Monday, 17 July 2017 07:55

Putting data to good use

Written by Mark Daniel

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Ravensdown is getting ready to roll out a new set of pasture and benchmarking tools showing planned versus actual nutrient spending over time.

Ravensdown is getting ready to roll out a new set of pasture and benchmarking tools designed to enable smarter nutrient decisions by showing planned versus actual nutrient spending over time.

HawkEye will integrate imagery from the air, nutrient input and pasture quality on the ground, and the status of the soil.

The company notes that farmers need help to avoid drowning in a sea of data coming from sensors on irrigators, spreading trucks, soil tests and pasture scanning.

The HawkEye information will offer a farmer insight into the state of a paddock and allow informed decisions.

For example, a map showing soil test results overlaid with the spreading history and the pasture response will enable better nitrogen efficiency. The result might be the use of less nitrogen and better understanding of target time and place of application.

Using an open industry standard such as DataLinker, farmers will be able to export data and mapping elements to GPS or C-Dax devices.

This will allow use of the system to forecast available feed, benchmark pasture production, and map and monitor spreading or spraying.

Also, soil fertility, nitrogen efficiency and environmental performance can be addressed via 24/7 web access and the help of technical experts and field based agri-managers.

www.ravensdown.co.nz

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