and a VRA capable fer- tiliser spreader and sprayer, in 2011). Because of the varying soil types and conditions on his farm, this crop sensor helped him save about 30kg of pure nitrogen (N) fertilisers. He actual- ly managed to lower his N-balance surplus from around +70 to -15. His yields stayed about the same: oil seed rape 4.5 – 5.5 t/ha, winter barley 7.6 – 10 t/ha and winter wheat 8.5 – 10.5 t/ha. “It also helped me with VRA grow-stop regulators in cereals and in
The precision farming adventure started with a sprayer prototype in 2003 and since then Manfred Hurtz has been using preproduction machines from Kverneland Group.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 24 May 2019 9
PHOTO’S: BAS VAN HATTUM
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