Emerging technology and precision agriculture

In this edition: Steph to search for a nitrogen fix in veg production, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Tas and Vic, navigating pest management options and the basics of spray application.

A new Soil Wealth ICP vegetable demonstration site has been confirmed in Tasmania’s Midlands.

Hosted by Simplot Australia, the Soil Wealth ICP team will work closely with Simplot agronomists and VegNET Tasmania to establish how growers can reliably produce high yielding pea crops.

Hort Connections 2023 special edition: Soil Wealth ICP panel session at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS), weed management technology set to be showcased in Queensland, rapid spread of DBM insecticide resistance, Trade Show highlights, Soil Wealth ICP collaborators celebrated at the Horticulture Awards for Excellence and upcoming events.

RMCG and AHR have delivered the Soil Wealth ICP project to the Australian vegetable industry on behalf of Hort Innovation. Phase 2 of the project (2017-2022) has now been completed.

Watch this video to find out the highlights from Phase 2 including grower engagement, training and events, demonstration sites, communication products and resources, and progress towards industry outcomes.

This guide summarises and provides easy access to useful resources developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection project from December 2017 to February 2023.

In this edition: Nutrition and food security starts with healthy soils, upcoming events and webinars, compost trial case study from the Adelaide Plains, understanding spatial variability in potato crops, resources for spray equipment and application, controlled traffic farming podcast and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Site-specific crop management (SSCM) aims to use data from a range of crop production parameters – measured using new sensing technologies – to determine their impacts on crop yield and spatial variability within fields.

A study, titled 'Understanding spatial variability in potato cropping to improve yield and production efficiency' by The University of Sydney and Simplot Australia Pty Ltd, (Hort Innovation, 2015) evaluated the potential for site-specific crop management to be used within the Tasmanian potato industry. While the study focused on potatoes, the findings are also relevant for other vegetable crops.

This article summaries the findings from that study.

In this episode of InfoVeg TV, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this InfoVeg Radio podcast, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

From 2018-2022, the Soil Wealth ICP team has partnered with Schreurs & Sons and Stuart Grigg Ag-Hort Consulting to explore the application of precision agriculture in celery, leek and baby leaf production systems. This case study describes the key findings and lessons learnt at the demonstration site over the last five years.

In this edition: How to look after your soils for veg production, upcoming events and webinars, precision ag trial case study from Koo Wee Rup, Top 5 resources in 2022 and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: Precision agriculture in vegetable production resources, a new approach to release beneficials, an updated snapshot of soil carbon, upcoming events and webinars, Top End field walk showcases soil health improvements and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

The Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, held ahead of Hort Connections 2022 in Brisbane, attracted a room full of growers on Monday 6 June.

Presentations included a grower panel from the Soil Wealth ICP project which discussed the cutting-edge practices and technologies that are key to improving productivity, profitability and sustainability in the Australian vegetable industry.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Dr Gordon Rogers and Carl Larsen facilitated the discussion with growers who currently or previously hosted demonstration sites as part of the project. The growers shared why they became involved in Soil Wealth ICP, the areas of soil management and plant health that their demonstration sites focused on, as well as the challenges they have faced and what’s next for their farms.

In this edition: Announcement of our 2022 focus topics, carbon management on vegetable farms webinar recording, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Western Australia and Victoria, new resources on sorghum cover crops, managing soil-borne diseases in vegetable crops and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

While checking on the precision agriculture trial at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site, team member Carl Larsen recorded a short video to share how a remote weather station and attached soil moisture probe are providing practical insights to Inform irrigation scheduling decisions.

In this short video update, Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen explains how practical approaches such as cover crops and reduced tillage is complementing precision agriculture trials at our demonstration site in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria.

In this edition: Virtual shed walk showcasing microwave weed technology, demonstration site news from Queensland and Victoria, new resources from the Soil Biology in Vegetable Production Masterclass, a go-to guide on nutrition management resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen braved the windy weather at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site in Victoria to bring growers a short update on how things were progressing at the site.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Kelvin Montagu looks at the linkage between key soil functions and soil biology, and the interactions between plant roots and soil biology.

Watch how microwave technology is being developed to assist with integrated crop protection.

