Using tech for a 2024 reset – Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
With farms up and down the country dealing with waterlogged fields, root crops waiting to be harvested and cereal crops struggling to germinate ...
We spoke with Hutchinsons about how the Omnia platform can help with those tough decisions in the new year.
There’s no wrong time to sign up for the Omnia digital farming platform from Hutchinsons, according to Will Foyle, a farm business consultant for the company. “We would always recommend inputting at least two years of data when someone signs up, so whether you’re starting at the beginning of the year’s rotation, or starting the year with a subscription, you can get the same benefits.”
After the UK was battered by three named storms in a matter of weeks, many growers are concerned about the viability of the winter cereals that have been sown. Mr Foyle recommended that users start with the satellite imagery layer within the Omnia platform to get a handle on which areas of the field are struggling. Using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDM) images, growers will be able to see areas that have germinated and create variable rate fertiliser maps to boost tillering in less productive areas.
“For the first pass in the new year, we would recommend adjusting fertiliser rates to promote tillering in these poorer areas,” Mr Foyle said. “Although this changes later in the season when it’s wiser to change tack and focus on the crop that is going to provide the greatest return.”
Given the wet conditions, black-grass and other grassweeds will be a significant concern in the coming season and where problem areas are identified, cutting back on nitrogen can avoid feeding the weed. Mr Foyle also noted that growers may need to accept greater losses on the headlands and may wish to reduce the level of inputs to avoid unnecessary costs.
Rotational balance
“Many farmers are still recovering from the sudden switch to spring cropping after autumn 2019,” Mr Foyle said. “The Omnia Business Manager module will enable them to carefully consider what the best course of action is going forward if winter cereals have not been planted or are deemed to be unviable after the wet season.”
If seed is available, then growers may look to spring barley but on heavier ground, or land that was set aside for winter wheat, this may not be the right decision for the business financially. “You can use the Business Manager to predict the possible in come from different options. It is even possible to input the costs of establishing a winter crop and put the income at zero to show the profitability of the field overall – although this will likely make for depressing reading.
“It might show that spring cropping can recoup many of these costs. But it could also show a greater long-term return from cover crops, considering the soil fixing capabilities and increased nutrient levels. Taking that field out of production and putting a first wheat in next autumn might be the best financial decision for the farm.”
The system can also help with making tough decisions about crops already in the ground. Monitoring the yield potential of winter-sown crops, and maybe even using the Omnia system to look back at the 2019 drilling season, if this data is available, may give an indication of the viability of the crop. This can aid nutrient planning – because you wouldn’t want to spend thousands on fertiliser applications if the yield potential is far below the normal – or show that it is a better decision to write off the winter crop and move into cover crops.
Matching inputs to the yield potential is, of course, good practice in any season, but the difficulties that farmers currently face to ensure that there is any harvest income in 2024 makes this even more important. “If growers stick to their current nutrient plans only to achieve a quarter of their potential of the average yield, it can be even more financially detrimental than scrapping the crop.”
Sustainable Farming Incentive
As the Business Manager module can be used as a balance sheet, monitoring the costs and incomes from various crops, it can also be used to show the net income from the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and compare this with other options. If, due to conditions, growers decide to take fields out of the rotation and put it into a legume fallow, they can put the cost of the seed in and the income from SFI and use this as a benchmark for other options available to them.
“A key benefit is that any land committed to SFI in the first year can be halved for the rest of the agreement,” said Mr Foyle.
“This could make a cover crop very attractive to growers who are struggling to establish a cash crop this year. You could put 20% of the farm into SFI and then cut this down to 10% going forward after the first year.”
However, growers should be careful not to overcomplicate this. The aim should be to bring their farm back into the standard rotation in the most beneficial, and financially reasonable, way possible.
He acknowledged that there are no easy options, no silver bullet for farmers dealing with waterlogging, but that the Omnia system can help make informed decisions so that they do not chuck the baby out with the bath water.
“By modelling the incomes from the different options, and using the historic field data and weather modelling layers built in to the system, there could be several solutions available to growers depending on their soil type, rotation and resilience,” Mr Foyle added.
Email Us