Prioritising applications – Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
As growers tackle changing weather conditions to apply nutrients and crop protection products, the Omnia digital farming platform from Hutchinsons can help to boost efficacy and efficiency ...
The Omnia digital farming programme is a multi-system application for desktops and smartphones, designed to help growers manage their data and plan operations to maximise the effectiveness of operations across the farming calendar.
With field maps uploaded to the system, Omnia can then create different layers of information, which can then be filtered to show the most relevant information. These layers include weed and slug pressure, drainage schemes, environmental features, trial areas, crops and operations.
“When planning nutrient applications in the spring, it’s often based around growth stage (GS) 30,” explained David Howard, head of integrated crop management at Hutchinsons. “Up until GS30, growers should be looking at bringing weaker areas of the crop in line with the rest of field. After this point efforts should be focused on the strongest parts of the crop to maximise the return on investment.”
A layer within the Omnia system includes NDVI imagery, allowing users to write prescriptive application maps based on the biomass of the crop. This can help with the decision-making process when it comes to feeding or supporting areas of the crop.
Another key benefit of the system is the climate insight function. Customers can use virtual weather stations, each covering a square kilometre of the farm, to monitor real-time and long-term weather patterns. The system can plot ambient and soil temperatures, rainfall levels, wind speed and solar hours.
Using this data, Omnia can then forecast when the crop will reach certain growth stages.
“Paid subscribers get access to a 10-day, detailed weather forecast. If farms are spread out, or have extremes in location such as having fields close to the coast or at different altitudes, the weather stations can help growers to organise operations,” noted Mr Howard.
“Using the date drilled, the variety and the climate modelling, we can also use this to forecast disease risk within the crop. Each field shows a risk indicator (working similarly to an accelerator gauge) which means in tricky conditions, spray applications can be put on the fields with the biggest risk.”
The system can also aid with assessing the risk of lodging, using soil nitrogen supply data and the plants per square metre. This is indicated similarly to the disease risk module and can be seen on the main map.
As historical data is retained in the system, growers have full transparency regarding their decision making. Growers can use this data to justify the application of crop protection products, or to inform the decision to remove an application. This data can be bolstered by using soil testing equipment, which will indicate nutrient levels within the soils, helping to inform future applications throughout the rotation.
“We’ve worked to make the system as comprehensive as possible,” added Mr Howard. “Anything that can help to justify the various applications that happen throughout the year will be a benefit as regulations, environmental legislation and payment schemes evolve.”
Eyes on the ground
The Omnia system can be backed up by the Scout app, recently updated to be available on both Apple and Android devices. The app enables users to see the various field maps stored within the Omnia system, and then make amendments from the field.
The paid-for Field Diary option enables users to highlight patches of localised weed or pest pressure in the field, allowing operations to be prioritised. Lewis McKerrow, digital farming manager, explained: “It enables operators to find the exact position of problem areas in the field. Using pictures and notes, it can also be the justification for additional applications if the decision is made.”
By having access to the map layers from the Omnia system, users can consult yield maps or TerraMap data on their mobile and navigate straight to any problem areas in the field for a closer inspection.
Users can also choose the variable rates plan created in Omnia and apply them to field, indicating what operations have been completed. For full traceability, if the application differs from the plan for any reason, these changes can be added to ensure accurate record keeping.
“Looking back, users can see exactly what was applied to the field, and at what time, and with the rest of the data stored in Omnia can also show the weather conditions at the time, meaning they have full transparency when it comes to any environmental schemes they may be part of,” he added.
Last year, the company further announced a soil assessment function within the Scout app, enabling growers to meet the requirements of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) soil standards. During field walks, users can log visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) scores, worm counts and infiltration rates, as well as uploading supporting photos to ease recordkeeping.
The Omnia system is available in three different pricing structures:
Includes customisable farming and local weather data, with basic access to the Scout app.
Includes all Omnia Access functions as well as nutrition calculators, seed rate calculations, NVZ compliance, reports, historical climate data, pest and disease modelling, satellite imagery, Field Diary and Omnia Scout.
As above, with variable rate prescription maps, data exports, field performance mapping, cost of production mapping and a rotation planner.
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