In this edition: Soil Biology in Vegetable Production webinar recording, demonstration site news from Cowra, NSW, new resources on potential changes to integrated crop protection, pest management resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: soil your undies challenge, catch up on the Potato R&D Forum 2021, demo site trial report from Richmond, Tasmania, using drones to generate farm insights, updated Biological Products Database and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Catch up on Day 1 of the Australian Potato R&D Forum 2021, which focused on pest management. Speakers and topics included:
• Season update from the regions: What have been the key pest and disease issues?
• Management of soil constraints in the potato industry: Ben Fleay/Greg Hall (Precision Agriculture)
• Tamarixia triozae, a small parasitoid with a big future: How has Tamarixia helped New Zealand manage TPP? Dr Sally Anderson (Market Access Solutionz)
• New smartphone technologies for pathogen detection: Professor Jean Ristaino (North Carolina State University) (GRDC Video)
• iMapPESTS and emerging insect threats for the potato industry: Callum Fletcher and Shakira Johnson (AUSVEG)
• Overview of new crop protection products: Tim Belleville (E.E. Muir & Sons)
• How will new technology and products help us manage pests and soil health? (Panel session)

Watch this recorded webinar to learn all you need to know about the legal requirements for drone operators and how drones can help you manage daily challenges including weed control, presented by John Coulombe from Drone Training Solutions.

In this edition: new weed management guides for growers, an update on Australia's agvet regulatory system review, upcoming events and webinars, demo site news from Tassie, a new guide on preventing leaf and stem diseases and more.

In this edition: Soil Wealth ICP on show at Hort Connections 2021, global scan and review of remote sensing, webinar recording on soil organic matter, biology and mineralisation and a Partnership Network Profile on Peats Soil & Garden Supplies.

Kelvin Montagu visits the John Deere booth at Hort Connections 2021 in Brisbane to find out new innovations in precision agriculture.

Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyse speaks to Growave at Hort Connections 2021 in Brisbane to find out more about an innovative weed management solution using microwave technology.

AHR’s Marc Hinderager and Soilpack Services’ Ian Packer are teaming up to deliver a webinar on soil organic matter, soil biology and the challenges and complexity of estimating mineralisation rates in soils.

In this edition: choosing the right lime product to manage soil acidification, EGVID2020 celebrated at industry awards, videos available from our Victorian demo sites and new resources on boosting mycorrhizal fungi in vegetable crops.

Vegetable and potato growers across Australia will be familiar with the name E.E. Muir & Sons, a national distributor of agricultural products for crop protection and nutrition with a strong focus on horticulture and irrigated cropping sectors.

What they may not be familiar with are the discussions and collaboration that happen behind the scenes to provide the best information on agronomy, trials and product development to growers.

Missed our virtual farm walk via Facebook Live in May 2021? Not to worry, you can catch up on the latest updates from our Werribee South VIC demonstration site here.

Missed our virtual farm walk via Facebook Live in April 2021? Not to worry, you can catch up on the latest updates from our Koo Wee Rup VIC demonstration site here.

In this edition: a new weed management guide for wild radish in the vegetable industry, nominate a leader in plant health and soil management at the Hort Connections National Awards for Excellence, farm walks to go virtual in Victoria and resources on reduced tillage.

There are many factors that contribute to strong environmental stewardship in the vegetable industry, and improving soil management and plant health is an important component of business sustainability. But when it comes to finding evidence of the strengths and gaps of your growing operation, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This article from our Partnership Network member EnviroVeg explains how the program can help growers identify these opportunities and take action to ensure their vegetable growing business is environmentally responsible.

In this edition: The future of integrated weed management technologies, demonstration site news from NSW and Victoria, new resources on healthy soils, blackleg in potato and drone regulations podcast.

Problem weeds such as oxalis and nutgrass could be a thing of the past for vegetable growers following an Australian-first trial of microwave weed control technology at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site in Victoria. Read this case study to find out more.

Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is vital for getting on top of weed problems in vegetable production, or for keeping the farm relatively weed-free. IWM involves combining all appropriate weed control options in a coordinated, supportive and flexible way.

This webinar will look into the future of IWM and how innovations can benefit the vegetable industry.

In this podcast, John Coulombe, Head of Training and Development at Complete AUV and the Virtual Drone Academy, provides valuable information and sound advice regarding the rules, regulations and responsibilities for those using drones in the horticultural industry.

