How digital ag and ‘big data’ can help growers
31/1/2017
Digital agriculture and ‘big data’ are trending terms, but how can grain growers and agronomists use data being collected by innovative software in tractors, harvesters and spray rigs to make more informed on-farm decisions?
Growers and advisers attending the GRDC research updates seminar in February will hear how a group of US farmers are combining their data to calculate information about things like highest yield for variety in specific soil types.
Digital agriculture and ‘big data’ are trending terms, but how can grain growers and agronomists use data being collected by software in tractors, harvesters and spray rigs to make more informed decisions?
It’s a question being answered as part of a comprehensive research project, ‘Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture’ funded by a partnership between Australia’s 15 rural research and development corporations, including the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
The Australian Farm Institute (AFI) has been tasked with the role of learning how ag businesses in the United States are collecting and analysing data to provide farmers with tools to lift productivity and improve management.
As guest speaker at the GRDC Grains Research Updates in Gulargambone (February 27) and Dubbo (February 28) AFI research general manager Richard Heath says he will be using case studies to explain how digital data is providing practical benefits to US growers as part of his talk.
“Big data has the potential to impact all agriculture so the ‘Precision to Decision’ project is a very positive collaborative effort to work through the implications for data ownership, transfer and analysis in Australia,” Mr Heath said.
“From a grower and agronomist perspective one of the most interesting elements of our AFI research will be hearing how a co-operative of US farmers are combining their digital data to calculate valuable information about things like, highest yield for variety for specific soil types and yield by fertiliser regimes.”
Mr Heath, a former GRDC northern panel member and Liverpool Plains grain grower, said most growers were familiar with, and increasingly using new technology, which automated the collection of data from monitors and sensors in farm machinery and delivered it to a cloud using wireless technology, creating an unprecedented volume and velocity of ‘big data’.
“The next step for farmers is knowing how they and their advisers can access the data collected to improve their on-farm management strategies and decisions,” Mr Heath said.
“My talk is focused on the broad, but practical application opportunities for digital agriculture in Australia and how it potentially will change our business environment.
- New South Wales Grains Research Updates will be held at Wagga Wagga on February 14-15, Corowa on February 16, Gulargambone on February 27, Dubbo on February 28 and March 1 and Coolamon on March 16.
- For a full program of topics, more event details or to register go to the GRDC website https://grdc.com.au/Research-and-Development/GRDC-Update-Dates
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