Promoting Profitable Adoption of Precision Agriculture in SA

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Project Objectives a) To increase the use of precision agriculture systems by grain growers in South Australia. b) To test the economic value of using variable rate inputs to grain crops. Funded by SAGIT Project PA 1/02 The advent of global positioning systems technology or GPS is beginning to provide significant scope for agricultural industries to accurately measure variation in soils and yields. Precision Agriculture or PA will be an important component in the future of agricultural production. SPAA has been instrumental in improving training opportunities for growers interested in PA. The trials program will provide real hands-on experience in the use of these technologies, plus actual farm data to determine the potential agronomic and economic returns, By combining this into farmer training, SPAA has been able to deliver a much more conclusive and convincing delivery of the benefits PA has to the grains industry. Since the formation of SPAA, the organisation has gathered significant membership across Australia. SPAA is interested in all types of agricultural industries – a reflection of the opportunity that exists for everyone interested in PA to learn from shared experiences, and the fact that the management of all crop production systems is subject to the effects of the inherent variability of the land. SPAA membership is currently over 235 financial members from predominantly SA, but also NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania. This has enhanced the organisations standing and recognition by farmers, agronomists, researchers and a number of PA hardware and software manufacturers across Australia. SPAA has already begun discussions of standards for the industry, including map colours, EM 38 electromagnetic survey techniques. Data processing, mapping and archiving standards, equipment data communication standards are further issues that SPAA will address into the future. Training of farmers and advisors in PA technologies through workshops and events organised through this project has lead to increased adoption of yield mapping and DGPS guidance in SA. The early SPAA e-Newsletters and magazine ‘PrecisionAgNews’ has become an invaluable source of information for those whishing to adopt PA technologies. SPAA has run and supported numerous PA technology field days, supported and run conferences in PA at the state and national level conferences and provided grower industry representation in the field of PA. SPAA research through this project has identified that that using PA zone management techniques through variable rate N and P application, zone management with targeted fungicide application and soil amelioration using gypsum targeted to management zones can call be used to increase grain production. Potential cost savings, yield or profit improvement from using zone management and variable rate application systems in the project trials have identified returns of $26/ha to $64/ha.