John has spent over eight years working in horticulture and, since branching out into drone training and consulting, has worked for the Australian Defence Force, Burnett Mary Regional Group, Growcom and MLA, among other businesses and individuals. For further details go to the website: https://dronetrainingsolutions.com.au/

As the cost of production continues to rise and water quality becomes an increasing issue for vegetable growers across the country, precision agriculture technologies could play a key role in helping growers make more informed decisions on-farm. In this article, our Partnership Network member Metos explains the unlimited opportunities for the Australian vegetable industry to adopt these technologies.

Being part of a grower group has many benefits. It helps to be on the forefront of new developments in vegetable production and talk to other growers to share successes, challenges and support each other with new ideas.

A group of young growers have joined the Warren Improvement Group in Western Australia to provide a fresh focus on improving vegetable production in the Manjimup region. This case study explains more.

In this edition: Good Soils Guide, seasonal outlook for February to April, demonstration site news from Manjimup, Western Australia and Werribee South, Victoria, and new resources on choosing cover crops, organic soil amendments and spray rig calibration.

In this edition: Focus topics announced for Soil Wealth ICP in 2021, demonstration site news from Richmond, Tasmania and new resources on foliar diseases, nutgrass, integrated weed management and pathogen DNA testing.

A vegetable grower based in Bundaberg, Queensland is continuing to grow his business and find new uses for drone applications in horticulture. Read this article to find out more about the novel ways that drones can help on-farm productivity and profitability.

Patience was indeed a virtue for Tasmania’s agriculture industry after the 2020 Precision Ag Expo successfully went ahead on Monday 2 November at Hagley Farm School, following a six-month delay.

Doris Blaesing from the Soil Wealth ICP team was also on hand to share information on the project’s activities, resources and outputs with attendees.

In this edition: 2020 Precision Ag Expo wrap-up, demonstration site findings from Katherine, Northern Territory and Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, and new resources including a soil microbiology fact sheet and advantages of Sunn hemp in veg production video.

Now in the third year of trials, the benefit of variable rate lime and fertiliser application is starting to pay big dividends at our Koo Wee Rup demonstration site in Victoria.

In this edition: New guide to brassica biofumigant cover crops, seasonal outlook for vegetable growing areas, demonstration site findings from Manjimup, Western Australia and Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, and new resources including a poster on the ins and outs of variable rate application.

There have been noticeable benefits to soil structure from the precision ag trial focusing on variable rate nutrition over the past 2.5 years at our Koo Wee Rup demo site in Victoria. Check out a short video and some photos from our latest visit to the site.

Drones are becoming a useful tool in the fight against weeds, insect pests and diseases. This aricle highlights some of the benefits from using drones to spray herbicides quickly and efficiently on a farm in Bundaberg, Queensland.

In this edition: Have your say on Soil Wealth ICP, demonstration site news from Gingin, Western Australia and a new guide to useful project resources.

This poster provides a snapshot of variable rate application, the options available, why and how to do it, key questions to keep in mind and more information on the practical tips and tools available.

In this edition: Vegetable Crop Nutrition Masterclass an online success, demonstration site news from Sydney Basin and Cowra, NSW, and new resources on pink rot in potatoes.

The integration of remote sensing in daily farm management is a hot topic driven by the evolving range of applications through the Internet of Things (IoT). In this article, start-up company Hummingbird Technologies describes how the technologies in the Artificial Intelligence and remote sensing space can help vegetable growers to make the right decisions for weed control and harvest prediction. 

Dr Luz Angelica Suarez, postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre at UNE, will discuss her research which aims to assist growers in the evaluation and adoption of remote sensing technologies as a mechanism to optimise management practices.

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) has produced a series of videos focusing on precision agriculture in vegetable production.

In this edition: Get effective R&D support in a remote setting, demonstration site news from Victoria and Bathurst, NSW, and new resources on managing salinity in potato and vegetable production.

Headquartered in Melbourne’s Werribee South region, Fresh Select is one of the largest lettuce and brassica growers in Australia. As a leader in innovation, sustainable farming techniques and responsible practices, the company is also one of the first to trial precision agriculture technologies in vegetables.

Over the past two years, Victorian vegetable growing operation Schreurs & Sons and the Soil Wealth ICP team have partnered to explore the application of precision agriculture in celery, leek and baby leaf production systems. The demonstration site is located at Adam Schreurs’ Cora Lynn farm, about 80km south-east of Melbourne, Victoria.

