Precision agriculture is fast finding favour among commercial farmers in South Africa. Many have seen for themselves its ability to increase efficiency and productivity. At Nampo this year, Ronin PFS, the regional representative for Trimble, DICKEY-john, Greenseeker, Weedseeker and other companies, demonstrated some of the latest advances in this exciting field.
For example, Trimble automated steering systems use GPS technology to enable a farmer to plough or cultivate straight lines over long distances. These can be accurately recorded and thereafter followed year after year with minimal deviation.
This feature of Trimble’s navigation systems not only localises soil compaction but, more importantly, allows for the creation of detailed maps of the farm, recording and reflecting temporal, spatial and other variables. Amongst these are crop type, crop yield, terrain features, organic matter content, moisture levels, nitrogen levels and pH balance.
Harvesting data
Accurate data is key to precision agriculture. Modern farmers need to harvest the physical crop on the land and record the data that the land offers them. With this in mind, Ronin offers specialised sensor technologies,
such as crop yield monitors, variable rate control for seeders and sprayers, and real-time sensors, mounted on tractors and equipment. These measure every aspect from NDVI (normalised difference vegetation index) levels to prescription mapping variable rate applications, providing solutions for all the requirements for a successful precision farming operation.
Hand-held systems are also available to assist the farmer on the land.
