Controlled Traffic Farming and Spatial Technologies efficiently manage in-field variability - The abstract below is sent to the organisers of the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) to be held in Colorado on 18 - 21 July 2010. http://www.icpaonline.org/
Most farmers consider CTF of more relevance than variable rate technology. This is not the case for most researchers. We hope with this contribution at the ICPA conference to enable to join our forces.
Perhaps we can get CTF on tracks in the US as well.
Satellite images is used by CTF Solutions in Australia when planning CTF on farms. Images are also very valuable to evaluate CTF implementations. A similar service is under consideration for CTF Europe members.
Abstract for - 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA)
Controlled Traffic Farming and Spatial Technologies efficiently manage in-field variability
Hans Henrik Pedersen AgroTech, Denmark
Tim Chamen CTF Europe, UK
Don Yule, CTF Solutions, Australia
Variable rate applications make little sense if soil compaction is not taken into consideration. Besides being a major source of variability, soil compaction is becoming an increasingly expensive problem for farmers. It costs money to repair, it reduces crop yields and it has many negative impacts on the environment. Wheel loads of over 10 ton are now irreversibly damaging many soils - our fundamental resource.
Economics and practicality demand that we use large high output machines. Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) recognizes these realities and addresses compaction by confining it to the least possible area. It does this by keeping tracks in exactly the same place year in year out.
CTF is a simple way of dramatically reducing input costs (time, fuel & machinery) - and at the same time increasing crop yields. Also recent research suggests reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the 30 – 50 % range when comparing CTF with traditionally used farming practises.
CTF is slowly being implemented around the globe. The highest rate of implementation is in Australia where around 12% of farmers apply some kind of CTF on their farms. In Europe full CTF has been adopted on farms with crops ranging from forage grass, cereals, oilseeds, onions, potatoes and vegetables. Implementation of CTF on other continents is patchy.
Satellite imagery confirms that most in-field variability is caused by our production methods. CTF and Spatial Technologies are a perfect match, providing both an accurate spatial footprint and identifying its exact location. Reducing variability should be the new strategy for PA. For yield monitoring, CTF ensures high precision steering and quality data for easy processing. Two cm RTK GNSS technology also provides topographic data for designed layouts on farms. The data are digital and spatial – ready for GIS analysis to identify causes of poor production.
CTF is the proven FOUNDATION system for cropping while spatial technologies measure performance, identify causes of low yields and provide solutions.
CTF makes yield mapping reliable.
How can you expect a good yield map from chaotic yield data?
CTF and high precision auto steering ensure reliable data for yield mapping.