Over the past two years, Victorian vegetable growing operation Schreurs & Sons and the Soil Wealth ICP team have partnered to explore the application of precision agriculture in celery, leek and baby leaf production systems. The demonstration site is located at Adam Schreurs’ Cora Lynn farm, about 80km south-east of Melbourne, Victoria.

Precision agriculture (PA) technologies have been widely adopted throughout various agricultural industries in Australia, but what exactly is PA, and what benefits can it provide the Australian vegetable industry? This fact sheet provides information on the different types of technologies that are available, what they do, and how they have the potential to benefit your farming system.

The Precision Agriculture (PA) Project was an on-farm research, demonstration and extension project funded by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment under the Cultivating Prosperity: A 2050 Vision for Agriculture grant program.

The goal of the project was to boost farm productivity in Tasmania using precision agriculture technologies. This fact sheet provides a great overview of the PA tool used (including yield monitoring, imagery, soil mapping, and digital elevation modelling), results, and key factors for progress.

Most new technology for controlling weeds will be a positive step forward for soil health and the environment, and will play an important role in our fight against herbicide resistant weeds.

Watch this interactive session to hear from leading industry experts on some of the most interesting and practical advances in weed management.

Over the past decade, the agricultural industry has seen a significant increase in publicly available remote sensing imagery and data. This technology is more accessible than ever, where users can access a wide range of information that can be implemented into their farming businesses, with the help of service providers and various commercially available platforms.

In this global scan, we address the types of remote sensing available, and its applications to vegetable production systems. Remote sensing is a type of geospatial technology that sits alongside Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies.

As agricultural systems forge toward a large-scale, complex, tech-savvy future, where should you look for new technologies and what questions should you be asking?

The Soil Wealth ICP have scanned the watchlist of 24 emerging technologies detected by Agrifutures in 2018 to determine how tech change will influence your vegetable growing business. This global scan and review covers the newest global innovations in technology, how they are being applied, and what we should be looking for.

Schreurs & Sons and the Soil Wealth ICP team have partnered to explore the application of precision agriculture in celery, leek and baby leaf production systems. The demonstration site is located at Adam’s Cora Lynn farm, about 80km south-east of Melbourne.

We're aiming to improve nutrition, irrigation and drainage management, and insect pest and beneficial monitoring as a basis for soil and crop health. To achieve this, we’ve used technology like EM38 mapping, gridded soil sampling, variable rate fertiliser spreading, remote monitoring insect pest and beneficial identification traps with cameras, as well as drones.

Read this case study to find out more about the exciting developments and results over the past 12-months.

Hear from industry experts on how strip-till will save you fuel and time, increase soil organic matter, reduce erosion and compaction, and how fertilisers can be banded at multiple depths.

The Soil Wealth ICP project presents this podcast about controlled traffic farming, featuring the best practice agriculture of Tasmanian vegetable growing operation Harvest Moon.

The Soil Wealth and ICP project is scanning global technologies to bring you some of the most interesting and practical advances in weed management. Most new technology for controlling weeds will be a positive step forward for soil health and the environment, and will play an important role in our fight against herbicide resistant weeds.

This global scan and review provides guidance on non-selective fallow paddock weed control, as well as selective In-crop weed control, and delivery technology.

Robotics and intelligent systems are used throughout various agricultural industries to control, monitor and improve farming systems. The development of various systems to aid in increasing the economic performance of farms is prevalent in both Australia and internationally.

Watch this informative and interactive one-hour session to get the latest updates from vegetable industry experts, including leaders from the University of Sydney, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and DataFarming.

Read this update from the VG16009 project team being led by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Highlights include findings and next steps from the demonstration sites in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Hort Innovation supports research in sensing and digital technologies to improve irrigation decision-making for vegetable producers.

Identifying new ways to optimise irrigation is key to the ongoing success and sustainability of irrigated farming in Australia.

The rise of agricultural technology is seeing tailored farming solutions that marry microclimate sensors with data intelligence to provide accurate insight into the crop and soil water balance. By providing real-time information about what is happening in each crop, these emerging technologies can help growers make faster, more accurate irrigation decisions by backing up gut feel with hard evidence.

This levy-funded project aims to assist vegetable growers to implement precision technologies (VG16009). A key element is demonstrating what precision technologies are commercially available to assist in horticulture with identifying and understanding crop variability.

