Autumn leaves us wondering
By Jane Brooks
As we enter the ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ as John Keats put it, there’s every chance the mists of the Brexit impasse may clear and we’ll be able to see where we are going for the first time in a few years. One thing is certain. Today’s farmer, regardless of Brexit, is still
facing the same old battle in getting the balance right between the weather; maintaining soil health; fighting weeds competing against the crops; safeguarding crops and livestock from pests and disease attacks; controlling production costs; and so on. It’s a simple equation, on one side optimise yield using all the tools
available, on the other maximise profit. It comes down to basic algebra and a few calculations, which is where the growth in precision farming comes into play. Agriculture has joined the ‘internet of things’; information technology
has enabled precision farming data gathering and analysis to increase arable cropping efficiencies. Digital agronomy tools such as the measurement of crop biomass using drones and nitrogen sensing have enhanced the precision afforded by global positioning. The key element that has enabled the advancement of precision
farming methods is the increasing availability of timely and cost-effective ways of accessing and analysing data, together with low cost file storage. Farmers and agronomists can access low cost digital platforms,
which in turn allow them to analyse and develop large amounts of data into action plans, based on diagnostics, predictions and real time data inputs. A whole new agri-tech revolution has occurred in recent years and data driven farming enables producers to look at what has already happened, why it happened and how to enhance future results through the use of a wide range of technical agronomy tools. GPS guidance, section control and data based variable rate
technology, either using real-time sensing systems such as the Yara N-Sensor, or pre-prepared prescription maps, is commonly used when it comes to liquid and granular fertiliser applications and seed drilling is rapidly heading the same way, with production being pushed, possibly to its limits. However when it comes to mellow fruitfulness The Food and
Agriculture Organisation, a United Nations’ Agency, is concerned about yield plateauing. There is strong research evidence of yield plateaus or abrupt decreases in the rate of yield gain of some important crops, which include rice in eastern Asia and wheat in northwest Europe. Many factors may contribute to the yield plateaus observed by
researchers, such as cyclical weather patterns, land degeneration, even taking land out of production to be replaced by less productive acreage. A lack of agricultural research and development, or even Government policy regarding fertiliser and pesticide usage changes are also potential barriers to yield growth.
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PAGE 24 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 FEED COMPOUNDER
Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd
www.cfegroup.com
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