During two weeks AgriLab team had been studying implementation experience of precision agriculture technologies in the USA. About “mainstream” in American agribusiness – read below.
Almost 30 years ago American farmers began to implement precision technologies: use GPS, satellite data, VRT and other. And this «American breakthrough» consisted not only in using space technologies and equipment upgrades but also changing the approach to agriculture. While there still continued a “race for yield” in some world countries, American farmers were trying to achieve the maximum profit through optimization of using the resources. How do they do that? And will Ukrainian agrarians succeed?
Not implement innovations – expensive.
Ukrainian agricultural production is highly profitable yet: cheap labor force, fertile soils, “penny” land leases are those “whales” that hold on “super profitability”. What will be, when the land market will be opened?
In the USA the lease for land is high, from $400 to $1000 per 1 ha and higher. That’s why American farmers can’t allow themselves to use field area not effectively. Ukrainian farmers will be in a deep minus for such lease. Or this is the way of earning in Ukraine?
Here a few digits: approximately 80 % of American farmers use modern sampling technologies (with GPS) and soil analysis, 65 % do mapping of soil qualities, and over 60 % apply the lime variably or one-component mineral fertilizers, over 30 % use UAVs.
The fact, that almost 80 % of agrarians of the USA implement precision agriculture elements – quite telling indicator. Americans are able to count profitability.
For example, Crop Tech Solutions demonstrated to us the results of using VRT sowing technologies of corn, which was applicated on the 1200 ha of the farm. Due to the technology, the general economy – 50 bags of seeds ( 1 bag costs $300 ). So, the farmer got +$12,5\ha saving of seed, + 15% increase of corn yield on the area of 1200 ha.
Not implement innovation – expensive! This is the opinion of American farmers. And the evidence is on their side.
Soil analysis — must have
There are a lot of farmers conduct soil analysis every year in the USA. And it’s not even a matter of law requirements and soil quality control, but of agricultural approaches: the analysis for Americans is the foundation for the planning technology system of cultivation and the cost of resources on the fields. How to apply fertilizers without understanding what elements in the soil are in sufficient quantity and which ones are missing?
American farmers point out, that optimizing fertilizers use through this approach ( annual soil analysis with sampling detailing 1 ha) reaches $70/ha.
Just think: AgriLab’s customer data shows that due to soil analysis, you can optimize the use of resources from 15%, and the VRT increase the efficiency of production by 20% or more.
Taking into account today’s prices for fertilizers – the argument is more than convincing. But even under such circumstances, many agronomists in Ukraine, as well as 30 years ago, determine the norms of fertilizers in a normative way or “by eye”, and on the average on an array or on a culture.
Don’t worry, be happy
How do you think: how many employees do you need to cultivate 1000 ha of a field? For example, only 3 employees work at Ryan Haack, Westesen Farms in the USA, but (!) this company has outside agro consultants.
There is very highly developed agro consulting in the USA. American agrarians delegate a big part of tasks to companies, which work on the outsourcing. And it gives the advantage in the quality and quantity. Because from one hand – farmers have the optimal staff of employees, from another hand – get the best informative and technological service from agro consultants, which always follow the market novelties, have the more specific knowledge, experience, practices of technology implementation in different farms.
Open own laboratory to conduct soil analysis? Introduce a post of engineer in staff to re-equip techniques or agrochemist to calculate norms of fertilizer application? Buy UAV to determine the NDVI and not to use this data for VRT? This is definitely not about the USA!
In different issues, American agrarians turn to agro consultants, which have access to databases, have a modern equipment and working practice with them. Issues, which Ukrainian agrarians try to solve by themselves, American farmers solve them with the outsourcing, that’s why “don’t worry – be happy” – this is about them.
American farmer experience
Progressive American farmers understand, that investments and technologies are the effective way of development. For example, precision agriculture has been systematically implementing at the Ryan Haak, Westesen Farms for 10 years. Our partner – Ward Lab Inc.- annually conducts soil analysis with grid 1 sample from 1 ha (using technologies intensively, properties distribution zones changes annually).
There are software, data visualization platforms, data remote exchange with techniques, process automatization, production control, and also deep analysis and tasks development for technique at the farm.
Field monitoring with UAV, VRT of seeding, fertilizers, lime, and water have been implemented. Irrigation machines use VRT for fertilizers and water, in particular – nitrogen fertilizers. Banded fertilization has been implemented.
Soil type data, analysis results of history yield, recommendations of seed’s trader ( seed companies in each region and under the different conditions conduct the experiments) and agronomist consultant are used to form the task for VRT sowing. Nitrogen fertilization conducts under the data of diagnostics using with a frequent approach and portion approach. Such approaches allow to use resources effectively and get around 12-15 t/ha of corn on non-irrigated lands and 20 t/ha on irrigated lands.
The next steps, which are planning at Ryan Haack, Westesen Farms,- system implementation for operative and effective decisions making of nitrogen fertilization in a needed time and place, under the optimal temperature, moisture, soil content in plants, and also sensor technologies on the sprayer.
Therefore, while Ukrainian farmers are thinking whether to do analysis or not, their American colleagues are thinking what sensors are better to use.
Is it possible to catch up to these countries, where precision agriculture is implemented for several decades? Maybe!
We have a significant advantage – we don’t have to invent something new and spend time and resources on what doesn’t give the results. We can implement those technologies, which have been already tested on the fields of America or other countries, adapting and refining them.
Iaroslav Boiko, CEO of AgriLab LLC, the official representative of International Society of Precision Agriculture in Ukraine ( ISPA).