The Precision Agriculture Research Group from the University of New England and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries recently published a number of articles in the WA Grower magazine.

Read these articles to get an update on mapping variation at harvest and yield prediction of vegetable crops.

DataFarming’s innovative software platform is backed by over 20 years of hands on experience solving agricultural problems in the real world.

Through cloud-based systems, farm data, and satellite technology, DataFarming deliver simple data solutions to drive farm productivity across all production factors, gaining valuable insights into the agricultural industry.

Created through the Horticulture Innovation Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney's internationally-recognised Australian Centre for Field Robotics, RIPPA aims to benefit the vegetable industry by automating a number of existing farm management tasks.

This guide summarises useful information developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) Phase 1 projects from 2014-2017, and where to find it. These resources are relevant to all major vegetable growing regions in Australia. The resources developed includes fact sheets (51), case studies (12), videos and apps (36), e-newsletters (32 editions), as well as demonstration site information. The main topics covered by these resources include crop management, pest and disease management, and soil, nutrition and compost.

All the resources in this guide can be found on this project website.

Six years ago, Rob Hinrichsen and his team at Kalfresh decided to focus on four key practices – controlled traffic, cover crops, soil biology and compost – to improve the soil health across their farms. The main drivers were to improve crop yield and quality, as well as the sustainability of the business.

Rob’s emphasis on softer tillage, boosting organic matter with compost and cover crops has helped the soil recover and support a healthy population of beneficial soil organisms. Rob supplements the naturally occurring biology by using specific beneficial organisms to improve the robustness of his farming system.

This case study provides insights into some of the main changes involving controlled traffic, cover crops and compost at the Kalfresh demonstration site in Queensland.

The Soil Wealth ICP team sat down with InfoVeg TV to chat about the project and its aim to communicate information about soil management and plant health to Australian vegetable growers to help the industry grow sustainably using healthy soils.

Precision agriculture (or PA) uses a combination of new technology and existing agronomic knowledge to maximise farm efficiency.

Watch the recording of this one-hour interactive session facilitated by the National Vegetable Extension Network (VegNET) in Victoria (N, W, SE regions) and Tasmania, funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable industry levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Hear from Rob Hinrichsen of Kalfresh in QLD about using controlled traffic in commercial vegetable production systems.

This video captures Rob's experiences with the technology achieving 'growing zones' and 'driving zones', the benefits of reduced tillage down from 11-12 passes to 2-3 passes, the costs of transitioning the cultivation system, as well as how the business piloted the technology before making the big change.

Will a potential change to soil management increase profit? How do we assess whether a change we’ve already made was profitable? One way to answer these questions is to use a ‘partial budget’. A partial budget assesses additional revenue and reduced revenue, additional costs and reduced costs to work out the net change in profit. A partial budget only includes items that change.

The Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects provide R&D extension services, products and communication on improved soil management and plant health to the Australian vegetable industry.

From 2014 to 2017, RMCG and AHR have delivered the projects for Horticulture Innovation Australia. Phase 1 of the projects have now been completed. So, what’s been achieved?

An on farm trial tests the yield or economic effect of a management treatment on an agricultural system. This information can then form the basis for wider application of the treatment in other parts of the farm. Precision Agriculture (PA) tools offer a simple and effective means to implement and measure such trials as part of a normal farming operation. This booklet uses working examples of how PA tools have enabled growers to measure the economic returns of treatments to help them with whole farm decisions.

Crop sensing is allowing the adoption of variable rate management to address yield variability, improve management of inputs and maximise productivity.

Check out how precision farming techniques are being adapted to vegetable production.

A summary of the importance of soil, soil science and good soil management from a Victorian perspective.

Ed Windley and Ben Moore are vegetable growers from Kalbar, Queensland. In conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Ed and Ben are trialling new practices such as controlled traffic and variable rate applications to maximise efficiency on their farms.

This helpful fact sheet outlines the key information required to get the best out of your chemical application.

A reduced till system on this Cowra vegetable farm delivered soil, cost and crop benefits.

NSW farmers, Ed and James Fagan explain how they developed a reduced tillage vegetable farming operation in Cowra, NSW.

Reduced till is a system change that relies on keeping the soil in a healthy condition through the use of permanent beds, controlled traffic, cover cropping and crop rotations rather than frequent cultivation.